darksideracer69 wrote:Nice, so ummm how did you do it. lol
Thanks for asking, lol!
Well, I redesigned the way the light sockets and wiring are used, doing what many other cars makers do - which is use a dual filament lamp instead of only single filament. A tail light becomes a brake light by getting LOTS brighter when you step on the 'slow pedal' in these bulbs. I also add another brake light bulb so that the lights appear to 'grow larger' when the second bulb comes on, very effective at catching your attention. Uses the open reflectors that are not used in US lights. Usually they were a rear fog light in Europe and other countries, not installed in the US or Canada.
BMW used the same 2 bulbs in most of their lights up to the 90's I think, a dim one for tail (running) lights, and bright ones for brakes, turns, and revese lights. Left lots of room for improvement, so I improved them. Started with my 1972 2002, then did my 1986 535i, now doing similar improvements for lots of makes and models. Have a look at my sig, search my posts.
Murphys Law says lights fail at the most inconvenient time, and that is about the ONLY thing you can guarantee with light bulbs -- they fail. Two bulbs, however, are very unlikely to both fail at the same time, so adding a seccond tail light bulb and a second brake light bulb in each light means you will just about never be without tail lights and brake lights on both sides of your car. Safety feature!
Older technology used brake light bulbs making 32 candlepower per bulb, newer technology makes 45, about one third more. Tail lights, an even bigger increase, from 4 in old bulbs to 10 in new. I favor the newer technology.
Doubling the lighted area in a rear light does more than double the chance of avoiding rear end collisions. Lights that are old, dim, and ineffective before, and are now bigger, brighter, and more reliable, help to prevent that Sickening Crunch, Fire Trucks, Ambulances, Police Cars, weeks at the body shop, and the sheer frustration of dealing with Insurance Adjusters. Makes sense, proven in my case with both cars. I believe it is worth it. At least with higher output rear lights, you have a far better chance of getting down the road 'unmolested' than with the stock lights.
Besides, do you really think everyone pays as much attention to their driving as good drivers? Really? These give you a fighting chance.
Anyway, that's more 'why' than 'how,' but you understand... I am trying to make a living by helping keep older BMWs on the road, and their passengers out of the hospital. Restoring and upgrading rear lights is how I do that.
Hope this helps.