2G Better bulbs for Headlights

[TunedUp]

Okay so I see a lot of questions on how to retrofit or convert over to projectors or HID, but that isn't what I want to do. I want to keep my oem headlight exactly how it is but I can barely see with the lights that are in it. Is there any specific bulbs that can help with this, or do i HAVE to switch the headlight setup to get actual visibility out of them? Thank you in advance for any help!

 

[Dsmkauai]

I got some nice (Could have sworn they are 6000k but it's been a few years since I got them), 4100k lights for my gvr4 and still use the stock lights and bulbs. And not sure the fog lights bulbs they are 6000k h1 bulbs. Super bright compared to the stock bulb. I believe they are Sylvania silver star ultras. I have them for my regular/high beams. Best thing next to hid if you ask me. They also have zxe's but not sure the k rating on those.
http://www.brandsport.com/piaa-19626.html

 

[gst-turbo]

I also have some 6000k hid lights in white and 10000k in blue for the high beams. Just need to adjust them properly so you don't blinde people

 

[Teezy]

Don't run hid's in our halogen housing, looks like crap. Look into silverstar ultras or zxe.

 

[TunedUp]

Thank you for the replies! These are the answers I was looking for, because I definitely want to stay away from HID's at all cost unless I had to use them. So for using the Ultras or ZXE's do you just get one bright set or do you buy a high beam bulb and a low beam bulb. Also, what is a good lumen number to go with for low beams and for high beams?

 

[luv2rallye]

Don't be surprised when the Ultra or zxe life is 1/3 of the normal bulb - even shows it on the box. They're brighter but I finally gave up on them replacing them every 4-6 months. I now use just the normal Silverstar or xtravision (can't remember) and it's been going for years.

 

[TunedUp]

I just really need something brighter than stock because I can't even see a cat on my street that's 10ft in front of me it is really bad.

 

[luv2rallye]

Yep DSM stock lights and reflector housings are terrible. I put normal Silverstar or xtravision in the lows and 100w bulbs in the highs to get around this. Even with all that I don't have the light my wife's 2003 Corolla with stock headlights/bulbs has.

 

[Zero6391]

Try cleaning them and then use clear coat to keep them clear and ive heard great things of the silverstars ultras but i can see just fine with my stock bulbs right now to be honest. I have the pics of light output in this tech article

http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/headlight-cleaning-and-clear-coat.508297/

 

[boostdawd]

Why don't u want to switch to HID's? Not hard to do or too much cutting of any kind. I have 6000k in my dsm. I also wrapped my headlight in headlight film to give it a smoked look. I get good not great visibility but it works for me.

You can buy brighter bulbs but won't last long like mentioned. I paid like 30 bucks a set for these HID's from eBay and they've been going strong for 5+ years.

 

[Detail]

Please retrofit your headlights. And if you cannot afford the $300 to do so then look into trimming an HIR bulb so that it fits in the 9006 socket.

Putting HID in the stock housing is awful. There is not such a thing as "aiming them right."

-Detail

 

[94awdcoupe]

I had horrible stock lights in the evo1.
35W HID drop ins. sucked. reflectors just not designed for HID. HID needs projectors.
$50 PIAA bulbs worked and were big improvement. (better than Sylvanias best)
$30 LED ebay bulbs huge improvement. nice white light. LED are positioned similar to original halogen elements so light pattern isnt half bad. had to re-aim lights but output is remarkably strong. i got the bulbs without little fan. heat sinks are stainless strips.

 

[2k11evo]

Silver stars in everything I drive. They tend to last .
Set in my f250 has to be 5 years old now.

 

[Nathan1993]

I got cheap kensun HID bulbs in my car from Amazon and I would say for $40 they are worth it.

 

[doubleclutch]

$40 LEDs off of amazon, Have to find a way to use the cap to retain them, but they are quite bright. We will see how they do at night.

 

[raptoranderson]

+1 doubleclutch ^

I bought a set of Oracle LEDs off CarID for $150 or so which is kinda steep, I know. But you can get them to fit completely inside the headlight assembly so that you don't have to worry about removing the protective cap over the back of the headlights or drilling holes in the headlight and you also won't have a nest of wires around the back of your headlights. Just plug and play plus they are super bright and look clean rather than that overly-bright blue tint you get from HIDs

If you do end up going with LEDs (and I strongly suggest that you do because HIDs burn out far quicker and LEDs light-up the road far better) let me know if you need more detail on installing them. I just did mine this past weekend

 

[Tanro]

If you are putting bulbs other than halogens in halogen headlights, you don't deserve to drive at night.

signed every one with aggravated migraines...

If you want HIDS you gotta pay to play. Hell Mini H1 projectors are only about 40$ now. Back when I did my first retro you were paying 300-500$ just for a set of low beams. Mini H1 and a set of cheap HIDS will get you both for less than 100$.

 

[94awdcoupe]

I have like 20 late model headlights here and plenty of old ones.. mostly LED. but some halogen some HID. i have done an enormous amount of HID bulb and H4 led bulb swapping in different housings and projectors. I am building custom headlights for four vehicles and wanted to explore all the possibilities. some headlights respond quite well to bulb upgrades they werent designed for.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

What do the guys like me do for brighter bulbs or, really what I want is a set of headlights that don't draw so much on the charging system for more voltage to the motor but still allow me to see good. I don't think they make a LED bulb but if someone knows of one, please, do tell!!!

 

[94awdcoupe]

there are likely 30 different LED bulbs you could try. best bet is to find someone who has the same lights as you and did an upgrade with the same parameters as you and then they were happy with results. then copy.

 

[MindBlowin03]

ZXE in my Talon. As stated the life expectancy is short but since I don't drive it much that doesn't bother me. The results are excellent though.

 

[4Lurker4]

For those who went the LED route; which ones would best compliment with an HID retrofit? (i.e., shroud and projector, just not the HID component, LED instead). I know they have some pretty decent Wattage LEDs and really wondering how they'd perform in a projector.

 

[raptoranderson]

I know they have some pretty decent Wattage LEDs and really wondering how they'd perform in a projector.

The LED bulbs are significantly brighter all around and last longer than HID bulbs. Now that there are LEDs that are reliable and at an affordable price, I can see no reason that anyone should be using HIDs.

I've seen people test the differences between HIDs and LEDs and even measured the distance the light travels and what intensities the light reaches at given distances and across the board LEDs shine light further than HIDs.

HIDs also seem to have more of a 'glaring' effect which drivers hate because it blinds them, whereas LEDs are simply brighter. This is because HIDs focus light on a smaller area which makes them appear brighter whereas LEDs disperse the light very well in more of a 'spray and pray' approach

You would have to match your style and type of bulb to that of an HID to get it to mount up properly and the LEDs don't have to be vehicle specific to work. But LEDs are definitely better in my opinion and a lot of car manufacturers are making them standard usage on their cars