I want to replace my reverse lights with LEDs in my 2006 tsx. I read the thread about LED tail light kits, but I don't want all lights replaced... I just want white reverse LEDs. I would prefer to just order bulbs and change them myself. What kind of bulbs do I need?

 

Bulb size: 7440

I would go for one of the tower leds from autolumination.com

 

Thanks, 2 more questions:

1) One problem I though of is that white LEDs are blueish. Is that legal for reverse lights?

2) How many LEDs should I get on each bulb? They have 28, 26, 18 etc.... I don't know which ones to get...

 

p.s.

LED's don't project out far, so they're not very fuctional
for reverse lights.

they're bright, but the light only lasts a short distance.


Raybrigs are the best regular bulb for reverses from what I read.

 

I don't think too much light is needed for reverse anyway. Has anyone tried it? I want to hear somebody's feedback.

 

Yes you are correct, so my reverse lights use PIAA extreme whites, they are white like LEDS but they project a brighter light more than the LED"s and more than the OEM yellow bulbs.



I've had them since 2006 and they are still fine. I highly recommend them over the LED's

 

1) Do you know anything about the reliability of PIAAs? Do they last?

2) When you say "they are white like LEDs," do you mean they give off that blueish hue that LEDs give off?

3) Do they have them now? I didn't see them. Can you post the URL if its not too much trouble?

Thanks

 

Are these called 'miniature?'

 

Okay, I just need to know if they are the PIAA Xtreme White Miniature? There are miniatures and non-miniatures. I'm thinking 7440 Miniatures. Correct?

 

Leds that are white might appear bluish due to white balance of the camera.

 

Like others have said, LEDs are not great for reverse bulbs... the output is not as good as standard bulbs, and since they're so concentrated, they act more like spotlights versus floodlights. The towers you referenced might be a tad bit better... if you have a backup cam installed too, it'll be practically useless at night if there's no lampposts, etc. (regardless if it's high lux) with LEDs installed.

With that said, white LEDs look like a clean, pure white... as Crazy mentioned, it's appearance in pics is generally due to the camera taking the picture. I installed LEDs in my reverse sockets only to switch them back. My experience with PIAAs on my last vehicle before the TSX were less than stellar --- they burned out frequently. However, I don't see that as a big issue since it's not like your reverse bulbs will be on all the time.

I assume you want them for a type of "look"... but for what it's worth, they'll hardly ever be on. I'd personally go with function over form.

 

i replaced every single incandescent bulb in my tsx with regular LED bulbs. i love them and they look great but they sometimes flicker on and off.

i think there are 2 reasons for this..
1. they are cheap LEDs from superbrightleds.com
2. my system is 4800 watts and rattles the trunk so bad that they keep breaking and coming loose.

another interesting thing is that the blinkers blink twice as fast because the LEDs are using so little current that the car thinks there are no bulbs in the sockets.

as for reverse lights, the super white ones are pretty damn bright or i will say bright enough for backing up unless your taillights or windows are tinted 5%.

the color of the white LED is somewhat bluish and i guess you could say it has a 'pimped out' look, depending on how conservative you are. but all legal to the best of my knowledge.

here's a pic i took on my phone...

 

I running the superbright tower leds but i sticking with bulbs for the brake lights just incase any fail and someone can't stop.

you can fix the blinker issue you need a resisitor.

 

Just to clarify, I'm running PIAA Extreme Whites 7440, which are halogen bulbs.

The light out put is more white, its not as blue as the LED's so its more of a white light output.



Google Piaa extreme whites and you will get various vendors to choose from.

 

I got the PIAAs in October, and they are good. They are white enough, and they provide much more light when backing up. I like them a lot. I saw a car with OEM LEDs for reverse lights, and they also look really good though. As far as reliability, I wouldn't know, but the PIAAs are still working since Oct.

 

^^ Oh good to hear! Somehow the thread got magically revived so I'd thought I'd clarify my older posts.

I saw the LED's too but it didn't have a good light output that was noticable on the ground.

I have a backup camera and the PIAA's light up the rear alot brighter and whiter.

I've had them since early 2006 and they are still going strong.

 

Actually, I just noticed this today, but I thought after posting my recent post on this thread at 9 this morning that I'd go put my car in reverse, put the parking brake on, and get out and see how they look from a little farther back. Now that I actually got a good look, they are very very nice if you want the 'HID' look. They look premium. They give good light output, but they also seem to have an aesthetic purpose as well. I feel no need to get LEDs now.

BTW, the high color temp blue is legal. Its considered 'white.' Unless your color temp is so high that they are pure blue, it you shouldn't get messed with by cops. Not that I want to do this, but I could probably put green ones in there and the cops would never notice since they're just reverse lights and are hardly ever on. And super jumbo, yours look awesome.

 

Some day, you'll remember doing that and wonder how you could have decided to do something like that...

 

Is there another way to test it?

You put the ignition on the "ON" position without cranking the engine, on a flat road surface, with the parking brake up, and then shift into Reverse to test the Back up lights.


I had to do this with my installer when we were installing my Back up camera to test it out.

 

now this is a little off topic...but if u tint your tail lights...what r good lights to replace the stock ones? so basically i want a brighter bulb to off set the tint, so that ppl can still see me break as if the tint was not there. sry to be a little off topic.

 

Why?

Are you saying that I could have damaged something?