Jump to content

LED Tail Light Bulb Questions

Neroado

By Neroado
in Modifications & Accessories

 Share

Recommended Posts

Neroado Enthusiast

Neroado

Posted
Posted

I would think this topic has been covered before, but I can't find it in searches.  May be user error, but sorry, I'm not finding what I'm looking for.

 

I want to upgrade my tail/turn/brake light bulbs to LED on my 2018 Silverado. I know they are 7443 bulbs, but I see a lot of RED LED bulbs being offered, and I'm not sure what are better to use, RED or WHITE.  What are the differences all else being equal (lummens, etc.) - with red housings, why would red bulbs be needed?  What's the advantage?

 

Also, how do I determine what size/type of resistor to use?  I did see one post saying that 6ohm resistors didn't work with the bulbs he used, but 3ohm did. 

Is there another plug 'n play option, like changing the flasher instead of adding resistors?

 

Any help would be appreciated.  Seems like it should be a no-brainer, but the huge selection of products out there and not finding one cohesive source of info has my head swimming.

 

Thanks.    

newdude Senior Enthusiast

newdude

Posted
Posted

Red for the LEDs.  

20 hours ago, Neroado said:

I would think this topic has been covered before, but I can't find it in searches.  May be user error, but sorry, I'm not finding what I'm looking for.

 

I want to upgrade my tail/turn/brake light bulbs to LED on my 2018 Silverado. I know they are 7443 bulbs, but I see a lot of RED LED bulbs being offered, and I'm not sure what are better to use, RED or WHITE.  What are the differences all else being equal (lummens, etc.) - with red housings, why would red bulbs be needed?  What's the advantage?

 

 

 

Red.  White LEDs create a washed out color due to their 5000K-6000K light color.  

 

Red or White LED bulb behind a Red Lens? (with video demonstration) : Automotive News by ABD.co.uk (autobulbsdirect.co.uk)

lovecars Enthusiast

lovecars

Posted
Posted
On 1/12/2022 at 10:12 AM, Neroado said:

I would think this topic has been covered before, but I can't find it in searches.  May be user error, but sorry, I'm not finding what I'm looking for.

 

I want to upgrade my tail/turn/brake light bulbs to LED on my 2018 Silverado. I know they are 7443 bulbs, but I see a lot of RED LED bulbs being offered, and I'm not sure what are better to use, RED or WHITE.  What are the differences all else being equal (lummens, etc.) - with red housings, why would red bulbs be needed?  What's the advantage?

 

Also, how do I determine what size/type of resistor to use?  I did see one post saying that 6ohm resistors didn't work with the bulbs he used, but 3ohm did. 

Is there another plug 'n play option, like changing the flasher instead of adding resistors?

 

Any help would be appreciated.  Seems like it should be a no-brainer, but the huge selection of products out there and not finding one cohesive source of info has my head swimming.

 

Thanks.    

Yoiur truck doesn't have an external flasher.  The body computer handles that. You need to install resistors in order to not get warnings when you start the truck. I installed Sylvania bulbs on my 2017, they are kind of weird looking but they work by directing the light to the sides instead of straight out, this way you get better dispersion of the light. Thay are very bright.

 

Another way is to change the programming in the truck so it ignores the lack of regulare bulbs.  First responser equipped trucks have that from the factory, but an upfitter can do that programming. Most dealers do not even know about this setting and I havve a Tech 3 to access the computers but the new ones have to be called in to a central GM rep that must give you a passcode to enter in the computer to turn that feature.

sylvania led.jpg

Neroado Enthusiast

Neroado

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thank you all for your help and advice.  I ordered iBrightstar red bulbs on Amazon and 6ohm resistors. They were highly rated and inexpensive, so I thought I'd give them a try. 

