Hello all!

So...my C5Z has the aftermarket "Depo"-style projectors. The low beams are HID in slightly different color temps (one looks to be a 5K and the other looks to be a 6K), and the highs are still halogen (probably 55w).

The low beams are woefully inadequate for any sort of spirited driving in the dark, and sometimes even in standard city driving they seem terrible. The high beams are so bad that it's hard to tell they're on, but they do cause reflective signs to illuminate.

I'm not sure what the most cost effective way would be to vastly improve my forward lighting, but I definitely need to do something. I would also consider adding small auxiliary driving lights, but I'm not sure where there's room on the front end of a C5Z. Any lighting suggestions and/or links to products? Please let me know. Thanks so much!

 

Do you still have the parts to change them back to stock and get some LED’s?

 

You have 3 viable options.

1. Radio Flyer / Sharp Light Innovations - great reputation here, quality setup, and expensive as all get out. $1k give or take.

2. 4eyeC5 kit - great kit, small operation and facebook based business. There are more than a few of us that have them and are very pleased. $385

3. Switch back to an oem headlight setup and led bulbs. Crap shoot on price depending on where you source parts.

fwiw I have a neighbor with a radio flyer setup and he is a bit annoyed he spent what he did to get the same results I have with my 4eyeC5 setup.

whatever you do, don’t compromise on parts - if you go cheap you WILL regret it and eventually spend the money on a quality setup, which ever you choose.

 

I have installed the 4eyeC5 kit and all I can say is "WOW" I can finally see at night also installed harness for all 4 headlights on at the same time for high beams.

 

Take a look at the 4eyeC5. ​​​​​ Click here

More details here, here and here.

 

Turns out, I have the Radio Flyer Stealth projector setup...which is nothing more than the run-of-the-mill Chinese Depo/etc projectors. I've taken them apart, inspected, and slightly modified them to try to remedy my low light issues. I cannot believe they are selling something that costs them maybe $150 for $1250. Absolute highway robbery - also known as "crapitalism."

I upgraded the ballasts and got new bulbs...that helped as much as possible without replacing the projector lenses, as they are 50% clear (bottom) and 50% frosted (top) as opposed to a completely clear projector lens. I'm trying out a couple different high beam options, both requiring the housings to be drilled out slightly (to H4 and H7). I've installed an H7 LED on one side of the high beam, and I will install a 130w halogen H4 on the other side...then see what they look like next to each other.

I really should just buy a new pair, but right now I'm OK with tinkering.

 

what harness are you talking about to run all 4 at the same time?

 

Not sure...all 4 of mine go on when I engage the high beam. Low harness is plugged into the HID ballast; high harness is straight to the LED bulbs.

 

You positive they are radioflyers and not just the cheap chinese depos? They are know for being top notch, you might wanna post a pic so we can see what your working with.

 

Pretty sure...only because the PO is a friend, a really stand up guy, and I've got receipts for damn near everything. It's possible owner #1 bought them used or they were misidentified, but they're definitely the usual eBay/Amazon offerings - and my friend who I bought the car from was under the impression they were RF Steaths (they're on his mod list with the car).

At any rate, the Chinese parts can work just fine in my experience...and I have made some improvements with newer bulbs and more powerful ballast packs. I just need to decide now if I'm going to splurge $23 for a pair of new projector lenses and housings (the reflective coating has some tarnish, and the lenses are 50% frosted) - or just buy a whole new Amazon setup, install my current modifications to it, and call it a day.

I'm curious to see if anyone has noticed any branding on the projector parts that come with the Radio Flyer Stealth kit. They have to buy them from somewhere, and China makes most of that stuff anyway unless you're buying from an OEM, which I highly doubt a small aftermarket retailer like that would do.

Everything looks identical to this video...

 

Found this thread doing a search about aftermarket headlights. Mine are aftermarket, but I forget the brand. They don't look like those, those are the ones I want but not if they're junk. Of course, the ones I have now are junk. Low beams are too bright for city driving but the high beams are pathetic. It's like I have a couple of D cell flash lights taped to the hood.

I still have the original housings so I could do the four eyes thing but I'd prefer to stick with a fixed projector, but not if it's junk.

 

That's also known as the Corvette tax...

 

Please don’t place LED in stock headlight shells...

 

Why would you say please dont place LED in stock housings?

From ENG101 perspective, the LED has hte same size shape and watt rating.

They in general have been shown after a few years not to have less glare and better visibility (distance).

 

it’s about housing type and lumens, watts and shape don’t have much to do with it

Light Type Info

 

Please elaborate

just like e= mc2

lumens are directly tied on power consumption
and where I’ve used them the fit the light housings like 9005 9006

and illuminate vastly superior to halogen

theres absolutely no credible reason not to use them

 

There are different efficiencies with each type of lighting. If they’re all the same what’s the reason for installing the LED’s to begin with? The housings have evolved to manage the lighting upgrade. The reasons why are out there, do a little research and you’ll find them.

 

How much does a set of front headlights go for a c5? The previous owner left the projector clear housing using standard bulbs but was wondering what is a good price for stock replacements? On ebay i seen them for about 400$ each side. You can see them in the avatar. I believe they are nightshaded over black as i thought thought they only sold black housing headlight and not lense.
'

 

You make no sense.

LEDs have been shown to provide vasly superior lighting, in new and or old housings with less glare.

The C5 OEM lamps were poorly design poor performers and customers can't see so adding the upgrade helps them see down the road.

Lighting engineering was just getting cad predictive optic tools in the mid 90s so maybe GM was behind and chose a further behind supplier to do these (Guide Lamp) would not be in existence much longer (they closed permanently in 2006) so by the time these were designed, they were likley cut off from investing in modern tools.

 

You're all missing the mark on this topic. LED and HID "drop ins" for halogen original housings don't work because the reflectors are designed to project light onto the ground in front of the car originating from a near-point-like source that emanates away from the filament in all directions. That reflector is *NOT* going to reflect light out correct if you MOVE the location of, or CHANGE the shape of the light source or the direction of the light. Changing to an HID or LED "drop in" changes ALL of those. The result in all of these situations is a light that glows in the housing but puts hardly any light out onto the road. It's an utter waste of money and time.

You have two options, put some HIR (halogen infrared reflective) bulbs from Philips into your (admittedly garbage) OEM housings. You have to trim one tab off them and then they fit just fine but I forget the number. Do a search and you'll find it. I was completely dissatisfied with this mod and any increase in lumens was marginal at best. Not enough to overcome the craptastic OEM housings. Option 2 is a COMPLETE headlight swap to something like Radioflyer. I ended up with the V3 (IIRC) and they are by far the best headlights on both high or low beam of any vehicle I have ever driven, stock or modded. You get a properly designed HID projector and a properly designed LED high beam with a matching reflector housing. The moral of the story here should be the light source and the reflector/projector MUST MATCH EACH OTHER!