Warik

I don't want to spend over $1,000 for a HID upgrade for my '00 Max plus an anti-theft kit, so I want to go ahead and upgrade my bulbs to whatever is the best available for the stock headlights.

I read a lot about the Sylvannia SilverStars, the PIAA SuperWhites, and some stuff made by Polarg, but never have been able to find a definitive comparison.

Most of the links in the FAQ for lighting are either about HIDs or are dead links because they are so old, so I'm a little lost.

I'm not interested in any pretty blue/purple/whatever... just looking for the absolute best non-HID lighting upgrades that will give me the absolute best visibility at night.

Suggestions?

How about for brighter dome/map/door lights?

Thanks!

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

If you can afford $345 there is a good deal on H4 Bi-Xenon in the Group Deal section.

Edit: link to GD... http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=439438

If not, I have Piaa GT-X in my car and I love them.

Pic:

ZIPPIN

iTrader: (32)

Get a H4 hid kit

rule da road

I REALLY liked the silverstars. Other lights blew after a while and never had that problem with the silverstars. The light looking at it lit and what it did to the road was a VAST improvement. I used them in the head and foglights. Im now on angel eyes using h3's and theres not any diff with stock h3. Think its just the housing I have now. My vote: Silverstars - worth the investment.

wesnine

iTrader: (2)

IMO you only need to buy bulbs, a very inexpensive alternative.

Teufelhunden

iTrader: (8)

anything other than your stock lights are pretty useless, my mom has the silverstars and one of them blew out, so i replaced with the stock one and the silver stars were whiter but bit dimmer than the stock ones. all the ads about them being brighter are bogus. its a way to get your money. just keep it how it is unless you want to spend 40 bucks for whiter but dimmer headlights.

Ammi

iTrader: (26)

I had PIAA Xtreme Whites for my headlights and foglights before I upgraded to HIDs

SilverGLE

iTrader: (21)

I just recently got my 2000 GLE, and may buy some Silverstars. The Maxima has very good headlight output, I think. I upgraded from a 94 Camry that I had 9006 Silverstar lowbeams in it... Vast improvement (for that car), IMHO.

jballa2KSE

iTrader: (2)

I just put silverstar headlights in, and they are way better then stock, my friend has PIAA Xtreme whites, and they look great, ill prolly be puttin those in soon, they're a cheap alternative for the stock fogs, and look very good

JdoubleOe703

iTrader: (6)

u can get a regular hid kit, no high's, just lows for 200... its plug and play too... thats how much i got mine for...

merovi

iTrader: (7)

If you dont want HID's I have and recommend silverstars. Here's a pic:

silverstars on the right, MTEC bulbs on the left.

also, silverstar headlights:


OEM fogs(i know they are just fogs but the color is the same):


If you like the look, I have a pair of MTEC's that were only used for a short time I would let go for $20 shipped.

Jasonb1982

iTrader: (3)

Silverstars.....

Biggs_02

iTrader: (4)

silverstars will burn out in 6 months or so. got 2 both burned out within a month of each other. i would consider getting a h4 kit

rguida

iTrader: (1)

on my previous vehicle silverstars lasted 3 months a pop each. I replaced them 4 times each (what is that....160 in bulbs?) before changing over to a an ebay-hid kit. I was very happy with the light output...cost around 180 or so i believe. (6k bulb)

Warik

Ok wait a sec... I'm slightly confused. Are you saying I DON'T have to spend $1,000+ for new headlights and can just get a HID kit for my stock headlights? I thought that was illegal because of some sort of reflection related problem that blinded other drivers... or am I thinking about something else?

If that's the case, I think I might go for that. I've heard too much about Silverstars burning out too quickly and if I do the math, they will eventually add up to the cost of one of these HID kits.

Would I be better off with the Helios BI-XENON Kit or something like this from eBay. Can anyone tell the difference?

How long will the bulbs in a HID kit last me? My stock bulbs lasted about 40k miles before my headlights got stolen. Can the HID bulbs from either of these kits be replaced easily or would I need to order specially through the person selling them?

Thanks!!!

MaxBoost925

iTrader: (33)

Don't even bother with Helios or Silverstars. I'd suggest H4 heavy duty harness and Nokya Stage 2 bulbs or anything high wattage.

More output than standard wattage, and WAY cheaper than even the cheap HID kits.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

I would go with the Bi-Xenon, that wat you can keep your Hi-Beam. With a standard HID, you will lose your highbeam and that sucks...

As far as the glare, if it is a problem they sell glare shields online for really cheap.

Edit: Yeah, if you look at that ebay auction, it even says that it comes with a pair of LOWBEAM HID bulbs.

S00NR1

iTrader: (3)

You might also check Ebay for 2k2-3 HID replicas. I think a few people on the Org have purchased them at about 35% less than factory and they look and function exactly the same.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

Yeah, but they cost over $600 the output is crappy and they are stolen all the time. I would save the $250 and stick with Bi-Xenon and stock 00-01 housings.

Warik

I found a set on eBay with this description:

Pretty sure that's what I need, but it doesn't say it will fit perfectly in my '00. Do I need to buy anything else to get these to work? Do "transformers & transformer wiring" = new harness, or do I need to buy my own separately?

