I want to upgrade to better visibility on my 95 simply through a bulb replacement (or I strap two seein' eye dogs to the front of my car). Any opinions on ...

Philips Bluevision
Hella Optilux Xenon
Koito Whitebeam
APC Ultra White
Catz Galaxy White

peace
Vell

 

Brighter than stock. I've had some other bulbs, to make my headlights "Look like a BMW" they were crap. I acually saw less. The PIAA's arent cheap but I like them.

 

Are you runnin' a harness with those superwhites?

 

I have thougt about getting that APC harness, but I don't know how much it is, or the diff it makes...

 

ask Ryan Fobart (killermove) about that
he has some kind of aftermarket bulb and some harness that I helped him put in (I think it's apc); I'm pretty sure he said it makes a difference, but he might be able to tell you more

ryan@fobart.net

 

they are great. They are bluish, and light up all the signs and tailights of others very well. I am anxious to set my max next to a set of PIAA's though...

 

I recommend the Narva Rangepower 9004s. In a side-by-side comparison with the PIAAs, the Narvas were whiter and had a more focused beam pattern, which means they will project a little bit further. And they are much cheaper.

 

Where can i get those form? tia

 

I thought I read somewhere that Narva Rangepowers and Philips Bluevisions where the same German manufactured bulb.

peace
Vell

 

Also,
What options do we have for the 1157 cornering lamps? I have only come across the Hiper and Polarg. I've heard the Polargs are more bluish then white. Any suggestions.

peace
Vell

 

I recently installed the APC harness...it's a good idea. Just make sure you place inline fuses on the power feed. I used 25amp fuses because the relays are rated for 30amps.

 

Just want to know.....

 

Which are generally the PIAA SuperWhites (which I have, and love, even though they're expensive, mine have lasted 18 months now, and they're great), the Narva PowerRangers (another good bulb, I liked it too, but I saw it on a 4th Gen, not a 3rd like mine), and the APC's (which my brother, Killermove, has).

The PIAA's are expensive, but I think they're great. I get really good range with them. The high beams aren't as dramatic a difference as you'd see between high and low on a stock bulb, but it's still quite bright. I think that it doesn't look as dramatic because the low beam setting is so much brighter and better than the stock bulb.

The APC's looked really good too, and the harness my bro got with them definitly helped. I don't remember how much they were though, but I'm sure they were less than the PIAA's (not including the harness...ask Ryan for details on the $$).

The Narva's. I saw them a year ago at MAXUS '99, and really liked 'em. I don't hear about people using them much anymore, so I thought that maybe they weren't on the market now. But give Courtesy a call, they might still be selling them. I think that they were around $20-25 a pair, which is great compared to the $65 I paid (via a group deal!) for my PIAA's.

Any of those 3 is a good choice. Then compliment your headlight by getting some Hella Yellowstars for your fogs...you'll have great visibility in most weather conditions!

 

keep in mind that a more focused beam pattern will project a lil further, however the downside of that is your imediate sight goes bad. having a real bright beam far ahead of you creates a dark spot imediately infront of you. this was the trick piaa used to get the 80watt reading off of a 65/55 bulb. they moved the filliments inside the bulb.. the piaa's are nice but isn't a miracle.

 

The APC harness basically allows you run overwattage bulbs. If you were use overwattage bulbs with your stock wiring, you'd fry no only the wiring but also risk melting the connectors and the relays. The APC comes with two relays (rated at 30amps) that are triggered by your stock factory swtich via the factory relay. But, the power feed no longer passes through the factory wiring and relay. All of the power is run through the larger guage wiring on the APC harness. Plus, the connectors are made to withstand the higher wattage. The harness is pretty easy to install, but inline fuses are no included. I had to buy some inline fuse holders and wire them in line with the two power feed wires. I figured 25amp fuses would be enough to protect the 30amp relays.

A precaution that I have always taken (even with stock wattage bulbs) is to turn off my headlights when sitting in heavy traffic. Since you're bumper to bumper anyway, I figure you don't need bright headlights reflecting off the trunk of the car in front of you. THis would keep the headlamp assembly from getting to hot...now that it's not recieving a constant flow of cool air. It's probably no necessary, but I usually do it anyway.

 

First, I have the APC lights and the wiring harness. The lights were $30 and the harness was $50 (but I got it for "free" after a $50 coupon on the site I got it from -- I think it was carparts.com).

The PIAA's are a tad whiter (from side by side comparisons) and the APC's may have a *hint* of blue, but not much. I'm really sensitive to that I don't think it looks blue at all, unless your next to a perfectly white light, and then you can only pick out a hint of blue.

pic:
<img src="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=154461&a=1127820&p=15517172&Sequence=0">
Note: the APC Xenon Plasma is what I have, but NOT 80W or 9006. This just gives you an idea of what they look like. I dont' totally agree with trying to take pictures of headlights -- there are a lot of reasons why you'd get a poor representation of the light.


I think the "seeing" ability with either the PIAA's or the APC is about the same. Some situation I think on e is better than the other and others it's the other way around. This is a very hard thing to judge in small increments.

I have recently purchased some 80 watt 9004 bulbs that I will try this coming week (whenever they get here). They we on that group buy thing taht 1MAX2NV posted a link to (I had money in my PayPal account, so I said what the heck!). It'll be interesting to see how they work out. They were only $14 or so.

Here are a few links:

Wring harness on AfterMarket source (I got mine from CarParts.com but I think it's the same one and I odnt' have that link handy). It says it works up to 100W or whatever:
http://aftermarketsource.com/ushop/i...m&ItemID=IT591

Here is a link to the lights. Now they SAY 100/80W but that is the "equivalent brghtness" marketing crap. You odn't NEED an upgraded wiring harness to run them, but I do think it makes them a little birghter. These are standard 65/55W (or whatever) 9004's:
http://aftermarketsource.com/ushop/i...m&ItemID=IT577


Okay, I think that's all I can stand to say! Sorry for beign so long.

Ryan
ryan@fobart.net

 

I got my Narvas from 1(888)673-3280. I don't remember the name of the place.

Mingo, that sounds interesting, but the short-range illumination of the Narvas is good, too. I constantly scan the road right in front of me to watch for potholes, debris, roadkill, etc., so I don't have a problem with that.