hey everyone...
I have a 97 GLE and my right headlight is starting to die out. It is a lot less luminicent than the left one. I want to replace both of the head light bulbs but I don't know if I should get Xeon or HID bulbs. What's the difference between the two? I also wanted to get better bulbs for my corner markers cuz it looks terrible the way they are right now and it will be more noticeable once i get hyper white bulbs. I need to know what the part numbers of the bulbs that u guys recomend are so i can be sure they are right for my max. and the part numbers for brighter side markers bulbs would be great too. last of all...how hard is it to install the bulbs? I want to do the work myself.

thanks

 

HID is a complete different kit usually ranging from $$$-$$$. Just get some regular sylvania silverstars, or go to ebay, and buy some 9004 kryptons for 10 bucks, those look super good for the price.

 

i like the Phillips BlueVisions i got from Kmart at the advice of some .orgers they are nice and white and really bright at night.

They wont give that blue/purple HID or Xenon look though.

PS Got em for like $22.00 or so, but need some hyperwhites for the cornering lamps

BG

 

I've got Bluevisions as well...The light output is very nice. I'm not a big fan of the blue look either.

 

Please don't put Silverstars in your car. They "look" great, but you can't see any light on the road.

Try the Sylvania Xtravision bulbs. They throw a very wide bright beam of light onto the roadway. Light you can clearly see. light that appears brighter at times then the car next to you.

The Silverstars light on the road all but dissapears when your next to another car on the road.

 

IMO PIAA is the way to go. They are great quality bulbs, they come with a waranty and the color of the bulbs are very very white with traces of blue. Only prob is the 9004 extreme whites are like $50-60 a pair on E-bay.

 

Why pay $60 when you can get same bulbs for half that price?

When you pay $60 for some PIAAs, you're paying for the name. Sylvania Xtravision and Phlips BlueVisions give you equal if not better light output but people still recommend PIAAs which are twice the price.

 

I had PIAA's for a while. Nice light, but again it seems to disappear on wet or dark colored roadways. 60 Bucks, forgetaboutit!

 

The reason PIAA bulbs are so expensive is because there was no one who could match them in quality and reliability. Now as the two major OEM bulb companies are producing quality bulbs that can compete with PIAA, the price of PIAA bulbs are going to drop. I recommend PIAA because I have been running the same bulbs for over 3 years now, and I know they last. I paid $110 for mine.

 

Heh, I still got my stock bulbs... from back in '97. I thinky imma pick up some Xtravisions soon though. Stock bulbs blow.

 

PIAA's vs Philips BlueVisions

 

A 2 pack of 15 dollar bulbs that can throw more light will last 3 - 5 years.

So your going to pay $110 for bulbs that are horrable in the rain and last 3 years because ........

PIAA prices are way out of control on their headlight bulbs. Their H3's I think are a descent bulb and the price isn't that bad. But it's robbery to charge anywhere from 60 - 70 dollars for a light bulb. I think PIAA may have been the first to come out with that super white technology, that made the bulbs a commodity, (price = demand). Take a look at what you can buy now for 15 dollars. Same thing if not better.

 

On dark colored roadways...I just think that sounds funny to say, since most roads ARE dark. (Yes, I realize that some places use concrete and not asphault, it just sounds funny.)

Hopefully, this guy will read the other silverstar thread. Like I said over there, if I am wrong on the silverstars, I will admit it to help out my fellow max owners!

 

Hey,
The number for your headlight bulbs are 9004. The number for your cornering light is a 1157(even though the way the wiring is setup to make it only a 1156 type, but if you do the corner light rewire).
Installation is fairly simple on the headlight bulbs. On the cornering light... that's a different story. According to the Haynes manual you have to pull out the cornering light housing. For me (99 SE) the drivers side was the only one I could get out, the passenger side was too much trouble so I had to contort my arm and spend about 10 minutes trying to get the bulb back in the housing, it would have been much easier if I was able to pull out the cornering lamp housing... but nooooooo...
Anyways, hope this helps, good luck...
-Robert
Also, how do you think R34 Skyline headlights would look in a Max?/

 

I just ordered a pair of the XD5 5100k 9004 bulbs. 80w/100w. $31.99/pr, free shipping.

From: http://www.globalpremier.com/XD5bulbs.html#

(Ok, if u can get past the goofy English translation & "HID" references. . .these bulbs actually seem to throw down some good light)


People who have them so far seem to be pretty impressed:

See: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....=bulb+retailer


I can't personally endorse them yet, but I decided to buy because of the feedback, the price & that they appear to be one of the whitest bulbs available at 5100k (if that's accurate, of course).

I'll report back when I get them installed. . .

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 97GLEdreams
[B]hey everyone...
I have a 97 GLE and my right headlight is starting to die out. It is a lot less luminicent than the left one.

I had a problem similar to this with the passenger headlight, it wasnt as bright as my driver side. BTW, I have a 97 SE Max.

The 9004 connector had shorted out (the plastic connector that plugs into your bulb) and some of the plastic had melted inside of the conector. I cut the old connector off and replaced it with a new 9004 connector from Autozone. Took about 3 minutes to splice the wires together and my passenger headlight is back to full strength.

I also ended up throwing on an Osram 8000k HID conversion kit sometime later. It's GREAT!

 

Be sure to get an upgraded wire harness with those lights or you might be dealing with crispy headlight connectors in the future.

 

Where can i pick up some Xtravision bulbs?

 

K-Mart, Wallmart, Autozone, I think even ShopRite has them in the automotive department

 

Yep, I know the "party-line" on overwattage & upgrading the harnesses, but I think I may just splice in a thicker gauge ground-wire and apply some high-temp electrical grease inside the plug connections. Ground-wires always seem to be the ones that melt, from what I hear, and some have reported using the grease has helped them run in excess of a year without problems using overwatt bulbs. It's worth a shot, I figure.

I guess if I melt the harness(es), I'll replace them, then. I'd be spending the same amount of $ whether I buy them up front or wait until the stock setup melts. So, I'll see how long I can go with the modified stock setup.

Btw, the company claims on their website that these bulbs will not cause problems with wiring harnesses, but I'm not sure I put much stake in that. Wattage is wattage, no mater what Co. makes the bulb - I realize this.

Time will tell!

 

Do use the grease! If you look closely at what melts, it's the socket, not the wires. Inside the socket are the connections to the bulb, that's the weak link. As the socket gets older the connections become tarnished, a slight resistance starts happening.

Resistance+CurrentFlow=Heat. Heat=Meltdown.

Thats what happens with overwattage bulbs. Keep the sockets clean, use WD-40 to keep them lubricated and dry or better yet, dielectric grease which is conductive. Just taking those steps should protect your sockets from corrosion and a possible melt down.

 

Thanks for setting me straight. "Dielectric" grease was what I was thinking of, but couldn't remember the term - read it somewhere else on the forums. Thx!

Cheers,

-K-

 

 

Can't recommend these* - too damn BLUE for me. I returned them & the retailer was prompt with the refund (if anyone really wants to try them). Think I may try the Extravisions. Good luck everyone!

*See: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....=bulb+retailer

 

i got some street glows in my last car...they were nice and bright with a blue hue, and lit up SO nice...if i was on a two lane road and a car with stock bulbs pulled up
i could se where his lights ended and mine began, and my light output was so much better...i got the bulbs at boomer mccloud and for highs and lows paid 100$