Who wants brighter reverse lights?

[cougar428]

This mod is for 4runners with 921 reverse bulbs. (01-02 or 96-2000 with upgraded 01-02 taillights and wiring harness)
I have a 99 4runner and i recently purchased a set of eagle eye led tail lights for 01-02 model years. These lights are awesome but they came equipped with some crappy led back up lights so I decided to change them out so I could actually see.
At first I purchased a set of sylvania silverstars and those made a huge difference. The day after I put those in I found this thread on Tacoma world: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/209578-886-backup-light-mod.html
I decided to give it a try but I used this bulb instead

It's available through Home Depot. MAKE SURE IT'S FOR 12V APPLICATIONS. The reason for using this bulb is because it's basically plug and play. There is no need to cut off the connector like you would on the 886 bulb so there is no risk of breaking the filament or the bulb itself. All you have to do is bend the connectors in the socket of your reverse light and they plug right in.

( the pic is from the tw thread link above)
I'm sure ill get flamed for doing this but I searched and I didn't see any negative effects of doing this mod and I was willing to give it a try. My runner didn't burn to the ground when I went into reverse and the lights are super bright so I call this a success lol. Here are some pics.
Led bulbs

Led bulb on passenger and silverstar on driver side

Silverstars in both sides

Silverstar in passenger and the upgraded Philips t4 bulb on driver side

T4 bulb in both sides

As you can see the Philips t4 bulbs are way brighter but If you're not willing to chance it then the silverstars are the way to go.

 

[NateMob]

No flaming here! That's awesome, thanks for sharing this!

 

[fish0281]

I installed a set of 7W Cree Q5 LED's I bought of amazon and while they're a better white (more crisp), they're really not much brighter... I think my tint has something to do with it too though.

If I did it again, I would not get the projector style bulbs, I'd get these instead.


Be careful that you don't melt your housing/harness/plug with those, 30W is a lot of heat!

 

[Ed_C]

Nobody flame me,but has anyone tried real HID bulbs in their tails' reverse lights?

I used a $30 ebay kit on my old Tundra,powered the ballasts through a lead direct from the battery and a relay triggered by the factory reverse light wiring. I had the lights on for minutes to test and nothing burnt or melted. It did take several seconds to achieve full brightness,but damn were they bright!

 

[fish0281]

[MENTION=75868]Ed_C[/MENTION]

 

[smkd13]

Bwahahahahha O'Callahan brakes!!! Lol

[MENTION=75868]Ed_C[/MENTION]

That is a great idea and definitely worth it cause I hate the stock reverse lights. Good job using a relay to activate them

 

[Ed_C]

Bwahahahahha O'Callahan brakes!!! Lol

[MENTION=75868]Ed_C[/MENTION]

That is a great idea and definitely worth it cause I hate the stock reverse lights. Good job using a relay to activate them

LOL Tommy Boy.

[MENTION=88576]smkd13[/MENTION] I had to run a relay since the reverse lights get power from the 10amp gauge circuit,ballasts consume more current than that at startup. Until I can get my hands on a spare taillight,I will not try this mod. Anyone have a broken taillight to send me? As long as the reverse light area is ok.

 

[mikebontoft]

what is the reverse light fuse rated at? 60 watts is only a 5amp max draw anyway.

That is an excellent upgrade though If I'm not mistaken, second (and likely first) gens use a 921 bulb as well. I will have to double check.

edit: second gens do at least

 

[cougar428]

Hey guys,
Just wanted to update everyone and let you know that the lights are still working and I have had no issues at all. If anyone is on the fence about about doing this mod I would say go for it.

 

[SorrGwa]

another option, cree led bulb for the reverse light. ill take a picture when i can

 

[Mr. B]

Nobody flame me,but has anyone tried real HID bulbs in their tails' reverse lights?

I used a $30 ebay kit on my old Tundra,powered the ballasts through a lead direct from the battery and a relay triggered by the factory reverse light wiring. I had the lights on for minutes to test and nothing burnt or melted. It did take several seconds to achieve full brightness,but damn were they bright!

With my old Jeep I did

How to: Hid reverse light writeup - JeepForum.com

Only thing about HID's is that for whoever offroads at all (even if its minor stuff), make sure that ballast is SECURE. Its harder to find spacer in the back thats nice and secure, yet easy to access in case of ballast replacement. The Jeep had a lot of room, a lot more than the runner. Vibration caused 2 ballasts in a 3 year period to cut, and heat from my exhaust cause the 3rd ballast to act up now and then.

Hey guys,
Just wanted to update everyone and let you know that the lights are still working and I have had no issues at all. If anyone is on the fence about about doing this mod I would say go for it.

Call me up fawker!

 

[Yoter]

Call me up fawker!

The OP is talking about the Philips bulbs that he started this thread about not putting HIDs in the rear.

 

[Mr. B]

The OP is talking about the Philips bulbs that he started this thread about not putting HIDs in the rear.

umm....i quoted the HID's towards Ed_C....

the "call me up part" was towards Duane.

as you can, its a multi-quote up thereeeee ^^^

 

[Yoter]

^^My bad I must have misunderstood.

Cougar428 what kind of LED bulbs were used in the first picture? Were they just a single LED, I am amazed to see how dim they are.
I was looking at buying these: http://www.wardenjp.com/6hp1.jpg
But might reconsider after seeing your output pictures
What are the potential risks of running the philips bulbs, this might be a dumb question but would there be a problem running 100w bulbs?

 

[Mr. B]

all g bro! ^^^

 

[cougar428]

[MENTION=82289]Yoter[/MENTION] @ Mr. B I'm glad the two of you guys kissed and made up lol.
[MENTION=82289]Yoter[/MENTION] The type of lights that came with it only had 8 tiny LEDs. I ended up just putting them in my front marker lights. I also have the same set for my license plate lights. Those LEDs look like they could work well especially since they are so big. If they aren't that expensive I would say go ahead and give them a try. I'm kinda curious myself to see how well they work.
I wouldn't use more than a 50w bulb just to be safe. Lots of guys run the 50w and have experienced no issues. I haven't heard of anyone running the 100w.
[MENTION=45416]Mr. B[/MENTION] nice to see you on the forums again. I don't have your number lol. I'll pm you.