Red 7443 lights?

Joined
Apr 29, 2017
Messages
138
Location
Orange County CA
My lens covers for my 2002 Toyota Sienna have become a bit faded and so I thought I could enhance the red color of my running/brake lights with some red bulbs.

However, when I go to search for them, the only alternative I see are LEDs, which my car is not set up for.

So anybody have a source for red, standard 7443 bulbs?
 
Do you think you can't swap LEDs in ? You can.... Some cars can have "hyper-flashing" issues though.

Well I was always told you can't unless you wire in (and I forget what you call it) the thing to reduce the current going to the LEDs.

I got some Plug and Play LEDs for my rear turn signals. But they caution against putting more than one on the circuit ( like don't put one on the same side for the front turn signal) because of that overloading issue. Obviously I don't pretend to fully understand it, I just follow directions.
 
Do you think you can't swap LEDs in ? You can.... Some cars can have "hyper-flashing" issues though.
Actually, based on your post I just re researched it, and apparently they resistor thing apparently only applies to the turn signal thing. So I guess I'll give it a go with the regular bulbs
 
Well I was always told you can't unless you wire in (and I forget what you call it) the thing to reduce the current going to the LEDs.

I got some Plug and Play LEDs for my rear turn signals. But they caution against putting more than one on the circuit ( like don't put one on the same side for the front turn signal) because of that overloading issue. Obviously I don't pretend to fully understand it, I just follow directions.
they're load resistors, they don't reduce current to the LEDs.
typical incandescent bulbs work off of resistance. the filament is a resistor, and when current passes through, it heats up and glows.
most cars anymore can sense that resistance, and when it doesn't, it assumes the bulb has burned out, and if it's a turn signal, will flash faster (Hyperflash)

LED's Don't rely on resistance to work. so the car can think that bulb is burned out... then you add load resistors into that circuit to simulate the resistance of an incandescent bulb.
just make sure to put them somewhere that heat isn't an issue. b/c they work by turning electricity into heat.
 
just make sure to put them somewhere that heat isn't an issue. b/c they work by turning electricity into heat.
Our son put LEDs in his Accord and has hyper-flashing. He bought some resistors to stop this from happening and those things get up to 1000º F extremely fast (yes, I'm joking about the temp but they get stupid HOT) and was concerned enough about it that we removed them and returned them. He just lives with the hyper-flashing now.... I keep telling him to put incandescent bulbs back in....
 
Well I was always told you can't unless you wire in
The "wire in" part is incredibly simple nowadays. You can find dozens and dozens of options that have factory-style connectors with the resistor inline. You remove the existing connector and bulb, the "harness" then basically extends the wiring and ends with the same bulb connector. See my post just above about my single experience with a resistor kit...
 
The stock blinker is designed to flash fast when the current is lower than normal. This will tell the driver that one of the bulbs is burned out. LEDs don't use as much current as regular bulbs so it flashes fast all the time with them. The resistor is to waste current and make the flasher think a regular bulb is installed.

The blinker relay can often be swapped for one designed for LEDs. These flash normally at low current.
 
If that's the same bulb I bought for my old Sienna, I got it at the dealer for a pretty reasonable price. I've only replaced it once in 20 years so It's not a high failure item.
 
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