Hey guys! I bought Diode Dynamic's XP50 reverse bulbs recently and thought I'd do a review on them after not being able to find one on here. Just a note, I do not have a backup camera. This review is based on about two weeks of use and daily/nightly driving.

I bought them because I have my rear window and two small side windows tinted at 5%. It's basically opaque at night with the windows up. The stock sodium bulbs don't help at all. After some deliberation, I thought that it would be worth the price point. It took a while to justify spending $90 on reverse bulbs, but what convinced me is that they are for safety and they would help a lot.

Tools: Flathead screw driver, 5/16th's screwhead, headlamp flashlight





Install: I used this https://www.myg37.com/forums/d-i-y-i...aillights.html link to remove the tail lights. It's super simple. The hardest part is popping out the taillights while worry about breaking something. Once the taillight is out, twist the bulb housing, pull it out, switch bulbs, twist the housing back in, and you're done. Easy.

Quality: The bulbs are great quality. They're massive and solid. They don't look or feel cheap at all. It feels great in the hand and you can tell its not something cheap.



Comparison between stock and XP50



Brightness: I'm not sure if it was my unreal expectations for a $90 reverse light, but I was expecting something brighter. This is not to say that these bulbs are not bright. They're definitely high strength LED's, but I was expecting something more. Maybe my expectations were unrealistically high, who knows. They do help at night, though. I've had to roll down my windows considerably less since I started using these.

Before:


After:


Outside Pics:




Final Thoughts:

I give these bulbs an 8.5/10. They're great quality and look really nice when in reverse. They would be a 10 if they were a tad bit brighter, but again, maybe I just have unreal expectations. Price point is kind of high, but when safety is at stake, its worth it to me. I'm very happy with these! Thanks for reading! Shoutout to Nick C. for answering my questions!

 

since they are longer than the stock bulbs, do they still fit in the bulb housing without touching anything?

 

They are not as bright because they are pointing down inside the housing. Since they point down and not outwards towards the rear, they lose a ton of output due to incorrect angle of projection.

You need an L-shaped led that points the projection beam to the rear.

 

I think the very top of the bulb is another LED. Didn't know they are that expensive! They do look very bright though.

 

wait so the taillights have to be removed for reversed LEDS?

 

They are way longer. I don't think they touch anything, they slipped in easily.


That's interesting! I didn't know that. Can you provide some links about what L-shaped LED's you mean?

Yea the taillights have to be pulled out to gain access to the bulb housing. The removal process is so simple. Its the only DIY that I've felt comfortable doing by myself instead of bothering my mechanic. Three steps. I provided the link in the original post.

 

Just a side note, I installed the LED's for my license plate and that alone helped a lot with reversing(especially when looking through the camera).

 

BTW, you should get rid of your extra brake light, it looks fairly silly.