Reply to "Gauge led bulbs"

Doug,

I've tried half-a-dozen different LED bulbs in stock gauges and, unfortunately, the best ones I've tried (Autolumination.com – item #: 194 168 W5W 2825 SMT Tower – green) are NLA.

SuperbrightLEDs.com makes one that works very well (WLED-GHP5); however, they have an "old" version and a "new" version of this bulb. The "old" version needed some minor filing in order to fit into the bulb tubes on the back of our gauges. They are noticeably brighter than 5W incandescent bulbs. Green, 360 degree LED bulbs give our gauges a slightly greener, "crisper" look than incandescent bulbs. White LEDs make the gauges look "washed out" and very pale green because the white light they emit is too blue (IMO). The "new" version of this bulb (photo below) looks smaller than the "old" one, so it will probably fit without modification, but I haven't tried it.

So far, SuperbrightLEDs doesn't have any dimensional specs available for the "new" bulb, so the only way to find out if it works is to try it. Just make sure you get the "new" version. SuperbrightLEDs will take them back if they don't fit.

The key features to look for in an LED bulb for OE Pantera gauges are: 360 degree light output and green illumination. Also, the bulb needs to protrude far enough into the gauge that the radial mounted LEDs, on a 360 degree beam pattern bulb, are inside the gauge and not in the bulb tube. Most of the LED bulb companies have bulbs like this but most are too large in diameter to fit into the bulb holder tubes on the back of OE Pantera gauges.

If you use an LED bulb with a narrower beam pattern than 360 degrees, the illumination will be uneven over the face of the gauge.

I hope this helps!