H4/9003 Bulb Recommendations?

Caver Dave

Caver Dave

Just holdin' it down here in BFV
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Scored a set of H4 housings for the new towrig and need some input on lamps.
I've read numerous online reviews & lamp "shoot outs", but still unsure what's gonna be the best bang for the buck?

I currently have 9003 SilverStars in the DD, and while they're brighter than plain bulbs, the life absolutely SUCKS! The previous 5-7 sets won't last more than 6 months... luckily O'reilly warrants them for 12 months). NO, there's no issues, because regular 9003 lamps have lasted years!

Not looking to spend more than $50/PAIR, don't need "plasma xenon spectacular grandiosity, will fry a retina at 2 miles" ricer lamps, or HIDS... just something bright & long lasting!

What do you use & like within these limitations? :beer:
 
I've got Narva 130/100w in the TJ (with IPF housings) and they are fantastic. They've been in for several years and 20k miles or more with no issues.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html then scroll down

In the wife's ZJ, I upgraded the housings to an E-spec glass lens and I had some Osram Sylvania 85/80w in there. After about 6 months and a couple thousand miles, one burnt out. When I went to replace it, I discovered that the glass had melted and blistered on BOTH bulbs.
I replaced both with Hella 100/90w (that cost half as much also). They are still running good with no blistering after about a year, and more than 10k miles.
http://www.rallylights.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=6
 
jeepinmatt said:
I've got Narva 130/100w in the TJ (with IPF housings) and they are fantastic. They've been in for several years and 20k miles or more with no issues.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html then scroll down
Click to expand...

Interesting! Decent output & not priced too awfully bad...

Did you buy or build relay harnesses? Just wondering about male plugs (mimicking the bulb end) to build my own? (also needed on the Jeep... BAD! :rolleyes: )
 
Yeah, just what we need.... a bunch more fawkers riding down I-40 with their 100W low beams blinding the fawk out of everyone else.

What you ought to do is go find some HID conversion bulbs in electric blue so you look like an emergency vehicle.
 
What rig is this for?
 
Caver Dave said:
Interesting! Decent output & not priced too awfully bad...
Did you buy or build relay harnesses? Just wondering about male plugs (mimicking the bulb end) to build my own? (also needed on the Jeep... BAD! :rolleyes: )
Click to expand...
I built the one for the ZJ, and the TJ is still running stock stuff.


saf-t scissors said:
Yeah, just what we need.... a bunch more fawkers riding down I-40 with their 100W low beams blinding the fawk out of everyone else.
What you ought to do is go find some HID conversion bulbs in electric blue so you look like an emergency vehicle.
Click to expand...
When properly aimed, they aren't blinding anyone. When improperly aimed, even a 55w bulb is blinding.
 
jeepinmatt said:
When properly aimed, they aren't blinding anyone.
Click to expand...

Horse shit. Do you really believe that you can stuff a bulb into that housing with twice the power consumption allowed by law and not affect the amount of fill light produced?
 
saf-t scissors said:
Horse shit. Do you really believe that you can stuff a bulb into that housing with twice the power consumption allowed by law and not affect the amount of fill light produced?
Click to expand...
No, but it's not the fill light that is blinding.
 
Headlamps are designed to put most of the light on the road in front of you, where you need it the most and where it's least likely to interfere with other drivers. Designers can vary the shape of the reflector, the size and shape of any cut-off shields, and the design of the lens itself to control where the light goes.

DOT-spec lamps have never had sharp cut-offs, and usually have a significant amount of stray light above the road surface. Apparently that's mostly due to the DOT spec itself, since European (E-spec) housings have always been much better about having a sharp cut-off. However, it's not an absolute. You want to have some light above the cut-off in order to illuminate street signs, other cars, pedestrians, etc which might be just beyond the cut-off line. For example, E-spec housings turn upward sharply at the right corner to about 40-50ft above grade in order to illuminate street signs. Coincidentally, this also puts the full power of your headlamps into the driver's mirror of cars you're overtaking.

In any event, the portion of light that escapes the cut-off is a percentage of the light produced by the bulb. Brighter bulbs produce brighter stray/fill light. Saying otherwise is incorrect.
 
Basically ambient light. The light that fills the area outside of where the beam is focused.
 
saf-t scissors said:
Headlamps are designed to put most of the light on the road in front of you, where you need it the most and where it's least likely to interfere with other drivers. Designers can vary the shape of the reflector, the size and shape of any cut-off shields, and the design of the lens itself to control where the light goes.

DOT-spec lamps have never had sharp cut-offs, and usually have a significant amount of stray light above the road surface. Apparently that's mostly due to the DOT spec itself, since European (E-spec) housings have always been much better about having a sharp cut-off. However, it's not an absolute. You want to have some light above the cut-off in order to illuminate street signs, other cars, pedestrians, etc which might be just beyond the cut-off line. For example, E-spec housings turn upward sharply at the right corner to about 40-50ft above grade in order to illuminate street signs. Coincidentally, this also puts the full power of your headlamps into the driver's mirror of cars you're overtaking.

In any event, the portion of light that escapes the cut-off is a percentage of the light produced by the bulb. Brighter bulbs produce brighter stray/fill light. Saying otherwise is incorrect.
Click to expand...
I generally agree with all of this.
Brighter bulbs in DOT reflectors is problematic. Brighter bulbs in cheap, non-engineered reflectors is much more problematic.
Bright bulbs in an E-spec housing cause little or no nuisance to other drivers, on most cars, in most situations.
When Im in the TJ behind a car at a light, I have to be careful not to get too close so that the light below the cutoff doesn't beam straight into their trunk lid and onto their rearview mirror. 10ft back is fine on almost every car out there.
 
I prefer a PIAA hyper white or Super white. A bit more than you want to pay at $75 to $90, but they put out whiter light and last a shit ton longer than the Silverstars. (I put a set in the ex's minivan and the lifespan on them suck worse ass than the packaging says.) Never again will I use them. Been looking for something for the DD myself. Thought about the HID conversion bulbs that have the ad at the top of the screen every now and then, but they are $155 for the bi-xenons I want. Did anyone see the replacements for sealed beam bulbs they have? Fugly!
 
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