GhostPath Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 (edited) I just installed a headlight upgrade - I installed new clear-lensed units, the originals just sucked rocks. The problem isn't the amount of light but rather that the light pattern sucked and most of the light is diffused by the badly fluted lenses. I find that installing higher output bulbs is a diminishing-returns proposition in these types of fixtures. Old: New: I got them from eBay. There are several vendors there, so shop around. There are some you should avoid - do NOT buy from motorblvd or yishiau on eBay as I had bad experiences with them. I finally bought mine from acemotors700 even though they were one of the more expensive vendors. I paid that premium to get them right away (one of my original lights was cracked), $150 including shipping. You can find them for $100 shipped occasionally. The lights come with new mounting brackets. There is a bolt on the back of the bracket on each that sticks out too far and needs to be cut off. Here's the original bracket, with a stud just short enough to allow the bracket to fit flush against the radiator support. Here's how the lights come: And here's how they look after the stud has met Mr. Dremel: Other than that, they go on without problems. For those of you with HID conversions for the original lights, these use the same 9004/HB1 bulbs as the originals (and if you need a new conventional bulb, they come preloaded with Philips 9004's already in them). For those of you with higher power bulbs, be advised that the lenses are some sort of polycarbonate and may melt with super high output bulbs. HID users need not worry as they run cooler than halogens. You don't really need more powerful bulbs anyway - the beam pattern from these are MUCH better, close to what a good stock system does in a new car. Fixed the problem entirely without having to rewire the nose of the truck or put a larger power drain on the alternator. More pictures here. Edited December 7, 2007 by GhostPath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Good job man... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msavides Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 SWEET! I will be getting mine monday, I can't wait. The HID pattern with the stock housings are terrible. I will update with beam patterns once I get mine installed. Great write up, Now I know what to expect. I ordered mine from ebay member progrill, for $130 out the door, they shipped the next day. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted December 7, 2007 Author Share Posted December 7, 2007 (edited) Just added better "after" pics to the album. Here's a couple. Edited December 9, 2007 by GhostPath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earth1 Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Do have any b/a night pics right on the lights and of the pattern? Those look a lot better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenn Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 nice pics! QUESTION : if the new lens are polycarbonate will they scratch easier then glass; will they crack easier after getting hit from stone or gravel ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted December 8, 2007 Author Share Posted December 8, 2007 (edited) Do have any b/a night pics right on the lights and of the pattern? Those look a lot better. I haven't gotten any night pics of the beam pattern yet. Before, all I had was two small dim pools, pretty much worthless. nice pics! QUESTION : if the new lens are polycarbonate will they scratch easier then glass; will they crack easier after getting hit from stone or gravel ? They will scratch, just like all the other polycarbonate lenses. However, they are more flexible and less prone to shattering than our original glass ones. That said, to avoid scratching you can purchase some vinyl headlight protection film, which I am going to do. And, of course, you can polish minor scratches right out. I should add that the R51's lenses (and I think the late R50's) are polycarbonate just like these. Edited December 8, 2007 by GhostPath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenn Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 nice, what is vinyl headlight protection film ? where do you get it ? THANKS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roost Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 nice, what is vinyl headlight protection film ? where do you get it ? THANKS I know that you can get some from Aerostich. They are a company that is a motorcycle equipment vendor and they have this film for the motorcycle headlights. I am sure that you can get it elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted December 9, 2007 Author Share Posted December 9, 2007 (edited) It is a clear film that you apply over your headlights, much like tear-offs on a helmet visor. Or kind of like window tinting, just clear and on the outside of the lens. This stuff keeps the lens from oxidizing and from getting scratched. You can obtain it from many tinting shops, or simply get it from eBay (though I don't see any on eBay for the WD21 at the moment, there were tons listed last week). Here's an example of the stuff: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2005-2006-2...sspagenameZWD1V And here's a high priced set: http://www.stickercity.com/store/product.php?productid=18554 A more reasonably priced set: https://www.xpel.com/products/headlight_pro...p;submodel=1292 Edited December 9, 2007 by GhostPath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted December 9, 2007 Author Share Posted December 9, 2007 (edited) OK, beam pattern time! To compare, here's some from msavides (sorry, I borrowed them because I have no before pics). Note that these are best case scenario for the STOCK lens and reflector combos - msa installed HID lights in his and this is the best he could get: Remember, those are with HIDs in them, so that's as good as the originals will ever get. Notice the narrow beam pattern and vague cutoff, the flares and hot spots. Now, here are the STOCK bulbs with my NEW clear headlights. I do have them aimed a bit high, but notice the nice broad beam pattern, relatively even distribution of light, and decent cutoffs (as decent as DOT legal lights will ever get). And this is on low-beam only - and my camera isn't the best at capturing it. They actually extend further out to the sides than the camera was able to capture, so the beam pattern is nice and broad. Edited December 9, 2007 by GhostPath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msavides Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Ghostpath, I actually received mine on friday. I installed them on friday evening. I did not have time to adjust them yet. I am still not really happy with the light spread. I have HID Conversion bulbs on all my cars and all of the beam patters are perfect on those. (97 honda accord, 01 hyundai santa fe, 03 kia spectra. I will try and get pictures of beam patterns off mine tonight. I was thinking. The glass lenses on the stock housings obviously separate from the housing and the new ones separate as well. I was thinking of using the stock housings with the clear plastic lenses. The new housings have the reflector on the back of the housing and uses a front deflector to deflect the light back to the housing instead of using the glass to deflect. This is much better but looks nothing like the beam patterns of my other cars. My search for the perfect beam pattern my be futile. I have not hot spots on any of the beam patterns on my other cars. I also thought of removing the front reflector off the new housings but not sure what that would acomplish. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Okay What is an HID light? What does that refer to? I use the stock standard halogen lights that come with 1990 pathfinders with the stock light covers... what would an HID upgrade cost and do for me? Couple that with these new light covers... what kind of improvement are we talking about here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Google it. HID = High Intensity Discharge HID's are arclights, not filament lights. Biiiig difference in light output and life expectancy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted December 9, 2007 Share Posted December 9, 2007 Google it. HID = High Intensity Discharge HID's are arclights, not filament lights. Biiiig difference in light output and life expectancy. I'm trying to avoid google since there's a load of misinformation and I wouldn't know the difference hm... I think I'ma have to look into those. And they work on stock voltages and currents? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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