Tail light upgrade

[brian90]

So I was looking at my tail lights and I was like my brake lights are weak. So I decided to upgrade them, I don't know if anyone else has done this. It was really easy so I bet it has been done. I had to upgrade my fuse to a 15 amp because I kept popping my 7.5 then a 10amp fuse. I will post pictures tomorrow on how I did it but here is what it looks like. Added another bulb in the open circuit on the tail light and wired it up with the brake lights. The first picture just has the brake lights on and the second picture has the lights on with the brake lights. The last picture is just cool ha ha. Enjoy

[Garageaholic]

I appreciate your innovation, but I'd probably say go back to stock. It isn't an upgrade at all. The "enhancement" doesn't even look like a brake light.

[JasonC]

It has been done before. The open spot was for the rear fog light. Personaly, how many brake lights does one need in the back. IMO, the thrid brake light is overkill within itself.

[brian90]

Thanks for the opinions I like it and will probably stay with it I think it looks unique.

[Mo Brighta]

brake lights better, but don't stop there!

So I was looking at my tail lights and I was like my brake lights are weak. So I decided to upgrade them, I don't know if anyone else has done this. It was really easy so I bet it has been done. I had to upgrade my fuse to a 15 amp because I kept popping my 7.5 then a 10amp fuse. I will post pictures tomorrow on how I did it but here is what it looks like. Added another bulb in the open circuit on the tail light and wired it up with the brake lights. The first picture just has the brake lights on and the second picture has the lights on with the brake lights. The last picture is just cool ha ha. Enjoy

There are never too many lights on the back of my car, that's how I feel.
Take a look and subscribe

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then get in touch again. I designed and am now selling a kit that is all about upgrading the tail lights as well as the brake lights. A simple swap with your light covers, and you can have 2-3 sections lighted on the tail light (dim) function, as well as both sections lighted for brake light (bright) function, as you have figured out already.

My entire motivation came from being rear ended five (5) times in my first and former BMW, a 1972 2002. When I bought my E28, I upgraded to three tails and two brakes per side; I have not been hit since.

One thing led to another, I gave a tech session to the local CCA chapter, did a similar upgrade on request for a guy's E24 six series coupe (very nice) along with a total restoration of the lights to match the car's wheels-up restoration. He's very happy. Then a seven series E23, then the E30, both early and late version lights, now I'm being asked to do an upgrade for the 2002, again! Both round and square tail light versions, naturally. Also doing for VW, Volvo, Mercedes Benz, and other makes of similar era, its amazing how many cars Hella made lights for!

Be Seen, and Not Hurt, that's my motto.

Pics below are a late version (88>) with two added bulbs for tails, then an early >87)with the same deal. Either is very amenable to two brake lights per side, plus this has the added benefit of redundancy. That means even if one bulb fails, the odds of two bulbs failing in the same side and for the same function is practically zero, so you'll (esentially) never have a dark tail light on either side of the car! These lights are way brighter, much safer. As you can see, the tails are very close to the exact same brightness level as the stock tails, but bigger, there are more of them, and (in my humble opinion) so much better because they are easier to see.

All about being safe by helping the driver behind to SEE YOU, and hopefully avoid crunching you like a Ritz cracker.

I'd love to help you get a set of these in your car!

Andy

[ethrty]

can definately see pros for it. my car is euro so has the foglights standard on the back, and, because i have blacked out tails, i turn on the rear foglights at night, and leave them off during the day (i have my headlights on when i drive but you cant see the tail lights at day time unless you have the foglights on, but why would you need to?)

[Mo Brighta]

need for lights in back?

can definitely see pros for it. my car is euro so has the foglights standard on the back, and, because i have blacked out tails, i turn on the rear foglights at night, and leave them off during the day (i have my headlights on when i drive but you cant see the tail lights at day time unless you have the foglights on, but why would you need to?)

OK, I see. What do the brake lights look like, how visible are they, with the blackout lens? I would assume as a starting point they are about the same brightness as the rear fogs, is that correct?

So if true, how bright are they compared to stock tail lights on an E30 without the blackout lenses? How bright compared to stock tail lights on other cars on the road at the same time?

See, my concern is that they be visible and understood as 'Brake' or 'Tail' by the driver behind me, based on their output compared to the other cars around me. Cars in my neighborhood have blacked out lenses- the brakes are barely detectable, and their tails are completely useless, day and night, because they are so dim. I don't know how dark your lenses are, but it's in comparison to other cars near me that it matters, not whether you can see the lights in a completely dark environment -- eg, in a 'vacuum' with no other car in the vicinity for reference.

Sounds to me like your lights lean more toward fashion than communication, with those blackout lenses. My personal leaning is to improve visibility, not diminsh it. Maybe if you had brighter bulbs in there, you could have both - dark lenses and brighter lights. Form AND function.

And with that, I can help. Brighter bulbs, more bulbs working, and no visual change to the car or lights until they come on, and then they are just more visible. Let me know if you want more info, and enjoy your ride!

Andy the tail light guy