I have a quick question for everyone. I don't have very good eyesight in low-light situations and the stock headlights in my '91 Corolla aren't cutting it. I looked at HID conversions but the price is a bit steep.
Can someone point me in the right direction to some brighter headlights?
Thanks
Pretty much all halogen bulbs are going to put out the same amount of light. Sylvania Silverstars might look a little better to you, but as far as I know, they put out the same lumens as any other halogen bulb.
HID is probably your best bet. A 5300k kit will put out a billion times more light than your OEM bulbs. Kit should go for about $300 on ebay.
Install higher wattage bulbs, relays and aim them properly.
Simply put, the lens of the stock headlights isn't the best at dispersing light into the target areas. Typically you want the roadside/sidewalk, 10 feet above the roadside for signs, the lower left and right corners for the lane markings/reflectors and a good amount straight ahead with a sharp cutoff to prevent glare onto oncoming traffic.
Aiming the left headlight slightly more to the left will produce more foreground illumination in front of you since the beam is dispersed in a preset pattern.
Be careful with those HID conversions. If the stock lens reflectors on the headlights are plastic, they could melt and may even burn. However, if they're metallic, they're OK. But the light dispersion might be optimal.
I have a quick question for everyone. I don't have very good eyesight in low-light situations and the stock headlights in my '91 Corolla aren't cutting it. I looked at HID conversions but the price is a bit steep.
Can someone point me in the right direction to some brighter headlights?
Thanks
go to Walmart, in the auto parts section they have a Halogen upgrade set for about $20.00
they are a little brighter than the stock halogens. it is you will see the regular set, than a better set for a fewe bucks more... that should be enough light for cheap. if you need much more light, you are either drivng like a maniac, or just have money to burn ..
Thanks for all the information! Much appreciated BTW, that Daniel Stern Lighting site is extremely informative. I think more people should read some of those articles. I now have made up my mind to stay away from HID conversions and those "super-white" and tinted bulbs.
Maybe sometime this week I will get off my butt and go buy some relays and a new set of bulbs. Only thing I can think of is that these bulbs are shot (they are several years old) and are dying. You know, I never though about relays in headlight circuits. Never have given much though to the technicalities until now. It shouldn't be much of a hassle. I installed a set of Hella fog lights on the back of my dad's truck for use when plowing during the winter and that was pretty easy (and helped a lot!).
Can anyone recommend some high-wattage bulbs?
Thanks again
check out my lighting upgrade on my mazda..it has h4's
i put in a new light loom and it rocks without even changing the globes!
this conversion will work with a rolla................................
cost me bout $55.0 au and a couple of hours
These 2-filament bulbs with P43t base are for high/low beam headlamps and Cibié BiOscar fog/drive beam lamps. Fun facts: The H4 was the world's first 2-filament halogen automotive bulb. It was introduced in Europe in 1971, and was used in many millions of European and Japanese headlamps starting in that year, but wasn't legalized in the US (where it was designated HB2 or 9003) until over two decades later, in 1992!
60/55W Ultra High Efficacy Plus 50 (Tungsram Megalicht, Narva Rangepower+50, Osram Silverstar or Philips VisionPlus*): $17/ea
60/55W Narva Rangepower High Efficacy Plus 30: $11/ea
Good call!!!!!!!!!!!!
i put in std replacments 60/55W Ultra High Efficacy Plus 50 with not much change
good globe but the loom was loosing to much power..eg almost 2 volt
after upgrading the loom it rocks! (with relays)
im going to change my globes soon to 80 or 90/100 w
my auto electrican who is a good mate says any thing over this is over kill and is unrliable due to heat in the head lamp...to hot vibrates then fails....
my loom will hapily take 170W but i like to be on the safe side!
check out my site for more info
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Brighter headlights
Little Tank
The Cressida
BTW, that Daniel Stern Lighting site is extremely informative. I think more people should read some of those articles. I now have made up my mind to stay away from HID conversions and those "super-white" and tinted bulbs. 
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