Is upgrade from 165mm to 200mm headlights worth it for better lighting?

[belfert]

I am considering upgrading from 165mm to 200mm headlights on my bus.  Would I get a better quality of light by doing this?  I know some have said there isn't much that can be done with 165mm headlights because they are too small.

I've already done about as much as I can with my 165mm headlights to make them work better and I'm still not happy with the quality of the light.  I put in relays and a direct connection to the batteries so I am getting good voltage.  I also put in better headlamps already.

[TomC]

Look into LED headlights. Barely any power or heat. Granted they are expensive, but should last the life time of the bus. Good Luck, TomC

[wg4t50]

The only down side to the LED lights, no heat and no melt the snow/ice in winter, but then with snow&ice I stay put, no need anymore.
Dave M

[belfert]

Look into LED headlights. Barely any power or heat. Granted they are expensive, but should last the life time of the bus. Good Luck, TomC

At this point I am willing to spend the money on JW Speaker LED headlights if they truly provide better light.  Lots of money for just a few trips a year, but we drive as much at night as during the day.  $600 is a lot of money, but we drive through open range areas at night and hitting a cow because we didn't see it could seriously hurt or kill someone.

I would still be willing to go to 200mm LED headlights if they provide better light than 165mm LED headlights.  The fabrication required to change headlight buckets would be pretty easy.  A Dina Viaggio isn't exactly a classic bus where I would ruin the looks with different headlights.

[opus]

No, they wont.  Go here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?87-Automotive  or http://danielsternlighting.com/ before you make any lighting decisions.

LED headlights are going to cost you about $700 per lamp. 

I just redid my headlights on recommendation of Daniel Stern.

[belfert]

I've been reading the Candlepower forums the last week or so and the recommendations are all over the place, but a lot are doing LED.  The JW Speaker LED headlights seem to get better ratings than the Truck-Lite, but many are buying Truck-Lite because they are cheaper.

I already bought and installed Cibie 165mm ECE headlights from Daniel Stern.  In my installation they absolutely suck!  The bus is practically undriveable at night on low beams.  I have a relay setup with 8 gauge wire directly to the batteries.  I am using 24 volt bulbs and I have over 27 volts at the lights.  I had the headlights optically aimed twice and the aiming was off.  I visually aimed them and they are way, way better.  I've double and triple checked that I wired the sockets properly plus I installed new ceramic sockets.

The issues I'm having with the 165mm headlights are why I want to put in 200mm headlights if it will truly improve my lighting situation.  The 165mm LED headlights are about $700 for a pair, not $700 each.

[opus]

I've been reading the Candlepower forums the last week or so and the recommendations are all over the place, but a lot are doing LED.  The JW Speaker LED headlights seem to get better ratings than the Truck-Lite, but many are buying Truck-Lite because they are cheaper.

Yes, they are all over the place.  After a while you know who to pay attention to there and who not to.

I already bought and installed Cibie 165mm ECE headlights from Daniel Stern.  In my installation they absolutely suck!  The bus is practically undriveable at night on low beams.  I have a relay setup with 8 gauge wire directly to the batteries.  I am using 24 volt bulbs and I have over 27 volts at the lights.  I had the headlights optically aimed twice and the aiming was off.  I visually aimed them and they are way, way better.  I've double and triple checked that I wired the sockets properly plus I installed new ceramic sockets.

Thats not right, have you talked to Daniel about this?

The issues I'm having with the 165mm headlights are why I want to put in 200mm headlights if it will truly improve my lighting situation. 

Incase you havent seen it, here is my thread over there: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?346282-Lights-for-dark-country-roads-a-different-scenario  I surely am not educated enough in lighting to give you cold, hard facts.  I, like most other people that own vehicles "think" they know whats good.  This is why I left it to Daniel.

The 165mm LED headlights are about $700 for a pair, not $700 each.

I wasnt looking at rectangle LED's.  http://www.rallylights.com/all/lights/headlamps/90bl-hella-bi-led-90mm-headlamp-module-hi-low-beam.html

If I was spending that money I would not look at rectangle lamps.  What little I remember from science, light is round.  I don't have that budget though.

I would surely talk to Daniel, he is billed the #1 lighting guy in the US so he should know his stuff.  From the lengthy discussions we have had, I was well pleased.  Let me know what you find out.

[Jeremy]

I don't claim to know anything about this subject but it occurs to me that, although a small handful of car models are indeed now available with LED headlights, the vast majority of 'quality' cars come with HID headlights - wouldn't that be the logical upgrade from your existing incandescent lights, and a cheaper option too?

Also just to mention that I have fitted the headlights from a Lexus LS to my bus - arguably better lights than anything aftermarket, and again much cheaper. Try searching Ebay for OEM lights from premium car brands - my instinct (perhaps wrong) says that they will be the best headlights you can buy. (But much more difficult to fit to a bus for sure).

Jeremy

[bevans6]

I recently changed the H7 halogen low beam bulbs on my wife's Mercedes B200 from whatever Mercedes puts in them to whatever generic bulb you get at a Napa store.  The high beams are still excellent but the low beams went from quite good to pathetic.  So now I am on a research mission to figure out what H7 bulbs will do the best job and why.  One thing I have found is that running them outside of their design voltage window, which is quite small, radically reduces their life.  They want no higher than 13.8 volts, apparently.  So far all the H7 bulbs are 55 watts but there are differences in light colour and output to consider.

Brian

[belfert]

I did a lot of research on light bulbs when I got my Cibie headlights.  Since I am using 24 volts I choose to go with Osram Truckstar bulbs which are pretty highly rated.  I had to order them from the UK since nobody sells them in the US.  I bought two pair of low beam bulbs and two pairs of high beam bulbs so I would have spares if they burned out.

To be clear, I am not saying the Cibie lights are bad in any way.  They just aren't working for me for whatever reason.

[opus]

To be clear, I am not saying the Cibie lights are bad in any way.  They just aren't working for me for whatever reason.

My first thought would have been you have the spades wrong.  They say that will cause the type problem you are having.  You said you checked them though.  I do know the Cibie are great lights, but this is over my head.  Hope you figure it out.

[luvrbus]

I would look into the aircraft lights a big selection without Daniels high prices   

[zubzub]

FWIW when I was around 35 yrs old I noticed that the lights on all of my vehicles weren't as good as they used to be, and  every year since they have been getting worse.  I have upgraded the lights, installed relays etc and while these improvements usually help for awhile, usually a year or so later I notice the lights aren't as strong as before.  I guess they just don't make things like they used to.

[opus]

I would look into the aircraft lights a big selection without Daniels high prices   

Aircraft lights for headlights?  Pretty sure thats not legal.

You get what you pay for.

[luvrbus]

I used them before one has to use a little common sense when it comes to the candle power,wattage and the angle though,some of the stuff Daniel sells is not legal in all states fwiw