WxChaser Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 Hey all, What headlights work the best for your pathfinder? I put some GE headlights in and at first they seemed really good, only to then be really effective when the high beams are on. When I keep the HB's on, people don't really even notice.. so that tells me that they're not really that bright. What are some of the best headlights that you guys have? I'm hoping to find something with a wider beam and that is much brighter. I live out in the country and frequently come close to hitting deer, hence why I'm picking up a brush guard to help protect the front end a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 PIAA XtremeWhite headlight bulbs work well for me. I did relay them directly to the battery though. The cream of the crop for improving headlights is to swap to a hardbody grille and use H4 bulbs with relays directly to the battery. You can also look at adding auxiliary off-road headlights and put them on the brush guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerJared Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 I replaced the housing on mine. The new housings have a plastic lens vs glass, but a ton more light gets through. I used just stupid lights from O'Reily's. I imagine an HID conversion or something would improve lighting even further. Another thing to check is the aim on your headlights. Sometimes, if they're angled too much toward the ground, the ground looks bright right in front of you but you can't see stuff far off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Pathfinder headlights are great, considering. They use the 9004 bulb, but that is a terrible, terrible bulb. I enjoyed the output of the "sad eye" pathfinder headlight, but was not impressed when I broke a couple wheeling, and it cost me an arm and a leg to replace them with junkyard units, which were extremely hard to find without some sort of crack, or the deal had deteriorated and water had gotten inside. any type of crack, or moisture inside the housing will greatly reduce light output. I swapped my pathfinder headlight mounts out for hardbody mounts so that I could use the sealed beam style, but rather, use H4 housings. Which have a proper cut off line (but still not okay to run HIDs) and tremendously better light output. And at only $20 a pop for a NEW one, the disadvantages aren't many. I prefer the look of the Pathfinder headlights, but would much rather have the performance of the H4 housing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Which housings do you run exactly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edicer2 Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 these are ones i made...very bright but if your worried about $$$ not for you probably cost 250$ but are probably the brightest lights i have ever used...great cut off lines so dont blind people either feel like im driving in daylight! http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/31473-hid-projectors-installed-w-pics/page__hl__projector Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 http://www.quadratec.com/products/97017_1600.htm These are 200mm and should fit with great results but you have to do the grille and bucket conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Neolite in the pathfinder, they are cheap. Dont care if i break them at $20 a pop. Carello in the S12, they are rare and non-existant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice186 Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 I just installed some H.O.D bulbs and they are amazing!! Yes you read that right H.O.D not HIDs http://oraclelights.com/automotive-lighting-products/ORACLE-HOD-Bulbs Can be found cheaper on eBay... I bought mine for $18.99 and I'm loving them, much brighter then stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 I'm calling snake oil on that junk. really? a little jumper harness to handle the "added power" you'd need to upgrade the entire harness if that were the case, not just a six inch pigtail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 I gotta agree there on those being a sales gimmick, as said a couple inches of wire tied into the old harness still has you with the old harness. I have silverstars in my pathfinder lenses. No complaints but I ain't got high noon daylight in front of me with just them. When I have the hardbody nose on I just have regular sealed beam bulbs and while an old dated design they work well as well (when aimed correctly). I still have to do the harness upgrade as well though so I ain't getting maximum use age out of either setup as of yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 If you can drive around with your high beams on and no one is flashing you than the headlights are not aimed correctly. I'm running Silverstar Ultra bulbs in my sentra, they are pretty good, very white light, but I have converted my pathfinder to the hardbody style headlights, I'm currently running normal sealed beams but will be upgrading to a pair of Hella conversion headlights with H4 bulbs in the future. I had them in my old hardbody with 55 watt low/100 watt high and I made my own relayed harness. The conversion headlights put out much better light than a sealed beam or the stock pathfinder headlights. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edicer2 Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 I drove with my projectors i installed with the high beams on for about a mile before i noticed they were on and got the finger from just about every car down the road ha oops! Figured it out and put it on low beam and its still stupid bright but wont blind people at all. I never even use my high beams anymore more since i can see so far down the road high beams wont even help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 I hate HIDs. Even when they are done correctly, they are way too bright for the oncoming drivers. I'm talking OEM HIDs too. The only thing behind a projector should be a halogen. Also, this: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/disadvantages/disadvantages.html There are no real advantages to HIDs, they give you a false sense of security by making the area directly in front of your vehicle very bright. which subconsciously makes your eyes focus there, instead of where they should be focused, further down the road. I bet you I can see better with my Carello H4 housings and Philip Nightguide bulbs than you can with your HIDs and projectors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edicer2 Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 (edited) I hate HIDs. Even when they are done correctly, they are way too bright for the oncoming drivers. I'm talking OEM HIDs too. The only thing behind a projector should be a halogen. Also, this: http://www.danielste...advantages.html There are no real advantages to HIDs, they give you a false sense of security by making the area directly in front of your vehicle very bright. which subconsciously makes your eyes focus there, instead of where they should be focused, further down the road. I bet you I can see better with my Carello H4 housings and Philip Nightguide bulbs than you can with your HIDs and projectors halogens are way dimmer dude idc what that guy says in his artical theres a reason all newer cars are using them. I also guarantee my projectors out shine your halogens...probably even