Back up lights

BAD2500HD · December 28, 2004

Does anybody know of away to make the back up lights brighter ? the one's on my 03' GMC are really bad, you can't see at all with them ! the brake lights work better then they do! its really hard when your trying to plow and not hit anything ! i know i could put a extra set of lights on but was wondering if there was anything that could be done to the factory lights ? thanks for any help !

lrymal · December 28, 2004

I have often wondered for years (poor backup lights have been a complaint of mine for nearly every vehicle), about replacing the bulb with a dual-filament bulb, similar to the brake or DRL bulb. One would have to be creative on the socket and wiring, but I might give this a try.

EDIT: It is no small wonder that the backup illumination is poorer than the brake light. Go outside NOW. Compare the reflector size of the backup light with the brake light. D'uh!

Mighty HD · December 28, 2004

look @ the pics in my sig, you'll see what I did to fix the backup light problem =)

lrymal · December 29, 2004

look @ the pics in my sig, you'll see what I did to fix the backup light problem =)

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Golf carts???? Maybe I missed something on your WebShots album. Where? What'd you do?

Nevermind... found it. grrrrr

I think Andy is using those or something similar. Did they really make a difference? Brand? Model#?

Thanks....

chevhot · December 29, 2004

i really like these lights work very well with dark tinted windows and are nice for plowing

Mighty HD · December 29, 2004

Yes they made a huge difference. I can throw it in reverse and it lights em up!

I may run a switch to the front so I can flip them on when someone is on my (_!_) riding down the road. I have a bad habbit of slamming the brakes and watching them skid off the side of the road...

lrymal · December 29, 2004

Yes they made a huge difference. I can throw it in reverse and it lights em up!

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What brand are these? Thanks!

Mighty HD · December 29, 2004

Believe it or not, they're cheapies from walmart/autozone

lrymal · December 29, 2004

Believe it or not, they're cheapies from walmart/autozone

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Ah, good job---damage replacement would be cheap. And BRIGHT????

Scyry · December 29, 2004

I have a similar setup on mine. I also included a littleswitch on the bottom edge of the dash that I can use to switch the lights on; my Uncle wired it up for me, I am not good with electrical. Anyways, it is great for getting pesky little Fast and Furious wanna bes off of you

lrymal · December 29, 2004

...was wondering if there was anything that could be done to the factory lights ? thanks for any help !

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Returning to the original thread.....

I just pulled my rear lamp and discovered that 3157 bulbs are used for everything. These dual-element bulbs have the potential for being very bright, however for the backup lights, only a SINGLE filament out of the two are actually used. Connecting both filaments, such as how it is done with DRL sockets, would double the brightness.

Rather than modifying the socket, I'd propose trying to figure a way to modify the bulb's wiring. At least bulbs are cheap. I'm going to try to figure this out and will let y'all know.