How to Install HID Back-up (Reverse Lights) The Right Way

**oakrdrs187** · 04-15-2011, 03:07 PM

OK TGC, this is my first "How To".
I have installed HID lights in my Reverse Light Socket for backing up in dark areas, I can also use them to blind a tailgater if they get me to that point.
Some of you may wonder, How do you do reverse lights "THE RIGHT WAY??"
"I didn't know there was a wrong way!"
Let me assure there is no right or wrong way, it's HID in your reverse lights it's not something you need.
The way I have done it is, an effective way to ensure maximum ballast and bulb life. Basically meaning, not killing your HID kit because you go to reverse so many times in one week (also having them on during the day) and when you go from Park to Drive it quickly kicks 12 volts to the back up bulb, that alone will have your ballasts begging for mercy in less than a month.

OK, on to what you clicked this thread for.
You will need:
10mm socket/ratchet
1 inch length screws
Silicone/sealant
20 ft 14 awg wire
10 ft 16 or 18 awg wire
Soldering iron and soldering wire or butt-connectors (I prefer solder to ensure best connection)
Electrical tape
Zip Ties
Self Tap Screws
Drill with phillips bit and a wire wheel bit to sand for good ground connections
3 12Volt Relays
1 Complete Dual beam HID Kit from VVME.COM (Pictured) Mine is 8000k 35w

So we start with what most of us have now. A Stock, Dim, Yellowish pair of lights.

Here's the HID kit from vvme.com

This is what makes this kit so special for this install. It's their H4-2 8000k 35w kit.
The bulb has to sides to it, one HID capsule and one 55w Halogen side for use of high beam.

Close up. The HID side will be connected to run off a switch of your choosing, and the halogen side will be tapped straight to the Revers wires in your car.

First step is to remove your tail light assembly

Then pull your stock 1156 out, mine is a silverstar which still wasn't enough for me.

Next prep your bulb by cutting of the socket attached to it, removing the ballast harness and running your halogen capsule power wires through the grommet.

Next, test fit your bulb, it goes right into the opening without going through it, no need to modify whatsoever.

I used these to screw the bulbs in place, they were kind of long so I cut them, now they are a bit longer than the self tap screws.

Here's the bulb held down, nice and snug. Just enough to get the bulb held down for silicone to weather proof.

Whatever you have it doesn't matter, I used black on one side and goop on the other.

Connect/Tap into the reverse power and ground wires in the harness that is on the tail light, I prefer to solder.

Here's the tail light back on with the HID wires ran through.

In order to avoid pinched wires

Here's my ballast mounted

Wired up to power, quickly to test it then butt connector came off and soldered the connection.

End Result

In this image, the drivers side is the Halogen side of the HID, and the passenger side is the Silverstar 1156 bulb, already the new halogen bulb is noticeably brighter than stock, even though mine is a pepped up stock bulb.

So how's it work?

The halogen side of the bulbs come on with reverse gear at all times.
The HID side comes on when I toggle them on, the car does not have to be in reverse.
I have wired the HID's in back to my fog lights, since my fog-lights are tapped to a relay off the low beam ballast they always come on with lows and remain on with highs too, I have no use for the switch that's on the dash or the stock fog harness. So what I did is got the 12 volt wire from the stock fog harness on the drivers side and used it to trigger a relay to send direct battery 12 volts throught the 14awg wire I ran to the back. This wire then splits into each ballast.

One very important thing I did to assure the housing does not melt when youre backing up with the car in reverse and the HID's are on.
If you don't use a relay to cut power to the halogen bulbs whenever the HID's are on you will have two bulbs in a very small area turned on together and that will heat up real fast.

Start by cutting the red with blue line wire like so.

Next you want to wire up a relay on each side

Finished installation with cut-off relay.

These are some quick diagrams for those of you who aren't that relay savy.

**oakrdrs187** · 04-15-2011, 03:08 PM

**Joshua42007** · 04-15-2011, 04:22 PM

Great write up

www.ddmtuning.com has cheaper HID kits

**mrg7243** · 04-15-2011, 04:49 PM

wow much simplier than i though. I assum you arent done, ass i didnt see the use of the 3 relays, or how you wired the hids up. Also what size HID are they, like bulb socket size 899?

