I just watched that video, and those were what I ended up replacing with the ones in there now. Did not notice the bulbs close up at first - those are better suited for interior applications. There is a world of difference.

I blind people with mine. Not what I intended at first, but it is a kind of neat side-effect.

 

BTW, while not directly related to this topic, I am in the process of reviewing varying side-marker amber LED lights for the front, and so far this style seems to be by far the brightest, and they were super-inexpensive.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/262203284311

I think the pictures speak for themselves.

 

Currently, I have a pair of Kawell LEDs under the bumper but half of the LEDs keep going out. They are a 6-LED lamp and three will go out. I had one replaced already and now the second one went out. Anyone else have similar issues with the Kawells? I'm ready for something better.

Mine are wired into the reverse wire on the 7-pin. No issues at all.

 

I'll have to give a full after-action report, but can already tell the Philips LED lamps I have installed now won't hold a candle (pun intended) to the Cree MkIIs that website has. I think I need to get them just because the backup camera is so dark and grainy at night (and what illumination I have is an odd splotchy pattern) that I really need to do something better. It's not about style for me, but practicality and safety. The stock lamps really are weak (notably so, especially with factory-tinted windows or darker), and I have GOT to say, the Philips lamps that I have in place right now (while stronger) are not quite enough. Those Cree MkIIs are $60 (the Philips were $15 for the pair - proving the adage that "a cheap man always pays twice"), so I'll be locking my tailgate to prevent theft.

 

Here's a pic of mine

 

Added a pair of PIIA lights under the bumper, with a three way switch for OFF, ON, & AUTO, along with a relay... Awesome lights, like rear facing headlights! Auto works in reverse, on lets me see to hook up a trailer in the dark....

 

I am always a "the brighter the better" kind of guy, but I can honestly say this about those lamps I quoted earlier - I'm actually done looking for anything brighter. If I could "thank" the original poster whom recommended it on this forum more than once, I'd do so. I've put them in my backups, my cargo lamps, and also on the reverse lights on my roadster. They are truly phenomenal.

They even blind people when they're on in broad daylight.

I'll be interested to hear what your trials yield. I don't have any Philips to compare for myself, but I always like to see bulb-v-bulb action... It's why I order several different types at a time - I like to test them and see which is the brightest before I order more.

 

I know there brighter bulbs and certain situations require more light.
I once in a while actually utilize my cargo lamp, but put Phillips in there and all I do is back into my driveway which is already half lit from the street light, so the Phillips again are plenty.
I did however notice a big difference in my rearview camera (8" screen). It's not grainy at night like before. Other's still say it is, so idk....
I'm still waiting on my yellow led side markers for the front to arrive.
I'm open to advice on the best puddle lamp led, otherwise the exterior is completely LED, and I'm happy with the overall look.

 

7 pin connector harness




7 pin connector removed from the back


I finally got around to doing my LED reverse lights. Perhaps I overdid it, but the job took me a couple of DAYS to complete(like, half days anyway).


I bought the lights on Amazon for about $35. They are 6 LEDs per unit. They are about 35 watts each. At 12 volts that's about 7 amps. I checked on-line and 16 gauge wire is sufficient to run a 20 foot circuit with 10% voltage drop. (from memory)


1. I installed a three position switch inside the cabin. I can select OFF, ON1 or ON2.
ON1 is wired to activate the reverse lights when I shift into reverse.
ON2 is wired to turn the lights on regardless of what gear I'm in or even if the motor is not running.
I pulled the trim under the steering wheel on the left side only. I have a switch there for the pedal height adjustment. I was able to squeeze my switch to the right side of it. There was a raised plastic support for a wire bundle which I removed. The plastic was double thickness there(as I came to find out), but I was able to cut the hole with my trusty Swiss Army knife. Came out a tad crooked . . . ;(


2. I ran a hot line directly from the battery into the cabin. Access to the cabin is thru the existing conduit behind the parking brake pedal. There's plenty of room to run a few wires thru there. I also installed an in-line fuse at the battery to protect the entire circuit. It's 10 amp.
This line drops down under the batter, then along(under) the radiator, then into the frame, then out of the frame under the firewall cabin access hole. (I actually came out thru the same hole I'll be running the feeds to the rear into)


I ran a ground line from under the hood(drilled a new hole on the fender) into the cabin. The ground line is for the lighted switch.


3. Next, I ran two wires (I actually used some old speaker wire I had lying around) to the back of the car near the spare tire. I went thru the aforementioned firewall duct, dropped down and thru the steel frame, all the way to the back(right past the Helwig bolt, if you have the swaybar).


4. I installed a standard homeowner outdoor electrical box. I bolted it to the bottom of the pickup box support. There was already a hole, so I didn't have to drill anything(yet).


5. I tapped into the tow bundle wires(center gray wire on the 7 pin connec-it). I ran this lead into my junction box.


6. I drilled and installed a ground screw into the steel frame(where it's not too thick). The pick-up box supports didn't provide ground! I ran a ground wire into the junction box.


7. I fabbed some simple 90 deg angle brackets from some flat stock I had lying around(like tekos). If I had it to do over, I'd have used heavier stock. They kinda shake around. I'll see how long they last. I bolted the angles to existing bolts (13mm?) behind the bumper. Again, no drilling.


8. I ganged up the red+ and black- from the lights and ran the black- to my ground and red+ into my junction box.


9. Inside the junction box, I installed crimp connectors to my leads and installed the relay as per the directions on the box.
Regarding the relay, basically there's:
ground - to frame ground
switched line in - the lead from the 7 pin
hot line in - the ON1 wire from the cabin switch
hot out - connected to the red+ from the fog lights. *


Then there's the ON2 circuit. Simply connect the ON2 wire to the red+ line "down stream" of the relay. *


Note: these circuits will backfeed eachother, meaning when in ON1 mode you'll be backfeeding the cabin switch and when in ON2 mode you'll be backfeeding the relay. I'm not worrying about it. If it bothers you, install two diodes where I have the *.


Tips:
a. I used 16 gauge braided wire for the whole job.
a. Protected and wrapped every inch of the job. I used split style wire loom and taped the entire length with black electrical tape. I used shrink wrap everywhere too.
b. I soldered all connections except for where I used spade connectors for the cabin switch and the relay. I use a Weller solder gun. Nice tool, makes fast work of soldering these relatively large gauge wires.

 

I just installed the 921LED bulbs for the back-up lights. Definitely an improvement, but not as good as some good old fashioned 1156 bulbs.