Can LED bulbs be used for brake lights on a C-HR?

[BigRedSwitch]

As I understand it the brake bulbs are lit when the electric parking brake is in use.  If this is true then it's surely inefficient for use in start-stop motoring as it will be a drain on the Battery.  My handbook says 16W clear wedge bulbs are standard on my 2018 car.

I have three questions:

a) can l fit LED bulbs to ease the load on my Battery? I can't find any on Amazon.

b) would they be too bright?

c) am I worrying about nothing?

[Starensis]

Not when parking brake in use. They illuminate if you use “brake hold”, but that only operates when system/engine is active. 
 

I’m sure Stop and Tail lamps are LED anyway.

 

[GBgraham]

1 hour ago, BigRedSwitch said:

As I understand it the brake bulbs are lit when the electric parking brake is in use.  If this is true then it's surely inefficient for use in start-stop motoring as it will be a drain on the battery.  My handbook says 16W clear wedge bulbs are standard on my 2018 car.

I have three questions:

a) can l fit LED bulbs to ease the load on my battery? I can't find any on Amazon.

b) would they be too bright?

c) am I worrying about nothing?

Definitely c)

[Spo2]

5 hours ago, Starensis said:

Not when parking brake in use. They illuminate if you use “brake hold”, but that only operates when system/engine is active. 
 

I’m sure Stop and Tail lamps are LED anyway.

 

I am pretty much using auto hold like handbrake, so based on what you said, back lights would be on and dazzling people behind ? So what's the purpose of auto hold? 

[Cyker]

It's literally just to hold the foot-brake on for you so you can take your foot off it.

Ostensibly it's to help with hill starts (I assume they realized the EPB sucks for hill starts - I certainly never needed it (hill start assist/brake hold) while driving a manual car but trying to move off like you would in a manual is almost impossible to do smoothly in an hybrid or autbox with a stupid EPB), but almost all of us hybrid owners seem to use it when waiting at the lights or traffic as there's no better alternative.

(The alternatives:

1) EPB + Neutral - This is what you *should* do In a normal car, but the Hybrids complain a lot if you leave them in neutral for more than short periods as it can't charge the Battery, and also just runs the engine for no reason and wastes loads of fuel.

2) Drive + EPB - Awful; The car is too stupid to turn the electric motor off so it just strains against the EPB forever, wasting Battery and eventually overheating the motor, even worse when the ICE kicks in and they both pull against the EPB!

3) Park + EPB - 2nd least awful option; Allows the car to charge, hold the car without it straining against the EPB but flashes R at person behind when you select/deselect it, and like other two is slow to move off, esp. compared to Drive+Brakehold. Becomes best option if you're going to be stationary for a while tho', e.g. motorway closure or level crossing)

[forkingabout]

I just use the autohold & find it an excellent function, I'm also not worried about the brake lights being on as most driver's just sit at traffic lights etc with there brakelights blazing away anyway.

[Stopeter44]

43 minutes ago, forkingabout said:

I just use the autohold & find it an excellent function, I'm also not worried about the brake lights being on as most driver's just sit at traffic lights etc with there brakelights blazing away anyway.

Yeah, roger that. Worrying about stoplights dazzling drivers seems to be very much a UK thing. in the US where manual cars are a minority, foot on the brake, or an electronic version of it (brake hold) has been the norm for decades.

[Cyker]

It is in the highway code, and was a pet hate of mine while I was a manual driver, as I'd always go handbrake+neutral and often be the only person without their brakelights on, and it was painful to my eyes at dusk in wintertime so I'd often just close my eyes and wait for the brakelights in front of me to go out, as the signal to go, as they are so bright I could see them through my closed eyelids.

Now I've stopped giving a toss, between the LED everything on the Yaris and its inability to go handbrake+neutral due to lack of handbrake and it not liking being in neutral, I have joined the dark-side. Or the blindingly light-side I suppose?? Very much an "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." scenario.

It's been interesting as I can now see the person in the car behind me illuminated in red because they're so bright, whereas before I couldn't!

[BigRedSwitch]

Thanks very much all. I've stopped worrying!

[Spo2]

18 hours ago, forkingabout said:

I just use the autohold & find it an excellent function, I'm also not worried about the brake lights being on as most driver's just sit at traffic lights etc with there brakelights blazing away anyway.

Going to carry on with this then!