| 386 LED lights upgrade Fitting LED bulbs as a direct replacement for the original filament bulbs results in a brighter more intense light than a filament bulb and a significantly lower power consumption too. Typical figures are 0.07a for a 5w equivalent bulb and 0.21a for a 21w equivalent bulb, a useful benefit with an ageing wiring loom. The bulbs use Light Emitting Diodes (LED) and most of the bulbs supplied by Classic Dynamo & Regulator Conversions use an LED called an SMD (surface mount diode) to emit a brighter more intense light than a filament bulb. They light instantly and have no filament to "blow". They are also good with vibration. Can LEDs be used on an MG RV8? Lighting on the MGB and derivatives like the RV8 ranges from barely adequate to adequate when measured against modern cars, but MGV8 enthusiast Roger Parker says it is not enough to state simply 'this is the way the cars are' as the reality is we drive amongst today's traffic. With comparatively weak lighting we can become 'invisible' to many drivers. That could be to our cost. When you see many superb classic cars leaving an event and it is dark and often raining, Roger worries that all may not make it. Looking at them driving away you see their rear lights disappear, often long before you lose sight of the car, which on a modern car is just the reverse. That begs serious questions about visual safety. Roger has a book coming out later this year which covers vehicle lighting regulations. He notes that until 1969 the MGB, MGC and Midget shared a common rear lamp that has a soft output from the tail light, but better with the brake light and indicator. This was |  clearly seen as a problem by MG because for the 1970 model year a more angular lens design was introduced which projects more light even though the bulb and reflector is the same. Some years ago he changed his 1968 car's rear lights for the post 1970 type for safety reasons, but has always been looking for other ways of improving the rear lights. Now what follows is specifically related to UK road traffic law, but it is likely that other countries, especially in the EU, will have similar local legislation and as such any recommendation here relates to the UK. Owners outside the UK are advised to check their local legislation before following suit. Fortunately for the MGB family of cars only the RV8 is heavily restricted in that all lamps on cars first used after 1st April 1986 have to use traditional 'filament bulbs' and these have to be approved and carry 'approval marks'. So how do so many newer cars now legally use LED and HID lamps I hear you ask? Simple really as these cars pass European Type Approval requirements and are certified as such so any car that has European Type approval can't be refused to be registered in the UK (or elsewhere in the EU) and the approval overrides the existing legislation for all other cars. |  Above is a brief listing of the cut off dates after which all lamps must have approval marks and that currently means using approved filament bulbs carrying that approval. So what about the majority of the MGB family of cars first used before 1st April 1986? Well the UK Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations cover all lamps with various requirements after various cut off dates. Cars first used after those dates must comply with various requirements as listed in the many schedules in those Regulations. What this means is those types of light on cars 'first used' before those dates are not required to have approval marks so that can open the door to alternative lighting sources such as LED and HID Xenon. However other requirements still apply such as wattage, colour of light, angles of visibility, fitted position and so on, but most importantly that no lamp shall cause dazzle to other road users. Many readers will feel so many modern cars' lights do seriously dazzle other drivers. So for MGBs, MGCs and Midgets LED replacement bulbs are an available lighting upgrade option. See a copy of the full article |
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