Topic: Upgrade Your OEM Headlights!

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 9/7/2003

I would like to find Silverstar lights to use for low beams.  When all are on with high beams, my normal halogens are great, but just the low beams are awful.  I heard good things about Silverstars though longevity isn't much.  I have the four bulb sealed beam setup.

BooBoo

[Lefty]

Sent: 9/8/2003 

I haven't seen the "Silverstar" brand, but Hella makes a couple of great headlights in the H-4 European spec's, 60w lo/100w hi that should fit the bill. I know they are available in the 4-light rectangular setup, I'll see if they come in the round style and post the part #'s.

[enigma960080]

Sent: 9/9/2003

Lefty, Could you please post the H4656 /4651 equivalent also please

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 9/9/2003 1:36 AM

Lefty, they are Sylvania Silverstars, supposed to be around 17 bucks each.   They get rave reviews from RV and offroad sites, but they only last a year.   I  do so little night driving, they should last longer.  And, as I said, it's the lo w beams that are poor so I really need better lo beams.  I'm out driving 'em now, but the hi beams light the road like daylight and I'm pretty sure they are adjusted right. 

Do you know what a standard (Sylvania) halogen is on lo beam wattage wise?  And yes, they are all new lamps.  I have the square ones.  Hella does make quality lamps... bought a setup for the old VW Transporter.  Very expensive bulb housings but WOW!  what awesome quality cut glass lenses -- real works of art. 

H-4, that is the removable bulb from the housing setup like in my Jetta,correct?

[Lefty]

Sent: 9/10/2003

You are correct. The H-4 are replaceable bulb type that fit in place of H6451 and H6456 Rectangular lamps.  They are pricey, but last for years and the bulbs are replaceable. The standard Halogen from Sylvania are around , 45watt on low and around 60w on High.

Another alternative is to use a line called "Britelite" by Sylvania.  They are about 30% brighter on low than standard Halogen lamps and have improved optics for a more focused beam.  They run around $15 each.  Have you thought about some Driving lights?  They have come a long way in design and look good too.

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 9/10/2003

Will check out the Sylvania Britestars.  Also, is the Hella system plug and play or do i need to rewire plugs?  How much do they cost?  Yes, I have considered driving lights but want to try replacements first.

[Lefty]

Sent: 9/10/2003

Hellas should plug right in.  The Sylvania's are "Brightlite", not "Brightstar".  I'll get exact spec's for you tomorrow.

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 9/10/2003

Lefty, you meant Wagner Britelite.  They are 4000 Kelvin just like the Silverstars, but I can't find the wattage on 'em.

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 9/10/2003

I checked out the Hellas, seem to be about 45 dollars each plus bulb?  I just want the square low beams I believe with H4, 55/65watt euro specs (plus 30% or plus 50% bulbs).  If you can hook me up with the Napa parts numbers, or if available thru Napa, I will run to my local store and pick 'em up. 

Does my low beam also have a high beam, then a seperate high beam on the other light?  I can't remember if all 4 light up on high beams.  I don't need the lights that come on only for high beams, OK?  I will get the Hellas E code if available.  Mrs BooBoo says OK, but I don't think she quite understands why I would pay that amount tho..."The others are so much cheaper."  " That they are."  I replied, "Thats the whole point!"

Forgot to add, I have a Dodge, Class C, Minnie Winnie. 1979 MB300.  AutoZone site says they are 4651/4656 bulbs.

Thanks again.  I'm going to bed.  The web search took hours, but now I know the Hellas get RAVE reviews!

[Lefty]

Sent: 9/11/2003

Here's the #'s you asked about.:

Hella H-4 165mm Rectangular is part # 735-2677, Replaces H4656 hi/lo & 7" Round is part # 735-2690 for 2-light system.

Also, H4656BL and H4651BL are the Brightlight part #'s.  They are listed as 80% brighter than standard Lamps, (which are rated at 35w/50w).

Hope this helps.

PS. the Hella's are listed at $59.95 ea. so if you get them at $45. bucks, thats a good deal!

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 9/11/2003

Thanks Lefty.  I will order them this AM.  We are off for a 5 day stay to put in Formal Floral curtains!  Mrs. Boo's idea.  See you all back on Tuesday or Monday, a nice weekend to all.
BooBoo

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 9/11/2003

I ordered the 165mm,  H4's and H1's with the xenon +50 bulbs, 60/55 watts.

BooBoo

[enigma960080]

Sent: 9/12/2003

If you go to  www.cskauto.com  and do a search for  <insert headlamp number here> you will find Sylvania SilverStars at $24.99 each  plus shipping.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Sent: 9/13/2003

Sylvania Silverstars are available at local parts stores like Advance Auto ($24.88 each).  I saw them in a store today.   Why pay more by ordering on the net and paying extra for shipping?  Standard Winne 2 light sealed beam system P/N is H6024ST (55/65 watt).  They are amoung the brightest lights you can get without moving to an HID system.

There is a good description of them at
http://www.brightheadlights-hid.com/Sylvania-silverstars.htm

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 9/13/2003

Sylvania Silverstars are available at local parts stores like Advance Auto ($24.88 each).  I saw them in a store today.   Why pay more by ordering on the net and paying extra for shipping?  Standard Winne 2 light sealed beam system P/N is H6024ST (55/65 watt).  They are amoung the brightest lights you can get without moving to an HID system

Dave, the downside to Silverstars is that they are among the shortest lived bulbs you can buy.  The Hellas can replace a bulb for as little as 10 bucks, plus you can put many different rated bulbs into them, upgrade 'em... all kinds of ways.

