LED turn signal lights a good idea?
#1
LED turn signal lights a good idea?
i found these on the V-leds website and they seem cool: 5K WHITE AMBER DUAL COLOR TYPE 2 CHANGING SWITCHBACK 92 TURN SIGNAL BULBS
Anyway, I think they will work for the X-Type. I'm not sure if they have the CK wiring or not though (I don't think they do). Also, if anyone has looked into these before, do they always stay on in the white illumination state or do they turn off? That's the part I don't understand. For them to be on, I would think that the turn signal circuit in the car must always have current flowing to it. I wouldn't want them to always be on though since that would be sort of annoying.
Anyway, I think they will work for the X-Type. I'm not sure if they have the CK wiring or not though (I don't think they do). Also, if anyone has looked into these before, do they always stay on in the white illumination state or do they turn off? That's the part I don't understand. For them to be on, I would think that the turn signal circuit in the car must always have current flowing to it. I wouldn't want them to always be on though since that would be sort of annoying.
#2
#3
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sqenixs, the problems a lot of the members have had with LED bulbs is that the circuitry for the car requires a specific resistance to make the blinkers do what they are supposed to and at a given speed (ie, blink rate). When installing LED bulbs, these are at a completely different resistance and therefore what ends up happening is you get a very fast blink rate. If you only do say the rears, then you end up with an uneven blink rate and what you get is the traditional bulbs being on most of the time and the LED bulbs giving a quick blink. Sometimes this gets to the point of the LED bulbs almost appearing to never come on.
As for the white/amber portions of that bulb, I am not sure what is up with it. I would need to do more research into the bulbs to find out exactly what the bulbs are doing. Odds are, they are not going to be the bulbs that you need.
As for the white/amber portions of that bulb, I am not sure what is up with it. I would need to do more research into the bulbs to find out exactly what the bulbs are doing. Odds are, they are not going to be the bulbs that you need.
#4
I was looking at doing all LED bulbs (except for high beams, low beams, and fog lights which would be HID) and I found bulbs that claim to have the resistors built in.
7507/ PY21W Bayonet LED (Amber) - $30.00 : AZN Optics, Your SOURCE for Automotive LED and HID Lighting!
While it does say that additional resistors may be needed for the front turn signal I think these may work out of the box for the rear
7507/ PY21W Bayonet LED (Amber) - $30.00 : AZN Optics, Your SOURCE for Automotive LED and HID Lighting!
While it does say that additional resistors may be needed for the front turn signal I think these may work out of the box for the rear
#5
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Emaraszek, good luck with those bulbs. I think you will find that the light from these is a little on the lacking side. They are using RGB 5050 LED "bulbs". Unless they are using some high tech version, you are going to be disappointed with the amount of light that they are going to give off. Give them a try, but I would be interested in a side by side picture of what the LED bulbs look like compared to the stock bulb.
I am getting ready to install those RGB 5050 LEDs into the wife's car for floor lighting. My intention right now is to use around 200 of those just to do the floor lighting. Those bulbs only have 16 of them per bulb.
I am getting ready to install those RGB 5050 LEDs into the wife's car for floor lighting. My intention right now is to use around 200 of those just to do the floor lighting. Those bulbs only have 16 of them per bulb.
#6
Emaraszek, good luck with those bulbs. I think you will find that the light from these is a little on the lacking side. They are using RGB 5050 LED "bulbs". Unless they are using some high tech version, you are going to be disappointed with the amount of light that they are going to give off. Give them a try, but I would be interested in a side by side picture of what the LED bulbs look like compared to the stock bulb.
I am getting ready to install those RGB 5050 LEDs into the wife's car for floor lighting. My intention right now is to use around 200 of those just to do the floor lighting. Those bulbs only have 16 of them per bulb.
I am getting ready to install those RGB 5050 LEDs into the wife's car for floor lighting. My intention right now is to use around 200 of those just to do the floor lighting. Those bulbs only have 16 of them per bulb.
Maybe next weekend I'll have the inclination to mess around with $30 light bulbs lol
#7
Ok so the brakes have been in for about a week (brakemotive kit from ebay with 4 drilled/slotted rotors and ceramic pads for $182, an absolute steal!) and I just realized one of my sidemarkers is out so I decided to take the opportunity to buy some LED bulbs.
