LED Bulbs

[Questions]

replaced my stock taillight bulbs with LED bulb and Nanny said no, and gave me a VSS fault. Turns out the voltage is too low.. LOL anyway, Don't make the same $32.00 mistake I did.:spyder2:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Thanks for sharing this tid-bit of learned knowledge with the rest of us

:yes: WE LIVE :yes:

And We Learn

:bowdown: Teddy says Thanks :bowdown:

 

[mrb]

replaced my stock taillight bulbs with LED bulb and Nanny said no, and gave me a VSS fault. Turns out the voltage is too low.. LOL anyway, Don't make the same $32.00 mistake I did.:spyder2:

You just need to put a resistor in the circuit. The nanny is expecting a certain load from a filament globe- if not it figures the globes are blown and it freaks out. You just need a cheap resistor in each side - 12v 6 ohm.

"More and more customers are experiencing sporadic warning messages in vehicles when fitting LED lamps due to the reduced current draw of LED’s. A simple solution is to fit a LED Dummy Load Resistor in the circuit to simulate a 21W globe."

Check around and you should get them around $10-15. Plenty around on EBay etc.

 

[boborgera]

You just need to put a resistor in the circuit. The nanny is expecting a certain load from a filament globe- if not it figures the globes are blown and it freaks out. You just need a cheap resistor in each side - 12v 6 ohm.

Check around and you should get them around $10-15. Plenty around on EBay etc
.

Exactly, Many a Spyder owner found that out over the years,!
Sometimes the search button is a tinker's best friend,.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

LED'S

I thought I was going to encounter the same issue when I added my trailer lighting ( which is all LED ) to the system......But it didn't, because the original electrical load remained almost the same......Missed a bullit that time...:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack: :agree:.....Mike

 

[r1100rider]

replaced my stock taillight bulbs with LED bulb and Nanny said no, and gave me a VSS fault. Turns out the voltage is too low.. LOL anyway, Don't make the same $32.00 mistake I did.:spyder2:

There is an easier way just leave one regular bulb in and use one led nanny is happy and you get good brite Light

 

[NancysToy]

I thought I was going to encounter the same issue when I added my trailer lighting ( which is all LED ) to the system......But it didn't, because the original electrical load remained almost the same......Missed a bullit that time...:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack: :agree:.....Mike

Adding lighting is not generally a problem...just "subtracting" it. If the stock bulbs are replaced with LEDs, the Spyder reads the lower current draw as burned out filaments, and goes into limp mode. (I won't argue the folly of that instead of a warning.) Adding to the existing load doesn't seem to bother it, although if you added way too much you could blow a fuse.

The problem of replacing the stock brakelight bulbs with LEDs without load compensation, is well known and well discussed here. Another reminder sure doesn't hurt anything. BTW, a number of owners using LEDs with load compensators have had them fail. Not sure why, but they are not necessarily perfectly compatible with all Spyders, for some reason. Install at your own risk (of your pocketbook).

 

[MikeinGA]

Adding lighting is not generally a problem...just "subtracting" it. If the stock bulbs are replaced with LEDs, the Spyder reads the lower current draw as burned out filaments, and goes into limp mode. (I won't argue the folly of that instead of a warning.) Adding to the existing load doesn't seem to bother it, although if you added way too much you could blow a fuse.

The problem of replacing the stock brakelight bulbs with LEDs without load compensation, is well known and well discussed here. Another reminder sure doesn't hurt anything. BTW, a number of owners using LEDs with load compensators have had them fail. Not sure why, but they are not necessarily perfectly compatible with all Spyders, for some reason. Install at your own risk (of your pocketbook).

So I must carry a spare bulbs for my all my rear facing lights or it will go into limp mode if one of them burn out. They should change LIMP MODE TO DEATH MODE! This one more thing that I to give to my lawyer to add to my list of things that my Can-am RS-S could cause my death. That's IMHO.

Mike

 

[NancysToy]

So I must carry a spare bulbs for my all my rear facing lights or it will go into limp mode if one of them burn out. They should change LIMP MODE TO DEATH MODE! This one more thing that I to give to my lawyer to add to my list of things that my Can-am RS-S could cause my death. That's IMHO.

Mike

It should not go into limp mode unless both burn out. Carrying a spare bulb on a long trip isn't that bad an idea. Touring bikers (with a single headlight or taillight bulb) have been doing it for years, just for safety. You may wish to make the mods to your RS to allow the bulbs to be changed more easily, though. Sorry, no time to search for a link to that thread right now, but I'm sure someone will step in and help.

