LED backup light wiring

Ok guys in my 1995 tahoe I will be replacing the back bumper and I want to add 2 18watt led lights that will come on when I put her into reverse. I think it would be fine to tap into the factor harness at the rear lights. Or should I run a relay from the reverse switch itself ? Thanks

I've been considering the same for my Honda Element, the factory lights don't show so well when looking thru the tinted back glass and LEDs prices have dropped sharply.
That's roughly 1.5 amp each, total of 3, I don't see why the factory harness won't take it.
I don't know what SC law is, however I was in the auto repair industry for 34 years and know NC Safety Inspection law states that a vehicle may have no more than 2 reverse lights and they may not operate when the vehicle is moving forward.


Load'em cheap, stack'em deep.

Tap in, that's only an additional 1.5A ea or so. Make sure the splice is well sealed (no scotchloks) and ground them well.

Just for info, there are LED replacements for backup lights. I have them, they're pretty nice.

J R Green said:

Just for info, there are LED replacements for backup lights. I have them, they're pretty nice.

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Is the light considerably brighter?
I have LED brake lights, they are brighter, but not orders of magnitude brighter.

Load'em cheap, stack'em deep.

RangeSquirrel said:

Is the light considerably brighter?
I have LED brake lights, they are brighter, but not orders of magnitude brighter.

Load'em cheap, stack'em deep.

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It's quite a bit brighter but not enough to make a difference on the backup camera.

I had them on a couple vehicles. Always tapped into factory harness. They’ll be fine without a relay. And the difference is amazing

Thanks guys. That's what I will do. My windows are tinted all the way around so the LEDs should help me alot with being able to see at night

Daleo8803 said:

Thanks guys. That's what I will do. My windows are tinted all the way around so the LEDs should help me alot with being able to see at night

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Take that 5% window tint off you'll be ok.

Mine have been wired straight since 2011 without issue Iirc the actual amp draw on 2 18w lights was 2.7 amps

I have had trucks with auxiliary lights tapped into the factory harness and wired to a switch.

I prefer the direct wired switch because,
- lights are not coming on in reverse during the day
- lights can be flipped on and left on in the dark while hooking up to a trailer, securing loads, etc. Ignition on or ignition off.



Edit: Someone recently had a set of Rigid dually led's in the bst.

I decided to put a set of 18 watt LED floods on my Element in place of the puny 921 bulbs. I picked up these on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Auxbeam-1800...+18w&qid=1586807640&sprefix=auxbeam+18&sr=8-3

I will find out tonight how much better I can see backing, I expect it to be much improved. They are pretty bright, the camera doesn't do them justice.

The PRND2L switch is under the console at the shifter, I'm going to add in a rocker switch using the existing wiring so I can turn them on when needed, such as hitching a trailer at night.

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If you're worried about overloading the factory harness you could always replace the stock incandescent bulbs with LED while you're at it. They should be better than stock in terms of brightness, longevity, and much lower amp draw. It's win-win-win.

The 921 light bulbs typically used in many backup lights are rated at 12.8 Volts and 18 Watts at about 264 lumens.

So using LED lights with a power rating of 18 Watts will not be a problem, especially if they're wired in place of the normal bulbs, as opposed to being in addition. Likely it won't be a problem even if they're run in addition to the standard bulbs. You'll know, though, if you start blowing the fuse for that circuit!

They do make LED replacements for many of the bulbs used in vehicles, and most typically use about one tenth the wattage as the incandescent bulbs (call it about 2 Watts). They vary in lumen output, anywhere from about 200 lumens to about 1,000 lumens.

Of course, they're anywhere from 5 to 15 times as expensive as the standard $2/bulb 921 lamp.

(Keep in mind, not all are necessarily "street legal", for what that's worth to you.)

Google HID reverse lights. Seems a few people are using HID kits in their reverse lights wired to a separate switch independent of actually being in reverse just for tailgaters.

RangeSquirrel said:

I decided to put a set of 18 watt LED floods on my Element in place of the puny 921 bulbs. I picked up these on Amazon.

I will find out tonight how much better I can see backing, I expect it to be much improved. They are pretty bright, the camera doesn't do them justice.

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Now your fingerprints are all over the internet.

