Rear turn signal LED's

[MMMorish]

Hey guys,

I bought a set of Xenon rear turn signal LED's because I wanted to replace the ugly orange turn signal bulb that shines through the clear lens. Lately I've been seeing cars with red rear turn signal LED's (new Benz's have them and some other cars too) and I'm starting to like the red. I've yet to install them and I'm looking for some opinions.

What do you guys think? Red rear turn signals or Xenon?

Thanks a lot.
Nick

[Kensta335]

I'd go with Red. Xenons are illegal and easy for cops to see.

[MMMorish]

Originally Posted by Kensta335

I'd go with Red. Xenons are illegal and easy for cops to see.

They are??!! Why?

[SV Concepts III]

Originally Posted by MMMorish

They are??!! Why?

DOT regulations require red or amber for the rear turn signals. The front must be either white or amber. Sidemarkers are required to be amber by law as well.

This may be different in Canada but that is what we have stateside.

[Mike@F1 Autohaüs]

Red.. it'll give you an LCI look

[swamp2]

Originally Posted by Nick@Jlevi SW

DOT regulations require red or amber for the rear turn signals. The front must be either white or amber. Sidemarkers are required to be amber by law as well.

This may be different in Canada but that is what we have stateside.

Not quite, those are California rules. Most likely they do not apply in all states.

[Kev]

Originally Posted by swamp2

Not quite, those are California rules. Most likely they do not apply in all states.

Those are DOT regulations, so it's Federal

[SlammedR8]

Originally Posted by Kensta335

I'd go with Red. Xenons are illegal and easy for cops to see.

Originally Posted by MMMorish

They are??!! Why?

Im pretty sure he is right, and to be honest. If you dislike the orange that much, then go for the red but IMO the orange aint all that bad. Its proper, its classy, it suits the car vs a bit ricey to have xenon front & rear signals. I used to have xenon bulb in my turn signals on my 93 and 02 civic (no joke), the M3 can rock the orange! So if anything I would switch to RED, because I also like the look on the new Benzs and a few other new cars I've seen with red turn signals. Go RED...

[swamp2]

Originally Posted by Kev

Those are DOT regulations, so it's Federal

Are you sure? Do you have a link or reference. I saw them in the CA codes but perhaps they are there precisely because of the Federal DOT codes.

[TLud]

Standards for automotive lighting and reflective devices are regulated on the federal level by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 (FMVSS 108), which is administered by USDoT. For MMMorish, Canada has a very similar set of regulations called CMVSS 108, which is effectively the same for purposes of this discussion. The federal regulations must be followed by all manufacturers (OEM and aftermarket).

While the individual states have the authority to adopt their own regulations, most simply adopt FMVSS 108, either expressly or by publishing the same or very similar regulations. These are the regulations that are enforced against consumers. California's laws, for example, are somewhat more stringent than the federal regulations in this area, so it's not enough to simply look at the federal regulations.