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HIR bulbs from Daniel Stern Lighting are the best you can do with the stock lights. It's almost 2x the output in lumens in a bulb package that is designed to fit the reflector housings. LED/HID drop ins are junk in comparison. All of them. Doesn't matter who slaps a fancy name on them or if you buy them from eBay or Amazon.
HIR bulbs from Daniel Stern Lighting are the best you can do with the stock lights. It's almost 2x the output in lumens in a bulb package that is designed to fit the reflector housings. LED/HID drop ins are junk in comparison. All of them. Doesn't matter who slaps a fancy name on them or if you buy them from eBay or Amazon.
I agree with Stingroo. Go here https://www.danielsternlighting.com/ For about $100 you can upgrade the bulbs that work properly with the stock reflectors and provide a great bang for the buck solution. email Dan and he will set you straight!
Got my HIR's from Candlepower in Rockville, MD. Not that far from me, so I stopped by and picked them up. Also, got high power back up bulbs there. Combined with an Adjure unit, the difference in rear vision is phenomenal. The only other thing needed is to put a couple spacers behind the Adjure's upper screws so that the lights don't point skyward so much.
Thank you everyone for all the info! Much appreciated. I sure love the look of KnightdriveTV but I think Sharp Light Innovations is what I'm looking for! I am going to check them out for sure.
I just actually finished watching the video on SharpLight Innovations but this is too much modifications for me to be honest! Not sure yet on this set up, I will still look at other options,But they seem to be really high quality.
I honestly believe that if you can change a tire, you can install the ACA headlights from Sharp light innovations. It is considered to be a plug and play kit. It doesn't require you to cut or splice any wires. Everything plugs in using the stock connectors. The entire job is done with basic hand tools. I bet if you go slow and take the time to make sure you're doing it right, you'll be surprised at what you can do yourself. There are videos and threads that can help you as well. Plus, George at sharp lights has the best customer service ever. If you have any problems or questions at all during the install, you can call him, and he will walk you through it.
Dear Mr McGoo; If It Walks And Talks Like A Duck...
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[/QUOTE] LEDs don't 'belong' in a projector housing ? yeah, undeniable that's a poorly aimed statement. [/QUOTE]
FWIW; There are new generation LED lights that incorporate a built in projector housing
Some folks really need to do in depth research before you post outdated and fact less comments.
Daniel Stern, are you serious? Koito? Might as well claim Radio Shack makes high end electronics. Nothing there is any better then Osram, Phillips or Hella type lighting
The only directed comment I feel needs to be mentioned is the Chinese, (God awful) projectors being recommended and sold are no better than stock.
It's only the hi output bulbs that make any added light to a low quality (probably Plastic lens) projector. I'd love to see a standard output halogen bulb set at LEGAL height
Take a CLOSER look at the advertised lighting photos. The lights are purposely set (illegally)way too high in both low/high beam images. On low beam you see the TOP of a stop sign! Naturally ANY light set that high will show more, and blind everyone
When you see questionable, Chinese, low quality copies of traditional setups and there is NO proof of standards and it means people are buying snake oil.
Show me a proper lighting test pattern at given marked distances with OEM and others (halogen original, LED and HID ) and then I doubt people would buy inferior quality stuff like that, but that's not what they want you to know so in desperation people buy some of these lights and try not to feel guilty blinding other drivers
Putting lipstick on a Pig only means you still have pig just a slightly prettier pig a drunk guy in a bar might kiss
Last edited by Vetteman Jack; Jul 18, 2022 at 05:35 AM.
Reason: Removed political content.
The stock domestic market headlights have poor beam control and a lot of scatter. Doesn't matter so much when the bulbs are weak, like the OEM's but a bright bulb emphasizes the problem. No surprise that they had to do better with the export cars which got decent headlights with proper beam control.
Correct there, I see more defined spotting/lens shape shadows in the pattern as a result of brighter bulbs, but I get a nice cutoff about 20 yards out between bright light and the less bright scatter that lights up the road signs. Same as with halogen bulbs, just brighter.
