Changing headlights is not fun

[DearPrudence]

So I finally received my purple HBs & LBs today (yes, I bought purple headlights). I was thinking it would be a fun, relaxing little project to do before work.

HA!!!!

It was SUCH a pain!!!!!!!! I could not believe how tricky it was to get my hands in there & change those out. At least I didn't break a nail! :D

These purple headlights better look good or I'ma be pff'd!

I've got white reverse glo gauges coming in a few days. That'll be fun. :rolleyes: I'm so glad Lwin set up a How To page!

[Tim]

:( I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but purple and blue headlights are dimmer than the clear glassed ones.

What are the wattage of the bulbs? If they're over 55/65 there is a risk of melting your wiring harness.

[petesvx2]

Wait til you experience replacing the fogs....I still cant get my hands in there to do it :(

[Seraph]

Originally posted by petesvx2
Wait til you experience replacing the fogs....I still cant get my hands in there to do it :(


I normally take the whole headlights out (unbolt them) to do the lights. Easier that way and my hands don't get burnt

[mohrds]

Originally posted by Seraph



I normally take the whole headlights out (unbolt them) to do the lights. Easier that way and my hands don't get burnt

I actually have to agree with Lwin on this one ;)

It is easier to pull the headlights out to change bulbs, especially the fogs.

I cut my hands to hell trying to change bulbs by reaching in from the engine bay.

Doug

[DearPrudence]

I just got back from a little cruise in the dark & was quite dismayed to discover that my headlights are dimmer. That's stupid.

I don't know what the wattage is, but I still have the boxes, so I'll check.

Luckily, my hands were not cut to hell. However, I did use just about every profane word in the English language. :D

[Tim]

:(... Depending on the type of box you might be able to repackage them and return them :D .

I think your best bet is to modify a 9005 style bulb to fit in your low beam socket and you will have a MUCH brighter bulb.

The only bad thing I know of is that the life is much shorter than a Low beam bulb.

[mohrds]

Originally posted by DearPrudence
I just got back from a little cruise in the dark & was quite dismayed to discover that my headlights are dimmer. That's stupid.
Welcome to the world of buyer beware. Its a sucky place, but you'll get used to it. :D


Luckily, my hands were not cut to hell. However, I did use just about every profane word in the English language. :D
Sounds like its time to learn a second language so you have a variety of profanity :D

Doug

[DearPrudence]

I think your best bet is to modify a 9005 style bulb to fit in your low beam socket and you will have a MUCH brighter bulb.

tricky tricky....

OR! I could really be a rebel and leave my HBs on all the time :D

[Landshark]

i'd recommend the Silverstar bulbs, or if you want to not spend so much, the Cool Blue bulbs (they're not really blue, they have a white light).

[DearPrudence]

I was just going to ask about the Silverstar bulbs. I may have to can the purple ones & get some of those instead.

My problem is I have this great affinity for impulsively buying things off of eBay. I saw the purple lights, thought "ooh! CUTE! I want!" & that was that.

:rolleyes:

Now I know better. I mean, don't get me wrong, the purple lights don't SUCK, they just aren't all that great. Plus, the possibility that they might melt my wiring is none too appealing.

[AFBeefcake]

If you run Upgrade Wiring Hardness you will not melt them.

I'm runing

Matix Upgrade Wiring Hardness 9005/9006
Street Glow 80 Watt low beams
Street Glow 100 Watt high beams
Street Glow 100 Watt fog Lights

I think my low beams look all most as good as HID's - the blue.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/files/AFBeefcake/8937.JPG

Its a bad pic of my lights before I installed the Upgrade Wiring Hardness, but you can get an idear.

