Before I purchase new bulbs for my dash and gauges, is there a film behind them that changes the light color or is it clear? I know newer pontiac"s had a red film.
There is nothing to change other then the bulbs. They are white. I would go to Rodney and get his brighter bulbs. They are not the expnsive and work great.
Brighter bulbs is a crap fix for other problems. Start here... See my Cave, Dash Dimmer etc.
Which Dash/car? BULBS are White but the light on gauges w/ 85 MPH speedo and Needles etc on them is Orange. Back light gauges are not simple either to change color. See https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/138175.html
Note: Many LED do not dim well on OE dimmer circuit.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Brighter bulbs is a crap fix for other problems. Start here... See my Cave, Dash Dimmer etc.
Which Dash/car? BULBS are White but the light on gauges w/ 85 MPH speedo and Needles etc on them is Orange. Back light gauges are not simple either to change color. See https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/138175.html
Note: Many LED do not dim well on OE dimmer circuit.
Noted. I have read your stuff before about the LED's. However I do have LED's in most of my other cars and plan on doing the same in the Fiero. Not to concerned about the dimmer but I know the bulbs I have gotten at SuperBrightLED's in the past have worked decently. What I am stuck on is if I should do blue or red. Blue is easier on the eyes but red does have the "cool" factor.
[This message has been edited by Spadesluck (edited 08-23-2016).]
Originally posted by E.Furgal: not 90% of the time.. briteness slowly fades as bulbs age from use.. most times it's just old worn out bulb's nothing more..
nevermind the human eyes that degrade as we age.. so brighter bulbs help there..
Believing that doesn't make it true. 1. Yes OE bulbs can dim from old age but brighter bulb from Rodney etc are a BS fix. Replace dim/dead 194 bulbs w/ New 194 bulbs and fix the problem(s)! Iffy Dimmer and dash dirty or full of crap are big ones to fix. And not just Fiero... I've seen both problems on many cars because: GM and others use/used same dimmer circuit w/ same problems on many cars. Road dusts gets into most dashes over time.
2. Many think a bight dash is good. Worse, They often have No Clue why the dimmer is there or how/when to adjust it. Even OE bulbs are too bright for many driving and why same fool can't see when they hit something or worse, someone. Many States will ticket you for having Dome lights on while driving for this reason. To make more problems, Many new car now have GPS etc in the instrument panel that just adds to light pollution inside the car and kills night vision.
Funny example but Mythbuster Pirate specials shows how eye works for night vision. Many in the military and pilots should know how easy F'd up night vision can cause very big problems. This is also why is illegal to flash aircraft w/ lasers.
Originally posted by Spadesluck: Noted. I have read your stuff before about the LED's. However I do have LED's in most of my other cars and plan on doing the same in the Fiero. Not to concerned about the dimmer but I know the bulbs I have gotten at SuperBrightLED's in the past have worked decently. What I am stuck on is if I should do blue or red. Blue is easier on the eyes but red does have the "cool" factor.
Huh? Blue and Green are worse for night vision. Dim Red is less "damage" to night vision but brighter is bad as blue etc.
Many cars have/had red dash lights because of this, not because red is "cool." Fiero and most others "back then" were white to orange. Remember very Dim "white" bulbs often looks yellow/orange/reddish too... Most could dim to the point their off. So you could adjust the dash at night on highway to barely see the speedo and see outside very well. (Many new cars do not allow to dim to be off and some minimum limits are too much for driving at night in the "country.")
Believing that doesn't make it true. 1. Yes OE bulbs can dim from old age but brighter bulb from Rodney etc are a BS fix. Replace dim/dead 194 bulbs w/ New 194 bulbs and fix the problem(s)! Iffy Dimmer and dash dirty or full of crap are big ones to fix. And not just Fiero... I've seen both problems on many cars because: GM and others use/used same dimmer circuit w/ same problems on many cars. Road dusts gets into most dashes over time.
2. Many think a bight dash is good. Worse, They often have No Clue why the dimmer is there or how/when to adjust it. Even OE bulbs are too bright for many driving and why same fool can't see when they hit something or worse, someone. Many States will ticket you for having Dome lights on while driving for this reason. To make more problems, Many new car now have GPS etc in the instrument panel that just adds to light pollution inside the car and kills night vision.
Funny example but Mythbuster Pirate specials shows how eye works for night vision. Many in the military and pilots should know how easy F'd up night vision can cause very big problems. This is also why is illegal to flash aircraft w/ lasers.
