[soldthetaco]

One of the biggest eye sores of SC is the halogen bulbs in the rear turn signals and brake lights.

They are underwhelming and lack sophistication. Since it's so new and most likely SC will be a low volume vehicle, I don't think Morimoto, Alpharex will design a badass complete rear lamp assembly like you see in Tacomas or 4Runners
like this

So, the next best thing to do is just swap out the bulbs

FYI: the correct bulb size is 1156 and you'll need 4 bulbs, 2 on each side

I've tried some cheap LEDs from amazon just for fitment and confirmed that they are indeed all 1156 and those cheap LEDs will cause hyperflash and canbus error.

I've also ordered these extreme plug and play red LEDs

V6 EXTREME RED 1156

Radial Lens Optical grade polycarbonate lens creates radial 360° pattern for maximum intensity in the housing Adjustable Added spacer ring allows for two-position adjustment High Quality Driver High output driver with the best components available Controller Integrated into the bulb for...

www.vleds.com

they work, but there's no way to have all the adapters fit behind as this thread shows

so I then ordered a bunch of resistors and also these LEDs

6 LED HIGH OUTPUT REVERSE LIGHT 1156

Adjustable Twist the bulb to match any lamp housing Plated Aluminum Machined heat sink with MCPCB for optimal thermal performance CC Driver Constant current driver ensures reliability even with voltage fluctuations (as opposed to resistors that fail) Factory Base Molded base that fits...

www.vleds.com

these are marketed as back up light, and no built-in resistors

however, to my surprise, they must draw enough power and they don't trigger hyperflash and canbus error whatsover
So, NO resistors needed!


here is the OE bulb output

and this is the LED swapped

and this is in low ambient light environment

Installation is just pure bulb replacement nothing special

Hyundai's instruction is pretty clear in the attachment.

If you are not familiar with 1156 bulb socket, to unplug, you'll want to gently push in the bulb a little bit and then rotate it slightly counter-clock wise and then the bulb can be easily pulled out. Install is the reverse.

Also, halogen bulbs shouldn't be touched with bare hands, wear gloves so no oil is left on the bulb surface if you plan on using those halogen bulbs again.

 

[nojovo]

I heard someone liken the Cruz's tail lights to Thor's hammer, which made me like them a bit more But yeah, wish they'd ha e some progressive flash, as long as they are horizontaly.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[JMII]

You are the mod king - new wheels, new lights... what is next?

 

[soldthetaco]

I heard someone liken the Cruz's tail lights to Thor's hammer, which made me like them a bit more But yeah, wish they'd ha e some progressive flash, as long as they are horizontaly.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Looking forward to some advanced OBD re-write that mod the Thor's hammers to go sequential

 

[soldthetaco]

You are the mod king - new wheels, new lights... what is next?

lol, I gave up on the glove box light, too awkward to get to
just license plate lights and reverse lights. They require taking off the rear bumper, and taking off the rear bumper requires taking off the rear fender garnish.
I can see that the yet to be revealed fender flares will be replacing the fender garnish so I'm just waiting for those to be available and do it all in one setting

 

[Walking Black Bear]

Did you get the 5k or 6k versions? $45 per bulb is a little steep for run of the mill LED bulbs, but if they work without hyperflash or errors, worth it. They look SO much nicer!

 

[soldthetaco]

Did you get the 5k or 6k versions? $45 per bulb is a little steep for run of the mill LED bulbs, but if they work without hyperflash or errors, worth it. They look SO much nicer!

6K, through the tinted housing they look bright orange.

 

[Innate]

Looking forward to some advanced OBD re-write that mod the Thor's hammers to go sequential

I'd doubt it will happen. Bet those LEDs are more than likely wired in parallel so they're all on/off.

 

[ToadVine]

Let the modding begin!

 

[soldthetaco]

I'd doubt it will happen. Bet those LEDs are more than likely wired in parallel so they're all on/off.

Judging from the way they all light up at the same time at night, I think you're right, having granularity switches must be costly

 

[Innate]

Judging from the way they all light up at the same time at night, I think you're right, having granularity switches must be costly

Yes, it sure would but... MAN that would that be cool!