More options with the Hellas plus the optics are of outstanding quality in the housings.  You can also go E- code narrower patterns as oppossed to DOT wide angle diffuse pattern.  They cost is twice the Silverstar's, but they last way longer -- I hear 3 to 4 years as opposed to 1 year for Silverstars.  Considering that, the Hellas become the least expensive of the two.  Anyhow, thats why I got the Hellas.
BooBoo

[Myk-dK]

Sent: 9/13/2003

The Hellas are great, that's what I run on some of my vehicles. They are wired differently & come with a 6" jumper wire, to make them "PLUG & PLAY".  Where I drive (logging roads), there are lots of flying rocks & the only draw back is the $ if they get rock chips.  I've had the lenses completely broken out but the inner bulb still worked and gave off nearly as much light as a standard bulb. 

You can get 55-60w,  60-80w, 60-100w, or 80-120w & now you can get newfangled blue beams , HID, & Xenon carbide.

I've ran with all the wattages & I like the 60-100w the best as the low beam is about the max you can run & not atract attention (trouble).  I had 80-120w on a motor bike & I had people flashing me all the time.

To protect the lenses on my newest set, I got some sticky on 1 side, clear plastic stuff thats allmost an1/8" thick (kinda like that contact stuff that you use for crafts & laminating), made for protecting lights. You just cut it to fit your lense and stick it on.  So far, so good..
 
myk

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 9/13/2003

Mine were shipped yesterday.  I can't wait!  I LOVE bright lights, being the kind of a night-blind Mr. Magoo that I am, LOL!  Lights are an interesting subject.  Sorta like carbs and... curtains!
BooBoo

[melyash]

From: melyash
Sent: 9/14/2003

I have found this whole discussion of headlight technology rather illuminating!  (pun intended) ;-)
 
Lefty, I am now considering the upgrade, I have a 1972 C-20. The Headlight are round, and a single one for both High and low. Do you have a part number for this rig?
 
Thanks in advance...
Matt

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Sent: 9/14/2003

The Hella headlight conversion P/N is 70477.  That is for a the standard 7" round 2 headlight system used on most classic Winnie's.   The standard Hella (HB2) replacement bulb P/N is 78156 (60/55W).  You can get a higher higher wattage bulb (90/100W) under Hella P/N 78169

[mightybooboo]

Sent: 2/21/2004

OK, I did the those Hella bulbs and they are bright, really light up the road, very nice upgrade!
BooBoo

[MSN Member]

Sent: 2/22/2004 5:23 PM

Connect your headlights to the battery with short fat wires, a heavy duty solenoid and a circuit breaker (or fuse).
Do the same with your dipped (low?) lights.
Use your old wiring to switch the solenoid switches.
Beef up the earth wires at the same time.
~
As wires get old, they can't carry the load

[Elandan]

I swapped the ones out on my Elandan and it is night and day, I went from a halogen to the Hella euro spec headlamps.

I found this site for Hella headlamps, the site is more geared towards Jeeps but they carry the 200mm rectangle and the 7" round DOT approved for $45 each:

http://www.bjsoffroad.com/CartGenie/prod-575.htm

They also have the euro spec ones which I will recommend over the DOT ones, they have nicer light pattern at $55 each.

http://www.bjsoffroad.com/CartGenie/prod-788.htm

I emailed them and both sets come with bulbs...

Just thought I would pass it along.

[jkilbert]

if you're going to upgrade to higher power headlights you need to upgrade your wiring also. this applies to your cars as well as rv's. the stock switch and wiring isn't designed to handle the power draw. you can either build your own wiring to place 2 relays so the lights get power directly from the battery or buy one of the plug and play harnesses that are available. i know this from experience from frying the headlight switch in my '83 suburban and seeing the same problem in my FD's 1990 Grumman Arialcat. between cab lights, running boards, candlesticks and lollypops i added 27 #194 bulbs and 2 more 1157's i was ok until i plugged my TT in. i had to disconnect most of them and add a relay. i also added the relay for the hella 55/100w headlights. no problems after that. even adding the relay to stock headligts will brighten them up by delivering the full 12v to them.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So the decision is final, based on budget.  We are going with Silverstars for low beams, and since they don't make them in high beams, we are going with the next brightest ones for high beams...not sure what they are called.

If they only last a year with the minimal amount of night driving we like to do, then, I'll definately upgrade to the Hella setup next year.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

The headlight replacement went easily enough...Silverstars for the low beams, UltraVision for the high beams.  And they seem pretty bright, though I haven't tried them at night yet.  They are a white light though...the ones that were on the coach weren't even halogens, and threw off a weak yellow light.

I only had 2 other bulbs that were out...one marker bulb on the side, and one tail light dual element bulb on the rear passenger side.  Both were easily replace.

Now I have to track down a wiring demon.  All the marker lights went out while I was checking them, twice.  The signals still worked as did the headlights, but every other light went out.  I started the engine and they all came back on, and then went out again...so I wiggles the headlight switch and they came back on.  Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...might need a new headlight switch.  I'll check the wiring going to it when I fix the heater control panel...it is loose in the dash and needs a rear support to hold it in place, and its right near the switch.  Could be bumping the wire plug, its that close.  My ignition switch acts wonky too, so I might have to replace that as well...I heard it can start a dash fire, which would be bad.  When we park I hit the battery isolator switch so there is never any power to the dash when we are sitting, but sometimes it does wierd things when we are driving, like get hot, or make the check engine/brake/oil lights come on.

Ah, the joys of old electrical systems!

Kev