Anybody know if there's an anti-theft kit I can buy for these? I know the headlights pop out very easily on a '00 Max and I'd hate to have these stolen.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

I would not worry about theft on your 00' housing. No one wants them, they want the 02-03 that came with HID's.

You will need more stuff for those to fit your 00's. 02-03 are made for HID's, thats why you need a kit to fit them into your 00-01, HID's use a lot less wattage and last I saw need to be grounded better.

Edward Lee

iTrader: (3)

Forget about the aftermarket bulbs. They are not that special at all. I've done almost every major brand and they all suck compared to HID's.

Also, those retrofit HID kits don't have real high beams. I had a set of those also and when you activate the high beam, a little flap opens up to allow more bulb to reflect off the bottom of the housing. It's cheap and doesn't work at all. At the most, it may get someones attention on a flash to pass, but the person has to be looking in his/her rearview mirror to notice that you are flashing them. Don't bother!

Now with that being said, I have a wonderful deal for you. I am willing to part with my 2002 HID's in great shape. They are Original Nissan and come in the original Nissan boxes with the original receipt. I have blacked out the housings, cleared the parking light, and added DDE's. I am going to do another set without blacking out the housings and am willing to part with the ones on the car right now. Always garaged, absolutely no deterioration on the plastic lenses whatsoever!

I WILL ALSO INCLUDE A CAR ALARM FOR FREE! It's the kind that will page you when the alarm has been triggered. It's brand new and has never been taken out of the box.

Looking to get in the neighborhood of $650. P.M. me if you are interested.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

nice, slam a perfectly good product, then try and sell yours.

Go ahead and sell your easily stolen, poor output and expensive OEM HID's. What a fantastic deal!

The Helios Bi-Xenon if I recall is not just a "flap" it re-adjust the entire bulb to give a highbeam. I think it shows it in the movie that have linked in the GD thread.

Kevon1

iTrader: (12)

I have had the same pair of silverstars in my car for almost 2 years & silverstars in my Honda crv for over a year. All of those who complain about there silverstars blowing are not following the directions. Keep your greasy paws off the glass bulbs & they will not blow prematurely. Wipe the bulbs down with a lint free cloth hold the bulbs with the same cloth & install. If you dont do this yourself & let a garage or store put them in I promise you they will last half as long . No one but yourself will take the time to do it correctly. Also make sure you put the rubber thats on the back of the headlight on correctly. I had cheap ebay bulbs last over a year & half by installing them correctly. Same goes for light bulbs in your house

Edward Lee

iTrader: (3)

,
Alright , where do you get off accusing me of selling stolen products.

First of all, I am giving my opinion on each product that I have had the unfortunate opportunty of purchasing and using. If you think that it's a slam, then so be it. I have tried and tested each produt that I speak of, so my opinion comes from experience.

Second, although the 2k2 hid's may not be the best, they are, by far, better than anything else out there (i.e. wannabe hid bulbs and retrofit kits).

Your Helios Bi-Xenon works on the same principle as the flap system. Repositioning the light to produce a higher beam pattern. They're all worthess for use as high beams.

LAST

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

Where did I accuse you of stealing headlights?? I said they are easily stolen, making them less desirable


VERY wrong, any decent projector retro will blow them out of water and cost less.

From what I have seen, an HID retro kit looks better and puts more to the ground than 02-03 HID's. It is very well known that 02-03 HID's are THE worst reflector type HID you can get and they happen to be the most expensive!

There is no way I would waste my money on them, I dont like the way they look, the output is poor, they are stolen like there is no tomorrow and they are more expensive compaired to even better products.

NYPD-Arnold

iTrader: (8)

Who said you have to spend $1000 on HIDs? They only cost $550 on eBay now. I got mine for a lot less since I purchased both seperately from two different people. I probably paid no more than 300 for my set.

Edward Lee

iTrader: (3)

I had a retro kit and it wasn't bad but not having a REAL high beam really sucks. As far as a prejector retro like the ones that sell on ebay, I think that one of the threads on the org shows the lousy beam pattern that this lamp makes.

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

Of course the Ebay projectors suck, thats also no secret on the Org.

However, you can take your stock housing or even the ebay projector housing and have HID projectors retro-fitted into them, that once again blow 02-03 HID's out of the water.

That is what someone is talking about when they talk of a projector retro...

Warik

I am not that overly concerned with how "worthless" one particular product's highbeams are over another's. I don't drive with my high beams on. As long as the high beams are as good as the stock headlight's (or even slightly better), then I'm overjoyously happy with them.

I'm just looking for the best low beam + fog output while staying away from blue/purple.

Right now I'm torn between the Silverstars and the Helios. I'm going to stay away from the 02-03 HIDs since I don't want to be at the mercy of some clown out there walking around with a screwdriver. I had my stock halogens stolen before, which is why I know how easy and fast headlights are to steal from Maximas.

I will most likely go with the Helios set if the seller responds to my PM with the answers I'm hoping for. If not, I'll grab the Silverstars.

----

Anybody have any opinions on interior lights? (Map / Dome / Door?) Looking for something bright and white in there (but I want to stay away from LEDs). Suggestions?

upstatemax

iTrader: (15)

I can only guess he was going off of dealer prices, not the ebay replicas or used. But, typically they cost in the high $600's all said and done.

They are going for around $580-590 then shipping and then a conversion kit to wire them up.

Warik

Correct. Silly me. =)