Spokeworks LED brake light review

[Hi_Fi_Guy]

Purchased my 1971 911T Targa a few years ago and one of the first changes I always make to my vintage cars and motorcycles is an upgrade to LED lighting for better visibility and reduced power consumption.

I typically use bulbs from SuperBrightLEDs but for the 911 I wanted to support another Pelican member and chose the complete lighting kit from CarMagic which at the time included all interior & exterior lighting minus license plate light bulbs... which I see they do offer now. They also offer LED headlights which I have not tested.

All in all I have been very happy with the product but there has been a nagging issue. On at least a handful of occasions people have stopped me to tell me my brake lights were not working. This only occurred at dusk or dawn when the running lights were already on. It seems the difference in brightness between the tail lights and the same bulb with the brake pedal pushed was not signficant enough to register as brake lights for some road users. To avoid a rear end collision or worse I started looking at options.

After reviewing many threads on the forum I decided to give the Spokeworks LED brake light boards a try.

The Spokeworks LED brake light kit contains the following:

• Two LED brake light boards with adjustable mounting feet
• Two plastic frames
• Small allen wrench

The installation is easy.

• First install the plastic frame inside the brake light housing. Make sure the mounting frame feet are pointing out toward where the LED board will go. This piece helps to position the LED brake light board parallel to the tail light lens.
• Next plug the wiring pig tail bulb base into the tail/brake light socket. This is the part that replaces the original bulb.
• Slide the LED board into the brake housing (mounting feet screws should be very loose)
• Tighten mounting feet screws as needed until LED board is secure

Once installed they work just like a regular tail/brake light bulb only much brighter. At this time I am running the CarMagic bulbs for front/rear turn signals and rear side marker lights. I am only running the Spokeworks LED boards for the brake lights. Here are my thoughts on each:

CarMagic Pros:

• LED Bulbs that offer a direct replacement for the incandescent bulbs in your 911.
• CarMagic has done all the work for you finding the correct bulbs that fit the OEM housings.
• When illuminated behind the stock lenses these bulbs do not look like LEDs, they just look brighter than incandescent bulbs.
• Prices on par with other LED companies at $27 for 2 tail/brake light bulbs

CarMagic Cons:

• Brake/Tail lights may not offer enough distinction between tail light and brake light. This could be an issue with the LED bulb, the reflector design, or both.
• Similarly the brightness is good when viewing the bulb directly but seems to drop-off when viewed from an angle.
• While brighter than incandescent bulbs they do not appear to be anywhere near as bright as the Spokeworks solution

Spokeworks Pros:

• Easy to install... once you discover the instructions on the Spokeworks website.
• Everything you need is included in the kit, even the tiny allen wrench.
• The Spokeworks LED brake boards are definitely brighter (especially noticeable at a distance).
• These seem to maintain more brightness when viewed from an angle.
• These LED boards do not use or rely upon the reflector which could be of added benefit for someone where their reflector is dull, pitted, rusted, etc. vs other solutions.

Spokeworks Cons:

• Even behind the OEM lens these have the look of tiny LEDs which may not suit the owner who wants to maintain a vintage appearance.
• Instructions not included, but are available on their website.
• If they were to fail while on a road trip you would need the little allen wrench to remove these LED boards before you could install an off the shelf incandescent bulb. That said, the chances for failure should be very slim.
• I believe the price is fair for the quality and performance but they are much more expensive than other solutions at $90 for 2 tail/brake light boards

If ultimate brightness and clarity are your goal Spokeworks offers these LED Brake boards as well as front & rear turn signal boards, marker lights, fog lights and more. The price may be a bit higher but that old adage about getting what you pay for seems to hold true here. These are engineered specifically for our 911's and made to perform very well behind the OEM lenses. If I were starting fresh today I would most likely go this route. Your safety and the safety of your 911 is worth it.

If you are looking for a more authentic OEM look while receiving many of the benefits of LEDs then CarMagic is definitely worth a look. Their prices are good too. Like me you may still want to choose Spokeworks for the tail/brake lights as it seems the best option at this time to ensure other road users can clearly see when you are braking while the tail lights are already on.

Photos can not capture the exact brightness and intense red color as seen by the naked eye but they can help illustrate the contrast between the CarMagic and Spokeworks lights as well as the contrast between the Spokeworks tail light and brake light.

I hope this review helps anyone thinking about LED lighting.

This photo shot from approx 30 ft behind the car


Tail lights shown from an angle approximating being in the line next to the car


Tail lights reflecting against the inside of the garage door


Tail light vs brake light. Tried to use the exposure lock on the iPhone. While the photo does not reflect the reality of brightness or color it does show the contrast between tail light and brake light.

[Evans, Marv]

Great comments (& pics)! I installed Spokework lights but haven't used the car yet.

[tirwin]

Nice review. Thanks for sharing.

One suggestion is to also add a high third brake light. Look at the US auto market... sedans are going by the wayside. Everyone seems to be up higher in an SUV these days. I like the idea of getting a brake light more in line of sight of of a SUV driver. The rear lights are just so low by modern standards.

