Stock halogen bulbs still? They do get dimmer over time. You can try a new pair to see if that helps.

Also, I've noticed that every time I upgrade my lights, eventually they just don't seem as bright anymore. But I think I just get used to the extra light.

 

You could upgrade the wiring and add relays.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html

Just don't think about sticking HID bulbs in the Halogen housings...
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/HID.html

 

Just don't think about sticking HID bulbs in the Halogen housings...
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/HID.html

dont have that problem here
5k bi-hid's

 

Philips Extreme light bulbs - they are about $20 on ebay. Also restore your lenses if they are foggy.
HID can be done also, just use 35W ballast instead of 55W

 

I would disagree with putting in HID bulbs in a halogen housing. Different bulbs that have a completely different pattern. Also, the T-100 Halogen housing has Fresnel lens setup which will scatter the light and create dangerous glare issues fer oncoming drivers.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/disadvantages/disadvantages.html

If you install HID bulbs in yer Halogen housings and the resulting glare blinds an oncoming driver who crashes and dies. How would you feel about that? How many accidents will you cause before you "see" the light?

 

Or just retrofit in real HID projectors if you want to go that route

 

I replaced mine with some Sylvania silverstars and it helped greatly, along with polishing the headlights to restore them to clear. Do those two things first and you'll be surprised how much better the lights will work.

 

Yep...keep it simple at first and see how it goes. New Sylvanias (and a lens polish) will definitely be brighter than the 19 year old OEM bulbs.

 

My headlights don't quite seem to be as bright anymore and I'm considering installing a pair of aftermarket lights...

All the aftermarket headlamps (ALL!) are junk. If you must replace your headlamps, get factory headlamps.

Stock halogen bulbs still? They do get dimmer over time. You can try a new pair to see if that helps.

The "long life" bulbs that come stock are especially prone to that. They long outlive their usefulness.

You could upgrade the wiring and add relays.

But that IS a little expensive. Definitely can be worth it on vehicles whose already too-thin wiring starts oxidizing or breaking apart internally.

Just don't think about sticking HID bulbs in the Halogen housings...

Definitely! Unsafe and illegal, to boot.

Philips Extreme light bulbs - they are about $20 on ebay. Also restore your lenses if they are foggy.

The Philips X-Treme Vision are excellent, when available for the bulb type.

HID can be done also

Nope.

Yeah, I read similar article by some dude on Ford's forum. So, this is why it was suggested to use 35W ballast instead of 55W. Also keep bulb in range 3000K - 5000K and slightly lower the beam. This suggestion is still better than none.

Nope and nope. No HID bulb used in any lamp assembly designed for a filament bulb will work safely. There is no aiming that can be done to remedy that. It'll be dangerous whether you're in the so-equipped vehicle, or in one on sharing the road with it.

I replaced mine with some Sylvania silverstars and it helped greatly

The Silverstars (in particular the "Ultra" and the "zXe") aren't very good bulbs at all. They probably seemed to help merely because their filaments and envelopes were new, and the bluer light may seem brighter because of its glaring effect. Much better bulbs are to be had than them.

 

But that IS a little expensive. Definitely can be worth it on vehicles whose already too-thin wiring starts oxidizing or breaking apart internally.

$16 shipped doesn't sound too expensive fer a plug and play upgraded harness with relays.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/H4-Relay-Ha...ss-Wire-Halogen-Ceramic-Controller-Socket-Plugs-Kit-For-Headlight-/221560712392

Gonna order one and see how well it does.

 

I was thinking about trying out one of those cheap relay harnesses, or making my own. But from what I've read, there's a little extra wiring required for our trucks because they use the 'switched ground' system. From what I can gather, there's a resistor needed to send light back to the high-beam indicator light on our dashes. See below:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Headlights.shtml#HarnessTypes

" The switched ground harness has additional circuitry to isolate the low and high beam relays and most importantly to provide the power to illuminate the high beam indicator light, as is done with the stock wiring.
This is needed because in stock form, the high beam indicator actually is powered by current "leaking" though the low beam filament (when it is turned off that is). When a relay is installed in place of the actual light bulb, the 15-20 mA of current that the relay coil uses is not sufficient to illuminate the high beam indicator, so it'll appear to be "burned out". "

I'd like to hear how the ebay harness works out, and if the high beam indicator still comes on.

