Ok, there are several types of brands out there. I also know that Hoot has some installed on on his 02.


My question is has anyone tried them on an 03 with the clear lenses? Seems some of the consensus is that they're not as bright because the light is more directed than luminescent as are conventional.


The cool factor of the bulbs, and the thought of them lasting virtually the life of the truck intrigue me. I'm just not sure if they're good for my application. I'd hate to get rear ended because the bulbs arent easily seen in the daytime hours.

I read someplace that the LED taillights didn't produce as much heat as conventional ones did, therefore causing snow build up during extended drives. I would imagine that might be a consideration in WI. However, if this is even accurate, I don't know.

I have APC tail lenses. They have small red reflectors that help focus the LED light into a very bright spot. Mine stand out in an eye piercing way. Very unique.

I don't know how they would look behind the stock lenses but that is correct that they don't have a lot of side projection.

http://www.uscom.com/~hoot/cars/duramax/gmc/taillights/tail.jpgEdited by: hoot

80% of the 18-wheelers around here are running LED's and I've noticed that they show up way better than the non-LED'd units. I've never had a problem with snow packing onto my taillights on my pickup, even during the day with no lights on, I doubt it's anything worth worrying about.


I was thinking about putting the LED's into my stock tail lights too, I'd love to see the results of someone else doing it first.. If not I'll post pics/results once I do it.

Well I guess that makes me the guniea pig. Hopefully the Hyper Red has a large projection angle. Hard to say. Guess the only way I'll find out is by trying.

I ordered them today, I'll take before/after pics of the tail lights in the dark from directly behind and off from the side if anyone's interested.

leds would work really well on 03 up taillights since they are cleared out(transparant red).they would face straight back ,you might need a relay for the signals to flash.i did in my camaro. i also notice the o3 up lights have a small side marker bulb in them it most likely a 194 bulb. they make a 4 bulb led for thoses. that should address your concern about only seeing them straight back. i have leds in all my cars and love them.they are blinding view straight on.cheak out jamstrait.com they have well made leds in a huge selection. Edited by: Willis 04

Willis,


Thanks for the thumbs up on the bulbs. I wasn't intending to use them for the turn signals, but since Camstyn got his wallet out for the bulbs before I did, I'll have to wait and see his pics.


Waiting on those pics Camstyn http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Clap.gif

They didn't work out.. I got four 3157 series red A1C LED's. The tail lights worked but the brake lights didn't. The top bulb on each side does both tasks. The second bulb down on each side are the turn signals and neither worked.


The only place I can see where LED's will work is at the very bottom of the '03 CHEV tail lights, little 194 series plug-in bulbs will be fine there but not very noticeable and IMHO not worth bothering.


Is there any way to get the one LED bulb to work as a tail light and double as a brake light... And the second LED bulb to work as a blinker? The stock bulbs do the job fine.

I know that in order to use them as a turn signal, you need a little 'resistor' pack. Our trucks use some type of voltage sensing and if they don't draw enough current they flash really fast(you'll notice this is you ever burn out a bulb).


As for tailights/brake light, I would've assumed that they're plug and play. Than again, assuming is never a good idea.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif


Maybe the bulb has a polarity. Did you try flipping the bulb 180 and see if you can get two stage lighting?


I know the line of fire led bar I ordered has two stage brightness. I actually saw one for the first time this morning on a GMC. It looked pretty good, and lit up the emtpy tailgate spot quite nicely.

They work on my 01 just like the stock bulbs.

I would contact jamstrait and see what they think. I had to use a custom variable load flasher that they made at the time. I see they no longer offer it but offer the resistors instead. JamStrait is a great company. Let them figue it out for you. I know you didn't buy from them cause they are a distributer but the answer technical question usually better than the vendor.

Also the 03's have a different electrical system so make sure you mention it's an 03.

Another thing... DO not buy APC's.... oh.... I just saw you say A1C.... you meant APC. DO NOT USE APC. Their packaging is incorrect. They only work on pre-99 models even though the packaging leads you to believe they will work on your truck. When I installed APC's they burned my fuses up.

Get JamStrait bulbs from a vendor listed on their site. Return the APC's and get your money back.

Well since Camstyn's APC's didn't work I tried some jamstrait 3157R(super bright red). In daytime they seem to work ok(maybe the Hyper Red's make a larger difference). At night well look at the pictures for yourself. They work well, but don't reflect(as I expected) as well as the regular bulbs. These pics are just with the lights on. I didn't have anyone around to help with the brake part. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/DZA_DCP_0691.jpg


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/574_DCP_0690.jpg


The left bulb is the LED, the right a conventional. Hard to tell from these pics, but it seems to work well for night time. Edited by: Victory Red

One really cool thing about LED lights is how fast the light up. Incandescent bulbs take a surprisingly long time to warm up. If you don't believe it, next time you are behing a cadillac or any other vehicle with incandescent brake lights and LED hi mount stop lamp, watch when he presses the brake. You will be surprised how fast you will see the LED light before the regular lights. Most manufacturers look at that as a safety feature because it decreases reaction time. Sometimes a fraction of a second can save a life.


Plus they look cool http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif and last a lot longer!

Well here's a few daytime pics. The reflector area of the lens doesn't light up well(as expected with LED bulbs). The 3 photos are as follows a
<UL>
<LI>closeup of the lens with bulb installed
<LI>daytime running light
<LI>daytime brake light on</LI>[/list]


It's visible, but not as visible as I'd like. If I could find a 'euro' style tailight that I like, it may be a better option. As for now I'm undecided as to whether or not to run these for a while.


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/D2C_DCP_0692.JPG


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/F5F_DCP_0693e.jpg


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/uploads/479_DCP_0696e.jpg


So I guess at this point I need to weight the benefits of LED vs conventional.


They'll probably last the life of the truck, but not quite as reflective.


Quicker response, noticeable to the naked eye.


They are bright directly behind, little side view.


So from what you can tell by the pics(hard to tell except in person)


what do you think? Put the other in and go for it? Or just not bright enough in your opinion without the reflective quality?


I'm looking for opinions. I could also order up some Hyper Red's. They have 3 more LED's per bulb, but I'm not sure it would make that huge of a difference, since it's not setup for that sytle of bulb.Edited by: Victory Red

I have HR's on my truck. The brighter the better. From behind they really catch your eye.

I'd like to change the Daytime Running lights to amber LED's, anyone done that yet? I've had to replace both running lights on my 2002 and the sockets are darkened from the heat of the double filament bulbs, so the cool LED's would be the answer.......