 

[soldthetaco]

lol, I gave up on the glove box light, too awkward to get to
just license plate lights and reverse lights. They require taking off the rear bumper, and taking off the rear bumper requires taking off the rear fender garnish.
I can see that the yet to be revealed fender flares will be replacing the fender garnish so I'm just waiting for those to be available and do it all in one setting

While I had the vehicle on a lift
after suffering some minor cuts on my hand, I managed to swap out the license plate lights and reverse lights with LEDs without having to remove the rear bumper

I can confirm that license plate lights are 194
and reverse lights are 921

I was able to fit an extreme reverse 921 kit down there with some help of zip ties now every bulb is LED now on the outside

 

[JMII]

I managed to swap out the license plate lights and reverse lights with LEDs without having to remove the rear bumper

Did you notice the difference with the reverse lights?

I'll likely do this mod since I go fishing at dark-O'clock in the AM and backing down the boat ramp is like reversing into the abyss. I might even mount aux fog lights under the rear bumper to help since the reverse lights seem laughably small on the SC.

 

[soldthetaco]

Did you notice the difference with the reverse lights?

I'll likely do this mod since I go fishing at dark-O'clock in the AM and backing down the boat ramp is like reversing into the abyss. I might even mount aux fog lights under the rear bumper to help since the reverse lights seem laughably small on the SC.

I think I messed up by going with "projector" style LED bulb

it just projects the light beam upwards and then light is reflected inside the reverse light housing and then emits out, so definitely not the brightest that I imagine

if you have the tailgate up, I'm sure the reverse camera is good enough to see, it renders very well at low light

 

[Innate]

One of the biggest eye sores of SC is the halogen bulbs in the rear turn signals and brake lights.

Just replaced my four 1156 taillight bulbs with LEDs. Man, did it make a difference and didn't effect the blink rate so that was a super easy and cheap upgrade. Hate to be the guy setting behind me at the stoplight now. No CANBUS errors so far.

Update: drove for most of the afternoon today and got 2 “check your tail lights“ errors. The error on the dash went away in about 10 seconds. It is a nuisance and not worth the LED lights benefit. Cannot recommend these.

Amazon.com: JDM ASTAR High Performance Super Bright 1:1 Design 3020 Chips 1156 1141 1073 7506 Red LED Bulbs : Automotive

Buy JDM ASTAR High Performance Super Bright 1:1 Design 3020 Chips 1156 1141 1073 7506 Red LED Bulbs: Bulbs - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

smile.amazon.com

 

[SmoovC]

Good effort on your part! This is one of the first mods I perform on a new car (if needed), and I always go with VLEDS.

A few observations:

You always want to match the bulb color with the lens color. ie: red bulb for red lens; amber bulb for amber lens. Your light output and color will be better. Instead of red looking orange, red will look deep red.

Rule of thumb for turn signals: add a VLR-6 resistor at each bulb location being replaced. Although, sounds like it is not needed on the SC?

The HO-36 LED series of bulbs have more uniform output vs. the HO-6 LED series in most applications.

The LP light housings can be removed from the face of the bumper; no need to remove bumper or access from behind.

Hope this info helps

 

[soldthetaco]

Just replaced my four 1156 taillight bulbs with LEDs. Man, did it make a difference and didn't effect the blink rate so that was a super easy and cheap upgrade. Hate to be the guy setting behind me at the stoplight now. No CANBUS errors so far.

Update: drove for most of the afternoon today and got 2 “check your tail lights“ errors. The error on the dash went away in about 10 seconds. It is a nuisance and not worth the LED lights benefit. Cannot recommend these.

