Specifics on headlights

[StarPD]

I'm spoiled. I installed 200,000 cp jet aircraft landing lights as High beams in all of my Corvettes (required creating new locating notches in the housing for correct beam orientation), and even added 290,000 cp auxiliary driving lights on a few of them. I drive pretty fast at night, and I like LOTS of light. I've always upgraded headlights and even added the auxiliary driving lights on my cars. I changed the halogens bulbs to 100 watt high beams/65 watt low beams in my old '94 Q45t, and they were great.

I read several threads on HID lights, and wasn't able to discern much in the way of specifics on brighter than standard bulbs outside of the fact that there are a number of different HID bulbs available. 99q45t_vl posted an excellent list of HID bulbs, but it wasn't clear for me as to which I could and should use. Also, I found several different opinions on whether to limit to 5000k or if 6500k is okay.

Now, my new-to-me 2005 Q45 has Xenon low beams and I'm not sure what high beams, probably halogen. The Owner's Manual doesn't list the bulb number or type, it just says to take it to the dealer.

From what I gather, there are different HID bulbs available for the low beams. Book calls for D2S for my car I believe. I suspect that they are 4300k, and that both 5000k and 6500k would be brighter.

First question:Which bulbs would provide the 6500k rating from a high grade mfr like Hella, Phillips or Osram and would interchange easily?

Next, will they require different ballasts/ignitors, and will the factory wiring handle the likely increased current? The 100 watt high beams in my '94 handled the increased current fine, and of course there were no ballasts or ignitors to worry about.

Then, is the reflector adequate for them, or will the increased light overwhelm them? There seemed to be argument over that issue.

And finally, where can I get a good price from a reliable vendor, not EBay?

Also, what would be100 watt high beam bulbs, and where can I get them?Will the wiring support them?

When installing the 200,000 cp jet aircraft landing lights as high beams in my Corvettes, I had to power them with 10 gauge wire from the starter connection through a relay, and operate the relay with the original high-beam connections using permanent jumpers . I don't want to go through that hassle on my 2005 Q45, so I may need to limit how much I upgrade.

In both cases, I'd pay the dealer to replace the existing bulbs with the upgraded ones. It's more complicated to do that on my 2005 Q45 than on my old '94 Q45t, and I don't feel like messing with it.

Thanks.

[maxnix]

Book calls for D2S for my car I believe. I suspect that they are 4300k, and that both 5000k and 6500k would be brighter.

Don't confuse increased color temperature with increased lumens. In fact, lumens decrease with increasing color temperature over 5600°K. White is your freind, not blue and certainly not purple.

[StarPD]

Don't confuse increased color temperature with increased lumens. In fact, lumens decrease with increasing color temperature over 5600°K. White is your freind, not blue and certainly not purple.

I learned this from finding a web site by a vendor that sells HID conversion kits after I posted this. Apparently 6000k won't give me more light.

DRAT!

So how can I get BRIGHTER Xenon bulbs for the low beams in my 2005 Q45?

What about brighter high beams? Isn't that just a conventional quartz bulb?

Thanks.

[Q45tech]

http://science.nasa.gov/headli...t.htm

[maxnix]

http://www.sylvania.com/Consum...s.htm

9005su

Nothing legal will approach aircraft landing lighs.

[StarPD]

http://www.sylvania.com/Consum...s.htm

9005su

Nothing legal will approach aircraft landing lighs.

???

This is the result I got when I tried the link:

<<Object reference not set to an instance of an object. Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

Source Error:

An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

Stack Trace:

[NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.] Sylvania.Templates.Detail.AutoReplacement_Results.Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e) System.Web.UI.Control.OnLoad(EventArgs e) +67 System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive() +35 System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain() +750



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:1.1.4322.2300; ASP.NET >>

[maxnix]

Gotta go in the front door and drill down yourself.

http://www.sylvania.com

[StarPD]

Gotta go in the front door and drill down yourself.

http://www.sylvania.com

Thanks.Went there, and learned that the high beam bulb is a 9005, and that standard output is 1700 lumens. They don't show anything brighter.

Now I just gotta find something with around 2500 to 3000.

