Some type of LED kit that DOES NOT kill radio reception. I know, not everybody experiences this issue, but here in NJ it sucks. I say other areas may be better because radio stations with powerful signals to your area is not affected much. Right now, I get a whopping two stations when the headlights are on.....Yes, I could bluetooth music , but sometimes its nice to just turn the radio on.

 

Have you tried installing ferrite beads on the low beam wiring?

 

Wow, didn't know that was a thing. Then again, last time I listed to the radio was probably 2010

 

i ride with my high beams on 100% of the time in the city.

because of their angle, my high beams are not pointed any higher than the low beams so the highs don't blind the oncoming traffic and i've never been flashed

plus it looks cool as hell with all of them on

 

For my driving the high beams are a necessity. Safety by visibility as well as ability to see being paramount and a major motivation for aftermarket upgraded lights vs factory. I may live in an urban area, but I get out and drive at night where it is ptich black through the woods and with deer and critters as well as with occasional police parked off the side whose reflective tape lights up from two miles away.

So yes. Some may buy in for triple cube appearance from a lesser vendor. But lighting serves a core function at the end of the day. Appearance gimmick may sell more than function however, as the C5 is increasingly in the hands of younger folks who go a bit ghetto/glimmer on the cars and don't care.

 

New prototype projectors should arrive for testing later next week. I'll be posting pattern pictures lux numbers.

 

Maybe better

 

I still think the best description I heard about the stock light output was "it is about the same light output as a flashlight shining through a jar of ****". I would have to agree.

 

 

I finally purchased & installed the BI-LED ACA headlights from Sharp Light Innovations.
Now I drive my C5 wherever and whenever I want. No worry about driving in the dark. I tried 6 different LED bulbs first and they looked brighter but I couldn’t see down the road. It wasn’t worth the risk of not spotting objects like deer or other obstacles.

Now it’s like new car lights in my 98.

 

Yes, I have....A bunch of them. It helped a little but not enough, unfortunately.

 

I installed the vettelights HID conversion (low beams) and it made a significant difference, but I guess anything would over stock.

 

Corvettes headlights may be hazardous to ones health....
I got stuck having to drive the C5 at night in the wonderful Mojave desert... a two lane deserted California Nevada Mojave desert road... a road in a very dark, seldom traveled area of the dessert within the wonderful boondocks of south-east California.... No rain that night but with big time cloud covered overcast, black skys... no traffic at all on this desert two lane road... which assuard the need of requiring good headlights to see the "Spooks and Monsters" on the desert road ahead!... Spooky indeed on that midnight highway drive... Continuous concentration is required when totally alone at three o'clock in the morning on a two lane, driving the Mojave desert... To stay awake one must drive the Corvette fast in that nightime desert...and concentration will do it! ... However, eye stain and "hindered headlights" adds to the concentration required driving the thing at night... Headlights Hindering Sight is unmatched with any other car on earth.... GM's failure with C5 Corvette lighting is the industry shame. They should be ashamed of them selves 🤨

 

I'm on my second C5 after nine years of ownership on my first one, I am preparing for a cross-country adventure and never acknowledged this issue. Maybe I should consider one of my other vehicles since I'm not fond of aftermarket mods on my Corvettes.

 

Spoken like someone who is a member of the NCRS.

That being said, I think (source needed) that safety modifications (including sufficient lighting) are allowed. Assuming you stay with pop ups, you won't notice a difference until night and then, you won't see the lights themselves, only the miles of road they illuminate.

 

After much waiting, I had the opportunity to test the new projectors. Based on the feedback, my primary focus was on LOW Beam performance.

That being said, the new projectors also feature "Hyperboloid" optics. A Hyperboloid has a secondary optic in the main lens and a secondary light source. This is generally use to provide supplemental output for the high beam. The projectors we tested have dual hyperboloid optics.

MFG Light tunnel test:
Low beam




Traditional high beam only.

Not pattern is wide and all, but no additional intensity from low beam.


Hyperboloid high beam only

Significant increase in central output from secondary optics. Spot pattern focuses lights light further down the road.


When hooked up, both traditional and hyperboloid will function as high beams giving you both additional spot intensity and additional height and width. .


One of the new projectors also has TIR supplemental optics.In A TIR (Total Internal Reflector) Each LED in a TIR unit centers at the end of a conical reflector. The reflector captures scattered light and focuses it forward. This projector has a TIR optic, traditional bowl chipset and dual hyperboloid optics. The TIR optic provides increase central output in BOTH low and high beam patterns.

The current Bi-LED projector we use has a traditional single chip-set using a half-reflector bowl and cutoff-shield to create the low to high beam patterns. Total down-road output does not change for high beam, but the pattern does expand to project light above the cutoff.

Testing details:

• Photos were taken with a Samsung S22 Ultra in auto mode to show pattern and hot-spot intensity.
• Car trailer is about 50 ft away to show beam width.
• Headlight was aimed with center on the side-exit door handle
• LUX readings were taken at the center hot-spot and on rear of trailer for off-axis output.

Results:

Current Bi-LED projector ("TALP")
TDC: 207 Lux
Off-Axis: 1.9 Lux
Notes: Strong central hot-spot and good overall width.




Projector 2: "2024 HB"
Dual-Hyperboloid
TDC: 185 Lux (10.6% decrease over current projector)
Off-Axis: 6.7 Lux (252.6% increase over current projector)
Notes: Slightly different projector bowl design significantly increases overall width and width intensity while reducing central output. This projector would be best used in luxury vehicles, but IMO isn't the best option for sport-cars.








Projector 3: "Copper Top"
TIR + Dual-Hyperboloid
TDC: 224 Lux (8.2% increase over current projector
Off-Axis: 2.5 Lux (31.5% increase over current projector)
Notes: Nice improvement in central output, Notable increase in pattern width and width intensity, but not as much as previous version. Note, the test version used a flat-cutoff shield instead of the stepped DOT pattern. The production version will have a stepped-DOT pattern.
I did test the high beam output on this model at over 400 lux.


Guess which one is the "coppertop"




I've decided to incorporate the Coppertop projector as an OPTION upgrade to our Bi-LED ACA and Stealth Light Cannon headlight kits. As far as installation/wiring, each is no more difficult than the current headlight systems, however there is additional labor required on our end both for the ACA and for the SLC headlights to get these to work with each kit. I've ordered a batch of 20 sets of the Coppertops which should arrive later this month. I will announce pricing once those have arrived.

 

Will these bolt right into the original low rise kit?

And are these all LED bulbs?

 

I'm afraid not. Those projectors have to be sealed because they are directly exposed to the weather.

 

How about "filament" shake, has that been addressed? The only thing I don't love, the shaking of the light output over bumps which are common in Michigan. And yes, my headlight assemblies are not loose.

 

Chicken traditionally comes from three possible issues:

1) A loose complete headlight assembly or broken mounting points.

2) A loose headlight housing or broken mounting points

3) A loose projector assembly within the housing, or with broken projector mounting

With our old HID Systems, it was possible for the bulb. Itself, to become loose, but that is no longer a possibility with our led projectors since the chip set is integrated into the projector itself (not a "bulb")