 

The only thing still in question is if 6ohm is the correct resistor, and how many I need. The listing for the bulbs states that you need one resistor for each turn signal bulb. I did see a video from one of the major bulb vendors where they only installed one per side on a Silverado.  I figured that since 6ohm was by far the most being offered, it was a good bet that it'd be right.  I didn't see any 3ohm being sold anywhere.  And I think I'll install one on each side and see if it works.

 

The bulbs and resistors are supposed to arrive tomorrow, so I'll let you all know how it turned out.  

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • bluev8
      Intermittent no-code issues on 2022.5+ V8 trucks — what did the shop fail to capture?

      By bluev8 · Posted

      That makes sense, and I think you are describing the real product problem. Capturing data is the easy part. If the owner or technician has to manually dig through five minutes of millisecond-level logs, the product has already failed. The device would be at the ECM harness, not at the OBD port, so I agree that data retrieval and event marking need to be thought through carefully. The way I am thinking about the architecture is: The recorder itself should not depend on a phone, app, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or cloud connection to capture the event. It should always keep a local rolling buffer and lock the event locally. A button, phone app, or small cabin device would only act as an event marker. If the driver feels a stumble and presses the button 10–30 seconds later, the pre-buffer has to already contain the useful data. For data retrieval, the practical options would be a sealed service USB lead, Wi-Fi download, or a phone/cabin companion device. I would not expect the owner to remove the ECM-side module or work with raw files directly. The cloud or AI side would be for interpretation, not for capturing the event. The truck may have no connection when the issue happens, so the evidence has to be saved locally first. After that, cloud processing could help decode the data, compare it against baselines, and generate a readable report. For the first version, I would keep the automatic triggers conservative and objective: driver event marker bus-off error passive voltage drop / brownout device reset FIFO or queue overflow a normally periodic message disappearing side-to-side communication mismatch, if the topology supports that For “learning normal,” I agree with your point, but I would not want to overclaim it as automatic root-cause diagnosis at first. A realistic first step would be learned baseline comparison for that specific vehicle and operating condition. For example, a value would only be compared against similar conditions: RPM range load / MAP throttle position gear / vehicle speed coolant and oil temperature battery voltage AFM/DFM state, if decoded and validated Then the report could flag things like: this periodic message disappeared compared with its normal timing this value deviated from this vehicle’s normal range under similar conditions the same abnormal pattern repeated after the same type of event the anomaly occurred together with voltage, oil-pressure, misfire, or communication changes But I would still call that “abnormal pattern detected,” not “replace this part,” unless there is enough validated repair data behind it. So the intended product would not be “here is a huge log.” It would need to be an event package: what triggered the capture how much pre/post data was preserved what changed before and after the event whether the device itself reset, overflowed, or saw a bus error selected graphs around the event raw data only as supporting evidence From your perspective, what would make this kind of report useful instead of just another datalog? For example: What are the top 5 parameters or events you would want highlighted first? Would you trust a learned baseline for that specific vehicle, or would you prefer fixed thresholds? How much false-positive flagging would be acceptable before you stopped looking at the reports? What would a one-page report need to show for an independent shop to take it seriously? For misfire, AFM/DFM, oil pressure, or U-code complaints, what would you want the tool to flag automatically?
    • scotthvac.net
      2022-24 halogen - led grille swap

      By scotthvac.net · Posted

      2024 Silverado 2500 HD LTZ grille no camera Parts list   84603331 84913656 84913657 84913654 84913655 84911567 84911568 85646092 85646093 85797921 85797922   11570637  x10-15   grille/bumper bolts 11546500  x10      grille clips 11571006  x10      push/retainer clips 11546454  x6       nut retainers 11611609  x6       M5 bolts 11610700  x6       molding/trim retainers
    • davester
      Replacement Radiator

      By davester · Posted

      And use RA's 5% discount code if you buy from them.  google for the code, one is always available.
    • davester
      Turning radius

      By davester · Posted

      Just don't turn the steering wheel as much?
    • Snowcamo
      Replacement Radiator

      By Snowcamo · Posted

      Rockauto bud. I pass local stores for parts.   Findya something online. 

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...