[StarPD]

Thanks.Went there, and learned that the high beam bulb is a 9005, and that standard output is 1700 lumens. They don't show anything brighter.

Now I just gotta find something with around 2500 to 3000.

Okay, I did some research. I think the 9005 is an H3 bulb.I also found a source for high output halogen bulbs.

For anyone else interested in improving the light output on their Q45, here's a link:

http://store.racinglab.com/lig...zq9lA

Cut and paste the address in your browser address bar if the link doesn't pick the entire address up.

Now, after reading about only using certain brand bulbs in applications other than headlights, and the problems sometimes encountered, I'd want to be sure the manufacturers listed are as reliable as Phillips, Osram and Hella, but I suspect thatr the PIAA bulbs should be pretty good. If anyone has experience with the other makers listed, this might be a good place to share your thoughts.

Comments?

[pito11213]

As far as HID's go my new max is 6000K and that still has a bit of a blue tint to it. I had 8000K on my Legend, and it would fatigue me on long trips. It looked nice but wasnt particularly bright.

The most OEM look so far is between 4100K - 6000K.

[auditech10]

4300K D2S/R bulbs are used by the OEM for a reason, they provide the most lumens and most appropriate color for the roads and conditions. Since you know that the best brands are Philips and Osram you know that they are superior in quality, that is why the OEMs choose their products. You should also know that because of this, they will only produce the best products for purchase, hence neither one producing any bulbs with more than 6000K temp rating. Anything higher is for show purposes only and you will piss off and annoy other drivers on the road.To get higher output on your OEM setup you could look into 50 watt ballasts and bulbs but Im not sure that they would operate properly in your projectors(they could possibly get too hot and/or burn or overheat something in your headlamps).

[maxnix]

Auditech makes very valid points, not to mention one wants to avoid drawing more current than the wiring is designed to carry, nor to waste money on cheap Chinese junk that will fail soon.

Stick with 9005SU

[marksport]

For 6000K, go with Phillips Ultinon 85126WX. They are rated at 2400 Lumens compared to the factory 85122 Capsule 4300K with 3200 Lumens. You do not have to change the ballast pack. For the low beams, you can get an HID kit with an H1 base. Kits come with it's own wiring harness


Modified by marksport at 6:58 AM 3/13/2007

[Jesda]

Cheap Chinese-made bulbs will definitely make nearby objects appear brighter and with greater clarity, as I've found by trying a pair in my Q. Unfortunately, seeing things that are already up close does little for safety.Its a cheap way to have prettier lights though, if you're into that. I've switched back to regular Sylvanias (one Chinabulb burned out).

I assume most people on the forum are looking for increased visibility far away, for deer and such.

[maxnix]

For 6000K, go with Phillips Ultinon 85126WX. They are rated at 2400 Lumens compared to the factory 85122 Capsule 4300K with 3200 Lumens.....For the low beams, you can get an HID kit with an H1 base. Kits come with it's own wiring harness

Why would one want to install a bulb that gives 25% less illumination?

The low beam is HID, no need to convert to H1 halogen base.

[marksport]

Why would one want to install a bulb that gives 25% less illumination?

The low beam is HID, no need to convert to H1 halogen base.

The 6000K 85126WX is a D2S capsule and was for the low beam being that it's made by Philips.

The H1 as seen in the picture above is installed in the high beam and provided much more illumination than anything else ever did. Even during the daytime, it is so bright that you can barely look at it without hurting your eyes. And it has the correct focal point/cutoff.

[StarPD]

The 6000K 85126WX is a D2S capsule and was for the low beam being that it's made by Philips.

The H1 as seen in the picture above is installed in the high beam and provided much more illumination than anything else ever did. Even during the daytime, it is so bright that you can barely look at it without hurting your eyes. And it has the correct focal point/cutoff.

I thought the high beam bulb on F50s, particularly the 2004 up, is an H3 bulb.

And You know what you mean, but your comments regarding two different lights, high and low beams in the same paragraph, isn't quite clear, to me at least.

