have the 1157's and worried about being rear ended. is there and other way to go that is really bright? thanks

 

Whatever way you go don't use leds or you'll have problems, for some reason these trucks don't like having leds in some spots.

 

LED's are fine to use. You will need to replace the turn signal and hazard flashers though if you use them. LED's don't draw nearly as much electricity as 1157's and the old flasher units rely on this current draw to function properly. You will need to replace the flasher units with the slightly more expensive "solid state" units that do not rely on current draw from the lamps to make them flash properly. The nice thing about replacing the old ones with these is that if you burn out a turn signal lamp the rest of them will still flash unlike with the old style where they just stay on steady.

One note about using LED retrofit assemblies in place of the 1157's or other incandescent light bulbs... don't use LED assemblies that have all the LEDs facing what would normally be the TOP of the light bulb. The reflectors in the various light assemblies (Taillights, front turn signals, etc) assemblies were DESIGNED to use the 1157 (incandescent) lamps where MOST of the light comes out around the sides of the lightbulbs.

I mention this because many folks are disappointed by LED retrofit assemblies. This happens because the LED's in many retrofit assemblies all point out what would be the TOP of the light bulb. Well, that means there is little to no light being shed into the reflectors so there is little to no light coming back OUT of the reflector.

So, you CAN use LED's just be mindful of the two points made above when you buy them.

Whatever you decide to do, DO NOT change the wattage of the tail light bulbs. You really can't buy a higher wattage dual-filament lamp anyway but you don't want to increase lamp wattage otherwise the wiring for the circuit will end up overloaded along with the fuse for that circuit as well and just putting in a larger fuse will still leave the wiring overloaded creating a potential for meltdown or fire.

 

thanks man, good info

 

A simple upgrade is GE Nighthawk bulbs. They are available on Amazon in 1157 and 3157. At first glance you may not notice a difference. They aren't much brighter on tail light, but are noticably brighter on brake. I do think you will notice a difference at night when looking in the mirror. A few of my friends commented about that after we swapped the bulbs.

Another thing would be clean shiny lenses. Without that, the lights will always be dim.

Like was already stated, definitely don't use over wattage bulbs.

This is why LED replacement bulbs usually don't work very well in housings designed for incandescent bulbs. It may be brighter at the hot spot in the center, but won't evenly illuminate the housing.

 

...And a 50%-70% SHORTER life expectancy. GE and other makers of such lamps won't tell you that part. Yes, they are brighter, but since they do not draw any more wattage than the original lamps, the filament is significantly thinner and fails much more readily than the original lamps. Its the physics of the matter. Brighter light from the same wattage sacrifices lamp life exponentially due to the smaller filament. So, yes, you get the increased intensity and you replace them at least twice as often if not more. There is that trade-off to consider.

 

I was told by GE that the filament was more robust not thinner. We've been using these bulbs in the tail lights of about 10 vehicles for more than a few years with no failures.

It may be true that they do not last quite as long as regular bulbs, but are pretty inexpensive. I've also seen quiet a few premature LED failures.

I use Sylvania long life bulbs for everything else.

 

That is a blatant lie on GE's part. Its the physics of incandescent lamps we are dealing with here. You cannot get more light from the same wattage lamp without decreasing the resistance through the filament. The only way to achieve that is to thin it out or shorten it. Either practice shortens the lamp life. Hell, GE produces a dial chart for its lamp dealers that actually shows exactly how much lamp life you gain or lose by changing socket voltage, wattage and filament structure.

Premature LED failures are a direct result of a poorly manufactured LED assembly. But then most folks wouldn't know a quality LED assembly if it bit them in the @#$%. On the other hand everybody knows who supposedly makes good light bulbs because light bulbs have been around forever. If you want a quality LED assembly, you need to spend real money on them. Otherwise they are going to be crap. Think about it. Why would any LED maker sell an assembly that would allow the customer to buy ONE and NEVER replace it in their lifetime for a few pennies more than a standard light bulb? So, some manufacturers make them cheap and weak so that they will fail prematurely. This allows them to sell more of them sooner. Quality LED assemblies are WORTH the extra money.

(By way of proving my point, Thomas Edison's partner... some fellow named Westinghouse (sarcasm) even had this idea back when Edison made the first incandescent light bulb. When Edison made the first of these they lasted 50 years or more (some are still burning today) and Westinghouse was a furious investor because he swore that they would never make any money if the things never burned out. So, Westinghouse bought Edison's patent and started deliberately making light bulbs that would burn out within a year or two... for the money)!

The same is still true today with LED assembly makers. 99 times out of 100 the failure is NOT the LED itself but the method of assembly, configuration of the LEDs and the accuracy of the solder points. The WORST LED will last 25-30 thousand hours, is more shock resistant, and will withstand far greater thermal differentials than any incandescent light bulb. (They are brighter and work more efficiently as it gets colder). The best LEDs will last 50-75 thousand hours before they have dropped to 75% of their full output... notice I said 75% of their full output... that means they still haven't "burned out" they are just 75% as bright as they were when the were new when they get to being about 8 and-a-half years old... oh wait, thats when they have been ON continuously for 8 and-a-half years!

 

I'm not saying that LED's are bad. There are many great uses for them. I however will not run the replacement LED bulbs in stock tail light sockets and assemblies due to the non uniform light output, not because of the possibility of failure.

The only way I would even consider LED tail lights for our trucks is if they were done like some of the factory LED tail lights like the Cadillac ones for example. I'm not talking about the heavily pixelated looking ones either. The many small ones that have the fine look to them.

I've seen tons of factory LED 3rd brake lights, factory tail lights, with individual LEDs that aren't working. That just looks terrible.

The worst is those cheesy aftermarket lighting strips that mount between the tailgate and bumper. Haha...

GE may very well be saying that as a marketing trick. I would not doubt that at all.

I do agree that cheap LED bulbs are just that, and that they are a get what you pay for deal. I know that LED's generally last longer, but even if the failure is due to the assembly or soldering method, it is still a failure.

I have been asked more than once why my tail lights work so well, so I think I'll keep using these Nighthawk bulbs. Obviously they work better than many alternatives.

 

For example, this style would be a no. Too ugly looking for me.

 

It would need to look more like a stock tail light. If someone would come up with one that was done like this, that would be suitable and acceptable.

 

The only issue with this would be making the side of the light illuminate bright enough for a sidemarker.