"Paul Hunt" <paul.hunt1@blueyonder.co.uk> writes:
> Is this a current (no pun intended) new switch you are putting in? Or
> new
> old stock? I ask because there is much evidence that current switches
> are
> not up to the load of the lamps, and fail again quite quickly. The
> standard
> thing with a new switch seems to be to add a relay, with a quenching
> diode
> across the winding of the relay to also protect the hydraulic switch.
Sorry, no advice on removing the brake light switch, but this seems a
great time to mention what I consider to be a quick and easy safety
improvement to our LBCs: LED brake lamps. No doubt you've all noticed
the neat LED clusters that the OEMs are putting on their higher-line
cars these days. The advantages of LED lamps are (at least) fourfold:
1. Much quicker response time for brake application. Traditional
bulbs take a fraction of a second to "warm up" to full light output.
LED lamps are literally instantly ON at their full brightness. This
could potentially be the difference between a rear-end collision and a
near-miss.
2. Much lower current consumption. I don't have any hard numbers
available, but the LEDs consume significantly less current than
traditional incandescent bulbs do. When I fitted LED 1157s to the
Kawasaki, the headlight no longer dimmed when I applied the brakes.
3. Lower heat output. We've all seen cars where the brake light lens
is melted from being too close to the bulb. LEDs won't do that.
4. Reliability. LEDs (at least the good ones) should last the
lifetime of the car. No more worrying about a burned-out bulb!
LED 1156 and 1157 replacements have been available for a while now,
from many different manufacturers, but most of the first designs
suffered from poor candlepower output and/or poor dispersion patterns.
I've recently discovered and purchased from a company called TMI (on
the Web at http://www.usaled.com/). Their 1156 and 1157 "Power Tower"
bulbs are every bit as bright as the incandescents, and properly fill
up the entire reflective area due to their design. I have two 1157s in
the Kawasaki, two 1156s in the Bertone, and two 1156s in the VW. When
my MGB gets put back together, you can bet it'll sport a pair of these
as well!
(One note: When purchasing LED automotive bulbs, be sure the bulb
color matches the lens color for maximum light output.)
To link back to the current thread of discussion, LED bulbs present an
easy, inexpensive alternative to Paul's relay advice above, due to
their low current draw. If you're on the concours circuit, you
probably aren't interested in either the LEDs or the relay. But if you
drive your LBC regularly on the roads with the rest of the unwashed
masses, or are concerned about not letting the smoke out of your Lucas
electrics, then the LEDs make a lot of sense.
Todd Mullins
'74 MGB Tourer in a jillion pieces
'84 Bertone X1/9 daily driver for the wife
'87 VW Cabriolet on loan to my sister since Katrina
'80 Kawasaki KZ440LTD daily transport for me
|