I got 5 pairs of the small W5Ws that are in the sidemarkers, side turn signals, license plate lights, and parking lights. They were on sale for $11 a pair, down from $14 on ijdmtoy.com. They should be in today so I'll install as soon as I get home from work and post back the results. One thing that concerns me right now is possible hyperflash if I put them in the side turn signals. Hopefully this doesn't happen since the original bulbs were such low power to begin with.
Another thing I noticed on their site, which I'm considering, is their variety of hyperflash resistant turn signal LEDs with built in resistors. They apparently guarantee them to work properly without modification to your car, they're $45 a pair but that might be worth it if I don't have to modify my wiring harness
I got 5 pairs of the small W5Ws that are in the sidemarkers, side turn signals, license plate lights, and parking lights. They were on sale for $11 a pair, down from $14 on ijdmtoy.com. They should be in today so I'll install as soon as I get home from work and post back the results. One thing that concerns me right now is possible hyperflash if I put them in the side turn signals. Hopefully this doesn't happen since the original bulbs were such low power to begin with.
Another thing I noticed on their site, which I'm considering, is their variety of hyperflash resistant turn signal LEDs with built in resistors. They apparently guarantee them to work properly without modification to your car, they're $45 a pair but that might be worth it if I don't have to modify my wiring harness
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#8
I had a couple of white LED W5W lying around today and I put them into the side marker turn signals. To my surprise there was no hyperblink whatsoever! Even if I removed two bulbs at the same time the car didn't want to hyperblink. I ended up loving the look of the LEDs for the side markers because of their instant on and instant off characteristics compared to regular bulbs.
Funny thing is I tried putting the same bulbs into my 03 S Type R and it immediately hyper blinked and set off a warning of "burnt passenger signal bulb" on the dash.
Funny thing is I tried putting the same bulbs into my 03 S Type R and it immediately hyper blinked and set off a warning of "burnt passenger signal bulb" on the dash.
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i hope i uploaded it right, here is the pic of the side mirrors. i ended up placing the LED light strip behind the mirror and got a cool glow. it's hooked up with the side marker light so it blinks when i use the turn signal or the hazards. and you can't really see the hardware. best $15 i ever wasted!!
Last edited by mad_mike; 08-01-2012 at 02:02 AM. Reason: add on to the post
#13
i hope i uploaded it right, here is the pic of the side mirrors. i ended up placing the LED light strip behind the mirror and got a cool glow. it's hooked up with the side marker light so it blinks when i use the turn signal or the hazards. and you can't really see the hardware. best $15 i ever wasted!!
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mad_mike (08-02-2012)
#14
i hope i uploaded it right, here is the pic of the side mirrors. i ended up placing the LED light strip behind the mirror and got a cool glow. it's hooked up with the side marker light so it blinks when i use the turn signal or the hazards. and you can't really see the hardware. best $15 i ever wasted!!
#15
In my design I've decided to manufacture the "pin" portion of the part out of stainless steel so that this crucial piece holding the lights in place is not flimsy. The rest of the adjuster will be a higher grade plastic with a slot that allows the pin to sit inside it.
I can upload the files if anyone else wants them. You'll need Autodesk Inventor to open them though. (The free Autodesk Viewer may work too)
#16
i got the LED's at my local Autozone. Here is the link:
Alpena/8 in. amber colorful flexible LED light (77444) | LED Exterior Accessories | AutoZone.com
i put these on my Expedition as well but as the quarter lights and the white ones.
I just pasted them on the inside outer curve and ran the wires along the wire harness of the side mirrors. I'll take pics of the side mirror later. I did have to take off the back covers, the door panel, and figure out how to run the wires. It's a half day job ( once you figure the first one out)
Alpena/8 in. amber colorful flexible LED light (77444) | LED Exterior Accessories | AutoZone.com
i put these on my Expedition as well but as the quarter lights and the white ones.
I just pasted them on the inside outer curve and ran the wires along the wire harness of the side mirrors. I'll take pics of the side mirror later. I did have to take off the back covers, the door panel, and figure out how to run the wires. It's a half day job ( once you figure the first one out)
#17
#18
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Thang, this is a loaded question based on the LED bulb that you get. In all cases, they now make LED bulbs with the correct base. So, plugging in the light bulb requires no special harness. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that the LED bulbs are polarity sensitive and if they don't work the first time, they need to be rotated 180 degrees.
