oilspot

I'll take a shot at answering both Wade & Bill's question.

First, LEDs are not an ideal direct replacement in all cases, because the light is much more directional.  But in most cases (as least on my trailer) it is just a matter of mounting the LEDs to face the desired direction.  The "elegant lights in the front of the trailer are not a good application because you desire 360 degree illumination and the shade clips to the bulb.  The dome lights are a different story, since we only need the light to project down (more or less).

Second, the energy consumed per lumen of light is much much lower (about 1/10th) for LEDs compared to incandescents.  Don't confuse directionality with lumens.  Just because the current selection of LED bulbs does not exactly mimic an incandescent, has no bearing on the inefficiency of and incandescent.  The efficiencies of the various lighting technologies is well documented.

Wade asked why mess with exterior bulbs?  My answer is reduce electrical load and voltage drop in the Tow Vehicle lighting system.  My current tow vehicle just uses the quick-T trailer connecter, so all my trailer lights are wired on the same circuit as the TV.  Not all vehicles do this (My Explorer had seperate feed to the trailer and then relays controlling brake/turn signal voltages).  I especially want the LED for the TM Back-up lights, since this is a "weak point" in my wiring and a heavy load already (high watt b/u bulbs in tow vechicle).

Hope this helps explain my interest.  Just remember I'm not trying to defend thier usage.  But I think they are fun and a potentially exciting way to conserve energy.