Amazon.com: JDM ASTAR High Performance Super Bright 1:1 Design 3020 Chips 1156 1141 1073 7506 Red LED Bulbs : Automotive

Buy JDM ASTAR High Performance Super Bright 1:1 Design 3020 Chips 1156 1141 1073 7506 Red LED Bulbs: Bulbs - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

smile.amazon.com

I bought these as well, didn't notice on the first day, on day 2, got check tail light error, these red bulbs are truly nice, but I suspect they don't draw enough power consistently and thus randomly triggers the error

those white LEDs bulb I tested continue to perform error free over a week now.
they get VERY hot though, I got burned when I swapped them over.

 

[soldthetaco]

Good effort on your part! This is one of the first mods I perform on a new car (if needed), and I always go with VLEDS.

A few observations:

You always want to match the bulb color with the lens color. ie: red bulb for red lens; amber bulb for amber lens. Your light output and color will be better. Instead of red looking orange, red will look deep red.

Rule of thumb for turn signals: add a VLR-6 resistor at each bulb location being replaced. Although, sounds like it is not needed on the SC?

The HO-36 LED series of bulbs have more uniform output vs. the HO-6 LED series in most applications.

The LP light housings can be removed from the face of the bumper; no need to remove bumper or access from behind.

Hope this info helps

I tried it with the extreme red VLEDS kit, but there's no space to fit all the sockets and wires dangling at the back of the housing. Maybe I can try extension cable VLEDS sell and try to reroute the bulky sockets elsewhere
and the other red 1156 bulb from VLEDS only has 170 lumen, I'd love something much brighter for better visibility on a sunny day.



Do you have a link to the HO-36 that you are referring to?

On the brake/rear turn signals, SC definitely requires resistors if the load is not big enough. Other "low" lumen LEDs I bought for fit testing guarantee error all the time.

Also, the license plate housing I tried to access it from the front using a pry tool, but it felt very tight and I didn't want to damage the surface by inserting something in the crack. Accessing from the back wasn't that bad

 

[SmoovC]

I tried it with the extreme red VLEDS kit, but there's no space to fit all the sockets and wires dangling at the back of the housing. Maybe I can try extension cable VLEDS sell and try to reroute the bulky sockets elsewhere
and the other red 1156 bulb from VLEDS only has 170 lumen, I'd love something much brighter for better visibility on a sunny day.



Do you have a link to the HO-36 that you are referring to?

On the brake/rear turn signals, SC definitely requires resistors if the load is not big enough. Other "low" lumen LEDs I bought for fit testing guarantee error all the time.

Also, the license plate housing I tried to access it from the front using a pry tool, but it felt very tight and I didn't want to damage the surface by inserting something in the crack. Accessing from the back wasn't that bad

In the proper housing, the lumen output of a red bulb is much less critical than that of an incandescent bulb. The red lens of a brake light filters out all the blue, yellow, green, etc out of white light, but filters nothing from a red LED. Trust me, the 170LM bulbs are more than bright enough. I had them in a Dakota R/T that was driven only on sunny days and had no issues with visibility.

I was referring to the 921 bulbset when referencing "HO-36". The red 1156 would be a HO-50; which you have already found based upon your quoted rating of 170 lumens.

It is always best to use load resistors whenever replacing incandescent bulbs in certain applications (such as turn signals); with some exceptions: like when using an electronic flasher on older vehicles. The VLR-6's dissipate heat very well and are low profile so they fit where others won't.

From the Owner's Manual:

I can totally understand the concern of not wanting to damage anything, especially on a brand new vehicle!

 

[soldthetaco]

In the proper housing, the lumen output of a red bulb is much less critical than that of an incandescent bulb. The red lens of a brake light filters out all the blue, yellow, green, etc out of white light, but filters nothing from a red LED. Trust me, the 170LM bulbs are more than bright enough. I had them in a Dakota R/T that was driven only on sunny days and had no issues with visibility.

I mustered the will power and cut the OEM zip ties that bundled and restricted the sockets location
after re-routing the wires, I was able to install these VLEDS

there's no space to fit the sockets directly behind, so dangling in where the shocks for tailgate dampener is the next best thing.
I'll continue to test but so far without resistors they work fine without triggering any error

you're right, red LEDs are so much better than white in red housing

in the following video, you can see left side is extreme red vs high output 6k white on the right side