 

Switched ground harness

After reading a little more, I found a schematic on that same page.
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Headlights.shtml#TechInfo

Looks like he uses a resistor and 2 diodes, which those simple ebay harnesses don't use. These do 2 things, if you look at the schematic drawing:
-Leaves the low beams on when you switch to high beams. This would be nice if you ask me.
-Allows a small amount of current to flow from the 87A terminal of the high-beam relay back to the original headlight plug. I guess this is what turns on the high beam indicator light.

Looks like he gives enough info to make your own harness. Or buy a premade one and wire in the extra components.

 

-Leaves the low beams on when you switch to high beams. This would be nice if you ask me.

In a dual-filament bulb, it's nice until the bulb explodes. Bulbs are pressurized from 6 to 12 atmospheres (88 to 176psi) and the rises to about five times that at normal operating temperature. Two filaments at full power means you rise to that pressure, and then exceed it, so fast that the envelope will fail spectacularly, ruining the headlamp. The bulb can withstand it a few times for brief periods, but it's a disaster waiting to happen.

Also, leaving lows on unnecessarily keeps you from seeing distal objects as well as you could with just the high beams on.

 

On our 'new' to us, the lights were really crappy. I polished the yellow haze off the lenses and installed PIAA GT-X 135/125W bulbs. What a difference they made. :rockon:

 

A) Those are 60/55W bulbs. Their "60W=135W" a lie, nothing more. Same goes for the "55W=125W" nonsense. Wattage is a measure of power consumption, not light output.

B) The coating on them cuts out so much of the red/orange/yellow light that the light may look "whiter" but it's also quite a bit dimmer. The red/orange/yellow portion of the light emitted by a filament is about 85% of the light, blue is about 10% of the light. If you're stripping out the R/O/Y that much, you're really cutting your light output-- and you're leaving in light that is very hard to see by!

The only difference they make is that you got much less light and you think you got more. For the same money, the Philips X-Treme Vision H4 is a much, much better choice. For one-third of the price, the Sylvania Xtravision H4 will soundly smack down that PIAA bulb-shaped toy.

 

Wow. Good stuff here. This original post was inspired by recently driving the Seward Highway here in Alaska at night... It's already dangerous enough with poor striping but it seems like so many vehicles out there have ridiculously brighter lights these days.... I'm not sure, but I think my bulbs are still OEM stock, and the lenses are definitely foggy.

What kind of polishing compound should I use to clean them up?

 

It's already dangerous enough with poor striping but it seems like so many vehicles out there have ridiculously brighter lights these days....

Mostly "upgrades" by people who don't know better. Properly designed and aimed factory headlamps should be brighter for the drivers but still do a good job controlling glare. So many "tuners" throw in the HID kits or do dangerous bulb swaps thinking it's a safe upgrade.

I'm not sure, but I think my bulbs are still OEM stock, and the lenses are definitely foggy.

Bulbs that outlast the clarity of the lenses is a sign of "long life" bulbs, especially in the northern latitudes of Alaska. They sure do LAST a long time, but were barely adequate new, and now have long outlived their usefulness.

What kind of polishing compound should I use to clean them up?

Right now, it seems the best off-the-shelf solution (that doesn't require actually purchasing new factory headlamps) is the Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit.

 

I used a kit by Permatex that I got from my local auto parts store. A cordless drill, a water spray bottle, the polishing kit and about 1/2 hour were all it took to clean the headlight lenses up to new condition. The bulbs made an even bigger difference and have not caused other motorists to 'flash' me because of the extra brightness of the new bulbs.
Initially,I was skeptical of the kit, but it worked out really well.