I honestly believe that if you can change a tire, you can install the ACA headlights from Sharp light innovations. It is considered to be a plug and play kit. It doesn't require you to cut or splice any wires. Everything plugs in using the stock connectors. The entire job is done with basic hand tools. I bet if you go slow and take the time to make sure you're doing it right, you'll be surprised at what you can do yourself. There are videos and threads that can help you as well. Plus, George at sharp lights has the best customer service ever. If you have any problems or questions at all during the install, you can call him, and he will walk you through it.
Yeah, this.
Assuming the ACAs are just like removing the headlight assembly and replacing it, it's really not that hard. Phillips screwdriver, T15, 10mm socket, and some paticence and you can have them swapped in an afternoon.
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LEDs don't 'belong' in a projector housing ? yeah, undeniable that's a poorly aimed statement.
FWIW; There are new generation LED lights that incorporate a built in projector housing
Reading some threads here is more bizarre than being at a Republican party meeting after the election.
Some folks really need to do in depth research before you post outdated and fact less comments.
Daniel Stern, are you serious? Koito? Might as well claim Radio Shack makes high end electronics. Nothing there is any better then Osram, Phillips or Hella type lighting
The only directed comment I feel needs to be mentioned is the Chinese, (God awful) projectors being recommended and sold are no better than stock.
It's only the hi output bulbs that make any added light to a low quality (probably Plastic lens) projector. I'd love to see a standard output halogen bulb set at LEGAL height
Take a CLOSER look at the advertised lighting photos. The lights are purposely set (illegally)way too high in both low/high beam images. On low beam you see the TOP of a stop sign! Naturally ANY light set that high will show more, and blind everyone
When you see questionable, Chinese, low quality copies of traditional setups and there is NO proof of standards and it means people are buying snake oil.
Show me a proper lighting test pattern at given marked distances with OEM and others (halogen original, LED and HID ) and then I doubt people would buy inferior quality stuff like that, but that's not what they want you to know so in desperation people buy some of these lights and try not to feel guilty blinding other drivers
Putting lipstick on a Pig only means you still have pig just a slightly prettier pig a drunk guy in a bar might kiss
So where are these supposed high quality LED lights with projector housings that will fit in the stock assembly? Until they exist, which I'm fairly sure they don't, yes, the shielded HIRs from DSL are the best option for stock housings. You can't buy them off the shelf at your local stores, unfortunately. Since OP said they didn't want to install the SharpLight kit, my reply was geared toward leaving the stock assemblies alone.
You do make a good point regarding headlight aim, though. Everyone just wings it and calls it good. Many cars come with improperly aimed lights right off the factory floor, and finding a shop that has the equipment to do it correctly is very difficult (at least here in Florida.... I called many places and no one had a proper aiming machine). You can get close with DIY, but definitely not the same as doing it with the correct equipment.
So where are these supposed high quality LED lights with projector housings that will fit in the stock assembly? Until they exist, which I'm fairly sure they don't, yes, the shielded HIRs from DSL are the best option for stock housings. You can't buy them off the shelf at your local stores, my reply was geared toward leaving the stock assemblies alone .
You're very right .
What we (C5 owners) are asking for is an updated version of our headlights we have. Anything with a better pattern and a whiter/brighter light will need to retro fitted to our cars. So, technology is always changing and moving up the ladder and as a side benefit we get a taste of better.
I have tried the Euro glass. Didn't get much I'd call better. Tried LED bulbs and although it was white(6K) the low output and stock headlight pattern was not great. Until someone builds a dedicated LED/projector I'm OK with a set of Hella 6K for now.
It is a very subjective and personal choice when you go for a higher level of lighting and preferably a higher level of quality instead of some of the crap people are selling
The Euro glass must be hit or miss depending on the car. I know in the B-body community, the T84 export lights are COVETED because of their effectiveness. Amusingly, same RPO code as C5 export glass lights, too.
