Why it's not possible to synchronize turn signals (but also absolutely is)

Hi! If you think this video is long, well I’ll have you know I cut two entire sections from it! Including this bit about hyperflashing: When I was setting this demo up, I was surprised to learn that the thermal flasher doesn’t change speed depending on how many lamps are in-circuit. I thought that this was just a thing all flashers have always done. But once I worked out how this particular flasher functioned, I realized that of course it doesn’t hyperflash with a bulb out because that’s just not possible with its design. Same goes for the capacitor-based model shown here. I had honestly been assuming the Figaro had a thermal flasher, and finding out that it has a more-complicated flasher than the LED-compatible electronic one was quite the discovery! There probably are some thermal designs out there which will change speed based on the current flowing through them, but I don’t know the particulars. If you do, let us know!

37 minute video about turn signals; Time well spent.

"For fun I've tried to see if BMW used the same flash frequency as GM, but I've literally never had an opportunity to check for some reason." Fantastic BMW driver joke.

Another reason turn signals were so imprecise in the past was because of the refinement level of the fluid used in them. Blinker fluid used to be a natural product that was roughly based on mineral oil, and the formulation wasn't consistent. However, in the early '90s, Valvoline patented a synthetic blinker fluid that was incredibly consistent batch-to-batch. They began supplying it to OEMs, and the rest was history. That's the main reason why BMW drivers never use their turn signals: because their blinker fluid is usually dried up.

With over 9 and a half THOUSAND comments, I'm mostly leaving this comment for my own sense of justice. THANK GOD FOR THIS CHANNEL AND VIDEOS LIKE THIS ONE! I sometimes think I'm the only person who thinks about topics like this and details like these. I love the fact that I'm not alone... and almost two million people have watched this!!! I feel validated. Thank you for this outstanding piece of research.

"The magic of buying…three of them" You've betrayed me

I for one am thankful the engineers worked so hard to satisfy my deep internal need for blinker synchronization.

I have been working on cars for 50 years, and next year I am an electric engineer for 40 years. I know the thermal flasher all too well. But I never saw the capacitor/relay flasher. One is never too old too learn. You run a very informative channel.

Today I learned that NOT all things that act like timing relays, are relays.

This is like the highway equivalent of waiting for the DVD screensaver to perfectly bounce off the corner of the screen.

Technology Connections: "Turns out there's a very simple explanation" Me: Looks at the length of the video

Best advice I have if you want to use LED lights: Don't just buy replacement bulbs. Buy them as unit with the housing and everything. If the headlight housing was designed for the LED in it, you're not going to run into the issue of running an LED bulb where an incandescent should be.

"a quirk only Doug can appreciate"

"I'm going down this rabbit hole so you don't have to" should be the motto of the channel.

"There is no way I can be interested in a video about turn signals for 37 minutes" (37 minutes later) "Well, I'll be damned."

33:55 Being able to adjust the volume of warning sounds is such a nice feature! I have sensitive ears, and I rarely drive at highway speeds, so loud alerts can be so startling that it worsens my reaction time. I will definitely be testing whether the volume of the turn signals is impacted by that setting.

By analysing the laws around vehicle lights over here in Belgium I actually found out that rear indicators are allowed to be red, just like in the US, but the front indicators are actually allowed to be white. So I got held up during my yearly car inspection for over an hour because the people inspecting the car didn't want to accept it was actually allowed. They eventually let me go and I felt happy with my victory :) only to switch them back to amber because everyone got confused by the weird white flashing light on my car

"I wanted to see if I could sink my flasher to a BMW; but have literally never had the opportunity" had me lmfao

“A quirk only Doug could appreciate” lol

This video needs to be shown in high schools. When it's a relaxed day in class, maybe after major tests or something, they should show this and educate new drivers.