I bought the Hella TBL from Daniel Stern several years ago. I’m sure there are other options out there these days... I haven’t really looked at what else is available, but the Hella is BRIGHT.

[Hi_Fi_Guy]

Originally Posted by tirwin

Nice review. Thanks for sharing.

One suggestion is to also add a high third brake light.

I don't disagree and have been thinking of the best way of integrating one into this classic Targa that doesn't look out of place or tacked on.

[70sCars]

Brian,

nice write-up and comparison on the LED lights. I'm considering upgrading my cars, especially the '88 since I have a modified bumper without the bumperettes

[Arne2]

I've had these in both my 911s for a few years. Here are my additional comments to this review.

Even behind the OEM lens these have the look of tiny LEDs which may not suit the owner who wants to maintain a vintage appearance.

True for the normal square pattern lights, but the round pattern "RS-style" boards have the same number of LEDs in a denser pattern, and the LED-dot look is not evident. Just has a very bright slightly round light.

• I still felt that Jerry's LEDs did not have as much difference between tail and brake as I wanted. The tail lights were too bright. After talking with him about this, I was told that I could dim the tail lights by removing one or two of the surface mounted resistors on the boards. I tried pulling 1 first, and later pulled a second on each board. That dimmed the tail lights significantly. They are still easily as bright as a normal bulb, and the difference between tail and brake is now VERY noticeable.

• Lastly, the customer service is great. After 2 years, I found that one board had 3 dead LEDs. I contacted Jerry to ask if anything could be done, and he said he would replace the pair at no charge. When I mentioned that I had modified the boards by removing resistors, in case that might have voided the warranty, he said no problem, and he would build the replacement boards with only one resistor as well. Way over the top service.

[mepstein]

I have Spokeworks LED's on the front and back of my 914. The real test isn't at night when you can see most any light, but during the day. The extra brightness gets driver's attention when it counts. Plus, Spoke/Jerry is a great guy to buy from.

[RDM]

Originally Posted by Hi_Fi_Guy

I don't disagree and have been thinking of the best way of integrating one into this classic Targa that doesn't look out of place or tacked on.

The Targa bar is your friend. There's a nice space between the bar and the window where a light will fit nicely, invisible from the driver's seat. Here is what I ended up with, out of an E92 BMW. Though I am tempted to go back and do better....



The whole discussion is here: Third brake light: Anyone made a housing?.

Bit since Spoke didn't take up my challenge, probably he nicest solution is out of a Cayman and looks like this (at least in a coupe- it's not too wide for a Targa):

[RDM]

Originally Posted by Arne2

Lastly, the customer service is great.

So true. Jerry built a red reverse light board (just for me, as far as I can tell!) as a rear foglight. He takes great care of his customers.

[Locker537]

Apologies if this has been asked and answered countless times, but these LED brake lights do not require any chances in wiring or additional relays?

[Arne2]

Originally Posted by Locker537

Apologies if this has been asked and answered countless times, but these LED brake lights do not require any chances in wiring or additional relays?

No, total plug and play for brake/tail lights.

Turn signal LEDs may require an updated flasher relay, but still no wiring changes.

[RDM]

Originally Posted by Locker537

Apologies if this has been asked and answered countless times, but these LED brake lights do not require any chances in wiring or additional relays?

The third brake light requires wires run from the brake light wire to the 3rd brake light. Not hard to do it cleanly, especially in a Targa.

[evan9eleven]

I replaced all my rear lights with the Spokeworks boards a couple seasons ago, as well as adding a Hella 3rd brake light in the rear window. They were easy to install and work great— no more almost getting rear-ended. A+.

[famoroso]

Originally Posted by Locker537

Apologies if this has been asked and answered countless times, but these LED brake lights do not require any changes in wiring or additional relays?

If you switch to all LED brake lights, it can render your cruise control inoperable. There's a fix for that in the form of an additional in-line relay.

I have Spoke's brake light boards in my '88 and the full meal deal in my '87. I can't recommend them enough. The cons are truly nits when compared to the visual footprint improvement they make at night or, especially, day. Think about that when that SUV driving soccer mom is barreling down on you while talking on her cell phone and / or applying makeup. They aren't making anymore air cooled Porsches. They're making plenty of SUVs.

The benefits clearly outweigh the costs / cons.

This con...
Even behind the OEM lens these have the look of tiny LEDs which may not suit the owner who wants to maintain a vintage appearance.
...is also immaterial IMO. Unlike an overt set of LED projector headlights, that an owner sees everytime they walk up to the car, the LED light boards are considerably less noticeable behind their lenses.

Again, the benefits of a custom engineered solution easily outweigh the costs when safety (larger visual footprint), reliability (expected service life) and performance (brighter AND less current draw on 30 - 50 year old electrical systems) are considered. The Spoke boards are a win / win / win, no brainier for me.