Just bought an 02 pathy about 1 month ago, have posted a few things on here, thanks for everyones input so far.
Drove it on the weekend at night and noticed my low beams seem to have more light than my highbeams. Granted, I had my fogs on with the low beams. Is this normal? I searched but can't find anything.
Thanks
Highbeams seem dull/dim
Re: Highbeams seem dull/dim (sledder12)
Have you tried comparing it without the fogs?
The purpose of high beams aren't really to produce more light, but to aim the lights higher so that you can see further. High beams throw light almost straight forward and a little up. Low beams were setup so you could see as far as you could, without shining directly at oncoming drivers' eyes. Low beams throw much of the light onto the ground.
Drive up to a wall, stay about a car length away (or two if you want) and compare the light.
Now, it is possible the bulbs are getting dim, in which case, you should replace the bulbs. Go to your local auto parts shop, buy a pair of general OEM lights, should be H4/9003/HB2 type, any of those numbers. H4 isn't technically legal in the states, but it's basically the same as 9003 or HB2 (it's pretty stupid, but whatever). Should only cost you about $8 each, so you can get a pair for less than $20. Pop em in, see how they look.
Depending on when the last time the bulbs were replaced, you'll get brighter lights, since halogen bulbs dim over time.
Don't buy HID-sim bulbs. They're halogen bulbs with a filter designed to give it a whiter, sometimes bluish light. The problem is the filter makes it dimmer than a standard bulb... so you get less usable light. But there are some that are made to burn brighter (to make up for the filter a little)... which in turn burn hotter (uses more power/watts). You can tell just from how hot the headlight housing feels.
For a long time, I didn't have problems with hid-sim bulbs... but because even halogen bulbs were too dim for the area I was driving, and hid-sims were worse, I decide to install a HID-kit. One of my bulbs went out, and I decided to "downgrade" to the halogen bulbs I still had, which were HID-sims... that night, my headlight socket melted.
edit: So yea, I'm currently driving with only one headlight... been too lazy to replace the socket, even though I bought a cheapy replacement (it's not a lot of room to work with).
The reason it melted WASN'T just because of the HID-sim, but actually a combination of the extra juice and heat the HID-sim and the fact I had a small spider live inside the socket (the gap between the three prongs). My brother-in-law left it sitting in a driveway for a long time, before I borrowed it.
While the chances of you also having a spider live in your socket is low, the fact still remains... HID-sims burn hotter and may still not even be as "bright" as standard bulbs.
Modified by UndeGuy at 4:34 PM 9/9/2009
The purpose of high beams aren't really to produce more light, but to aim the lights higher so that you can see further. High beams throw light almost straight forward and a little up. Low beams were setup so you could see as far as you could, without shining directly at oncoming drivers' eyes. Low beams throw much of the light onto the ground.
Drive up to a wall, stay about a car length away (or two if you want) and compare the light.
Now, it is possible the bulbs are getting dim, in which case, you should replace the bulbs. Go to your local auto parts shop, buy a pair of general OEM lights, should be H4/9003/HB2 type, any of those numbers. H4 isn't technically legal in the states, but it's basically the same as 9003 or HB2 (it's pretty stupid, but whatever). Should only cost you about $8 each, so you can get a pair for less than $20. Pop em in, see how they look.
Depending on when the last time the bulbs were replaced, you'll get brighter lights, since halogen bulbs dim over time.
Don't buy HID-sim bulbs. They're halogen bulbs with a filter designed to give it a whiter, sometimes bluish light. The problem is the filter makes it dimmer than a standard bulb... so you get less usable light. But there are some that are made to burn brighter (to make up for the filter a little)... which in turn burn hotter (uses more power/watts). You can tell just from how hot the headlight housing feels.
For a long time, I didn't have problems with hid-sim bulbs... but because even halogen bulbs were too dim for the area I was driving, and hid-sims were worse, I decide to install a HID-kit. One of my bulbs went out, and I decided to "downgrade" to the halogen bulbs I still had, which were HID-sims... that night, my headlight socket melted.
edit: So yea, I'm currently driving with only one headlight... been too lazy to replace the socket, even though I bought a cheapy replacement (it's not a lot of room to work with).
The reason it melted WASN'T just because of the HID-sim, but actually a combination of the extra juice and heat the HID-sim and the fact I had a small spider live inside the socket (the gap between the three prongs). My brother-in-law left it sitting in a driveway for a long time, before I borrowed it.
While the chances of you also having a spider live in your socket is low, the fact still remains... HID-sims burn hotter and may still not even be as "bright" as standard bulbs.
Modified by UndeGuy at 4:34 PM 9/9/2009