First Question...Is the blink speed a function of resistance, current, or something else?

Second Question...I've read that if you increase the wattage of the corner bulb you need to upgrade the wiring harness. How much of an increase in wattage would require this?

Basically what I want to do is change the orientation of the wires on the bulb so that the parking light is the 27W filament and the blink is the 7W filament. I tried it and it works....kinda. The only drawback I found is that the blinker now goes really fast. I didnt know if I could throw a resistor in somewhere and slow it down. Also, I dont know if there are any drawbacks to doing this. Will the bulb life decrease? Will I melt something? (both from heat and increased current)

Any thoughts, input, comments or concerns would be highly appreciated!!!

 

What you are attempting to do worries me.

The parking light's lower wattage (7) and blinker light's higher wattage (27) are designed that way for a reason. The idea is that the high wattage blinker lamp is brighter than the constant ON parking lamp. If the blinker lamp isn't brighter than the parking lamp you won't be able to see that the blinker is on when the parking lamps/headlights are lit.

Sounds like a good way to get T-Boned by someone who can honestly say, "He didn't have his turn signal on."

Adding a resistor will correct the blink rate; however it will probably dim the bulb down to what you consider an unacceptable level. To do this properly (and when I say properly I mean wrong but engineered right) you need a heavier duty blinker relay.

 

Thanks for the reply.

So other than the brightness issue you dont think there should be a problem doing this? I am wanting to try something out where the parking lamp is going to be the 27 W white color and the 7 W will be yellow. I would think the difference in colors would be sufficient to notice the blinking. Thanks again!!!

 

If you wanted to get serious about it you could split the current one bulb solution into 2. Cut off the existing socket and wire the paking lamp to one socket and the blinker to another. That way you would have a wide range of bulb colors and wattages to choose from. You should still consider getting a stronger blinker relay, and heat can be a concern for both the lamp housing and wiring, but people would sure know you were changing lanes with a 55 watt turn signal.