Tail lights Direct Replacement j

If you replace with leds, your cruise control will probably stop working.

If you buy the led replacement bulbs from superbrrightleds.com they have the necessary resistor to add to the circuit so the system will function properly. Much brighter and negligible losses make them the best option.

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Carter:
If you replace with leds, your cruise control will probably stop working.

If that happens you can easily modify your installation. Many cruise controls look for a resistive ground (through a light filament) to allow the system to set. When that 0v grounded bulb wire gets 12v from the brake circuit, the cruise kicks out.

LEDs are diodes, not filaments, so they do not provide the bleed to ground while resting, so the system will not set. A simple fix: just wire in a dummy 12v bulb. One is enough, tied to any brake light wire. (It does not need to be a full taillight, just one filament tied to the brake wire.) Just a simple socket and a bulb. I have one mounted right next to the cruise box in the engine compartment. It flashes whenever I hit the brakes. The cruise works normally.

When fixing some wiring issues with my 85, we noticed that the side marker lights on the back have a hot from the running lights and a hot from the turn signal (no ground). They work fine but only with an incandescent bulb (I guess it grounds back through the wire that's not hot...1985 technology...). I like the led rear lights but they will not function properly with the LEDs. I guess 2 separate LEDs could be wired in to account for the dual function the current bulbs serve.

To convert is your call. My call is I will never get enough hours of use to justify the expense. I did change the headlights to leds for more light.

I was going to convert our last coach to led tail lights . After thinking about it for a while I decided that I really didn't need them . Since we pull a car hauler , you couldn't see them anyway . The car hauler already had nice led lights . That's not to say I won't put them on our next coach though

in as much as the Barth OEM lenses were inclined to fade, I put red LED bulb replacements behind them... dramatic improvement for nominal expense.
As others have said, the LED's are more sensible as interior lighting, which, unlike exterior lighting, usually runs from battery rather than alternator.