[Gargoyle]

One thing i noticed is you're lenses are rather dirty.
This is a common SVX problem & short of doing a clear lens conversion , cleaning them will amke a remarkable differance,
( see my locker & you will see what i mean )
I went with Sylvania True Blue ( LOW ) beams Silver Star( FOG"S) & A-1 super Blue ( offroad bulbs )for the ( HIGH ) beams. the fogs where murder & make sure the cars is COLD becuase there kinda wedged inbetween the radiator.
Anyway clean those lenses & see if that helps :)

[DearPrudence]

Anyway clean those lenses & see if that helps

Were you referring to my lenses? If so, I cleaned 'em good with some rubbing compound. They're much cleaner than they were when I took the pics ;)

[Seraph]

http://www.stars-gazer.com/~svxais/faq/headlights_cleaning/index.html

That link may change.

So the best way is to look at this: http://www.stars-gazer.com/~svxais and click on how-to

[Chicane]

I'll also recommend the COOL BLUES. They're much cheaper than Silverstars, offer MORE light output than stock, and look great.

Try them. You won't be dissapointed.

Plus with the money you'll save you can get something else cool. :)

- Rob

[Jimsbaby]

i too was an ebay buyer thought oh blue lights sweet then they sucked so then i switched to the cool blues and for the money they work better than any ebay light i ever got aka got 3 different pairs till that sell just gave me my money back and said please go find your own this is all i have available...lol if you go cool blues you be happier than with that actually use of your headlights might not look as cool but you gotta see!!:D

Jim

[DearPrudence]

So many headlight options, so few expletives.

So now it's between the cool blues & the silverstars. I'll have to kick it around for a while. I've learned my lesson when it comes to buying cheesy car crap off of eBay, I promise.

The purples are perhaps a tad impractical but they are pretty. You know how we girls are about impractical, pretty things ;)

[DearPrudence]

[quote]Plus with the money you'll save you can get something else cool. [quote]

ooh, yeah, like LEDs for my valve caps.... sweeeeeeeeet

:D

I'm KIDDING!

[Breck SVX]

I put on APC 'hyperwhite' (which somehow translates into blue, of which i'm not a big fan...anyway)80W bulbs at NAPA. They were really inexpensive and are definetly brighter than stock bulbs and the car hasn't caught fire yet or melted yet. APC offers an upgrade wiring harness for 40 dollars which i'm you could possibly get at NAPA or for sure at jegs.com or summitracing.com


-Alex

[Uncamitzi]

Originally posted by DearPrudence


tricky tricky....

OR! I could really be a rebel and leave my HBs on all the time :D

like 90% of the rest of the @sses on the street here in Utah... :rolleyes:

[AFBeefcake]

I got my upgrade wiring harness from ebay for about $36.00

[crow_road75]

Has anyone tried a full upgrade to HIDs?

Been mulling over the idea for my baby... Oh, and at least be glad that the US spec cars came with front fogs - they were an option on the UK spec (and the previous owner of mine didn't tick the box...)

Jason
--

'94 Black UK spec SVX
'00 Black cat called 'Pixel'

[Seraph]

Originally posted by crow_road75
Has anyone tried a full upgrade to HIDs?

Been mulling over the idea for my baby... Oh, and at least be glad that the US spec cars came with front fogs - they were an option on the UK spec (and the previous owner of mine didn't tick the box...)

Jason
--

'94 Black UK spec SVX
'00 Black cat called 'Pixel'


Do a quick serarch :D There are a few here that runs on HIDs

[SubaSteevo]

I'm gonna have to go with Pockets and recomend switching to 9005 bulbs. After about 15 mins with a Dremel my lights are brighter than ever. I was using 9006 GE Xenon 55W bulbs (got them for $10/pr clearance at Wal-Mart) that were much brighter and whiter than the original Sylvania bulbs (They claim 1090 vs 980 lumen and 3170K vs 3070K white light, I believe both) . The new bulbs are 9005 P.I.A.A. 60W (claim they perform like 110W, but they don't) platinum super whites (clearance $20/pr at Tweeter audio & video). Now my lights have the almost brightness of H.I.D., but give off a perfect white light. Overall very happy :D :cool:

[mark10t]

I blew another low-beam bulb recently and decided to try the Sylvania SilverStars. They're not as bright as I had hoped for, but I really like the 'color'- very white. Certainly as bright as anything else I've probably tried. I have used the Sylvania Cool Blue's before.

