So i have the clear ebay tail lights. At one point i had LEDs but i wanted cruise control back, so i got cheapo autozone red bulbs. Problem is theyre painted, and turning white. Anyone know the best "color infused glass" red bulbs that are out there? I was looking at polargs, but im not sure if theyre also cheap painted on color bulbs too.

 

Go back to LEDs man. Most, if not all red bulbs are painted.

 

there are "no fade" bulbs on the market, i just cant find them in 7443's

 

So just go back to LEDs.

 

hah, right, just wanted to make sure no one else knew where to check. heres the issue i have with LEDs, i havent found any yet that fit the hole in the back of my tails. the only ones i did find burnt out (yes burnt out) in a couple weeks. no a good place to get em?

 

I had the all clear tails also, took them off about 2 weeks ago and switched to the 01 SE tails. I had the SMD leds for a while but the bulb out indicator was driving me crazy, so I just used the red bulbs the tail lights came, they are dark red and work well, unless your clear tails didnt come with them.

 

Yup Leds are the only option with the clear housing I have them also and the red painted bulbs always look pink and crappy at night. So I went with these from www.autolumination.com


You will also have to buy 4 Six Ohm Load Equalizers(which the site also Sells) to prevent the bulb out warning light ever time you press the break. So its a bit of work but worth it in the end. Ill try to post pics to show you

 

i actually found the incandecent bulbs i was looking for, thanks anyway guys

 

wait...I'm just trying to understand this...cause I had LED bulbs in my maxima...You lost cruise control because of the LED bulb????

 

that is correct. bizaar, i know. apparently the cruise module doesnt look for a brake switch signal, but some sort of voltage signal from the tail light bulbs themselves, so LEDs interrupt that somehow. i drive all highway to and from work 6 days a week, so im sure you can understand why i wouldnt want to sacrifice cruise

 

I guess its different for automatics then...

 

Where did you get them, and what kind? i also have the clear tails.

 

i googled "red 7443 bulb will not fade" and found a link for them on ebay. only $8 so i figured id give it a shot. they look promising

 

could be

 

Ive recently been through this whole dilemma, switching from red glass bulbs in my clear housing that actually faded to clear. i got pulled for it actually and was given a warning. I then went through this same search and am EXTREMELY pleased with www.superbrightleds.com. Their prices are way lower than ebay, the bulbs better because they have 9 on the tip which is what shows and six on the side =15. There is no problem with fitment as i had in the past with ebay bulbs. They are very bright and they also sell the 6 ohm loaders. I purchased two of them, not the four that someone else suggested. Ive yet to install them but im pretty sure that you only need 2 unless you are doing your blinkers as well? I have an automatic 03 and my cruise still works but the warning light is on.

 

If the light is on than you need two more you need 2 for the brake light and 2 for the running lights. Do you get the warning when you turn the headlights on or press the brake?

 

Ive yet to even install the first set of resistors. however the warning light comes on 1. if i turn the lights on, or 2. if i apply the brakes without my lights on. Im not sure how i would even begin to wire the lights if i have to put on another resistor. the diagram showed nothing about it. I see your point though. Have you been through this scenario? Do you have any pics or tutorials of how to wire them?

 

I have the same problem, clear tails with cheap red bulbs which eventually turned to pink. Got pulled over the other night for "blinding people behind me" just gave me a warning for my tails and me clear corners?, but thats a different story. I purchased LED bulbs from autolumination.com but when I installed them they did not brighten when my lights were on with the brake depressed. They emit light with the lights off with the brake depressed also with the lights on but they don't get brighter when the lights are on and brake depressed. Any reason why this might be?

Update: Sorry if this is tread jacking but I just realized with my lights off with the bulbs installed when I press the brakes my parking lights, side markers, and gauges light up. Is this because I need the 6 ohm loaders or does it have nothing to do with that?

 

you might have bought the 7440 instead of the 7443 which (with regular bulbs) has two seperate wires, one for the running tail lights and the other for when the brake is pressed. however based on what your saying about all of the other lighting in your car flashing when you press the brake, thats telling me that you have a whole nother problem. Have you done rewireing? The 6ohm loaders is not going to solve that problem. sorry to hear.

goodluck

 

I have the clear tails also and only installed the resistors to the brake light wires. I have cruise and no warning lights, but mine is also an 00. that might be the difference.

 

The 5gen and 5.5 wiring is different

Basically you need to connect one end of the Equalizers to a positive and the other on the negative. So there should be 3 wires coming out of the taillight bulb(two colored and a black) so connect a equalizer to each colored(+)wire and the other sides to the (-)black. So in total you need two equalizers per side(left&right) and they have to be 6 ohm any less and you will still get the warning. Also make sure wiring is solid because I had a wire come a loose and blew a fuse in the process

 

just got my "no fade" bulbs today. ill keep you guys posted on whether or not they turn pink. they look promising, cuz the red tinti runs all the way down the bulb, instead of stopping at the section that plugs into the socket. crossin my fingers

 

Where did you get them? LEDs not working to well for me...

 

already told you guys

 

but i do have 02 tails with the 02 wiring harness. still only use one loader. a loader is not needed on the running lights, just the brake.

 

that doesnt necessarily mean your car is wired like a 5.5 gen now, you just have the harnesses. the wiring from the harnesses up is whats different. ya follow?

 

yeah i follow, i just know what works for me.

 

After the harness the wiring is different so:

00-01 = 1 6ohm load on each brake wire
02-03 = 1 6ohm load on the brake and 1 on the running tail wire

 

Can someone post pics of the WHOLE install process?

 

i agree, someone whos done this mod oughta post a how to, or post it in the how to's

 

Ok ill stop being lazy and put pics up later 2day on how to

 

Ok like I mentioned above there is a green&yellow and a green&white then a black negative wire coming out from the taillight. Connect one end of the equalizer to the green&white wire then connect the other end to the black wire and do the same for the green&yellow wire. And your done ignore the red quick connects they aren't necessary just had to extend my wires. Also note the Load Equalizers get VERY VERY hot and will melt plastic or any paint it comes in contact with so make sure you tuck them away in a safe area or wrap them in heat wrap.

 

Thanks for taking the initiative jreed. Question tho, i have the same resistors as you yet i cant tell which side is positive and which is negative, how did you go about realizing which side of the loader is which?

Thanks

 

Sorry if I confused anyone there isn't a positive or negative side to the Load either wire on the load can be used. I just put on the pic for illustration purposes

 

I was looking to get LED Tails. but now im thinking twice. i need my Cruise Control.

 

mu36, since you have a 2003 max you dont need to worry about the cruise control problem, it doesnt happen on the 5.5 gen, just the 5.0. However if you have stock tail light housings you might not want to bother considering there isnt much difference between the stock bulbs and LED through the tinted glass.