[Smitha10]

Hi, I'm new on here, and still getting used to forums altogether, so please point out if I need to post this somewhere else or something.

I have recently been upgrading the bulbs in my headlights, sidelights etc.
I was wondering if anyone could tell me how easy it is to upgrade the tail lights/brake lights to LED's on my 2010 i30. it's the comfort model, crdi auto.

thanks in advance, and I'm loving reading through al these posts 

[Dazzler]

  Smitha10 Glad you like our forum! 

As far as I am aware the easiest / best way to do that is replace the rear light assemblies with complete LED ones from Ebay or various Korean Accessory places.

I'm sure others who have done it will be happy to supply links. Not cheap though! 

[The Gonz]

[ibrokeit]

Thought you were advertising something at first!      

[CraigB]

  Smitha10, some LED tail lights can be found here Tail Lamps : [SUPER LUX] Hyundai i30 - Premium LED Taillights Set

Personally I think the standard lights look better on the FD's though.

[Smitha10]

ah yes I see, I may stick with my standard lights then, it is pretty pricey that  thank you very much for the link!

[Phil №❶]

Remember that you can replace the globes with led equivalents, this is a much cheaper option but you would need to check that what you fit, is legal in your location.

There are specifications for luminosity etc. If you do this, best to actually see the bulbs in operation at an accessory shop, not online, as the pictures are over exposed to show brightness that is not actually there, you could be very disappointed.

[tohis]

Having LED bulbs inside regular tail lights may not look any different, so there's no advantage other than saving few watts of power, which is IMO negligible when compared how much power the whole car uses. There are several kind of LED bulbs available, with varying quality, some may not last very long, some are not officially approved for road use etc. - so I would stick with cheaper regular bulbs which seldom need replacing anyway.

Also, if you replace turn signal bulbs with LED ones, you may need additional resistors to avoid turn signals blinking too fast, like they do in case of having blown bulb. With those resistors there will be no power saving either.

[The Gonz]

Then there's the compatibility with the reflectors and lenses. No point having a normally quite narrow LED beam not making use of the surrounding optics. You may even need something like this:

[Phil №❶]

You can get electronic flashers to work with LED turning lights. The brake lights are also used to trigger the Cruise control too, so they may / may not work correctly.

As far as the energy saving, I do think that it is worth reducing all energy where possible. There have been recalls to replace the brake switch in the FD models, presumably due to excess current and the strain on the wiring loom, which are designed by price would be reduced too. Good quality ones would most likely last the life of the car.

I have some special LED's that should do the trick, just not enough time to build them.

[CraigB]

If converting over to a LED bulb then I'd suggest a canbus bulb, they come with load resistors preinstalled to make the change as easy as changing bulb only.
2pcs 7507 BAU15S Canbus 26 SMD LED Amber Turn Indicator Bayonet Bulbs | eBay

[Smitha10]

wow I had no idea there was so much to it! thank you all for the help and advice