The Corvette dose not go out AT NIGHT any time, anymore, at all, ever... One should not drive a C5 Corvette at night. They are dangerous for one self and others. My resent experience driving a two lane (in the Mojave at midnight unable to stop) with the headlights provided for the C5 Corvette has permanently damaged my eyes... They hurt!! Alotta money to doctors fixing them... Be safe for oneself and other people... Drive something else at night, not a C5. General Motors does not care. $
Thanks everyone for all the information, I appreciate your opinions and i am still checking all the websites mentioned here and see what's best for me! which would be good plug and play high quality bulb with out any modifications ! I wish someone would just come up with a better headlight housing that's got the lights built in , just remove the old housing and insert the new one! If that makes any sense! I know the housing we have is old technology and really makes the car dangerous to drive at night, from reading this forum it seems its the housing itself that's also the problem not just the bulb, As even if i get a bright bulb the beam will just be scattered and not focused which is not good.
Thanks everyone for all the information, I appreciate your opinions and i am still checking all the websites mentioned here and see what's best for me! which would be good plug and play high quality bulb with out any modifications ! I wish someone would just come up with a better headlight housing that's got the lights built in , just remove the old housing and insert the new one! If that makes any sense! I know the housing we have is old technology and really makes the car dangerous to drive at night, from reading this forum it seems its the housing itself that's also the problem not just the bulb, As even if i get a bright bulb the beam will just be scattered and not focused which is not good.
Did you check out the ACA from Sharp Light Innovations? They drop in the stock popup housing and are certainly a distinct upgrade according to what owners here are saying. I am waiting on my set of Stealth Light Cannons to come in, my car is missing the popups and had the horrible Depo lemans style installed, they are terrible.
Thanks everyone for all the information, I appreciate your opinions and i am still checking all the websites mentioned here and see what's best for me! which would be good plug and play high quality bulb with out any modifications ! I wish someone would just come up with a better headlight housing that's got the lights built in , just remove the old housing and insert the new one! If that makes any sense! I know the housing we have is old technology and really makes the car dangerous to drive at night, from reading this forum it seems its the housing itself that's also the problem not just the bulb, As even if i get a bright bulb the beam will just be scattered and not focused which is not good.
LED/HID bulbs and the stock housing don't seem to play nice together but a better halogen bulb improved my experience significantly while I save up for the Sharp Light ACA's.
Thanks everyone for all the information, I appreciate your opinions and i am still checking all the websites mentioned here and see what's best for me! which would be good plug and play high quality bulb with out any modifications ! I wish someone would just come up with a better headlight housing that's got the lights built in , just remove the old housing and insert the new one! If that makes any sense! I know the housing we have is old technology and really makes the car dangerous to drive at night, from reading this forum it seems its the housing itself that's also the problem not just the bulb, As even if i get a bright bulb the beam will just be scattered and not focused which is not good.
That is EXACTLY what the Sharp light innovations ACA headlights are! They are an improved headlight housing that have improved bulbs. I've personally done this in my car. There really is no simpler way to do what you're talking about.
Another option are the 9011/9012 bulbs. They are a bit of improvement over the stock 9005/9006 and they will drop right in after you snip the plastic tab with a diagonal cutter (easy to do).
Did you check out the ACA from Sharp Light Innovations? They drop in the stock popup housing and are certainly a distinct upgrade according to what owners here are saying.
Knock yourself out but I wouldn't pay $175 all in for that,
In the off chance people are looking for that perfect upgrade and totally lose their sense of objectivity look at their website photos of these lights. They're improperly adjusted so high you see the top of a stop sign. Notice they Don't show a cutoff pattern and how/what the pattern illuminates?
Save your money, buy a set 6K bulbs.
Good Luck
You don't want to just put LED bulbs in the stock housings... ask me how I know!!
Stock bulb beam shape
LED beam shape
With a glass bulb, the light emits from the filament at the center. Installing LED replacements screws up the geometry of the light focus.
Originally Posted by Old School
Another option are the 9011/9012 bulbs. They are a bit of improvement over the stock 9005/9006 and they will drop right in after you snip the plastic tab with a diagonal cutter (easy to do).
This is what I ended up going with.. and it is an improvement over stock.
