as i was backing out of my driveway last night i realized that i couldnt see s***. sure this might be due to my 35% tinted back glass, but i know that many other people on this board have tints a lot darker then me. which brought me to the conclusion that our back up lights pretty much suck. my belief was confirmed when i put my tranny in and out of reverse to compare and there was hardly a difference. so is there any brighter bulb or something that i could do to actually have a back up light because right now they're basically useless.

 

your rear lights run on 1157 and 1156 bulbs. You can either get brighter ones from ebay, or install led lights in there.

 

I have 14% quantum tint and I love it, its 14% but from inside looks like 40 or lighter. On the other hand, friend has normal 5% rear tint and when i drive his car, i, like said above, cant see s*** =/

 

i have 5 % limo on my windows. what do you need back up lights for roll down the windows. the lights are not for you to see with they are to let people know you are backing up.put fog lights in the back and turn them on when you back up then you will see everything

 

OUr back up lights werent made to be rear headlights like american cars are now made

 

btw they are 921 bulbs not 1156 ate least in my 98 they are but ive been looking for the same thing im thinking about mabey fitting a 1156 in there but not sure how

 

Maybe you can try a pair (or just one) of those el cheapo fog lights sold at auto parts stores and wire it with your backup lights. Make sure that you use a relay and aim them down. No need to be able to see 500ft backward

 

Before people go suggesting he put fogs back there you should check and see if it's legal in your state. A rear-facing white light that you can turn on/off is illegal in many states.

 

I believe their main purpose is to alert other drivers, not to shine the way for our driveway adventures

 

I too have 5% limo tinto on the back of my car and holy crap one can't see **** when wanting to back up at night....I suggest getting a backup camara as I have and it has totally eliminated the need to open my doors to see what I'm gonna hit....try the camara out, its only like $60 on the GD so with that price one cannot complain!

On a related topic, I installed the PIAA 1156 for my backup light and they are WAY better than OEM crap....I have never had any problems with how much I can't see until the backup camara revealed itself....good luck though....If anything I suggest going with the PIAA 1156 for your backup lighting...its better than OEM and is white as they come when in reverse!

 

Correct me if I’m wrong, $60 for the camera, and useless unless you have an indash lcd screen.

 

So you read the fine print....I was under the impression that everyone knew that if you want a camara in your car one must have a method of veiwing it....For just over $300 anyone can have the LCD screen and a camara in their car...In-dash DVD/mP3 players are cheaper than they have ever been and will continue to become less and less expensive; so everyone needs to do themsleves a favor and buy an in-dash DVD!!! The camara is the perk to having one...

 

 

my reverse lights are fawkin bright, that **** be blinding ppl, but owell

 

I agree with the statement that the backup lights weren't designed for actual driving, but just for an alert (this is obvious). But, it does suck trying to backup when you can't see where anything is.

I really needed something the other night when I had just finished bouldering, but I eventually “crept” my way out. I may work on something during the next break...just to see if I can get it any better.

 

+1 my reverse lights suck as well

 

There are halogen versions of the 194 bulb that could replace the stock reverse bulbs. If these aren't bright enough, you can fit some H-3's with high temperature silicone and since they are only on when in reverse, they wouldn't get hot enough for long enough to damage the housing.

 

i replaced my backup lights with polarg hyperwhites, and are pretty bright. My new rear view camera also helps me as well

 

so is it an 1156 bulb or 194?

 

My '97 SE has a bulb that is replaceable by a 194 bulb. It looks EXACTLY like a 194 but with a much fatter head. I can plug a 194 in there if I wanted to. I don't know what 95-96's have but I'd imagine 97-99's have a 194-similar bulb.

 

95-96 have a 1156 (27 watts) pointed sideways
97-99 have a 921 (18? watts) pointed straight out

i put 50 watt 1156's in my 96 and it was much better. With the DTM tails I have now anything other than custom would be useless.

 

pick up a set of PolarG hyper whites... they make a huge difference compared to the stock clear bulbs.

Ant