Brighter Aftermarket Headlamps

[Hib Halverson]

Originally Posted by Paul Workman

Very interesting. Thanks, Hib and everyone for the comments. I'm "in the hunt" as they say. No doubt about it...the STOCK lights have got to go!

And, not to get off topic, any update info on complimentary FOG LIGHTS would be appropriate too, I recon.

Hib, the HOTB is always looking for articles that will keep our beloved cars current as possible, if you would be interested....

Just a thought.

Paul.

It's been a while since I've done anything for the HOTB. Who is the current Editor?

As for fog lights, right now, my car has stock fog lights. There is a guy in my Club with a base '93 who put an HID fog light conversion in his car. He had some trouble with it at first due to a couple of defective ballasts but, I saw him two nights ago and he said they are now working fine.

As for other fog light choices, such as high-wattage incandescent bulbs or LED bulbs, I haven't researched that, yet. Sorry.

[GOLDCYLON]

Originally Posted by Hib Halverson

There is no mention of the re-lensing option because the product review was not about CorvetteHID.com's product, however, I've made mention of that option in an earlier post to this thread.



Tell you what "Goldcylon"–you seem quite unhappy with this thread and devoted to HIDs. In the interest of fairness, let me suggest this comparison: bring your car to where I do my headlight testing and I'll do a second product evaluation story which compares the two systems. I do my testing west of the Los Angeles area on SR1 between the town of Lompoc, CA and where SR1 meets US101 north of Gaviota. To properly compare the two, we'd have to test your car in the same place.

Let me know what you think.

We know Hib your article reads I was provided these LEDs bulbs to test and they are real good no surprise. In the same breath you dimiss HIDs totally in the article you wrote.

Here is the reality. The LEDs burn out your toast, The LEDs meet a rock your toast.

The HIDs burn out. You replace the bulb, you catch a stone you get a re lens. Not an option with the LEDs.

Did your friend get the same kit as mind or a $99 Ebay kit which there is zero comparison?

Sorry Hib not worth my gas or time to debate you as your mind is clearly made up. Go boldly.

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by Hib Halverson

It's been a while since I've done anything for the HOTB. Who is the current Editor?

As for fog lights, right now, my car has stock fog lights. There is a guy in my Club with a base '93 who put an HID fog light conversion in his car. He had some trouble with it at first due to a couple of defective ballasts but, I saw him two nights ago and he said they are now working fine.

As for other fog light choices, such as high-wattage incandescent bulbs or LED bulbs, I haven't researched that, yet. Sorry.

That would be (for the time being) Mark Horner. How-some-ever, he's got a full plate at the moment. So, he may delegate: it's a ton of work.

[Hib Halverson]

Originally Posted by GOLDCYLON

(snip)
Did your friend get the same kit as mind or a $99 Ebay kit which there is zero comparison?

I'm not aware of what HID fog light conversion he purchased.

Sorry Hib not worth my gas or time to debate you as your mind is clearly made up. Go boldly.

Actually, my mind is not "made up". If it were, I wouldn't offer you the opportunity to be involved in a comparison test. As for "debate"–there wouldn't be any. We'd just test the CorvetteHID system on your car against the Nighthawk LEDs on my car and see which is better. I'll even supply a couple of third-party observers familiar with C4 Corvette lighting used on sports car rallys who can pick the winner.

Let me know if you change your mind.

[BigJohn]

Please just Stop it!

[Hib Halverson]

Originally Posted by Paul Workman

That would be (for the time being) Mark Horner. How-some-ever, he's got a full plate at the moment. So, he may delegate: it's a ton of work.

So...Mark is looking for content for the magazine or he's so busy that he's looking for someone else to edit the magazine?

[Hib Halverson]

Originally Posted by GOLDCYLON

(snip)
Here is the reality. The LEDs burn out your toast, The LEDs meet a rock your toast.

The HIDs burn out. You replace the bulb, you catch a stone you get a re lens. Not an option with the LEDs.(snip)

Goldcylon, you raised some relevant questions in this HID vs LED comparison discussion and I'd like to address them.

To meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FVMSS) 108, GE Lighting had to provide some objective test data to the US DOT as to the expected service life of the Nighthawk LEDs. Also, since the original target market for the product was the heavy-duty, long-haul trucking industry which, generally, is cost conscious; the durability had to be outstanding to offset the high purchase price. Nighthawk LEDs have a 15,000-hr life expectancy. To put that in terms to which we Zroners can better relate, if you had a NIghthawk LED which lasted only half its design life, you'd have to drive your ZR-1 337,500 miles at an average of 45-mph with the headlights on all the time to reach 7500-hrs in service. No HID headlight system in OE or aftermarket use in a passenger car has that long a design life. That might, also, be why there are no heavy trucks sold in the U.S. equipped with HID headlights as original equipment. To achieve that kind of reliability would be cost prohibitive, i.e. they would cost well over the $1000+ you paid for your CorvetteHID.com products.