Are you saying that the 85126WX is the low beam and the H1 bulb is the high beam, and that BOTH are brighter than OEM? And which specific HID kit are you referring to? Does that change the high beam from a conventional halogen to HID? Or am I wrong in thinking that the OEM high beam has only a conventional halogen bulb?

And like maxnix, I fail to see how a lower lumen rating, 2400 for the 85126WX vs 3200 for OEM, could be brighter.

Further, my research reveals that the OEM bulb has 1700 lumens, not 3600.

Am I confusing the high beam at 1700 lumens with a low beam rating of 3600 lumens? I did check it out, and now can't remember which one was 1700 lumens, but I know that one of them is.

Please explain and clarify.

Thanks.

[marksport]

I thought the high beam bulb on F50s, particularly the 2004 up, is an H3 bulb.

And You know what you mean, but your comments regarding two different lights, high and low beams in the same paragraph, isn't quite clear, to me at least.

Are you saying that the 85126WX is the low beam and the H1 bulb is the high beam, and that BOTH are brighter than OEM? And which specific HID kit are you referring to? Does that change the high beam from a conventional halogen to HID? Or am I wrong in thinking that the OEM high beam has only a conventional halogen bulb?

The factory low beam are all HID and is a D2S capsule . The 8512### is the Philips part number for the D2S capsules. This particular part 85126WX is the Philips Ultinon Capsule rated at 6000K. The bulb that came with our cars from the factory is the 85122 rated at 4300K.

The High beam is an H1 bulb. I have installed an HID system into my high beam with a capsule that rebased to an H1 style fit. My high beam puts out around 3000 Lumens whereas a halogen H1 puts out 1700 Lumens.

And like maxnix, I fail to see how a lower lumen rating, 2400 for the 85126WX vs 3200 for OEM, could be brighter.

The 85126WX has a lower lumen rating but a higher Kelvin rating, so it appears brighter. In other words, the higher the color rating, the more it becomes UV or closer to it.

Further, my research reveals that the OEM bulb has 1700 lumens, not 3600.

Am I confusing the high beam at 1700 lumens with a low beam rating of 3600 lumens? I did check it out, and now can't remember which one was 1700 lumens, but I know that one of them is.

Please explain and clarify.

Thanks.

Other way around, the HID low beam is rated for 3200 lumens and the high beam is about 1700 lumens. The low beam projectors were designed to illuminate a wide area in front of our cars, making the most of the available light. The high beam is more concentrated and longer range.

[StarPD]

Okay, got it.

I know quite a bit about older lighting issues, but little about the newer HID/Xenon equipment.

I think I'd like to consider the high beam HID conversion.Is it hard to get at and remove the old bulb and install the new setup?

Do you have a recommendation for which kit to get? Is it a complete kit, or will I need to buy different wiring harnesses and get ballasts, ignitors, etc? There are a lot of them out there, and suspect that most are cheap Chinee junk.

Thanks.

[marksport]

Okay, got it.

I know quite a bit about older lighting issues, but little about the newer HID/Xenon equipment.

I think I'd like to consider the high beam HID conversion.Is it hard to get at and remove the old bulb and install the new setup?

Do you have a recommendation for which kit to get? Is it a complete kit, or will I need to buy different wiring harnesses and get ballasts, ignitors, etc? There are a lot of them out there, and suspect that most are cheap Chinee junk.

Thanks.

You have to remove the headlight assembly to get to the bulbs. This requires pulling the bumper and grill off, and likely the wheel well covers. Once the headlight is out, you need to grind some of the high beam socket out with a rotary tool like a dremel. The picture that I have posted was incorrect. I have corrected the capsule and the return wire is on the top. With my setup, I bought a capsule that had an H1 base and wire that extended to a D2 style connector. I use Hella ballast packs and built my own wiring harness. Factory high beam wiring triggers the relay that powers up the high beam HID. If you buy a complete kit, many are cheap but normally have warranty, and they come complete with new wiring harness. It's hard to choose a kit due to the cheap pricing, but many kits cost 1/3 of what many reputable online companies sell it for. I bought my 3000K HID conversion kit for my fog lights and it's doing well. Also, one of my high beam capsules was damaged in shipping, and were replaced under warranty.

