Brighter Aftermarket Headlamps

[Hib Halverson]

Originally Posted by Jagdpanzer

Hib,
What headlamps are you running now?

GE Lighting sent me a set of its Nighthawk LED 5x7 rectangular headlights to test as part of the product review work I do for the Corvette Action Center.

I've run them for about a month in testing using both urban and suburban freeways and rural highways. The testing has been both at legal speeds and, uh...illegal speeds.

So far, I'm impressed with their performance. The only downside I see is the price. They are pretty costly considering you can get Hella E-Code lights for 120 a set from some vendors. On the other side of the coin, if you compare Nighthawk LEDs to one of the few HID conversions which actually work well, they are less expensive.

My Nighthawk LED testing is not done yet and, at the CAC, we also haven't finished necessary image work for the review.

There seems to be some interest, so when the review is done, I'll post the URL here.

Since this was originally an FS thread but is not more of a tech thread about lights, maybe one of the administrators should move this thread to a more appropriate forum?

[alnukem]

I went with the JW Speaker 8900 LED's, they are AWESOME. My Night Vision sucks anymore & I decided I needed these before driving to BG 2014. On the way back I got stuck driving way too late because of shortage of rooms. At about 3 AM, I seen 3 deer covering the entire road & pulled it down....with the stock lights, I would have plowed into one of them anyway. I paid $830 for the lights & saved a $1500 deductable, sounds like I made out.

[Hib Halverson]

$830?!
Ouch!

I'm not going to complain any more.

The Nighthawk LEDs cost 2/3rds of that and, until now, I thought they were a little pricey.

[secondchance]

Originally Posted by Hib Halverson

GE Lighting sent me a set of its Nighthawk LED 5x7 rectangular headlights to test as part of the product review work I do for the Corvette Action Center.

I've run them for about a month in testing using both urban and suburban freeways and rural highways. The testing has been both at legal speeds and, uh...illegal speeds.

So far, I'm impressed with their performance. The only downside I see is the price. They are pretty costly considering you can get Hella E-Code lights for 120 a set from some vendors. On the other side of the coin, if you compare Nighthawk LEDs to one of the few HID conversions which actually work well, they are less expensive.

My Nighthawk LED testing is not done yet and, at the CAC, we also haven't finished necessary image work for the review.

There seems to be some interest, so when the review is done, I'll post the URL here.

Since this was originally an FS thread but is not more of a tech thread about lights, maybe one of the administrators should move this thread to a more appropriate forum?

Interesting you would bring this up. I have been toying with going to LED headlights. I narrowed it down to three brands - GE nighthawk, Philips and Truck-lit. Externally they look very similar if not identical. Price wise GE is about $250 each ($500 for a pair), Philips is about the same and Truck-lite is about $180 each. I have been searching for comparison test but hasn't been successful.
Look forward to your review.

[Hib Halverson]

I'll put a link here when it posts on the CAC but...my review is not a comparison test between the three you mention above. It only covers Nighthawk.

[-=Jeff=-]

there is talk of these on CF..

I am thinking these will cause the C4 headlight/fog light wiring to be redone.. I know I want to do that as I am having some headlight issues with the fog lights and headlights

[GOLDCYLON]

Im still happy with my HIDs. I went this route after the silverstars and the H4 Hellas did not provide the light I needed. I have never looked back since. I did not go with the $99.00 crap specials on EBAY. I did it right with a kit made for our car using Euro projector housings with the cutout for the highs and the lowbeams. Also they offer a relensing service if the glass housing becomes damaged. WWW.Corvettehid.com Thats something im sure the LED folks do not provide.

Eventually im sure the LEDs will come down in price.

[Hib Halverson]

Originally Posted by -=Jeff=-

there is talk of these on CF..

I am thinking these will cause the C4 headlight/fog light wiring to be redone.. I know I want to do that as I am having some headlight issues with the fog lights and headlights

If you go with Nighthawk LEDs, you don't have to change any wiring because LED's draw much less current than even the stock sealed-beams. The info I have says its about 50% less current draw.

LED headlights are the "wave" of the future I think. All the OEs are getting away from incandescent or HIDs and going with LEDs because they use so little current. Less current means they can make lighter wiring harnesses. Also, LEDs don't produce heat and the color temperature is closer to daylight.

But then, again, there is the cost factor. Old skool, high wattage quartz-halogen bulbs in Hella or Cibie reflectors are less expensive than LEDs and less than the HID conversions which actually work well.

[-=Jeff=-]

Originally Posted by Hib Halverson

If you go with Nighthawk LEDs, you don't have to change any wiring because LED's draw much less current than even the stock sealed-beams. The info I have says its about 50% less current draw.

LED headlights are the "wave" of the future I think. All the OEs are getting away from incandescent or HIDs and going with LEDs because they use so little current. Less current means they can make lighter wiring harnesses. Also, LEDs don't produce heat and the color temperature is closer to daylight.

But then, again, there is the cost factor. Old skill, high wattage quartz-halogen bulbs in Hella or Cibie reflectors are less expensive than LEDs and less than the HID conversions which actually work well.

I should have been a bit more clear. yes in respect to current capability it is not needed. but the way the Fog lights work and are wired may need attention.

the fog lights are grounded through the High beams (90-older) so there would need to be improvements to that circuit. it was improved on the 91-later cars with a relay

[Hib Halverson]

Originally Posted by secondchance

Interesting you would bring this up. I have been toying with going to LED headlights. I narrowed it down to three brands - GE nighthawk, Philips and Truck-lit. Externally they look very similar if not identical. Price wise GE is about $250 each ($500 for a pair), Philips is about the same and Truck-lite is about $180 each. I have been searching for comparison test but hasn't been successful.
Look forward to your review.

I spent some time this morning on web searches, especially images and technical specifications.

Outwardly, the GE Nighthawks, the Phillips and the Truck-lite all look similar and the Phillips and the Truck-lite look identical. The lens on the current Nighthawk (which, internally, GE calls "Gen 2) is different. That said, it's possible there is only one manufacturer and which is private labeling all three brands. I'm going to try and confirm that but, sometimes, these companies will not give out that much information.

All three brands use dual array designs.

I have specifications for the Nighthawks and they are virtually the same as the Truck-lites. The only number which is different is the low limit of their voltage ranges. GE says 11-33v. Truck-lite says 9-33v. Otherwise, published specs are the same. Unfortunately, Phillips does not have in-depth tech. specs. available.

My gut feeling is that since they all meet the same FVMSS and have almost the same tech. specs., that performance wise, there will not be any significant differences in performance.

I've, also, researched CorvetteHID.com's product to the limit that its web site allows and I agree that a "relensing" service is an attractive feature, especially, if you drive in places were vehicles ahead kick-up little rocks and stones or you drive where your front end gets sandblasted at night.

However, the fact remains, while at one time, HIDs were a good alternative to high wattage quartz-halogen bulbs in glass reflectors (if you could afford the over $1000 bucks the conversion costs)–HIDs, at this point in time, are becoming obsolete as LED technology advances. At current street prices, you can buy two complete sets of Nighthawks for what CorvetteHID charges for its conversion which fits C4s with functioning hidden lights. If you're ok with permanently exposed lamps, the CorvetteHID.com conversion is only $750.

Finally, the nice thing about LEDs is you'd don't have to modify anything. You just open the lights manually, remove the bezel and retaining ring then unplug the stock stuff and replace it with the LEDs. Put the retainer and bezel back in place and you're done.