TERMINALS PLUS

LED's

Frequently Asked Questions.

Which Color LEDs should be used?
For best results the LED color should be the same as the lens color.
As an example: a red lens will filter out all but the red portion of the light
so if the light is all red, none or very little light will be blocked by the lens.
The light from a White LED contains very little light in the red portion of the visible
spectrum so most of the light would be filtered out by a red lens.

Turn signal issues with LED bulbs
LED brake/tail lamps will not flash with thermal flasher units due to their
extremely low current draw. Also, with stock flasher units, the turn signals may flash
faster than normal (Hyper-Flash). These installations will require an electronic flasher unit,
like our EFEL12, located on our Relays & Flashers page.
Also, heavy duty flashers will often work with LED bulbs.
Another fix is the installation of Load Resistors which are wired across (in parallel with)
the turn signal bulbs to simulate the load of a standard filament bulb.

Dash indicators reporting burnt out bulbs
LED bulbs may cause some newer vehicles to indicate a bulb is burnt out
(because of their low power consumption). Some cars indicate this by increasing the flash rate
of the turn signals, some turn on a bad bulb indicator. The only fix for this is to install
Load Resistors across the bulbs that are being indicated as bad. Some vehicles will also disable
the cruise control system if a brake light bulb is being indicated as bad.
The installation of Load Resistors will also solve this problem.

Brightness of LED Car Bulbs
LED bulbs are generally not as bright as standard incandescent bulbs.
They have many advantages over filament bulbs (longer life, faster on/off times,
lower power consumption, more vivid colors) but brightness is not one of them.
They are generally not as bright, but some of them with large numbers of LEDs,
will appear brighter than filament bulbs. Most LED bulbs emit light like a flashlight,
all out the end. Regular filament bulbs emit light from the end and all sides,
so they will be better suited for some lighting applications than LED bulbs.
This is the same reason why we do not rate LED car bulbs in lumens or watts.
The numbers would be deceptively low, because the light is measured from all sides
and the end on standard filament bulbs, but only from the end on LED bulbs.

If I install LED bulbs in the dash, will the dimmer still work?
Yes, LED bulbs will dim with your dash light intensity control.

Other Technical Information
Do not use LED bulbs in the same housing with head lamps,
the heat will cause them to fail quickly and void the warranty.
Some GM vehicles apply a pulsed voltage to the Daytime Running Lights (DRL).
This pulsed voltage causes LED bulbs to fail quickly, just as the stock filament bulbs also fail
quickly in these DRL installations. Use in these applications voids the warranty.

For aftermarket use. May not comply with SAE or U.S. DOT standards.
Warranty void if used in applications other than standard automotive replacement bulbs.

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