Headlights

Chat about all things Bonneville (and related cars). Off-topic stuff should be in the lounge, and all mechanical problems should be posted in the proper forum.
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Re: Headlights

Post by 00Beast »

2-9005 bulbs and a sharp razor. You cut the plastic tabs out of the inside of the plug, and install. Voila!!

I've had the 9005 bulbs on my car for almost a year, and they've been great.
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Re: Headlights

Post by rrounds »

bonnieman17 wrote:so what do i all need to do the 9005 coversion?
This tells you how to mod your lights

http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Upgrade/More_light.htm

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Re: Headlights

Post by Bugsi »

I know you're talking headlight bulbs here, but for whatever it's worth, I run SilverStar bulbs in the driving lights (in the bumper) on my SE.
They cost too much, and I replace about one a year. So despite still using them, I'm not too big a fan. I'll look at that 9005 lamp mod for my headlights.
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Re: Headlights

Post by LeSabreUltra »

I'm about to see if I can get my HID kit to finally work. I've had one for about a year, installed it, and no lights. Reading a few threads got me thinking I might need a relay, so I bought one, and we'll see how it goes.

If that fails I may try the 9005 conversion. I've been using Silverstar Ultras for years with no early burnouts. In my opinion they are good lights, I've never had one fail early on me. But they are pricey.

Unfortunately on my truck I have few alternatives. Silverstar Ultra sealed beams seem to be the best there is out there. I've tried the H4 composite conversion with very poor results. However, they too light up the road better than the rest and have worked without fail for quite a while now. Again though, they are pricey.
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2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
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Re: Headlights

Post by LeSabreUltra »

Update on the above. I went outside, grabbed the kit out of my trunk and tried connecting the ballast with a bulb attached directly to the battery. Sure enough, fired right up. And that thing was BRIGHT too! So yeah, now I feel sorta stupid. I don't know why I didn't try that earlier. I guess my stock wiring by itself wasn't providing ample power to fire it up.

I think I remember being sort of mislead by the ebay listing that I bought the kit off of. It advertised itself as being 'plug and play' and that a relay would not be needed in most cases. When I tried emailing the seller, I got a lot of Engrish and not a lot of help. So I put them away in the trunk for later use. A whole year when they worked just fine.

It's a Xentec digital HID conversion kit, for what it's worth. People seem to be happy with them for the most part, so I think I will be too. Glad I got that one figured out. My stock 9006 light output is depressing, even with the Silverstars. I don't like it when people behind me have their low beams on and I can see my car's shadow from their headlights in my own headlight beam, lol.
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Re: Headlights

Post by LeSabre in Buffalo »

Glad to hear your HID's are working, Dan! The stock wiring is spaghetti. No, angel-hair. I ate spaghetti thicker than the stock wiring for dinner tonight.

9005 with harness in my headlights will bounce a beam off vehicles 2-3 seconds in front of me. Hope your HID's match or better that!

What color temperature are they?
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Re: Headlights

Post by LeSabreUltra »

LeSabre in Buffalo wrote:Glad to hear your HID's are working, Dan! The stock wiring is spaghetti. No, angel-hair. I ate spaghetti thicker than the stock wiring for dinner tonight.

9005 with harness in my headlights will bounce a beam off vehicles 2-3 seconds in front of me. Hope your HID's match or better that!

What color temperature are they?
They definitely are, I should have checked into that a long time ago.

If I recall correctly (it's been about a year!) they are 5000k. I know for sure it's either 4300k, 5000k or 6000k. I wanted to go for an OEM look. When I lit it up it looked pure white with only a hint of blue, so that seems pretty close to 5000k.

I'll be posting up before and after shots. :wink:
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Re: Headlights

Post by rogers9c1 »

LeSabreUltra wrote:
LeSabre in Buffalo wrote:Glad to hear your HID's are working, Dan! The stock wiring is spaghetti. No, angel-hair. I ate spaghetti thicker than the stock wiring for dinner tonight.

9005 with harness in my headlights will bounce a beam off vehicles 2-3 seconds in front of me. Hope your HID's match or better that!

What color temperature are they?
They definitely are, I should have checked into that a long time ago.

If I recall correctly (it's been about a year!) they are 5000k. I know for sure it's either 4300k, 5000k or 6000k. I wanted to go for an OEM look. When I lit it up it looked pure white with only a hint of blue, so that seems pretty close to 5000k.

I'll be posting up before and after shots. :wink:
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Any updates on those before and after shots?
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Re: Headlights

Post by bonnieman17 »

I was wondering if this is worth buying. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PONTIAC- ... 2a00b06fa4
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Re: Headlights

Post by LeSabreUltra »

rogers9c1 wrote:
LeSabreUltra wrote:
LeSabre in Buffalo wrote:Glad to hear your HID's are working, Dan! The stock wiring is spaghetti. No, angel-hair. I ate spaghetti thicker than the stock wiring for dinner tonight.

9005 with harness in my headlights will bounce a beam off vehicles 2-3 seconds in front of me. Hope your HID's match or better that!

What color temperature are they?
They definitely are, I should have checked into that a long time ago.

If I recall correctly (it's been about a year!) they are 5000k. I know for sure it's either 4300k, 5000k or 6000k. I wanted to go for an OEM look. When I lit it up it looked pure white with only a hint of blue, so that seems pretty close to 5000k.

I'll be posting up before and after shots. :wink:
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Any updates on those before and after shots?
Oh wow...completely forgot!

To keep everything the same, I didn't move the car, adjust the headlights, or anything between these shots. The camera settings were also exactly the same. You will note that it does appear to be earlier in the day in the second pic but it doesn't affect the change in brightness any.

Before:

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After:

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Oh yeah, there's a difference. I love my HID's! I never want to drive a car without them again. They light up the road so well, and now that I have them adjusted properly, I know I'm not blinding anyone.

They are 5000k, "OEM White". They have a very slight blue tint but look like factory HID's.

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I'm very satisfied!

If you want, search for HID kits from ebay user "supervtec"...he sells xentec kits for about $15 less than that with shipping and I'm very happy with mine, and so are most others from what I've heard.
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Last edited by LeSabreUltra on Mon Nov 23, 2009 10:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Headlights

Post by LeSabre in Buffalo »

I like the look!

Also, where'd you get your fogs? I'm thinking a set for my car would come in handy.
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Re: Headlights

Post by LeSabreUltra »

Thanks! And I got them at Wal-Mart. I don't recommend them really! I removed them right after I got the HID's, I don't need them anymore. I got them originally after I thought my HID kit had failed cause I needed more light and they were kind of like a band-aid. They helped a bit. But I got tired of dealing with ground issues on them (cheap wiring) and when I took them off I noticed the mounting hardware was starting to rust. Not good, after only a year in a state where nothing rusts!
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Re: Headlights

Post by LeSabre in Buffalo »

Lovely. I'll steer clear.

I asked because the high-powered headlights are great for clear or rainy nights. A hint of fog or snow, and they are as bad as high beams in the amount of light reflected into your eyes.

I've heard good things about the rectangular black Blazer fogs you get at Wal-Mart for less than $20. I think they wouldn't be so bad tucked into the lower grille a bit.
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Re: Headlights

Post by LeSabreUltra »

The rectangular ones aren't bad. They actually have a really good beam pattern, an almost projector like cutoff. But they don't seal against water so well. I found that out when my truck sank.
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Re: Headlights

Post by LeSabre in Buffalo »

Ahh. Well,I guess you get what you pay for. Time to consider this more.
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