**oakrdrs187** · 04-15-2011, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by Joshua42007

Great write up

www.ddmtuning.com has cheaper HID kits

Thanks!
You are correct sir, but they don't carry this bulb, and they are slacking on shipping hard. I just got my heads and fogs from them 2 days ago and I ordered on the 25th of March. I'm still gonna buy from them, LOL! They just don't have this dual function bulb, theirs has the solenoid to move the HID capsule for high beam light.

Originally Posted by mrg7243

wow much simplier than i though. I assum you arent done, ass i didnt see the use of the 3 relays, or how you wired the hids up. Also what size HID are they, like bulb socket size 899?

Not done yet bro, I'm putting the diagrams together. The Kit I ordered is a H4 or 9003

http://www.vvme.com/standard-h429003...cPath=44_53_47

The 3 relays are as follows:
1 under the hood tapped to the stock fog harness to send send the needed juice to the ballasts at the push of the stock fog button. Which is nice cuz the indicator on the dash let's me know they are on.

Other 2 are used to cut off power from the halogen bulbs when the HID's come on. So you don't have to lights in a small compartment. I will have a video of them in action later today. AND NIGHT PICS!!

**PR8GG** · 04-15-2011, 07:14 PM

Nice, I like this, I have to put this in my "to do list".

**finald8ta** · 04-15-2011, 07:40 PM

Originally Posted by mrg7243

wow much simplier than i though. I assum you arent done, ass i didnt see the use of the 3 relays, or how you wired the hids up. Also what size HID are they, like bulb socket size 899?

it the same type of socket as are headlights(usdm) i have this set up running in my headlights right now just dont like the high beam.

great right up man

**oakrdrs187** · 04-15-2011, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by finald8ta

it the same type of socket as are headlights(usdm) i have this set up running in my headlights right now just dont like the high beam.

great right up man

finald8ta: You are correct, if you have HIDs on your headlights, some are this type of bulb, the high beam function on it is mediocre, this dual beam bulb was only intended to pass inspection, it was not designed for high beam output. But I have put it to use here.

**finald8ta** · 04-15-2011, 11:45 PM

Originally Posted by oakrdrs187

finald8ta: You are correct, if you have HIDs on your headlights, some are this type of bulb, the high beam function on it is mediocre, this dual beam bulb was only intended to pass inspection, it was not designed for high beam output. But I have put it to use here.

tru. still a good right up

**qnz** · 04-16-2011, 11:01 AM

Nice write up. But isnt it illegal to have white lights on the back end of your car if youre not going in reverse?

**wetamup2k3g** · 04-16-2011, 11:13 AM

Good setup, I have those kind of bulbs on my car now, but the ballasts are bad, I got DDM's coming too, but I ordered them tuesday and they have yet to even ship, I think they're slacking forreal.

**Rabbi1991** · 04-16-2011, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by qnz

Nice write up. But isnt it illegal to have white lights on the back end of your car if youre not going in reverse?

these are the reverse lights.
How to Install HID Back-up (Reverse Lights) The Right Way

**AVERAGE** · 04-16-2011, 05:58 PM

Nice write up but i can't seem to think of any reason why I would personally need this setup.

**qnz** · 04-16-2011, 10:33 PM

Originally Posted by Rabbi1991

these are the reverse lights.
How to Install HID Back-up (Reverse Lights) The Right Way

In his writeup, he says the HIDs come on with a toggle switch. it does not have to be in reverse

**oakrdrs187** · 04-17-2011, 05:11 PM

I imagine if I were to get caught I would be in deep shit. Mostly use them for backing up now, so I manually toggle them ahead of time to allow tjem to warm up and not sit there in reverse more than i need to.

The other reson i put this on is because of tailgaters, the extreme ones. I ride clean and drive the speed liimit, on the right side lane. Some people think that by getting close i will drive faster, i wont so they can backoff with these insane lights in their face. Also dont use your high beams behind me or you will get a taste, i always look before i leap for cops. Ive used them before in the mentioned methods and have worked out in my favor, they switched back to lows and either backoff or went around.

A slow or slower moving car such as the speed limit gets more attention than the faster ones simply cuz theres more time to watch it go by.

I apologize for some of my writing "hiccups" if you will. Im on my phone.

**ichbindasgehirn** · 04-18-2011, 10:02 PM

I know this is really OT but I know that the Ebay halo projectors use H1 HIDs, and if I'm ordering the slim HID kit from DDM should I get the error eliminator, the HID harness, or the adapter cables?