Led Light Upgrade Questions

georgecdisc · April 30, 2009

I have a 2008 Silverado and I am looking into upgrading all the lights in the tail light housing and turn signals in the front of the truck to LED (all or some, depends on prices). I have a few questions though to make sure I do the job correctly. I tried searching these forums but found nothing that answers them.

1. What bulbs are actually used in the housings? Sylvania says one thing, other sites say another. Curious as to what is actually put in (3157, 3156, etc) all the housings. Is there any instances (such as the reverse lights) that only really use one filament (ie. of a 3157) and I can put in a 3156 to get the full capability of the light?

2. I know that many people have issues finding LED lights that are bright enough and have a good omni-direction output. Has anyone had experience with the bulbs from this site: http://www.autolumination.com/ . This site looks like they have some intense lighting, with good side projecting LEDs to illuminate the stock reflectors in the housing. Are there any other sites that people would recommend to buy bulbs from. I don't want to skimp out and end up with a lit brake light that is dimmer than just a normal illuminated tail light.

3. Is an electronic flasher module upgrade required for this model year? Will it eliminate the directional-blinker-sound?

4. I've heard if you have a red lens you should get red LEDs to optimize the throughput (this way ~100% of the created light actually passes through instead of being filtered). How true is this?

5. I find the stock reverse lights pretty weak, other than LED lights are there any other solutions to this (different incadescent bulb with higher output, if there is currently a dual filament (3157) but only one is used can I put in a bulb with 1 filament (3156))?

At the end of the day I want results that have the same (or greater) brightness as the stock bulbs in all operations.

brims · April 30, 2009

You will still need a load added to the wiring because these trucks have the flash fast when it doesn't detect enough load. Or you can try to get the dealer to flash the BCM for no bulb detection.

I have heard a few times that red LEDs behind a red lens is bad, you should go with white bulbs. The factory bulbs are white and they give plenty of output.

I looked at autolumination and wasn't impressed by their stuff. No specs on their LEDs.

Frost · April 30, 2009

I have a 2008 Silverado and I am looking into upgrading all the lights in the tail light housing and turn signals in the front of the truck to LED (all or some, depends on prices). I have a few questions though to make sure I do the job correctly. I tried searching these forums but found nothing that answers them.

1. What bulbs are actually used in the housings? Sylvania says one thing, other sites say another. Curious as to what is actually put in (3157, 3156, etc) all the housings. Is there any instances (such as the reverse lights) that only really use one filament (ie. of a 3157) and I can put in a 3156 to get the full capability of the light?

2. I know that many people have issues finding LED lights that are bright enough and have a good omni-direction output. Has anyone had experience with the bulbs from this site: http://www.autolumination.com/ . This site looks like they have some intense lighting, with good side projecting LEDs to illuminate the stock reflectors in the housing. Are there any other sites that people would recommend to buy bulbs from. I don't want to skimp out and end up with a lit brake light that is dimmer than just a normal illuminated tail light.

3. Is an electronic flasher module upgrade required for this model year? Will it eliminate the directional-blinker-sound?

4. I've heard if you have a red lens you should get red LEDs to optimize the throughput (this way ~100% of the created light actually passes through instead of being filtered). How true is this?

5. I find the stock reverse lights pretty weak, other than LED lights are there any other solutions to this (different incadescent bulb with higher output, if there is currently a dual filament (3157) but only one is used can I put in a bulb with 1 filament (3156))?

At the end of the day I want results that have the same (or greater) brightness as the stock bulbs in all operations.

Out of curiosity, why not just purchase a set of LED tails and bumper lights for the turn signals? Price ain't bad on Ebay.....as for the electronic flasher, I ran into an issue with the "racing blinker" on mine when I swapped the tails and bumper lights for LED. Load resistors didn't work and the generic electronic flasher from Autozone didn't either. Grote had an electronic flasher for my 03, I'm sure there's one for your 08.' Napa is an authorized distributor for Grote, but they're much cheaper if you poke around online.

georgecdisc · April 30, 2009

Out of curiosity, why not just purchase a set of LED tails and bumper lights for the turn signals?

I find after market units gaudy. I like the stock setup but would prefer to have nice quick, brighter blinkers/brake/reverse lights. I've also seen the "cheap" set of LED tails on a trailblazer and a yukon once. Brake lights so dim in the middle of the day. Any of the nicer sets are ~$300.

jrrod2004 · April 30, 2009

Out of curiosity, why not just purchase a set of LED tails and bumper lights for the turn signals?

I find after market units gaudy. I like the stock setup but would prefer to have nice quick, brighter blinkers/brake/reverse lights. I've also seen the "cheap" set of LED tails on a trailblazer and a yukon once. Brake lights so dim in the middle of the day. Any of the nicer sets are ~$300.