I don't think I'll ever have an LED "burn out" due to over-voltage. Nighthawk LEDs can be run at any voltage between 11 and 33 volts. That wide range is by design because some big trucks have 28-volt electrical systems. A ZR-1 has a 12-volt system and would likely catch fire before it would produce more than 33-volts to the headlights. Light emitting diode technology is exceptionally durable in other respects, too–more durable than both incandescent bulbs with filiments and high-intensity discharge bulbs.

As for catching a stone? Granted, if a fairly large rock hit a Nighhawk LED, it might damage the lens, however, it would need to be pretty large stone to do that because, to meet FVMSS 108, a headlight lens, regardless of its material–glass or polycarbonate–must have certain minimum properties as to abrasion- and shatter-resistance. My experience with other products which must withstand modest impacts is that polycarbonates are more impact-resistant than glass. For example, that's why Sprint Cup cars have Lexan rather than glass windshields. I agree, that if a Nighthawk LED gets hit hard enough to break the lens, you're screwed and out 280 bucks but, I also surmise that, for a given, minimum stone size/mass which will break a glass lens, the polycarbonate lens will survive. That is, for that given little rock hit, you're going to exercise the CorvetteHID "relens" option but my Nighthawk may survive.

But hey...if you want to come on over to CA for a headlight "shoot out" we can add rock throwing to the list of comparisons.

Lastly, I've driven my ZR-1 almost 85,000 miles in nearly 20 years. I've had four different kinds of headlights in the car: stock polycarbonate sealed-beams, Hella glass, Cibie glass and now GE polycarbonate and never have experienced a broken headlight due to impact. That said, there is one type of driving I've not done with my car, but which would be highly susceptible to causing headlight damage and that's high-speed on gravel roads behind other vehicles. If I did that, I guess I'd have to have some of those little metal screens over my lights.

Bottom line...I'm really not too worried about Nighhawk LEDs "burning out" or "shattering," however, if I were, you can be damn sure I'd have raised that issue in my CAC product evaluation article.

[GOLDCYLON]

Originally Posted by Hib Halverson

As for catching a stone? Granted, if a fairly large rock hit a Nighhawk LED, it might damage the lens, however, it would need to be pretty large stone to do that because, to meet FVMSS 108, a headlight lens, regardless of its material–glass or polycarbonate–must have certain minimum properties as to abrasion- and shatter-resistance. My experience with other products which must withstand modest impacts is that polycarbonates are more impact-resistant than glass. For example, that's why Sprint Cup cars have Lexan rather than glass windshields. I agree, that if a Nighthawk LED gets hit hard enough to break the lens, you're screwed and out 280 bucks but, I also surmise that, for a given, minimum stone size/mass which will break a glass lens, the polycarbonate lens will survive. That is, for that given little rock hit, you're going to exercise the CorvetteHID "relens" option but my Nighthawk may survive.

HIB another option is using a Headlight armor film that I use on my Lens

Originally Posted by Hib Halverson

But hey...if you want to come on over to CA for a headlight "shoot out" we can add rock throwing to the list of comparisons.

That would be cool to do but to be honest Im satisfied and have nothing to prove by throwing stones at my own lights. Remember they are pricey

Originally Posted by Hib Halverson

Lastly, I've driven my ZR-1 almost 85,000 miles in nearly 20 years. I've had four different kinds of headlights in the car: stock polycarbonate sealed-beams, Hella glass, Cibie glass and now GE polycarbonate and never have experienced a broken headlight due to impact. That said, there is one type of driving I've not done with my car, but which would be highly susceptible to causing headlight damage and that's high-speed on gravel roads behind other vehicles. If I did that, I guess I'd have to have some of those little metal screens over my lights.

Ha.... Now I have you... when you reach 140K get back to me. for some reason I have caught 2 so far. Hence the headlight Armour film

Originally Posted by Hib Halverson

Bottom line...I'm really not too worried about Nighhawk LEDs "burning out" or "shattering," however, if I were, you can be damn sure I'd have raised that issue in my CAC product evaluation article.

Do not these headlights make light by using how many LEDs together ? Or are they one Large LED source? I ask as I have many flashlights with 40 or more LEDs together to generate one source with a few dead LEDs like the dead pixel era on those old LCD monitors.

[GOLDCYLON]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Please just Stop it!

Who are you talking too ?

[BigJohn]

Peter Z!