Now, for the part that may drive you bonkers and this really only applies to the turn signals, all others are not affected by this. The speed at which a turn signal blinks is based on the amount of current the bulbs pull. Due to the efficiency of the LED bulbs, they will pull less current (in most cases) and give you more light. The problem comes in that it will also cause your blinker to flash really fast (most states have a law that the blinker is only supposed to flash at a rate of 80-120 times a minute per as stated in USDOT manufacturer requirements). This is where you would need to add a specific sized resistor to add more current to the circuit to slow the flash rate to an acceptable rate. Some LED bulbs already have this resistor built into the light and therefore this is not an issue. But, this is mainly found in the more expensive LED bulbs too. The cheaper ones, well, if they don't have to put it in there, they won't to make the bulb as cheap as possible.
If you have more questions about LED bulbs, let me know. I have played a lot with LED bulbs and know a few things about them.
Now, for the part that may drive you bonkers and this really only applies to the turn signals, all others are not affected by this. The speed at which a turn signal blinks is based on the amount of current the bulbs pull. Due to the efficiency of the LED bulbs, they will pull less current (in most cases) and give you more light. The problem comes in that it will also cause your blinker to flash really fast (most states have a law that the blinker is only supposed to flash at a rate of 80-120 times a minute per as stated in USDOT manufacturer requirements). This is where you would need to add a specific sized resistor to add more current to the circuit to slow the flash rate to an acceptable rate. Some LED bulbs already have this resistor built into the light and therefore this is not an issue. But, this is mainly found in the more expensive LED bulbs too. The cheaper ones, well, if they don't have to put it in there, they won't to make the bulb as cheap as possible.
If you have more questions about LED bulbs, let me know. I have played a lot with LED bulbs and know a few things about them.
#20
Thang, this is a loaded question based on the LED bulb that you get. In all cases, they now make LED bulbs with the correct base. So, plugging in the light bulb requires no special harness. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that the LED bulbs are polarity sensitive and if they don't work the first time, they need to be rotated 180 degrees.
Now, for the part that may drive you bonkers and this really only applies to the turn signals, all others are not affected by this. The speed at which a turn signal blinks is based on the amount of current the bulbs pull. Due to the efficiency of the LED bulbs, they will pull less current (in most cases) and give you more light. The problem comes in that it will also cause your blinker to flash really fast (most states have a law that the blinker is only supposed to flash at a rate of 80-120 times a minute per as stated in USDOT manufacturer requirements). This is where you would need to add a specific sized resistor to add more current to the circuit to slow the flash rate to an acceptable rate. Some LED bulbs already have this resistor built into the light and therefore this is not an issue. But, this is mainly found in the more expensive LED bulbs too. The cheaper ones, well, if they don't have to put it in there, they won't to make the bulb as cheap as possible.
If you have more questions about LED bulbs, let me know. I have played a lot with LED bulbs and know a few things about them.
Now, for the part that may drive you bonkers and this really only applies to the turn signals, all others are not affected by this. The speed at which a turn signal blinks is based on the amount of current the bulbs pull. Due to the efficiency of the LED bulbs, they will pull less current (in most cases) and give you more light. The problem comes in that it will also cause your blinker to flash really fast (most states have a law that the blinker is only supposed to flash at a rate of 80-120 times a minute per as stated in USDOT manufacturer requirements). This is where you would need to add a specific sized resistor to add more current to the circuit to slow the flash rate to an acceptable rate. Some LED bulbs already have this resistor built into the light and therefore this is not an issue. But, this is mainly found in the more expensive LED bulbs too. The cheaper ones, well, if they don't have to put it in there, they won't to make the bulb as cheap as possible.
If you have more questions about LED bulbs, let me know. I have played a lot with LED bulbs and know a few things about them.
The easy way to tell what your car has is to simply remove one blinker bulb for a moment and see if it affects the blinking speed.
Good news is that electronic blinker relays are available online, Ebay etc, for pretty much pocket change - and the ones I have used do actually work !
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Thang Nguyen (12-18-2016)