Head Light Bulbs

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Has anyone gone to Higher Wattage Head light bulbs? Can the Plastic Headlight housing take the higher Heat? It's post rut here and I would like to improve the chances of seeing Horny Bucks Before They try and mate with my front end.

 

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Usually higher wattage bulbs are a no no. If they don't melt your plastic housings they will most likely overheat your headlight switch or wiring. Most that have tried the Brite Box from Genos have seemed to like it although you can make your own version with a couple of relays and some wire. If cost is no obstical you may consider doing a quad headlight conversion. The procedure is fairly easy and has been covered in the TDR magazine. I found that the factory fog lights added a tremendous amount of light to my nighttime adventures. With the high beam shut-off relay bridged they will stay on with your highbeams also. With these and Sylvania 9004XV standard wattage bulbs my lighting is good. Hope this helps

 

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Dune Racer, Thanks for the input. In a previous Toyota that I owned, I switched out the Sealed Beam units with Replaceable Bulb units. I ran 90/100 Watt H-4's in them with only going up to a higher headlamp fuse. The lights were controlled by a relay, and I had no problem. But with the Plastic housing on the Rams, I'm little suspicious about putting extra heat into them. Might give it a try anyway and monitor the system very closely

 

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Dick,I think you'll find that anything other than the stock bulbs will light your way better. I've had 60 /100 watt bulbs in for 4 years, no problem. With the stock bulbs, I at first thought that my eyesite was going and that it was time to quit driving at night. Fog lights are good for lighting the area closer to the truck,you should consider them also.

 

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The GE HO's and Sylvania XV's are both higher wattage but not enough to hurt anything. The blue lamps aren't brighter but give more contrast to objects on the road. GE and Sylv both told me to use the brighter lamps, not the blues if I wanted the best visability. I have the GE 9004HO's and love them. They really improved the light pattern besides being brighter! $16 for a two pack at Wally World.

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97 3/4Ton, 2WD, 5SP, #11 Plate, 14 Housing, AF942M Air filter, Gutted Cat, 4"From Turbo, Airlift, Shortened Frame, Custom Bed, HEY FORDBOY POWERSTROKE THIS!

 

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I'm missing something here - how does a higher wattage bulb change the pattern of the light? Isn't the pattern is controlled by the reflector? The higher wattage bulbs may make better use of the existing reflector but that would be it.

Brian

 

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The variables that can change the pattern are the size, shape, and POSITION of the filament - Mag-Lite is a good demonstration of the what happens as the position of the filament changes. I noticed a change in pattern just by swapping sides with the factory bulbs.

[This message has been edited by Thomas (edited 10-23-2000). ]

 

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excuse my ignorance, but who/what is wally world? would like to upgrade light with brighter bulbs, been to auto zone, and pep boys can't find anything much more than stock. thanks in advance

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1999 3500 quad cab, auto aero fendor trim and running boards,
bugflector II, K&N filter, Geno's monster tip

 

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I wondered the same thing, "what the heck is Wally World?" After much thought and contemplation I believe the answer is Wal-Mart. Yes Regis, that's my final answer...

Pat

 

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Wal-mart , alias Wally World. . The super centers have a good selection of bulbs.

 

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Yes, it's Walmart! The black tip of the HO lamp is different. Anyway instead of having blotchy dim light, I now have bright light straight ahead! Craig

 

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Earlier this month there was a thread on this in the Products/Accessories forum. Brad Kowalski said he has tried a few, from JC Whitney and others, and was not particularly impressed. He had just ordered some 80/100w Hella 9004s for his rig from Susquehanna Motor Sports ($27. 50/pair plus shipping). I'm about a heartbeat away from doing the same. However, like you, I'm hoping I don't melt down the lens housing.

Anyone else have long-term experience using this high of wattage?

Hey, Brad. You must have them by now. What's your observations?

JGK

 

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Got a URL for them?


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2001. 5 2500 4X4 SLT, ETH/DEE, Amsoil Bypass Filtration, Mag-Hytec w/Amsoil, Walker 21468, 4K@101300

 

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I have (had) the higher wattage blue bulbs from JC Whitney in the 80/100 watt version and firmly believe the stock crap is better. The blue definately looked way cool, but not worth the unimproved visability. If anyone wants them for a cheap price,e-mail me and we'll talk.

 

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I too thought my eyes were going. Problem solved by the addition of PIAA Pro 90 lamps. Now I can see the road !!


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98 3500 QC 4X4 Int Blue, 6BTA5. 9, Auto 3. 54 LSD, PIAA Pro90's, RS9000's, Tonneau, Running Boards, 5K Air Bags, Hadley Air Horns, EGT/Boost/transmission Temp Gauges, Cobra / K40, Valley class V, Bugflector II, Bedliner, Tow Hooks, Cup Smoothie, Meg's turn-down tip, SS Fender Flares... .....