outshine yours with me driving behind you....I have seen my cutoff line about a 1/4 mile down the road. I can see all the way down pretty much every street in my town and also with HID you can see the road stripes and street signs alot better than halogen. They refect a lot better. I have been driving in blizzards and not been able to see infront of me but been able to see the stripes and signs becasue of the hid lights. I would of never of seen them with halogen bulbs i tried everything with halogens before switching. You probably just hate them because u see the hondas with them and dont have projectors or arent aimed right. If you havent tried them with proper projectors and aiming then you cant knock it. Try it and then if you really hate it then you can knock it. i have to hear this at work all the time and its annoying until those people actually try it and then its like a whole new world for them. Edited November 19, 2012 by edicer2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Nah, I hate them because of BMW's and Audi's too. They are in new cars because they are a selling point. Anything to make a sale. You think you can see better, just because your light is more intense (hense the I in HID) therefore the reflections are more intense, but I assure you, I can see just as well without as much fatigue, and without hurting the oncoming drivers night vision. Until they come at me with their high beams on, I give them the return treatment and they wish they had never known their car had high beams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pav Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 halogens are way dimmer dude idc what that guy says in his artical theres a reason all newer cars are using them. I also guarantee my projectors out shine your halogens...probably even outshine yours with me driving behind you....I have seen my cutoff line about a 1/4 mile down the road. I can see all the way down pretty much every street in my town and also with HID you can see the road stripes and street signs alot better than halogen. They refect a lot better. I have been driving in blizzards and not been able to see infront of me but been able to see the stripes and signs becasue of the hid lights. I would of never of seen them with halogen bulbs i tried everything with halogens before switching. You probably just hate them because u see the hondas with them and dont have projectors or arent aimed right. If you havent tried them with proper projectors and aiming then you cant knock it. Try it and then if you really hate it then you can knock it. i have to hear this at work all the time and its annoying until those people actually try it and then its like a whole new world for them. I have to agree with Edicer2...HID done properly will never get outperformed. The problem, like Silverton pointed out, is most people don't take the time to properly align them or install them in headlight housings that are not designed for the HID bulb's light dispersion ..and yes I've seen OEM system out of balance as well. With HIDs you don't need to use your high beams..at least I've never had to on my RSX. The only downfall is in cold climates during snow and wet winter conditions...because they don't generate heat snow and ice builds up on them. Cheapest fix for everyday driving is to install a small set of Fog's (legal to drive with in city limits) like Hella's Micro FF...they even come in LED versions now. Light technology has come a long way and HID and LED are here to stay. I do like the warm glow of a halogen but performance wise you can't beat HID/LED. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I like LED over HID. and even HIDs done right are still two little "brighter than the sun" globes menacing you from the distance, and only get worse as the oncoming vehicle gets closer. I'm just going to start driving with my highbeams on, I can see better, don't really care about anyone else. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nice186 Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I'm calling snake oil on that junk. really? a little jumper harness to handle the "added power" you'd need to upgrade the entire harness if that were the case, not just a six inch pigtail. I'm sorry I didn't read the whole article on that page the h.o.ds I got didn't have a pigtail it was just a direct plug in http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=330674820312&index=0&nav=SEARCH&nid=40771382555 This is the one I got.... Yes I know it's made by china or whatever but I wanted to try it out... At the end it's better then my stock, may not be the best but at least I have pure white vs. piss yellow headlights haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WxChaser Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 You can also look at adding auxiliary off-road headlights and put them on the brush guard. That's something I plan to do, but for the meantime I plan on trying to find some better bulbs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WxChaser Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 Probably don't want to do the HID conversion unless there's an easy way to do it. Most people I talk to had to spend some serious money to get there. I believe I'll be happier with some better bulbs and 2 flood lights on the front. Speaking of flood lights.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WxChaser Posted November 22, 2012 Author Share Posted November 22, 2012 What are some of the best floods to mount to a brush guard? Looking to ask for them as a Christmas gift, so best value is prime. I know I can go look for them on my own, but I like to hear what you all have and like the most. Obviously a flood will light up a lot... so give me some more help! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I don't have a brush guard, but I mounted Hella 500FFs to my bumper. I wasn't particularly impressed by the crimped together factory wiring harness or the clip design of the plastic covers, but the wiring was easy enough to sort and I think I've only ever put the covers on once. They're good and bright and I've had no issues with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pav Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 What are some of the best floods to mount to a brush guard? Looking to ask for them as a Christmas gift, so best value is prime. I know I can go look for them on my own, but I like to hear what you all have and like the most. Obviously a flood will light up a lot... so give me some more help! Thanks! What kind of driving do you mainly do...meaning what conditions would you be using them? Personally, I'm not a big fan of the large fog beam...Euro beam (mix of fog and high) I find the most useful. I have a set of Hella 500s that fit pretty tightly in my brush guard...best to go an measure what space you have and use that to decide how big you can go. On some of the brush guards I'm pretty sure you can fit a set of Hella 1000s. I have the full aluminium guard so not much room to play with. I personally like Hella because of their customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WxChaser Posted November 22, 2012 Author Share Posted November 22, 2012 I'd use them quite often, but need them most while driving through inclement weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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