LED DRL's
- Thread starter Combine Pilot
- Start date
Your gonna make me put pants on and go outside to take a pic aren't ya Wes?
Pictures at night don't focus to well with my camera but you get the idea. DRL's don't come on at night anyhow.
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I dunno. Maybe check ebay. IIRC they had white, blue super white and possibly amber.
do these light up around the truck very well? these drl/courtesy lights are nice when you're camping or something and dont have a flashlight
do these light up around the truck very well? these drl/courtesy lights are nice when you're camping or something and dont have a flashlight
I would have to say not really. It seems to me they do not lighten up the area more than normal lights even though they appeat brighter.
Anyone have trouble with there's flashing? I've had my LED's in for about three weeks and they started flashing yesterday. I put two different ones in and it stopped. I guess i'll wait and see if the two new ones do the same thing.
That's possible. I might have to go spend the extra money for the ones like you got LBZ, if mine start flashing again.
I dont think LED technology is here yet for low wattage bulbs like DRL's. I tried it. I tried 4 different sets actually. None of them were as bright as the 2 dollar bulbs from any auto parts store.
I ended up doing a "pin mod" to the stock bulbs, connecting the two pins together. A standard bulb has a 27 watt filament and 7 watt filament. By connecting both pins together, you get both lit and a full 35 watts.
You can see the regular bulb to the left and the LED to the right.
I ended up doing a "pin mod" to the stock bulbs, connecting the two pins together. A standard bulb has a 27 watt filament and 7 watt filament. By connecting both pins together, you get both lit and a full 35 watts.
You can see the regular bulb to the left and the LED to the right.
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I have been running LED bulbs in one of my bikes for 2 years. They work well, but there are issues.....
I use them for brake lights and turn signals, and running lights (I was trying to reduce the standing load on the alternator so I could run other stuff.....like a heated vest). They can be really bright if the bulb is facing the direction you are looking, but they do not utilize the reflector in the light housing as well as the incandescent bulbs. The LED's are directional bulbs, not omnidirectional like the incandescent bulbs. They are also sensitive to heat, if you mix an LED and an incandescent in the same housing face, expect the LED to burn out quick because of the heat from the incandescent bulb.
As is stated earlier in this thread, on my bike I used a solid state flasher relay to have the correct flash rate for the turn signals. I am not sure how our trucks work with the turn signal and hazard flashers.
I use them for brake lights and turn signals, and running lights (I was trying to reduce the standing load on the alternator so I could run other stuff.....like a heated vest
). They can be really bright if the bulb is facing the direction you are looking, but they do not utilize the reflector in the light housing as well as the incandescent bulbs. The LED's are directional bulbs, not omnidirectional like the incandescent bulbs. They are also sensitive to heat, if you mix an LED and an incandescent in the same housing face, expect the LED to burn out quick because of the heat from the incandescent bulb.As is stated earlier in this thread, on my bike I used a solid state flasher relay to have the correct flash rate for the turn signals. I am not sure how our trucks work with the turn signal and hazard flashers.
Well my second set of LED's are flashing now. I guess i'll put the old ones back in for now and find some different ones to put in. I don't know whether i should try another set of led's or try some chrome plated white bulbs. What does everyone think?
Would having both filaments on be to hot for the housing? Or would it cause the lights to burn out quicker?
I know this post is old but I just started running LED DRL's. I haven't had any issues yet and they look great. I got mine for $2 off eBay. Hopefully they last.
Further instructions
Hi Nick, can you provide further instructions on your pin mod? I have an 02 Suburban and when I went to replace burned out bulbs I noticed that they had gotten so hot as to melt the sockets. I've ordered new sockets and would like to have brighter lights but concerned about the heat output of regular bulbs. Seems led's may not be the answer in terms of light output?
Thanks!
496Burb
Hi Nick, can you provide further instructions on your pin mod? I have an 02 Suburban and when I went to replace burned out bulbs I noticed that they had gotten so hot as to melt the sockets. I've ordered new sockets and would like to have brighter lights but concerned about the heat output of regular bulbs. Seems led's may not be the answer in terms of light output?
Thanks!
496Burb
Let me shed some light as to why your bulbs are flickering, melting the socket, etc.
This is info I found after searching about the problem for a very long time, and a simple solution to install leds that won't cloud up the lense on your clear lights like the 4114 bulbs do.
http://www.tahoeforum.com/showthread.php?p=53904
Read post #34, he explains how and why it works the way it does in GM's drl circuit. I have led's in my Sierra, and have now for about 6 months with no problem, and they are just cheap ebay 3157 bulbs. by adding the resistor he talks about you limit the voltage down to 12v instead of 14v that the 4114 bulb runs at.
This is info I found after searching about the problem for a very long time, and a simple solution to install leds that won't cloud up the lense on your clear lights like the 4114 bulbs do.
http://www.tahoeforum.com/showthread.php?p=53904
Read post #34, he explains how and why it works the way it does in GM's drl circuit. I have led's in my Sierra, and have now for about 6 months with no problem, and they are just cheap ebay 3157 bulbs. by adding the resistor he talks about you limit the voltage down to 12v instead of 14v that the 4114 bulb runs at.
BlkMax nailed it.
The brightness of the bulb directly correlates to the reflector - thats why its in there. Regular bulbs throw light almost 360º and the reflector is focused for that. Most LED throws light straight out the front for people to see, but 0 of that light gets to the reflector. There are some LED bulbs that have LED segments pointing the side and back to the rear towards the reflector - those are the bulbs you want to get, so light output is maximized. Otherwise you are going to just get a little LED dot glowing to the front.
The brightness of the bulb directly correlates to the reflector - thats why its in there. Regular bulbs throw light almost 360º and the reflector is focused for that. Most LED throws light straight out the front for people to see, but 0 of that light gets to the reflector. There are some LED bulbs that have LED segments pointing the side and back to the rear towards the reflector - those are the bulbs you want to get, so light output is maximized. Otherwise you are going to just get a little LED dot glowing to the front.