Anyone try these headlight bulbs?
Anyone try these headlight bulbs? I have tried them and way brighter and white but..... seem to have my high beam dash light on dim while the lights are on low beam. Is there any worries about this causing other problems?
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,330
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From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
That is because the fog light circuit grounds through the high beams. It's designed to ensure that the fog lights go off when the high beams are used because the law only allows four forward facing main white lights (low beams + high beams + fogs equals six lights). The LED bulbs don't provide the resistance that the filament of an incandescent or halogen bulb does, so there will be some current back-feed. It has nothing to do with the brand or model of LED bulbs - just the fact that they are LED.
Now this is not to mention that fog lights aren't supposed to be really bright in the first place (that's not their function) and the factory "fog lights" are just decorative (non-functional) so you are probably blinding most everyone else on the road. A true fog light has a flat beam pattern with a sharp cutoff top edge so that it cuts under inclement weather to allow you to see the road in front of your vehicle. The decorative toy factory fog lights have no such pattern and just throw light everywhere.
Now this is not to mention that fog lights aren't supposed to be really bright in the first place (that's not their function) and the factory "fog lights" are just decorative (non-functional) so you are probably blinding most everyone else on the road. A true fog light has a flat beam pattern with a sharp cutoff top edge so that it cuts under inclement weather to allow you to see the road in front of your vehicle. The decorative toy factory fog lights have no such pattern and just throw light everywhere.
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Why is it that, in factory configuration, the low beams also cut off when the high beams are used? If four are allowed, why did the factory limit us to just two in this application? My daily driver (2010 Malibu) retains the low beam function when the high beams are in use (which is great for flooding an empty country road with light), but my '98, '99 and '02 Camaros did/do not retain low beam function when the high beams are activated.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,330
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
That's a good question, especially since the Firebird doesn't have that issue... its low beams remain on when using the high beams (the fog lights still turn off). I don't know why the two have different headlight wiring.
That is because the fog light circuit grounds through the high beams. It's designed to ensure that the fog lights go off when the high beams are used because the law only allows four forward facing main white lights (low beams + high beams + fogs equals six lights). The LED bulbs don't provide the resistance that the filament of an incandescent or halogen bulb does, so there will be some current back-feed. It has nothing to do with the brand or model of LED bulbs - just the fact that they are LED.
Now this is not to mention that fog lights aren't supposed to be really bright in the first place (that's not their function) and the factory "fog lights" are just decorative (non-functional) so you are probably blinding most everyone else on the road. A true fog light has a flat beam pattern with a sharp cutoff top edge so that it cuts under inclement weather to allow you to see the road in front of your vehicle. The decorative toy factory fog lights have no such pattern and just throw light everywhere.
Now this is not to mention that fog lights aren't supposed to be really bright in the first place (that's not their function) and the factory "fog lights" are just decorative (non-functional) so you are probably blinding most everyone else on the road. A true fog light has a flat beam pattern with a sharp cutoff top edge so that it cuts under inclement weather to allow you to see the road in front of your vehicle. The decorative toy factory fog lights have no such pattern and just throw light everywhere.
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,330
Likes: 346
From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
Unlike Firebirds, the high beam and low beam circuits in Camaros don't share any common connection other than grounds, so there should be no way that the high beam indicator should be affected by whatever low beam bulb you might use. Have you made any other modifications to the lighting? Have you installed LED bulbs anywhere else? Have you checked the two primary lighting grounds on each side of the upper radiator support?
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Verdad Gallardo Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 11,330
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From: Jacksonville, FL (originally from Toronto Canada)
"feedback" from LED bulbs? Sorry, no such thing... LEDs do not create feedback. In some cases of a bad ground in a circuit, electrical current may "back feed" through a bulb (LED or incandescent) for an alternative ground but the low beam lights and the high beam indicator light are not even on the same circuit. The fog lights and the high beam indicator light are on the same circuit because it is designed to turn off the fog lights when the high beams are in use, so there could be some back feed there, but that is unrelated to the low beam headlights.