Kevin Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 so... what do you guys think? The more I look at it the less thrilled I am with it. I might just take the blub and wiring out and put it into part of the tail lamp that is used for running lights/parking lights only. I used a rear fog switch from an '85 Wagon that showed up in a parts yard. It's too wide to fit into the 86+ sockets. I have yet to dig up a rear fog switch from the UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Yeah - not loving it either. Great idea to have one though. If using a separate unit like that you might want to try mounting it beside the license plate, or even above the bumper maybe? I've thought of doing a rear fog as well - but I always thought it'd be neat to put a small halogen assembly into the tail light housing... I've never looked at it close though - so not a clue if it'd fit somewhere. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Ya, you gotta revisit that one there Kev. I'm actually looking for a decent clear light solution to augment the backup lamps. I actually do a bit of backing up at night and it's hard to see stuff sometimes. My requirement is that it be as stealthy as possible. Anything obvious would look extremely dorky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Koll - You can get 20W halogen 1156 (1157?) bulbs that will drop right into the existing socket and give much needed light... Not sure if you'd need more than that though... I've got some 89' tail lights to go into my 86' so will have to check it out to see if there's a spot to put in rear fog. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcal505 Posted October 15, 2008 Report Share Posted October 15, 2008 yeah, maybe try it in one of the tails, like with the old Volvos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted October 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2008 yeah, maybe try it in one of the tails, like with the old Volvos. yea that's what I did, I moved the wiring/bulb housing into the spot used for the parking lamps thanks for the input guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted October 15, 2008 Report Share Posted October 15, 2008 I searched the net for "halogen 1156" and only got this: http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-tec...ticles/halogen/ He wasn't impressed. You have first hand with these, Rabin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted October 15, 2008 Report Share Posted October 15, 2008 Nope - no personal experience - just heard about them other places... (even know a couple rally cars that did them - since backing up on a night stage is bugger!) Now while that review was detailed - it's not really testing it as a reverse light. First the lense isn't clear so tough to say that it was barely brighter. It'd be more accurate to test it in clear or even just bare. The other point is that if you back up - I highly doubt it's in reverse for very long at all. The heat does make a good point though so if you wanted to avoid it I found some "krypton" bulbs that say they're 43 watts and pull less power - so that might be a better option so yo have no worries about heat issues. (Pretty sure Krypton bulbs are used in Mag-Lite's) Not sure what the high intensity LED's would be like - but there's tones of those options as well just didn't find much on light output. I find with LED flashlights though that the light disperses quickly and doesn't seem to "light the way" was well as a regular incandesent light. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 Ya, from the limited information I could gather, Krypton bulbs would be the best choice. That begs the question though... Why are they not in the retail channel? I few rice speed shops on the net have a couple, but most of the aftermarket light world is hung up on LEDs which I think would deliver unacceptable performance. What source(s) did you come up with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 I just googled it and found some through Amazon.com I believe. Also a couple specialist lighting places came up too - so it shouldn't be hard to find a reputable retailer that deals with them. As for why they're not in the general retail system - my guess is cost. Few places are willing to shell out the cash to keep stock on lights that will not likely appeal to the average joe. The Krypton bulbs in my mag-lite are awesome, and they do take a beating (used one for a headlight on a quad back in the day!) so I think service life should be fine. I can't give a personal endorsement - but I'd likely pick up a set for myself for the V70R. The tinted windows make reversing at night a challenge so if they were brighter it'd be easier to see... Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted October 16, 2008 Report Share Posted October 16, 2008 I should mention that often times the 505's I've purchased had the smaller 1156 bulbs in them (small glass globes) and I always made it a point to swap those out with the bigger 21W 1156 bulbs. It's a bit trickier to install the circuit board because of the physical size (socket is the same) - but the improvement in rear lighting is so much better it's well worth it. So I'd definitely look at upgrading the reverse lights, and maybe even the brake lights to Krypton bulbs if there was a real big improvement... I love nice lighting... Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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