Hello everybody.

Sorry for newbie question.

I'm not completely satisfied with the light on my 2000 SE.
They are not too bright.
Based on the Maxima.org FAQ I got the impression that buying the Narva headlights will help out.
I'm very skeptical and I'm just wondering if it's true.
I don't need a fancy look, all I need is brighter headlights. Is there other light on the market ( below $100 ) that would suit my needs? How hard is to install them? Can I do that myself?

Thanks for the time.

Teser.

 

Yes they can shine brighter... how you say?

1) Do a search... this has been spoken about time and time again... several times in fact in the past week alone.

2) Buy some new headlights... like... the bulbs... and don't worry... definately less than $100... unless you get PIAAs.

 

nm

 

I, too, have a 2000 Maxima, and I was initially very disappointed with the headlights. The lights seemed bright enough but did not illuminate the road ahead very well. I solved the problem at a cost of exactly $0.00. The headlights on my car were not aimed properly- they were too low. There is a very sharp cut-off to the light pattern, which made it obvious they were too low, and which made it easy to adjust them on my garage door. I raised them slightly and now, on high beams, they are as good as on any car I've ever owned, or better. On low beams the sharp cut-off is still below the sight line of approaching cars. Since adjusting them, I have never been flashed by an on coming car whose driver thought my headlights were too bright. The headlights are now so efficient I would never bother considering any upgrades to them. Curiously, I found my windshield wipers also needed adjustment. The driver's side wiper parked too low, and did not clear the entire windshield. That also cost nothing to adjust.

 

How do you aim the headlights on the 2000 maxima?

 

There are white **** that you can use a wrench to adjust it. I think turning it left will raise them, right will lower them. I'm guessing some of your headlights are aimed alittle low? My headlights are awesome. They shine the road and since I've reaimed my foglights, the road is very white. I do notice though, that the lights do NOT spread wide, only straight. This is because of the cut-off and the "skinnier" beam. But they are so good for what they are designed to do and are one of the best headlights I've seen. Worst part about having the cutt-offs in a LOW/HIGH beam design is the highbeams has a very odd beam pattern that is distracting, but still shine far and true.

If you want brighter bulbs, try higher wattages with upgraded harness. Some others have tried Sylvania CoolBlues, Phillips Blue Vision, GE Super Blue, Wagner Britelite, Wagner Lazer Vision, PIAA SuperWhites and have positive results.

Drivin both Accord and Camry at night, the camry has POS lowbeams that barely cover the front. Highbeams, WOW! and I mean WOW! The Accord is alot better than the Camry, but nowhere near the Maxima's. Highbeams aren't much of an improvement.

 

My piaas kinda suck.. but it does work better than stock and those blue bulbs. How the heck do those hondas get so bright.. grr..

 

The adjusters are on the back of the headlights, toward the outside of the car. They're small white plastic hex nuts. You can use either 8 mm or 5/16". They adjust only up or down. I just used trial-and-error to make small changes, then took the car out on the road to see what the result was. When I could see much better down the road, and still not annoy on-coming cars on low beams, I was satisfied.

 

I've only seen the Philips VisionPlus on a 5th gen. How do these compare to the BlueVisions in terms of useable light output? Forget the color.

 

You guys shouldn't aim your lights by sight or arbitrarily. Follow these simple guideline laid out by ECE regulations:

1. Park your car 25 feet from a level flat wall.
2. Measure the distance from the horizontal centerline of the headlamps to the ground. (There is a small dot/circle on the lens of the headlamp that indicates the horizontal/lateral center of the bulb inside the housing)
3. Mark this dimension on the wall. Make another mark 4" below that mark.
4. Turn your headlamps on and adjust the vertical screw so that the top of the low beam pattern cutoff is on that lower mark on the wall.

Now your headlamps are properly aimed. Sometimes changing bulbs will alter your adjustments...so check them everytime you remove and re-install a bulb.

 

I believe that the BlueVisions are the VisionPlus bulbs with the light blue coating to alter the color to a more white appearance...meaning the composition of the filament and gas mixtures are the same. In terms of intensity/output, realize that any tint will reduce the intensity, but also realize that the DOT standards specify that a bulb must maintain the +/- 15% output. As the driver, you wouldn't notice a difference in brightness. However, I would go with the BlueVisions sheerly because they light up road signs and lane marking better. The phosphorescent chemicals used to create the sign and road marking paints react better to light with less yellow content.

 

<A HREF="http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/michaelab/carcare-newsection/print_carcare.php3?id=84">Here's</A> an interesting comparison of the Blue Visions and VisionPlus bulbs.....Looks like the VisionPlus won out....

Too bad they're only available in H-series bulbs, so only 5th gens can use them....

 

My mistake...I mixed up the VisionPlus with what Philips calls their "premium" bulbs.

<A HREF="http://www.eur.lighting.philips.com/automotive/html/input_products_allw_feat.html">Here's</A>

THe VisionPluses, according to their website are the newest. They probably use a hotter filament adn closer tolerances with regards to filament focal point and the placement of the shielding. Probably a special mix of gases too.

You know something...about the Sylvania CoolBlues, according to the packaging...9005, 9006, H4, H7 and H1 (all E-code) bulbs have xenon gas mixed into the halogen. The 9004 and 9007 don't.

 

piaa's got hammered! they failed

 

Aren't those tests in H7? How relavant would those results compare to other bulb types? The Premiums in H7 have a wider output beam, but less output compared to its H1 version. Anyone know how the H4 bulb will perform? No doubt great, but how different?