11 replies to this topic

[TerryfromAR]

Well all after mulling it over for a while,I have decided it's time to upgrade the headlights on my pickup. I just need some brighter headlights because my eyes aren't getting any younger and I am having trouble seeing at night. In lieu of going to the HID(the very bright blue or white headlights you've probably seen) Which would require me to install ballasts, and completely redo parts of the wiring harness I chose some high end halogen hybrids. They come in at the same color temprature as a low end HID headlight.(around 4300k) I have them on order now, and the lenses and housings should be in on Monday, the bulbs in probably Thursday or Friday. Total cost is gonna be around $180. Looked at Wallyweird thinking I could get a good deal on the bulbs, but they had the big name brand (Sylvania SilverStar), and for the high and low beam bulbs it was gonna run me $80, the bulbs I found were 300k hotter, and they ran me $35 after S&H and the discount code I found. I also eliminated the shipping on the housings themselves by finding the discount codes online. All in all I probably saved myself about $60 on the upgrade. If ya'll wanna check out how much it would cost to upgrade check out http://partstrain.com . The housings are direct manufacturer fit so it's just like taking the old one out and putting an OEM part back in. I'll post before and after pics once I get ready to install them so you can make your decision.

Edited by TerryfromAR, 11 February 2012 - 09:50 AM.

[PA RIDGE RUNNER]

I thought about doing something like what you did to my 2001 Chevy pickup that was getting harder to see at night.  A mechanic friend suggested that I use a home remedy first.  He suggested that I try some toothpaste as a polish on my clouded lenses.  By golly it worked.

[TerryfromAR]

Paul mine aren't clouded at all..... they just don't produce enough light. LOL the diffusers(ripples in the glass lens that are designed to be there) in the glass are what my main focus is. The "diffusers" on the new ones are in the housing and the lens doesn't have them. Plus what I got ordered will look really cool on this truck LOL. Whatever the bulb can produce is what the lenses will deliver. For being 9 years old the old lenses are suprisingly clear.

[TerryfromAR]

Here are what I'm going from:


and going to:

[TerryfromAR]

As promised, here is my truck with the old.


and with the new.


Only took about 10 minutes to swap them out. Bulbs will be in tomorrow and then I'll have headlights that will make it to where I can see at night.

[Phil]

Nice Terry !
We researched candlepower intensity as per PA Inspection requirements and were surprized that the regular halogen bulbs really are about the same brightness as the newer high intensity stuff on the market. The diffusers might be what's making the difference in your truck. I use regular rubbing compound & car wax to polish yellowed headlight lenses as Paul mentioned...does an excellent job.

[TerryfromAR]

Phil, I read on ALOT of pages about different intensities etc... and from what I gather the 4300k temprature is the best broadcasting light and the brightest, the regular halogen has a yellow tinge to the light and broadcasts the best but the light just doesn't appear to be as bright. 4300k is supposed to be like "mobile daylight" LOL

[Leo]

No doubt better lenses will improve how much light the units will transmit.  A good reflector makes a huge difference.  So does the bulb focus.  Brightness at the bulb can be much less than brightness out the front of a light.

Halogens loose brightness as they age because every use actually decays the filament slightly.  That's why they don't last forever and the reason they eventually burn out.

The thing that bothers me about the HIDs is that even though they last much longer.  If your lights go out it could be instead of the bulb burning out it's because of the driver circuitry failing.  That is a much bigger deal than simply replacing a bulb!

[TerryfromAR]

Leo, the bulbs I got weren't the HID they were actually a Halogen/Xenon hybrid I didn't have to install ballasts etc... to get them to work. Just unplug the old and plug in the new. "TRUE HID" ranges from 4300k to 12000k but I can't see going up to the 12000k because the shorter wavelength purple light doesn't broadcast as well. The 4300k broadcasts like the standard halogen but illuminates the area better because it is a pure white light. I'll post one of the articles I read in my next post.

[TerryfromAR]

http://www.manyadeal...page.html?id=24

Here's a link

Edited by TerryfromAR, 21 February 2012 - 06:38 PM.

[Leo]

TerryfromAR, on 21 February 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

Leo, the bulbs I got weren't the HID they were actually a Halogen/Xenon hybrid I didn't have to install ballasts etc... to get them to work. Just unplug the old and plug in the new. "TRUE HID" ranges from 4300k to 12000k but I can't see going up to the 12000k because the shorter wavelength purple light doesn't broadcast as well. The 4300k broadcasts like the standard halogen but illuminates the area better because it is a pure white light. I'll post one of the articles I read in my next post.

Sorry I didn't make it clear, I knew you didn't get HIDs.  I'm not convinced they are the way to go either and was supporting your not going that route.

[TerryfromAR]

Leo that's cool, I just wanted to put a bit more info out there for anyone that might be considering putting in "True HID's" that might happen across this posting. I like to keep it simple when I do things. LOL maybe because I'm just a little lazy. What I have seem to be working alot better than the factories I just got rid of, but I haven't had them anywhere really dark yet so it remains to be seen how much I can actually see at night.