Brighter backup bulbs?

I have an '04 and need brighter backup bulbs, can anyone tell me where and what to look for. Sucks getting old, night vision isn't what it was once, lol.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/jumpers-leds.176932/

I'm sure he will hook you up. Just ordered some myself.

 

I run aftermarket lights mounted to one of the hitch bolts

I just love them!!

 

I've thought about going this direction but would rip them off on a trail for sure

 

Here is a budget starting point. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/886-backup-light-mod.209578/page-21#post-9836004

I'll move to auxillary Cree lights later, but these are better than OE and cheap.

Dig the vision thing. It's why I've not tinted the windows. 1st vehicle I've skipped in over 20 years. :-(

 

I don't think first gens can take advantage of that mod. I could be mistaken though.



Imho, the best bang for your buck is led flush mount pod lights that you stick in your bumper. Just cut out a spot, bolt em in and tap into reverse lights for power, ground to frame. This way you don't have to worry about breaking em on the trail and they look great, plus are crazy bright.

 

so what stock bulb do we have in there right now? is it a 194 or T10?

 

921 for 01-04
1156 for 95-00

 

well according to Toyota, those 921's are 12v 16 watt bulbs so you would need to find a higher wattage wedge bulb for it when you replace it.

they can be found here: http://www.toyotaonlineparts.com/oe-toyota/9098111059


for those with 1156 bulbs, those are 21-23 watts so this would be the brighter oem replacement bulb: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1156-Super-...156-/160595821814?hash=item256441c4f6&vxp=mtr


most replacement bulbs I see at the store or on ebay, even the so called "super bright" ones, are only 5, 7.5, or 10 watt bulbs which are no where near as bright as the oem 16 watt bulbs are. same with the 1156 bulbs at the store which average only 21-23 watts.

the trouble with buying most LED bulbs is they often don't list the wattage they put out but only show "lumins", while the oem regular incandescent bulbs only list watts and don't show "lumins" so its hard to compare them for brightness when they don't use the same units of measure.

if the previous owner replaced them with standard T10 or 194 bulbs they bought at the auto store, those would be the 4 or 5 watt bulbs for marker lights and not give you much light at all. I think the first thing you need to do is see if you have the wrong bulbs in it to begin with.

I know my back up lights put out very good light with the stock bulbs.

 

I have a set of White LED lights I just have not got around to installing them in the bumper.

In fact I forgot all about it till reading this thread.

Other then my driveway and job sites about as far as I get off road.

 

I put some 3 watt "eagle eye" style LEDs in my bumper and tapped them into the reverse bulbs. Faced them slightly outwards, great for backing up at night. Also have some very bright floods in my camper shell

 

I replaced my OEM 23-watt halogen bulbs with aftermarket 55-watt halogen bulbs. It was the easiest way to get more light from the existing circuitry.

 

Theres a mod to replace 1156 bulbs with 194 bulbs? Or am I simply not reading that correctly?

 

if you want light coverage then the best option is to get a set of lights and mount them to the bumper. the housings have a limited range even with brighter bulb.

I have no issues seeing but if you have those issues get the "fog light" versions as the light spread is wider than "driving light" versions. wire a relay in to come on with reverse and done.

or buy LED and just tap into the reverse light wiring, no real load on the electrical to cause problems for the short duration of use.

 

I believe you've got 194's in an '04. When I upgraded from stock to Sylvania silverstars- I didn't think they seemed that much brighter, but the whiter light helps me for short distance. Granted, it's a very slight improvement if any at all. But a very inexpensive option to at least give it a shot. They're Like $8.

This Philips LED 921's look interesting. See link- I've been discussing them with another member:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/philips-921-reverse-led.382192/#post-10501267

 

Hmmm, those Philips do look interesting...

 

[QUOTE="

if the previous owner replaced them with standard T10 or 194 bulbs they bought at the auto store, those would be the 4 or 5 watt bulbs for marker lights and not give you much light at all. I think the first thing you need to do is see if you have the wrong bulbs in it to begin with.

I know my back up lights put out very good light with the stock bulbs.[/QUOTE]

I am the original owner and I haven't replaced them so they are still the stockers.

 

no, those are completely different sockets

the 96-00 trucks use 1156 bulbs with the round socket and the 01-04 trucks use the 192 bulbs with the small wedge socket which also look like and can be incorrectly replaced with 194 or T10 bulbs because they look the same.

what I was saying is its possible that's what happened and I have seen it before where an owner went grab a bulb at the auto store that fits but is the wrong wattage so it doesn't put out enough light.

there are higher wattage bulbs that fit the 1156 sockets so there are mod options in regular bulbs so LEDs are not the only mod option for the 96-00 trucks

 

check out some of the Amazon reviews. several people are pretty excited about that Philips LED.

 

Some Pics of the Philips 921's from a TW member:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/led-reverse-bulbs-philips-12841b2.384655/