Hi guys,

I started a thread a couple days ago regarding lighting on the 4th gen. After a bit of feedback, it sounds like a lot of people is looking for some information regarding the following:

• What type/wattage of bulbs go where
• The quality of output from various bulbs (pictures would be great if you have them!)
• Cost of various bulbs
• Where to buy the bulbs
• Any known issues for a given bulb

As such, I've decided to create a lighting FAQ that I hope Bill and Clee will be kind enough to make sticky.

What I need from you guys to make this a success is for you to post reviews or links to reviews of a given bulb type. The more, the better -- right now the important thing is to get all the information gathered and then we can organize it later. So, if you can post your reviews (or link to one you've already done) of any bulb types you've seen, including as much of the above information as possible about the bulb, that would be great. I'll start us out so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

!Remember, you can find almost all bulb types and wattages for your car by checking your manual!

For your convenience, here is a listing of bulb type and wattage of the exterior/interior lights on a 4th Gen as taken from my 1998 Manual (printed June 1997). If you see any errors or would like to add anything, please post a message or send me a private message and I'll edit the list.

LIGHT | BULB TYPE | WATTAGE

Clearance: 1157, 27/8W
Front turn signal: 1156, 27W
Front side marker: 194, 3.8W
Front fog: H3, 55W
Rear turn signal: 1156, 27W
Rear stop/tail: 1157, 27/8W
Reverse lights: 921, 18W
High-mounted stop light: 921, 18W
Interior light: unknown bulb type, 10W
Front personal light: unknown bulb type, 10W
Step light: 161, 2.7W
Trunk light: 158, 3.4W

 

Ok...I just got done installing my new 9004 Philips BlueVision bulbs (appropriate for headlights) that I got from K-Mart for $26 (pair) about 45 minutes ago. My initial impressions of the bulbs are as follows (sorry, no pics -- no digicam):

While the light is certainly whiter than stock, it's only just noticeable, unfortunately. With no point of reference, I think I would say the bulbs were stock. They do look nice (not like those terrible ricer-blue bulbs) even though they aren't completely white.

I think I'm going to need something whiter with perhaps only the very slightest hint of blue. While visibility is certainly very important to me, I would also like to improve the looks of the car with a perfectly white light with just a tiny bit of blue. Any suggestions in that regard would be appreciated. (By the way, I saw some APC headlight bulbs on Max4Speed's car -- REALLY nice light setup, by the way -- and I liked those a lot. Anyone know where to get the appropriate kind?)

Ok, now here's what I think of the BlueVisions as far as driving with them: they are definitely whiter than stock, and you can see that on the road and on the cars around you. The difference in color between the stock bulbs and the BV's is also much more apparent when looking at the lights on the car at night.

Visibility with these new bulbs has DEFINITELY increased noticeably. The light is brighter, more focused, and further down the road -- plus it's whiter, too, so I can see better. The high beams are also much improved with the same sort of increases in visibility.

Overall, I would say these bulbs are definitely worth the $26 spent on them, and if you're primarily looking for improvement in visibility and looks second, pick up a set. I'm going to keep mine in for the time being because I'm poor and don't want to spend any more money on bulbs and because I'm pretty satisfied with output of the BV's even though I'm not totally satisfied with the looks.

Run-down: Great visibility, good looks -- could be whiter.
Where to buy: K-Mart!
Cost: around $26 for a pair

Original Thread: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?postid=737361

 

Please note that I have NOT driven with these bulbs, so I cannot comment on their visibility or effectiveness, only their appearance.

I saw the PIAA H3 Ion Crystal on Max4Speed's car a few days ago at an Atlanta Maxima meet. They are the FIRST thing you notice about the car (well, his rims are damn eye-catching, too. ) They put off a nice, rich, COMPLETELY yellow light (no amber at all), and it looks fantastic! Almost exactly what you see in Lexus's and older Infiniti QX4's and such. I would imagine the yellow light would be great for fog, too!

Unfortunately, the bulbs are pretty pricey: $27 each, plus shipping! However, they really do add a unique, really great-looking touch to the car and if you like the type of light it produces, get a pair. I am when I've got a little more moolah!

Run-down: Unique, clean, bright look, but pricey
Cost: $27 each, plus shipping
Where to buy: AutoSeattle.com - http://www.autoseattle.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=13555

Original Thread: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=85796

 

Here's a comparison of the PIAA 9004 SuperWhite bulbs and Philips 9004 BlueVision bulbs done by our very own Maxima.org member Shing! Apparently, they look almost identical and from what I've heard, the BV's have much greater visibility. Keep in mind the very large cost difference (around $33 -- $27 for BV, $60 for PIAA).

PIAA SW & Philips BV side-by-side:
http://users.ev1.net/~shinglin/cars/...bv/piaa_bv.jpg

PIAA SW beam pattern:
http://users.ev1.net/~shinglin/cars/...a_with_fog.jpg

Philips BV beam pattern:
http://users.ev1.net/~shinglin/cars/...v_with_fog.jpg

Thanks again to Shing! I hope you don't mind me stealing your info and pics.

Original Thread: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=12641

 

i need to know where i cna get the vanity light bulbs. the ones in the visor. ineed hyper whites.

 

More evidence that this needs to be a FAQ! C'mon guys! Help us all out!

Dmb, I don't have a 5th gen, so I can't help you. I would check the wattage of the bulbs in the manual and see if you can find a pair online with the same wattage.

 

they are the same as the 4th gens.

 

Well in that case they'd be 10W, though the bulb size/type is unclear. Maybe you could call some performance shops and see if they know what bulb type to use and where to get them. Anyone have any other ideas?

 

ya i figured out they are 10 watts but it doesn't even say on the bulb what size they are. i'll loook around more.