BQuicksilver

I'd like to upgrade my C5 to a brighter high-beam bulb for visability purposes, but so far I'm 0 for 2 in actually getting a brighter bulb. :rolleyes:

I purchased a set of Hyper Industries 9005 bulbs from kyotousa.com and they simply had so much blue coating on them that they made everything blue, and had poorer visability than the stock bulbs.

I then proceeded to buy a set of Eurolite bulbs which were 100W (like the Hyper bulbs) and they did give a truer white light, but still the improvement in visability was negligable, if any. I've actually had one of each the stock and the Eurolite bulbs on for two weeks now trying to decide which is better...as cool as it looks :D , I think that I'd like to have a real solution (and matching lights).

My brother suggested PIAA bulbs which I've been pondering purchasing, but once again I'd just be adding another 100W (i think) bulb. I'd really like to know if anyone has found a high-beam bulb that is extremely bright, or if I need to completely upgrade my system to get good lighting. Again, I'm really looking for functionality here since noone should really see your high-beams anyway. Thanks in advance!

Brody


[Modified by BQuicksilver, 7:34 AM 12/9/2001]

BQuicksilver

Anybody want to share their experience with aftermarket bulbs?.. I found some true HID kits last night, but I'm not sure if I can shell out the $800 right now. "help" :nonod:

Tiger Shark

Hi,

Check out my archived thread concerning the PIAA 9006 replacement bulbs and the problems I had with them. I'd stay away from the PIAA 9005s for the same reasons with your 2002 if I were you. It's not worth the trouble.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zero...212280#1212280

ZAP

I got 95 watt one from competion limited in minnesota 2 & 1/2 years ago. they work good and have had 0 problems. :cheers:

EHS

http://www.piaa.com

MG7322

These match HID color and brightness. By far the best one's I've installed.
They are white with a hint of violet.

Picked up for $24.99ea. I guess they just came to market last month?

http://www.sylvania.com/auto/silverstar.htm

99 Corvette

I would suggest the Euro lights with higher watt bulbs. IMHO this is the best way to go. They don't just change the amount of power you are putting through the bulbs they change the light pattern also. You can put much brighter bulbs in and not blind other drivers because of the light pattern. I think the HIDs are a waste of money unless you have a bunch of extra cash and like the look of blue lights. LAPD has them for around $240

Jerry

Grumpy

Where did you find them????

BQuicksilver

Just so we're all on the same page, Eurolite is a brand of aftermarket bulb that I purchased, not the european light assembly that I think 99 corvette was referring to. (although that was a good idea nonetheless..but I still can't find a truly bright bulb) Also, I believe I spelled Hiper Industries as Hyper Industries earlier on. As stated in my original post, the Hiper Industries bulbs are definitely not as bright as stock high-beams (not even close), and I was a bit disappointed that the Eurolite bulbs were only slightly brighter (if that). Since I'm looking for high beams, I figure that no one should see them while I'm driving, so I'd really just love something insanely bright...if that exists without dropping $600 for true HID lights.

To the guys who like their bulbs...did you actually find a noticeable difference between the stock and modded high beams?

To Targa C5: If you ever did got those PIAA's to fit, how did they compare to stock?

This forum's great...thanks guys :cheers:

RUGBY

How about these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cg...230970&r=0&t=0
Anybody running with these?

CP

The HIDs are only for low beams because they take a fraction of a second to spool up. Because the vette's low beams are not on when the highs are on, you would be without any light for that time. :(

Tiger Shark

I never got them to fit. I spent a combined time of about 8 hours trying... just to get a stupid bulb to fit!!! I even actually removed the headlight cover (the actual exterior painted panel) to get better access to see what the problem was, but it was all for not.

The base of the bulb (the circular plastic part) was not exactly the same shape as the OEM bulb. It was a little bit taller. I tried two different sets from two different vendors and they were all identical. In fact, I let one of the vendors try to install one of them and he thought he did it, but when I checked, only 2 of the 3 tabs were in. Just on a side note, the base of the HiperWhites is identical to the OEM bulbs. I think PIAA's mold is just a little bit off and it's that little bit that wouldn't allow them to completely fit perfectly in my 2002.

As far as brightness, the PIAAs seemed to be a little brighter than stock, but still not a drastic improvement. The real change was that they appeared whiter. However, I was trying the stock wattage replacement. They also have a higher wattage bulb.

:cheers:

01C5fan

I have read many threads on this forum praising the virtues of Euro spec lenses and high wattage, xenon bulbs. I purchased mine from a forum vendor including the "plug and play" harness and APC H4 (100/90 watts)bulbs. After swapping back and forth with the stock lenses a couple of times (once for PA inspection) I can't say that the difference is all that compelling. The one thing you notice is how the xenon bulbs light up reflective paint and road signs. That is a big improvement over the stock setup. However, I don't think they are any better at revealing distant objects that are non-reflective such as Bambi out for a midnight stroll. May even be slightly inferior to stock IMHO. Note that I didn't do the heavy gauge wire and relays that have been written about frequently. The vendor assured me that they were not necessary with the plug and play harness. That's my $.02 for what it's worth.

Dave H

Hi: I think for best results you should do the high wattage re-wire route so you can use true higher wattage bulbs such as Narva 100-130s in the e-code glass lenses. JMHO :D :D :D

BQuicksilver

Another question I've had concerns the wattage listing on many of these bulbs. Many of them (such as the PIAA) are listed as 60W=110W...does anyone know why there are two numbers listed for these bulbs? The Hiper Industries bulbs that I purchased listed their wattage as both 80W and 100W. I'm a little confused on that. Also, can someone remind me of the stock wattages (both 9005 and 9006)?

As far as the best bulbs question goes, right now I'm leaning toward maybe some non-coated bulbs that run a much higher wattage than stock. Any ideas here?

Dave, your idea sounds great, but could you expand on what you're saying, particularly about the "high wattage re-wire route"? I'm unfamiliar with a lot of the parts you mentioned in your post.

Tiger Shark

The lower number is the "actual" wattage of the bulb in question. The higher number is the "perceived" wattage. So, basically, in your above PIAA example, they're actually 60W bulbs, but the light they output makes them look like 110W bulbs.

:cheers:

llremick

I first tried the APC bulbs in the stock headlight capsule for a year. I found very little improvment over stock. These got moved to my RV.

I know have the European capsules with PIAA extreme H4 bulbs. I know when I pass other C5s they wonder what the heck kind of lighting I have. Outstanding visibility and bang for the buck.

I just received my PIAA 1100x lighting yesterday and hope to add even more improvment to my low beam circuit.

Next will be Breathless's LaMans Catz conversion for the High beams.

Tiger Shark

You'll really love the PIAA 1100Xs. They're VERY bright!
:yesnod:

llremick

I put a set of Catz MSCs on another of my vehicles last night as well...WOW!!!

To bad they are to big for my C5.

The PIAAs are going on the C5 today. I am still trying to figure which way to go about mounting them, using thier bracket or attaching to them on the side with the little screws.

Tiger Shark

http://www.corvettedreams.com/piaa-i.pdf

We used the existing brackets.