99 Lance 1110 Slide-On Truck Camper

 

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Hyde,

Here is the text of Brad Kowalski's post, including the URL for Susquehanna and a URL for a good discussion on standard, blue, and xenon bulbs (hope you don't mind me taking license, Brad):

"I have always been a stickler for bright headlights. I live out in a rural area and high wattage headlights are essential for seeing those deer lurking by the side of a dark country road.
Shortly after purchasing my Y2K Ram I got a Bright Box. Then in May, I ordered high wattage bulbs (9004 80w/100w clear) from JC Whitney. Originaly I was happy with them, then about 10 days after they were installed the bulb on the passenger side burnt out. (When installing, I was Extreamly careful not to let the bulb touch anthing. ) So, I put the stock bulb back in on the passenger side. About a month later the OTHER bulb from JC Whitney burnt out. I was out of town when this bulb bit the dust, so I went to the local auto parts store and told the salesman I wanted 2 of the brightest 9004 bulbs they had in stock. He sold me on a set of HIPER "Super Whites" 80w/100w(blue tinted). They should call them SUPER DIMS.
When I put my high beams on, from in the cab it looks like my low beams are still on. I am EXTREAMELY dissappointed with the performance of these bulbs, not to mention P!**ed Off that I paid $35 for these pieces of crap.
Go to this website if you want the lowdown on blue bulbs: http://lighting. mbz.org/tech/info/blue_bulbs/
The moral of the story is DO NOT buy bulbs with any type of blue coating unless you don't care about useable lighting output, and are just going for the show truck look.

Just yesterday after doing pleanty of reasearch on the web I ordered a set of HELLA 80w/100w CLEAR bulbs, from Susquehanna Motorsports (website: http://catalog.com/susq/ ). They cost me $29. 50 with shipping. I feel very confident that I'll be happy with these bulbs since they are made by a quality company.

Sorry for being long winded. I had to share this info so others can learn from my bad experience. After all that's what the TDR is all about. "

Here's a link to the thread this appeared in (I hope this works!): https://www.turbodieselregister.com/ubb//Forum3/HTML/001759.html

JGK

 

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I have had 80/100 light bulbs in for 1 1/2 years and no problem at all.

 

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Did I hear my name mentioned???

I haven't been online for a few days, so I appologize for not jumping right in on this topic.

I've had the Hella (80w/100w) bulbs installed for a few weeks, and I'm very pleased with their operation. They are noticably brighter than the stock bulbs. And about 10 times brighter than those blue pieces of crapola.

One word of caution, though: DO NOT USE A BRITE-BOX WITH THESE BULBS! When I first installed the Hella's I had my Brite-Box hooked up. After a few days of running these bulbs I took a peek into the headlight housing. What I found gave me a sick feeling in my stomach. Above and below the both bulbs the reflective coating of the housing was discolored or slightly melted. It didn't cause much damage, just enough to give me that sick feeling. These bulbs generate too much heat for them to be safely used with the Brite-Box. After discovering this I promptly removed the Brite-Box. Since then I have not noticed any further discoloration or melting, and the light output is still ample.
Also, after I installed these bulbs I re-aimed my headlights for optimal light distribution. This can be done with a #15 TORX driver. There are two adjustments on each headlight housing: 1. ) Directly below the housing you'll see the vertical (up/down) adjusting screw; 2. ) Open the hood, and on the upper inside corner of the housing you'll see the horizontal (left/right) adjustment.

Was it worth the money for the Hella bulbs? Absolutly, I'd purchase them again in a heartbeat.
If you try these bulbs but still crave even more light output, put them in the Sport headlight housings and add the Hella 9007 higher wattage bulbs to round out the package. That is what I plan on doing eventially, but until then this current setup is the next best thing.

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2000 2500 24v 4x4 SLT QC SWB 3. 54 LSD Auto, Camper Pkg, Tow Pkg, Snow Plow Prep, EVERY option except leather and cab lights,
Color: Patriot Blue / Driftwood; Agate
ACCESSORIES: Van Aaken CPC, Practical Solutions Boost Module and Elbow, Meyers 7. 5ft. Poly Plow, A. R. E. Bed Lid, Bed Rug, Putco Pipeline Running Boards, BetterBuilt Stainless Steel Bug Shield, High Wattage Headlight Bulbs (80w/100w),55w BackUp Lights, Dodge Splash Guards, 5" Monster Tip, Grover Air Horns

 

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The folks at Brite Box say that if you want to use highpowered bulbs to use the PIAA lamps. They say they have one that draws
65/45 watts, but puts out the same light as a 110/85 watt lamp. With the Bitebox that would be 195 watt equivalent. They are also DOT approved. A little bit on the pricey side however.

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"Roadrunner"-96 4X4 club cab-12v-auto-3. 54 gears-Amsoil bypass filter - all Amsoil fluids-trans filter-britebox-shelfit-DeeZee boards-Rhino liner-Rancho 5 speed shocks-Hellwig rear antisway & overload springs-Warn 12000 lb. winch-dual redtop optimas-combo gauge and trans. temp gauge in pillar mount-255/85R16 Kelly MSR tires-custom pinstriping- Walker muffler-Cummins mudflaps-Tuff Country control arms-2" coil spacers

 

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PIAA! PIAA! PIAA! I can't say it enough. Awesome replacement lights, especially when teamed up with their fog lights. They'll work until I save up the cash for a true HID light kit.

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'01 BLK QUAD-CAB, ETH, 6-SPEED, HX-40, DD BOOST MODULE, STAGE III INJECTORS, ATS MANIFOLD, 4" EXHAUST, BED LINER, CLARION PPD KICKER FOCAL STEREO