Hello, all!
New member here with a few questions. I'll break them up into different threads so that I don't start out "Off topic" in my own thread in my first post!
I have a 2002 Suzuki Esteem station wagon. I love the little car. I recently moved out of the city and into the country. I've now found out that my backup bulbs are made solely so that other drivers can see me. I can't see anything with them!
Backing up, I need to drive with my foot on the brake enough to light up the brake lights in order to see anything, and of course, that is still poor visibility due to the light being red. The fallen leaves and brown grass makes everything sort of indistinguishable!
My backup bulbs are the 921 variety, which from doing searches on here, it seems like upgrades are few and far between.
I'd rather not mount rear auxiliary lights because this is a tiny station wagon, and I already drag the bumper at times going over uneven terrain. Lights mounted below the bumper just wouldn't last. I have seen someone else post a link and pictures to a license plate LED frame that you wire to the backup light circuit, but that seemed a little too bright for me. Also, it seemed like the build quality of the LED license plate was just as good as just about anything else made with LED's. Lifespan of about 1 yr or so before problems start. Also, not sure about the legality of something like that in PA. I would think that at least I would need it on a toggle switch and only use it on deserted country roads. I would think it would be illegal, or at least rude to use it in the city, even if there wasn't anyone else around. It just looks too brite in the advertising.
I was really hoping for a 921 bulb alternative, and that was how I found this forum. Now it looks like there really isn't an alternative!!! Anyone out there have any suggestions?
Is it legal to mount an auxiliary lamp inside the vehicle, like in the back glass at the same level as th HMSL? If I went that route, I wouldn't even wire it to the backup light circuit. I would just run it off a toggle switch and turn it on when I needed it backing up country roads.
I really don't need a lot more light when it really comes down to it. If I had a white light as bright as my brake/tail lights (which I think are 27 watts per bulb), I think I would be OK with that. As it is now, when I'm looking out the back and switch the reverse lights on, I really can't see a difference in visibility. I'm backing up solely on brake lights!
Thanks for any help or information you can provide.
Frank
New member here with a few questions. I'll break them up into different threads so that I don't start out "Off topic" in my own thread in my first post!
I have a 2002 Suzuki Esteem station wagon. I love the little car. I recently moved out of the city and into the country. I've now found out that my backup bulbs are made solely so that other drivers can see me. I can't see anything with them!
Backing up, I need to drive with my foot on the brake enough to light up the brake lights in order to see anything, and of course, that is still poor visibility due to the light being red. The fallen leaves and brown grass makes everything sort of indistinguishable!
My backup bulbs are the 921 variety, which from doing searches on here, it seems like upgrades are few and far between.
I'd rather not mount rear auxiliary lights because this is a tiny station wagon, and I already drag the bumper at times going over uneven terrain. Lights mounted below the bumper just wouldn't last. I have seen someone else post a link and pictures to a license plate LED frame that you wire to the backup light circuit, but that seemed a little too bright for me. Also, it seemed like the build quality of the LED license plate was just as good as just about anything else made with LED's. Lifespan of about 1 yr or so before problems start. Also, not sure about the legality of something like that in PA. I would think that at least I would need it on a toggle switch and only use it on deserted country roads. I would think it would be illegal, or at least rude to use it in the city, even if there wasn't anyone else around. It just looks too brite in the advertising.
I was really hoping for a 921 bulb alternative, and that was how I found this forum. Now it looks like there really isn't an alternative!!! Anyone out there have any suggestions?
Is it legal to mount an auxiliary lamp inside the vehicle, like in the back glass at the same level as th HMSL? If I went that route, I wouldn't even wire it to the backup light circuit. I would just run it off a toggle switch and turn it on when I needed it backing up country roads.
I really don't need a lot more light when it really comes down to it. If I had a white light as bright as my brake/tail lights (which I think are 27 watts per bulb), I think I would be OK with that. As it is now, when I'm looking out the back and switch the reverse lights on, I really can't see a difference in visibility. I'm backing up solely on brake lights!
Thanks for any help or information you can provide.
Frank