[silver2k2]

It has been well documented that replacing a regular halogen bulb with a HID "retrofit kit" is not effective because the reflector was not designed for the HID bulb arc.

People will argue to death about this. Just like people will swear Silverstars help them see better when again it has been proven in most cases they have less output (Lumens) then stock bulbs

Read more Here

http://www.danielsternlighting....html

You can increase you light output of your halogen doing two things

The first is upgrade your wiring. turn on your light and check the voltage drop and the harness compared to you battery.

Upgrade your wiring by making one of these

http://www.suvlights.com/index...2a5de

Then get these bulbs

http://www.suvlights.com/produ...id=99

[marksport]

It has been well documented that replacing a regular halogen bulb with a HID "retrofit kit" is not effective because the reflector was not designed for the HID bulb arc.

I have heard this years and years ago when HID kits still cost $1200. I started using retrofit kits back in 2000 and had to go thru 4 different headlight housing before I found one that had the correct illumation and cutoff. I remember seeing improperly made kits lighting up the sky and not the road or off to the side of the car and not directly in front. Having the correct focal point is critical. When I did my kit, the first time I had the return wire wrong and wasn't lighting as well as it should have, but it was still and improvement over the stock halogen bulb. When I corrected it, it was a huge improvement. I would say that HID retrofit may not be as efficient as a stock halogen, but it is more effective. Lets say that the halogen is 95% efficient with output of 1700Lumens, therefore you have 1615Lumens usable. An HID kit could be only 75% with an output of 3000Lumens therefore you have 2250Lumens. Even with 20% less efficiency, it is 40% more effective. And it uses less energy at 35Watts compared to the halogen 60Watts. Mind you, this is the result of my F50 Q45. A Lexus LS430 or Chevy Cavalier may have different results. And I do believe that my conversion is much more than only 75% efficient.

[silver2k2]

From the articile I posted

From time to time, I am asked to comment on what are marketed as "new developments" in HID kits, and those asking sometimes point out to me that these "new developments" might render this article out-of-date, since the copyright date on the article is older than the date of these "new developments". Please understand, marketeers will always be coming up with dazzling new pseudoscience, tempting new hype and sneaky new ways of trying to convince you to buy their stuff. It's what they do. This article will never go out of date, because the problems with HID kits are conceptual problems, not problems of implementation. Therefore, they cannot be overcome by additional research and development, any more than someone could develop a way for you to put on somebody else's eyeglasses and see correctly

[marksport]

From the articile I posted

From time to time, I am asked to comment on what are marketed as "new developments" in HID kits, and those asking sometimes point out to me that these "new developments" might render this article out-of-date, since the copyright date on the article is older than the date of these "new developments". Please understand, marketeers will always be coming up with dazzling new pseudoscience, tempting new hype and sneaky new ways of trying to convince you to buy their stuff. It's what they do. This article will never go out of date, because the problems with HID kits are conceptual problems, not problems of implementation. Therefore, they cannot be overcome by additional research and development, any more than someone could develop a way for you to put on somebody else's eyeglasses and see correctly

I didn't say that the kits were perfect. They are more effective than the factory halogen on the F50 Q45. Not all headlights are made equal. Like I said earlier, "this is the result of my F50 Q45. A Lexus LS430 or Chevy Cavalier may have different results." I can't even say if you try this in a Y33 or a G50 and you will get as effective results. I have 2 F50 Q45, I will try and do a head to head comparison with the PHILIPS VisionPlus bulbs.

[StarPD]

Great info, and great resources, silver2k2. Thanks a milliion.

I think this may be the information I was hoping for. Once again, NICO has proven to be an excellent source of info for Infiniti owners.

Perhaps I'll now be able to effectively and safely upgrade the lighting on my F50. The only obstacle would be that I don't want to tear the front end of my car apart, and I can't afford to pay a shop, especially a dealer, to do this much work.

We'll see.

If I pursue this, I'll report back what I learn.