I got mine packaged as a pair at WalMart- about $35.00 for the pair- not a bad price.

I might try modifying a pair of 9005's for a few more watts.

-Mark

[SubaSteevo]

The difference isn't really just the wattage of the bulb, you can get 9006 bulbs that go up to like 100W. The difference is the bulb itself is bigger, giving off a brighter light. The 9005 bulbs also do not have the little cap on the end like the 9006 bulbs do. You could sand off the caps for more light as well, although I did not notice much of a difference when I did this myself.

[mohrds]

Originally posted by BurgundyBeast
The difference isn't really just the wattage of the bulb, you can get 9006 bulbs that go up to like 100W. The difference is the bulb itself is bigger, giving off a brighter light. The 9005 bulbs also do not have the little cap on the end like the 9006 bulbs do. You could sand off the caps for more light as well, although I did not notice much of a difference when I did this myself.

The reflective material on the end of the bulb is designed to prevent misdirected light (blinding oncoming drivers). The only path for light is against the reflector and through the lens at precisely calculated angles.

A 9005 does not have the filament in the same place so the angles that the light contacts the reflector and is sent through the lens are screwed up, spreading the light further in all directions than it should and that is why it appears brighter.

The are three ways to improve your light output excluding HID upgrade which is a whole different can of worms for another discussion.

Upgrade the ten year old headlight harness with a heavy duty one to reduce resistance in the circuit.
The higher the harness resistance, the less voltage is delivered to the headlights.

Clean the lens, reflector and housing to restore the original performance of the optics.
Typical automotive optics only achieve 40% of the original performance after 100,000 miles. Therefore a bulb that is 50% better than stock in an old headlamp housing will still be only 60% of original OEM performance with original optics.


Upgrade to a bulb with better luminance, not just higher lumens or watts.
Brighter is not strictly a measurement of power usage and color. It is mostly affected by manufacturing tolerances and quality of materials like the glass and filimant.
Here is a list of performance bulbs rated by luminance over stock.
+50%: Philips Vision Plus
+30%: Philips Premium, Osram Silverstar (European marked only - see note below)
+20%: Osram/Sylvania Xtra Vision, Osram/Sylvania Silverstar (North american marked only - see note below)
+0%: Philips Bluevison, Osram/Sylvania Cool Blue, Osram/Sylvania Halogen Plus, and OEM bulbs like GE.
-10%: PIAA Superwite

Silverstar Note: Do not confuse the European (clear glass) Silverstar with the North american (slightly blue tinted) Silverstar. The blue tint blocks light!

Hope this helps shed some light on the issue (pun intended).

Doug

[immortal_suby]

I put in silverstars on the low beams this fall and one has already blown out. I like the color of the light from them, they seem brighter but in the rain Im not sure that they are.

After putting in a std halogen on the other side with the remaining silverstar still in I think I get more useable light from a regular bulb - but the light 'seems' brighter from the silverstar.

I havent heard of anyone else having them blowout quickly so it may have just been my bad luck.

[Tim]

I hear silverstars dont last that long. I think the next bulbs I'll try will be the xtravisions.

As of now I'm very happy with light output and it really does seem like I have HID's... not by the color but by the amount of light its putting out.

[AFBeefcake]

My street glow bulbs say 50% greater light output, and
20% more luminous flux.
Don't know how they compair to other bulbs.

[shelfy]

i also just put in a pair of silverstar low beams last week. this was my first headlight replacement in the svx and it took all of about three minutes to do both of them. this was probably the easiest headlight replacement of any car i've owned!

ps - that's a bummer to read about their supposed short lifespan. :(

[NapaBavarian]

Originally posted by DearPrudence


The purples are perhaps a tad impractical but they are pretty. You know how we girls are about impractical, pretty things ;)


Boys are the same, usually about girls;) :D