I would like to replace my bulbs with LEDs and am researching the bulb sockets. I've tried searching the forums for a definitive answer but cannot find one, so I thought I would ask here.

It is my understanding that the bulbs are as follows:
Rear tail/brake lights: 1157 (Since it has dual brightness for running light and brakes)
Rear turn signal: 1156
Front turn signal: 1156

Is this correct?

I know I will need resistors on the turn signals.

Thanks

 

If you get CANBUS lights you don't need the resistors as they are built in.

 

All the bulbs are 1156 (rear, brake, turn and reverse).
I don´t recommend LED bulbs for static lights (like rear/brake) because it gets hot in minutes. It works fine for temporal lights (turn and reverse).

You need good CANBUS LED for turn signals and a good CANBUS CREE LED for reverse.

CANBUS LED TURN SIGNAL EXAMPLE:




CANBUS CREE LED REVERSE EXAMPLE:



BUT if you don't disable your cold star bulb checks, you will see a free show on your led lights whit the car on

 

Thank you for all the info.

Now I'm just curious how 1156 LEDs work in the tail/brake light since 1156 are single intensity bulbs. I understand a halogen's brightness would vary for the brakes based on wattage but since LEDs require less wattage than the halogen wouldn't they be at full brightness all the time while your lights are on, regardless if brakes are pressed or not?

 

I use LED for all tail lights except the indicators. But its all non canbus (philips led from amazon) bulbs. The brightness difference in LED is bright and very extremely bright. Compared to halogens dim and bright..

 

I had the same doubt that you have and I probe the turn LED bulbs on rear/brake sockets. The LED lights go up when turn on the lights and when you press the brake, the LEDs are a little bit more intense. The intensity is always smaller with a LED lamp than with a halogen lamp (it really less intense).

If you wish, you can use LED lamps in the rear/brake lights, but because it is a large LED (1156) as I mentioned to you before, the bulb will get warm quickly and its lifetime will be really short, and the lighting will be always lower than the halogen ilumination.

Since turn signal housing (on rear tail lights and headlights) have magnifying glasses, the intensity is not an issue in those cases.

Front Turn Signal:



Rear LED lights (Mini Cooper LCI):



I could not find an example for full LED tail lights for pre LCI model (reverse lights with the brake lights, turn signal and not down with the fog light).

 

my LED weren't that hot when operation, maybe theres no canbus thing to generate heat. Just deactivate bulb monitoring, simple so you can use non canbus bulbs. And avoid using LED on indicators as they will tend to hyperflash, unless you use canbus stuff.

 

SupeDuper, your original post is correct. The tail/brake lights are 1157 (dual filament) bulbs. They are not 1156.

 

Check the Guide attached then, let me show you a:

1156 Amber (PY21W) BULB




1156 "White" (P21W) BULB:



Maybe the LCI model has 1157 bulbs. I have no experience with it

 

Great info! I've heard that Philips Red LEDs are the only ones designed to continuous use without problems. Can you share pictures o a video with us?.
I want a chance with those LEDs on mi rear lights.

Surely, your Philips LED are not hot because it are designed for a 7x24 use.
The LED issue is that: it gets hot in minutes. I don't know if the same for cree LEDs. But, for turn signal, it is not a continuous use. Same comment for reverse light.
The problem will be with the tail/brake lights.

Canbus is not related with the LED temperature. It is another stuff, related with LED status.

Hyperflash is generated because the warm monitoring is not detecting the bulb. The bulb is not detected because it power consumption is smaller (great for us, bad for warm monitoring).
If you disable warm bulb monitoring you will never know when your bulb (LED) burned...

It's simple, just buy a good quality CANBUS LED and only disable the cold check.
Maintain the warm check for ALL the bulbs for your security (and ours).

 

That list shows the same rear/brake bulbs for the R55 Clubman as for R56 Hatch. The R55 and R56 have different taillights and do not use the same bulbs. The owner who compiled the list has pictures of a Clubman. I assume he didn't check on an R56. Please stop insisting on this misinformation. The R56 uses 1157 bulbs.

Edit:
I take that back. The R55 and R56 have different taillights but use the same bulbs. They both use 1157 for the rear/brake. P21W is incorrect for this bulb position.

SupeDuper, this is simple for you to verify. Open the access panel in the luggage compartment. Reach in and twist to release the bulb holders. If the bulb has two contacts at the bottom, it is 1157.

 

I did it and change all muy bulbs with my hands on my MC R56 2010 pre LCI
The R55/R56 summary is OK.
Surely you are confused because the shape of the taillights (it are different, your are right).

Do not assume.
You must check carefully all the details before disapproving any user information.

Check your rear tail light bulbs and let us know

 

SupeDuper, can you give us the model/year for your car plus if it is LCI or pre LCI?

 

The R55/R56 Owner's Manuals in the U.S. say that the tail/brake lamp uses a "21watt/5 watt bulb" (i.e., dual filament such as 1157). Strangely, it also says "W 5 W" which is obviously wrong (W5W is a miniature wedge bulb).



miniuy, since you are in Uruguay, you might have a different specification from the U.S. Does your bulb holder socket only have one contact at the bottom?

 

Yes, that's very strange! W5W is a T10 and your are right, that is not the bulb for any tail light in my car. The only exterior w5w are: side turn signal and front position lights. Strange.


Yes, all the four bulbs on my tail lights has a single contact and bulbs with a single filament (1156). There is not any bulb with dual filament/contact.

Another important info: my car is a Mini "non-US" (made in UK/Germany) then maybe the Mini "US" has 1157 bulbs and the Mini non-US use 1156 bulbs.
Additionally my car is a pre LCI model (reverse light is in the tail light and not on the bumper with the fog light, as the LCI models).

Then we have

Made in US pre LCI bulbs: ?
Made in UK pre LCI bulbs: 1156 (mine)
Made in US LCI bulbs: ?
Made in UK LCI bulb: ?

Maybe there is a difference in the socket bulbs associated with the car due to country specifications (US/UK/Germany) as you said??
With your VIN we can check your manufacture country at RealOem website!

 

It is a US 2008 R56 S. I'm not sure what LCI means.

I just removed one of the tail/brake bulbs and it only has 1 contact on the bottom. So I guess it is 1156.

 

Yes, if there is only 1 contact on the bottom, it is a 1156 bulb.
But, you need to check the bayonet type too (the side pins angle).
All my rear bulbs are 1156 BA15S (pins are on 180°).
Your bulbs, can be 1156 BAU15S (pins are on 150°).
It is as important as the bulb type:



This is a Mini Cooper pre LCI (reverse lights included on the tail lights)



This is a Mini Cooper LCI (reverse lights included on the fog light)

 

The pins were 180°, so BA15S.

I don't have any rear fog lights, my reverse lights are included in the tail lights so I must be pre LCI.

 

Great! So it seems we have the same tail lights config:

1 x 1156 BA15S Up Red tail/brake light
1 x 1156 BA15S Amber turn signal light
1 x 1156 BA15S Bottom Red tail/brake light
1 x 1156 BA15S "White" reverse light



Edit: Please, check post #3 again and good luck with your LEDs results !!!

 

Will do!

Thank you everyone for the reponses and help.

 

Enjoy your new tail lights!