 

[MikeinGA]

It should not go into limp mode unless both burn out. Carrying a spare bulb on a long trip isn't that bad an idea. Touring bikers (with a single headlight or taillight bulb) have been doing it for years, just for safety. You may wish to make the mods to your RS to allow the bulbs to be changed more easily, though. Sorry, no time to search for a link to that thread right now, but I'm sure someone will step in and help.

But if both burn out it will go into limp mode and at high speeds with out stop lights. The car or truck behind you will not have any way to tell that you are slowing at a fast rate of speed. It would be safer to have a message to tell you have no brake lights or only one brake light so you can pull over to the side of the road at a safe rate of speed. Does this happen with the licence light? Thanks for clarifying the brake light problem.

Mike

 

[NancysToy]

Does this happen with the licence light?

No, just the brakelights.

 

[Firefly]

But if both burn out it will go into limp mode and at high speeds with out stop lights. The car or truck behind you will not have any way to tell that you are slowing at a fast rate of speed. It would be safer to have a message to tell you have no brake lights or only one brake light so you can pull over to the side of the road at a safe rate of speed. Does this happen with the licence light? Thanks for clarifying the brake light problem.

Mike

Any time my GS went into limp mode it never slowed my speed down... it allowed me to continue at whatever speed I was going... but once I slowed down and stopped... THEN my speed was limited.

You have to burn out both brake lights for it to happen.... pretty rare thing to happen.

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I feel it's silly for the Spyder to go into limp mode over blown tail lights.... yet you can blown BOTH headlights and she runs just fine. Which would be more dangerous???

 

[MikeinGA]

Any time my GS went into limp mode it never slowed my speed down... it allowed me to continue at whatever speed I was going... but once I slowed down and stopped... THEN my speed was limited.

You have to burn out both brake lights for it to happen.... pretty rare thing to happen.

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I feel it's silly for the Spyder to go into limp mode over blown tail lights.... yet you can blown BOTH headlights and she runs just fine. Which would be more dangerous???

Thanks for the feedback.

Mike

 

[Sarge707]

You can use the Pilot LI1157RCZ from Pep Boys ($25). I used them BUT one burned out at about 3,000 miles so I went back to standard bulbs and change them in May and Nov. its $3 cheap insurance.
I also ordered Rear Turn signal Bulbs (RY10W BAU 15S) with 750 hours and the dealer said I must be crazy because he never has seen one go yet. WELL when I spend $7 and put them in I will NEVER see one blow, Will I?:yikes:

 

[boborgera]

A better way for burnt out tail lights would be like whats on my Dodge truck, A light burns out a tone /beep comes on for a second and a light that says bulb gos on, no limp just a warning light, That happen to me once. :thumbup:

 

[Phil]

LEDs

A rule to live by.....
DO NOT MESS WITH THE MISSION CRITICAL INCANDESCENT LIGHTS UNLESS YOU ARE VERY EXPERIENCED. By that I mean brake lights, turn signals and headlights. Now... having said that, I have swapped the headlights for HIDs with 100% success. I have ADDED LEDs to the turn signal lights with 100% success. I have ADDED LEDs to the brake lights with 100% success. All of it was done with the knowledge that it was on the PPO plan--- Phil's Pocket Output! Meaning that if it didn't work, I was just out the price of my entertainment. But so far... all is good.

ADDING LEDs in parallel with other LEDs or incandescent bulbs is VERY simple and will work almost flawlessly. The reason is that the LED load on the circuit is so very low compared to the incandescent bulbs, the circut barely knows it is there. And that is the same reason you should not swap incandescent bulbs for LEDs unless you really know what you are doing. The nanny can see it as a problem without the proper load on the system. It IS there to protect you.

 

[zbunker]

replaced my stock taillight bulbs with LED bulb and Nanny said no, and gave me a VSS fault. Turns out the voltage is too low.. LOL anyway, Don't make the same $32.00 mistake I did.:spyder2:

It would seem that the resistance in the stock lamps in the Nanny didn't match the LEDS. Resistance in LEDS are higher than regular fulminate lamps. perhaps the new lamps were not "seen" by Nanny's "brain" ..........Perhaps a resister placed somewhere in the circuit can make Nanny 'Happy'
Good Luck
Ron