 

I suggest giving Turtle Wax headlight polish and sealant a shot. It'll polish your headlights and seal them at the same time so they stay clear for over a month. Just use a foam pad or a rag and polish by hand, it doesn't take long. It'll work great if your headlights aren't TOO yellowed and oxidized. If the oxidation is super thick, you'll need a sanding kit like 3M.

I got my MR2 with really yellowed and foggy headlights. Not terrible, but bad.

Before:

After:

I've also tried both Sylvania Silverstar Ultra and PIAA Plasma GT-X bulbs. The Plasma GT-X bulbs are far whiter than Silverstar Ultras and stock, which is nice. But the Silverstar Ultras are brighter than GT-X, and FAR brighter than stock. They do tend to burn out a little faster though. Mine are still alive, after over a year and 6000 miles (and a lot of night driving). My fathers burned out after 6 months. So if you do upgrade bulbs, I suggest Silverstar Ultras (and not regular Silverstars). Maybe someone has a better suggestion for bulbs.

 

I've also tried both Sylvania Silverstar Ultra and PIAA Plasma GT-X bulbs. The Plasma GT-X bulbs are far whiter than Silverstar Ultras and stock, which is nice. But the Silverstar Ultras are brighter than GT-X, and FAR brighter than stock. They do tend to burn out a little faster though. Mine are still alive, after over a year and 6000 miles (and a lot of night driving). My fathers burned out after 6 months. So if you do upgrade bulbs, I suggest Silverstar Ultras (and not regular Silverstars). Maybe someone has a better suggestion for bulbs.

The Silverstar Ultras aren't the best of the bunch, but at least they comply with the regulations for their bulb types, and, yes, they will outperform the PIAA Plasma GT-X bulbs.

The Philips X-Treme vision will outperform the Silvestar Ultras by a long shot. There's just no contest. It's just basic physics. The only downside is the shorter lifespan, but bulbs are cheaper than wrecks.

 

Got my wiring kit in last Friday and finally got some time to install it today.

I had to remove the coolant reservoir in order to install the wiring kit. It just pulls out of the bracket so I would have enough room to work with. I reinstalled the reservoir after I was done installing the wiring kit.

I attached both grounds to each headlight frame mounting bolts as they were within reach of the ground wires.

The harness was mirrored in installation of the stock wiring by pressing it under the radiator/hood latch bulkhead and then ziptied in place. I mounted the relays off of the lower radiator shroud bolt. The 30A fuse housing ends up just in front of the battery.

So far so good! The light output is considerably brighter compared to the stock wiring setup. Facing a store front window, the brights are very blinding. The blue "brights on" is barely visible when the brights are on but it does show up in low lighting conditions. You just can't really see it during daylight conditions. I might have to mod it when I git a chance. I say the $16 harness is a great route to go to git brighter headlights.

 

Those look like halogen high beams.

I daily an MR2 Spyder, very low car. Many cars with crappy headlights blind me through the rearview mirror, but I'm always thankful for luxury cars. BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, all their projectors have such a sharp cutoff and auto leveling that they never blind me. Unless they're SUVs and riding my ass, but that's driver error. Projectors are brilliant inventions.

My biggest issue on the roads in terms of lighting are people with HIDs in halogen housings. Blinding and painful, especially in the ricer 8000k colors that are sharp and even more painful while simultaneously horrible for actually lighting the road. It shows disregard for other drivers on the road and poses an actual safety risk.

I gave HIDs a try, stuck them in factory halogen housings once. Drove once, took them out same day. I felt bad blinding other drivers after seeing how much glare shines upwards.

But switched LED bars used sparingly to tell people with HIDs to eff off, I'm in support of that.

 

basically its the logic that - if the new cars can do it im going to do it as well mentality
monkey see monkey do kinda thing

me i live in the middle of nowhere with no lights anywhere and nearest gas station is 5 miles away

and i also go off road a lot

 

How new cars do it:

How you do it, if not worse. This is an H4 HID kit in my reflector housings blinding the living hell out of everyone:

If we're going to be using the logic of monkey see monkey do, then we should probably do as they do and use proper projectors. If you're cherry picking, then it's not logic at all but cheap justification. Aside from Acura, cars with projectors and HIDs from the factory do it right.