[silver2k2]

That test would be great

Here is an idea of one you can model it after

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/p....html

[StarPD]

That test would be great

Here is an idea of one you can model it after

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/p....html

Years ago, and I mean a lot of them, Car and Driver did an extensive field testing of a wide variety of autmotive lighting. They had a straight level road with bushes on the side, and were fortunate enough to have a slightly foggy night which allowed good photos of the actual light beams. The reader could see clearly the exact shape and pattern of the light.That test gave me my initiation into auto lights. It was where I first learned about the jet aircraft landing lights. I incorporated those lights, along with others in my cars. I was driving 425 and 435 HP Corvettes and finally a factory L-88 at the time. My job took me all over the Midwest, and I drove at night, frequently running 135 to 150 MPH for long stretches, sometimes as much as 330 miles at a time. It was imperative to have good lights at that speed, so I made it a point to have the best I could get. Ever since, lighting has been one of the most important features on my cars, all of which have been VERY fast. Tires are another of my favored subjects, and I've become quite sensitive to all aspects of tire evaluation.

I've hoped for years that C/D would do an update on that excellent test, but so far, no dice.

I can't duplicate it, but if I decide to try an upgrade on my 2005 Q45, I'll certainly do a report here.

I do have one piece of advice for G50 owners though. I put a set of 100 watt bulbs in my '94 Q45t, and they made a world of difference. Anyone who drives much at night, especially at high speeds, can benefit from them. No special wiring is necessary, but they do need to be carefully aimed to provide maximum range. It took me several adjustments to get them exactly right, but when I did, they were exceptional. That adjustment will be borderline too high, and care must be taken when following other vehicles. Too close puts the low beam into their backlight, and in the case of some small cars, their rear view mirror. Care must also be taken to not allow high beams to strike oncoming drivers. They are so bright, they could blind someone temporarily and cause an accident. Of course, driving fast ALWAYS requiires careful attention. I highly recommend them for anyone who does much high-speed night driving. As best I can recall, the brand I had may have been Hella, and I got them from an advertiser in Car and Driver in 1996. I don't remember who it was, but I suspect they might be out of business by now.

[StarPD]

Okay, I have researched this subject fairly well by now. In my "Favorites" list, under "Cars", I have subfolders for tires, wheels, exhaust, mods, lights, etc. I have amassed quite a bit on lights.

Of all of them, I have found silver 2k2's link to Daniel Stern the best.

Here it is again:http://www.danielsternlighting....html

(Thanks silver 2k2)

After reading a number of posts on the subject, and considering my own experiences, I have drawn some conclusions. They are as follows:

G 50s can benefit from a 100 Watt bulb. That is a simple easy installation, and bulbs are available relatively inexpensively from a number of lamp suppliers. I recommend using one of the better brands, like Hella. Bada bing, bada bang, and as Baretta used to say: "An' dat's da name of dat tune". No further improvement is necessary.

F50s are another matter. The general consensus seems to be that despite a lot of hype, the standard HID low beams are difficult to beat. They put out a LOT of light, and since they ARE low beams, I'm not sure that any increase in actual light output would do much good considering the cost and trouble involved. The high beams are where help is needed though.At only 1700 lumens standard, I suspect that a good increased light output Halogen bulb would extend the visual range at night considerably. While they won't provide 150 MPH+ range like jet aircraft landing lights would, that extreme solution is not viable for high beam replacement, and auxiliary lamps on an F 50 would look tacky. So replacing the standard bulb would be the best solution, or at least, the easiest, least expensive and most effective.

I have written to Daniel Stern asking him which high output bulb he recommends for the F50 that doesn't require special wiring harnesses and won't melt the plastic headlamp cover or damage the reflectors, and how much they cost shipped. I will report his answer as soon as I hear from him.

FWIW, I understand that replacing bulbs on an F 50 involves removing the front bumper and other body components. That's not something I want to tackle. I asked my dealer for an estimate to replace bulbs, and am waiting for a firm number. The service supervisor said he expected it would be at least $100 per side, probably more. So improving lighting on an F 50 doesn't seem as easy or inexpensive as on a G 50. I will probably spend the money to do this anyway. Good long range lighting is important to me. I consider it a safety issue wherein saving money is not a good alternative to hitting a deer at 80 or 100 MPH at night. BTDT.

Stay tuned.