I guess the GMT900s are different. Mine look pretty good:

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff89/jr...do-Tail-Day.gif

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff89/jr...os/100B3003.jpg

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff89/jr...os/100B3051.jpg

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff89/jr...os/100B3040.jpg

the camera does not do any justice...

georgecdisc · May 1, 2009

I guess the GMT900s are different. Mine look pretty good:

I don't like the big square matrix of led lights. I have a thing for the more stock look, something that looks more natural. Those do look like some impressive lights though, what brand are they?

brims · May 1, 2009

The GMT900s do not have a flasher unit, it is controlled by the BCM, so if you want to get rid of the fast flash, you need to have the dealer reprogram for no bulb outage detection or use a load.

georgecdisc · May 1, 2009

The GMT900s do not have a flasher unit, it is controlled by the BCM, so if you want to get rid of the fast flash, you need to have the dealer reprogram for no bulb outage detection or use a load.

What size load resistor would I use? I'm sure this depends on how many light bulbs I change out. Where is a convenient location to put the resistor?

Griptruk · May 1, 2009

I bought all LED bulbs for my last car and installed them, took them out right away without even hitting the road. They really didn't work on the car, as far as lighting up the housing, they just look like a bright dot in the middle. I have seen this on many cars that have swapped to LED bulbs in stock housings and it never looks as good as stock.

Believe me, I love LEDs as much as the next guy, if not more, but this application is not suited to the directional light that LEDs project. The reflectors are intended to light up from one hot spot right in the middle, not a light projecting straight out the back of the vehicle. I really think this is one of those mods that people convince themselves is better than stock because they spent time and money installing them and because it's different than stock.

Any vehicle with LED lights from the factory are designed with and array (or matrix like you said) that light up the entire housing, not with one bright bulb in the middle.

I think you will be disappointed with the results if you proceed with your plan.

-Jer

georgecdisc · May 1, 2009

The reflectors are intended to light up from one hot spot right in the middle, not a light projecting straight out the back of the vehicle.

...

Any vehicle with LED lights from the factory are designed with and array (or matrix like you said) that light up the entire housing, not with one bright bulb in the middle.

I have been looking at some more LED taillights, some of them don't look so bad after giving it a second chance. It really depends on the layout I guess. Some speak to me as sleek and others just seem to be a square of bulbs. I found one set that closely resembles the stock housing, but filled with LEDs inside. Other ones have one/two rows of verticle LEDs, seems like it would not be sufficient at all.

And when you speak of "projecting straight out the back" those are the horrible LEDs. The one's I would have thought about using are actually a tower of side facing LEDs meant to reflect on the stock housing. I have yet to see anyone give me real results with a GOOD bulb. I don't want to spend $50 on an expensive, supposedly good set, and find out they are still dim. I agree, the rear facing bulbs won't do anything for what I want.

Sierra in the Sand · May 1, 2009

I have a 2008 Silverado and I am looking into upgrading all the lights in the tail light housing and turn signals in the front of the truck to LED (all or some, depends on prices). I have a few questions though to make sure I do the job correctly. I tried searching these forums but found nothing that answers them.

I have a hard time understanding why it would be an "upgrade". LEDs offer some energy savings, but at current prices, it's a no-brainer that ya don't go there. Five years from now, maybe.

georgecdisc · May 1, 2009

I have a hard time understanding why it would be an "upgrade". LEDs offer some energy savings, but at current prices, it's a no-brainer that ya don't go there. Five years from now, maybe.

It is an upgrade as far as brightness and blinker (de)illumination speed. I feel they look nicer, if done properly. I was asking specific questions to gather more knowledge about the matter. What I would buy, if there is anything out there bright enough, what I need to make it work. For you it may be a no-brainer, but for me it is something I am looking into. I am researching... being told that "ya don't go there" is not really answering any of my questions.

Frost · May 1, 2009

I have a hard time understanding why it would be an "upgrade". LEDs offer some energy savings, but at current prices, it's a no-brainer that ya don't go there. Five years from now, maybe.

It is an upgrade as far as brightness and blinker (de)illumination speed. I feel they look nicer, if done properly. I was asking specific questions to gather more knowledge about the matter. What I would buy, if there is anything out there bright enough, what I need to make it work. For you it may be a no-brainer, but for me it is something I am looking into. I am researching... being told that "ya don't go there" is not really answering any of my questions.

I'm with ya, I think 90% of the LED brake lights look too ricey. But there are plenty of sets out there that look close to stock, you just have to look around a bit to find a set you like. I love mine, they have the same setup as the stock lenses and the LED's light up the entire road. 10x brighter than stock and clean looking.

georgecdisc · May 1, 2009

I love mine, they have the same setup as the stock lenses and the LED's light up the entire road. 10x brighter than stock and clean looking.

Do you have a picture of the lights lit/not lit by chance? I do like the ones that look closer to stock. They seem less flashy but are still functional in the aspect I am looking for. I really do no like any taillights with chrome (outside the reverse light reflector).

brims · May 1, 2009

The GMT900s do not have a flasher unit, it is controlled by the BCM, so if you want to get rid of the fast flash, you need to have the dealer reprogram for no bulb outage detection or use a load.

What size load resistor would I use? I'm sure this depends on how many light bulbs I change out. Where is a convenient location to put the resistor?

That one I do not know, hopefully someone else will know that.