 

Right by oem hid's blinding the crap outta you seems logical

Still annoying as hell

 

I've been very happy with the wiring harness from eBay. With the rain last night, I didn't have any problems seeing at night nor did anyone flash me fer my headlights.

Fer $16, it's a great start and an easy install!

 

Lol wait till you drive a Lifted truck with stock lights no matter what got flashed like my highs were on

 

^^^ you make 100% valid points. He probably knows that stuff, but he said that he doesn't care. No need to waste any more time on it I guess.

 

This whole thread started as someone asking about what they are using to see better at night as far as T100 lighting is concerned.
Now it's turned into a dick wagging contest with whomever supports and uses Sylvania products as the obvious educated genius and superior over all other opinions.
The last i saw, this is an international internet forum. What is legal in one area of the world may or may not be in another. What is appropriate here may not be appropriate there.....
Personally, I use what I use because it plain and simple works and works well for what I am using it for. I drive 50/50 pavement and rough dirt roads/trails. I need reliability, dependability and light. I don't depend on a POS bulb burning out and driving across town to get a replacement. I want something that lights my way and lasts for a long,long time.
I am happy and completely satisfied with the product that I'm using, and would recommend it to anyone that asks. However, I will not ram my opinion down someones throat and blast anyone that disagrees with my own interpretation of how the world works.
My 2 cents.....

 

Now it's turned into a contest with whomever supports and uses Sylvania products as the obvious educated genius and superior over all other opinions.

There are Sylvania products worth supporting, and there are Sylvania products not worth supporting. The obvious educated genius can differentiate between them.

The last i saw, this is an international internet forum. What is legal in one area of the world may or may not be in another. What is appropriate here may not be appropriate there.....

In North America, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, and UNECE signatory countries, when it comes to vehicle lighting, everyone's in agreement that "HID kits" and "LED kits" are illegal. They aren't "appropriate" *anywhere* whether legal or not, because they just do not work properly. There are studies and mountains of verifiable data supporting this.

It's perfectly fine to argue opinions; it's not appropriate to argue facts. Facts are by their very nature inarguable.

 

Can someone confirm that the Phillips street H4 fit the T100. I have a 95 4x4 sr5. After doing a search on eBay and putting in my make and model it said this bulb is not compatible with my truck.

 

T100. I have a 95 4x4 sr5.

That vehicle uses the HB2 (9003). The H4 is essentially the same as an HB2, with very slightly higher maximum output, but very slightly lower filament precision. However, most of today's HB2s will be marked H4 as well, as there is sufficient overlap that the same bulb can meet both specs simultaneously.

The very best HB2 you can get is the Philips Xtreme Power; skip the Xtreme Vision because while it has better low beam performance than the aforementioned XTP, it has blue tinting around the high beam filament, worsening your high beam performance.

 

http://www.amazon.com/PHILIPS-Xtreme-Power-HEADLIGHT-HALOGEN/dp/B007XZA6L8 fer $34 plus tax...free shipping.

 

X-treme Power 67/60 (high/low)
X-treme Vision 60/55 (high/low)

 

Actually, they're the same wattage. A bulb that is nominally 60/55 at 12V is 67/60 at 12.8V and 70/64 at 13.2V. The wattage changes with the test voltage, and it's anybody's guess what the test voltage may be. Typically, it's the test voltage for the intended market (12.8V in the US, 13.2V in UNECE signatories), but the nominal 60/55 rating is at 12V, which is an incredibly low voltage in an automotive system, despite it being refered to as a "12V system".

Again, the XTreme Vision isn't a good choice because the high beam filament has a blue band around it.

That's a good price for the XTP, by the way.

 

BTW...welcome to the forums, @rdglgg!

 

Or live in Georgia where they don't care