I get that.. but I also did test on candle light from old bulbs to a new stock replacement the difference isn't in my mind.. My original bulbs are more than bright enough, but could be brighter,, in spots.. this could be the cluster design or a dim bulb... The dash lights blinding you so you can't see the road is.. well .. I'll only say I've never had that issue.. and leave it at that..
you seem to leave out the fact that the human eye adjust for the light around it,, this is very important, why because todays cars/trucks and many aftermarket replacement headlights are blinding even when aimed correctly.. from the different heights and from vehicles turning (not straight on) so your eyes adapt to the very bright headlights and then look down to see dim dash lights.. Same reason on a sunny day or a sunny day with white snow you go inside and can't see crap.. your eyes need to adjust.. Sure, with cars 30 years old.. bad connections and a torn dimmer can make for less light output.. but back in 84-88 headlights were not anywhere close to as bright as the ones now,, other than off road lights that had to be covered on public roads.. so the dash lights were fine for the eye's adjustment to the headlights.. today they are dim after driving at night with traffic.. not only are the headlights blinding but so are the tail lights when they brake.. Rodney's lights might be a b/s fix for other problems.. but even without issues, the oem bulbs and the reduced light output from age only add to the darkness when you look away from the headlights/tail lights and then to the dash.. the human eye doesn't adjust that fast..
We are taking about fiero dash lights, no nav.. no7-8" screen in the center,,
I'm adding led's only to the bulbs placement of the console as those get to hot for my liking.. those tiny ashtray bulbs get so hot they'll burn you..
[This message has been edited by E.Furgal (edited 08-23-2016).]
I used LED bulbs from Blacktop Racing. I got some purple ones, but they really don't look that purple through the plastic. The dimmer doesn't seem to have as much range and is a little "twitchy" in the adjustment, but the increased light is great in my opinion.
There is nothing to change other then the bulbs. They are white. I would go to Rodney and get his brighter bulbs. They are not the expnsive and work great.
There is orange flouescent paint inside the cluster housing, at least on the older gauges.
For reference I had some spare 194 LED's both blue and white (forgot I had them). I tried them in the volt/blue gauges pod tonight. The blue LED does not give of much light nor does it really look blue. Maybe a slight blue tint in the needles themselves. The white LED is a lot more crisp than than the stock bulb and much brighter than both stock and blue. If I had any advice I would just go with white LED's because I dont think much color is going to make a difference for these gauges.
I just installed red LEDs and it brightened the dash and deepened the red color - I really like the look. Dimmer works well (as it did with the stock bulbs)
The LEDs give it a more "modern" look in my opinion - it is much closer to the red in my 2006 Torrent dash. I'm VERY happy with this simple "upgrade".
I just installed red LEDs and it brightened the dash and deepened the red color - I really like the look. Dimmer works well (as it did with the stock bulbs)
The LEDs give it a more "modern" look in my opinion - it is much closer to the red in my 2006 Torrent dash. I'm VERY happy with this simple "upgrade".
Did you use red or white LED's for the switch? EDIT....NM I clearly missed the "I installed RED leds...."
[This message has been edited by Spadesluck (edited 08-24-2016).]
I just installed red LEDs and it brightened the dash and deepened the red color - I really like the look. Dimmer works well (as it did with the stock bulbs)
The LEDs give it a more "modern" look in my opinion - it is much closer to the red in my 2006 Torrent dash. I'm VERY happy with this simple "upgrade".
I used the Red led's from the Bay HERE $5.86 for 10 free shipping. They work great the Dimmer works the same as it did with the bulbs it has a full range.
This is a picture of the dash lights installed. Sorry for the bad guilty my camera has a hard time with night shots.
You must remember that led's only work in one direction only if it does not light turn it around.
I also replaced the ones in the GT taillights with the longer version of this bulb the triple it now lights the PONTIAC area of the GT much brighter. As I have replaced the break and signals with the led kit bought HERE in the forum the back of the car is much brighter now.
[This message has been edited by 1Packrat (edited 08-26-2016).]
Long overdue update: I installed red LED lights I ordered from Amazon - here's the link: Amazon LED bulbs
HUGE difference!!! Much brighter, easier to read, and they dim just like the factory bulbs. The dash is much more red than orange now, which I really like also.
Simple, easy upgrade (well, for me it wasn't, but I was also repairing the temp gauge and installing a lot of new interior parts - just did the dash LEDs while I had everything apart)
Much brighter, easier to read, and they dim just like the factory bulbs. The dash is much more red than orange now, which I really like also.
