LED Flashers and Resistors
When it comes to LED upgrades, you'd think the lower power draw would be a great feature! Unfortunately, factory systems look for power draw from turn signals, and LEDs will make the vehicle think a bulb has gone out, due to lower power draw. This causes a "hyperblink," or fast-blinking turn signal, which can be corrected with LED Resistors or an LED Flasher.
The most basic, tried-and-true method is to add resistors, which are basically a bulb that doesn't light up! A 6-ohm resistor uses about the same power as a standard turn signal bulb.
However, resistors require extra wiring, and one is needed for each bulb. The device controlling the turn signal speed is called a flasher relay. If your vehicle has a replaceable one, you can replace it with a new flasher designed for LED power levels. This is the most efficient and convenient way to upgrade to LED turn signals, but unfortunately, many vehicles no longer use replaceable flasher modules.
Standard flasher sizes include LM486, LM487, LM470, EP26, EP27, CF13, CF14, CF15, LM526, and CF18, which we also make in an intelligent version called the "SmartTap" flasher!
If a flasher is available for your vehicle, you can find it using our Vehicle Lookup tool. Either way, just shoot us a message if you have any questions about your setup, and we'll be happy to help!