Until December 2018 I was in the auto repair field and did NC Inspections. Here is a cut and paste from the online Safety Inspection Rules.

(f) Back-Up Lamps. Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two back-up lamps either separately or in
combination with other lamps but any such back-up lamp shall not be lighted when the motor vehicle is in a forward motion
nor shall the back-up lamp emit any color other than white. A back-up lamp is not a mandatory requirement.
History Note: Authority G.S. 20-2; 20-39; 20-183.3;
Eff. October 1, 1994.

Granted law enforcement in some less free states, say Virginia, may balk at my backup light conversion. My brother-in-law has a shop in the Suffolk area, it's amazing what VA State Patrol deems to be a safety violation.

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RangeSquirrel said:

Until December 2018 I was in the auto repair field and did NC Inspections. Here is a cut and paste from the online Safety Inspection Rules.

(f) Back-Up Lamps. Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two back-up lamps either separately or in
combination with other lamps but any such back-up lamp shall not be lighted when the motor vehicle is in a forward motion
nor shall the back-up lamp emit any color other than white. A back-up lamp is not a mandatory requirement.
History Note: Authority G.S. 20-2; 20-39; 20-183.3;
Eff. October 1, 1994.

Granted law enforcement in some less free states, say Virginia, may balk at my backup light conversion. My brother-in-law has a shop in the Suffolk area, it's amazing what VA State Patrol deems to be a safety violation.

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In my experience knowing what the actual requirements are is worth solid gold.

If you're absolutely in the right, there's nothing like needing able to prove it when it most counts.

Which means...pick your battles.

The time to "fight" such a thing as this isn't on the street when the officer is writing the citation, for example. If he's going to cite you for something, he'll just come up with something else, or maybe now that you've hammered him with a possible way out he'll have the time to come up some other, lesser known, aspect about the citation that you're not aware of.

Take your ticket while smiling inside. Arm yourself with the actual letter of the law and whatever other qualifications you have. Then present yourself professionally and respectfully in front of the judge in traffic court with these.

The judge values honesty, respect, and facts. They don't like bullsh*t, lies, and spending a lot of time on minor traffic cases when they have a long list to get through.

Judge: "How do you plead?"

You: "Not guilty, Your Honor. And here's why. The citation was for (read the citation). As a state licensed inspector, I'm familiar with the vehicle code requirements for this because such modifications are common and must be evaluated in accordance with the relevant statutes. This is the applicable statute, Your Honor (produce printed copy for the judge). The statute reads (brief synopsis) which means aftermarket lamp replacements must meet (explain). The modifications in my citation are clearly in accordance with this statute."

That's pretty much the end of it.

We did Led replacement bulbs in the backup housing in my sons truck and that made a noticeable improvement. Ended up sticking them in all the other vehicles. Daughter hasn’t run off the driveway early morning since which is a plus.

We then added some small 10watt LED cubes in place of a reflector housing in his 4Runner. These are tied to a harness with relay and switch in the dash. They are pretty cool.

Can’t figure out how to rotate pictures on my iPad.

RangeSquirrel said:

Until December 2018 I was in the auto repair field and did NC Inspections. Here is a cut and paste from the online Safety Inspection Rules.

(f) Back-Up Lamps. Any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than two back-up lamps either separately or in
combination with other lamps but any such back-up lamp shall not be lighted when the motor vehicle is in a forward motion
nor shall the back-up lamp emit any color other than white. A back-up lamp is not a mandatory requirement.
History Note: Authority G.S. 20-2; 20-39; 20-183.3;
Eff. October 1, 1994.

Granted law enforcement in some less free states, say Virginia, may balk at my backup light conversion. My brother-in-law has a shop in the Suffolk area, it's amazing what VA State Patrol deems to be a safety violation.

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GS 20-183.3 defines the scope of inspections.
Refers to GS 20-129, for the lighting standards, of which section (h) says Every motor vehicle originally equipped with white backup lamps shall have those lamps in operating condition. One text said section (h) effective 3/1/18.

I doubt you would be hassled, but the wording is curious in the use of "those" as opposed to something like "equivalent number operable backup lights". Kinda like the old stop light standard being singular, and the magnificent legal aerobics that allowed a stop to stand because the officer thought it was a violation to have only one of two burning.