Curious if headlights in my Hyundai 2017 can grow more dim with age ? At night they just do not seem as bright as they used to when newer (headlight covers are clear and in good shape). I know I have a touch of night blindness plus older eyes but still I believe head light strength could be better . What modern headlight bulbs are your favorite for really lighting up the road ?
Brighter Headlight Bulbs ?
- Thread starter ChrisD46
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yes bulbs get dimmer with age, but it's likely not the only cause, the mirrors could be getting less efficient and in case of a projector style headlamp the lens couyld be dirty.
Brighter bulbs don't last as long and seem gimmicky in my experience. I'd choose Phillips VisonPlus over Slyvania Silverstar myself.
I had the same problem. Went to the eye doctor and got new specs. Problem solved. Those super bright bulbs are a hazard to oncoming traffic. They should ban them.
You've already verified that your headlight housings are nice & clear so skip this step.
My suggestion would be to first, aim your headlight housings or have then check for proper aim. If they're aimed properly and you're still not satisfied, you may want to tweak them upward(and/or out to the sides) a tiny bit.
I have tweaked my light housing just the tiniest little bit upward, aiming them at the garage door from about 10' away in the driveway.
A little bit goes a long way when looking down the road so don't over do it.
If this is still not satisfactory to you then my second thing I'd do is to get new OE type bulbs or to upgrade. However, as was said above, the next level of brighter lights(and the next and the next still) don't last as long as the OE type(standard bulbs).
Even at my age and eyesight that is not what it used to be, I am happy with standard/OE type bulbs when driving at night.
I WOULD NOT go with LED's in a vehicle that is not equipped with LED from the factory. They don't work well in all vehicles.
[they might but who knows] ???
In my signature, we have two new(er) vehicles equipped with factory LED lighting and I can say that they are only whiter and brighter but don't reach down the road any further. They're OK but I wouldn't call them better than Halogen or HID.
My suggestion would be to first, aim your headlight housings or have then check for proper aim. If they're aimed properly and you're still not satisfied, you may want to tweak them upward(and/or out to the sides) a tiny bit.
I have tweaked my light housing just the tiniest little bit upward, aiming them at the garage door from about 10' away in the driveway.
A little bit goes a long way when looking down the road so don't over do it.
If this is still not satisfactory to you then my second thing I'd do is to get new OE type bulbs or to upgrade. However, as was said above, the next level of brighter lights(and the next and the next still) don't last as long as the OE type(standard bulbs).
Even at my age and eyesight that is not what it used to be, I am happy with standard/OE type bulbs when driving at night.
I WOULD NOT go with LED's in a vehicle that is not equipped with LED from the factory. They don't work well in all vehicles.
[they might but who knows] ???
In my signature, we have two new(er) vehicles equipped with factory LED lighting and I can say that they are only whiter and brighter but don't reach down the road any further. They're OK but I wouldn't call them better than Halogen or HID.
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Best halogen bulbs I ever used were the Osram Rallye 65w H7 (64217 single filament). Basically an H9 burner on an H7 base. Fantastic white light that threw way down the road and so much better overall than the blue tinted stuff you buy at the parts stores or Wally. I used to source them from Daniel Stern Lighting but they were discontinued some time ago. He was able to source a replacement from Vosla that are basically identical. A bit pricy, and don't last quite as long as a standard halogen, but you can see so much better with them. An excellent equivalent, thats a little less pricey and easier to get are the Philips Extreme Vision +. here on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QJWTQYY/?tag=2402507-20
Please, DO NOT put ANY LED "bulb" in a halogen reflector housing. The light will be way more diffuse and cause tons of glare that is dangerous to oncoming motorists.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QJWTQYY/?tag=2402507-20
Please, DO NOT put ANY LED "bulb" in a halogen reflector housing. The light will be way more diffuse and cause tons of glare that is dangerous to oncoming motorists.
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When most people put in Led they don't adjust them. The way they fit isn't the same as a regular bulb and the beam pattern is way off. My jeep takes two lamps, one for low and one for high and I'm using Led for the low because I never got around to buying the high ones. After adjusting the new ones my regular bulb high beams are pointing at the ground, thats how far off the are. Had I left them unadjusted the Led would have been pointing directly at oncoming traffic and blinding them. Some of these million watt bright ones are a real problem when they blind you because the guy didn't care to spend a few minutes with a screwdriver.
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I don't have any glare problem in my vehicles. The Led has to be adjusted so the light comes out side to side and they have to be readjusted up and down like a regular bulb. The pattern they throw is just as good as the old lamps and you can see way better at night. The problem comes from people just throwing them in and not taking time to adjust them because they don't care about oncoming traffic.
The problem is not many will take the time to do that, or their housings don't have any adjustment range for a different type bulb. Yes, some LEDs allow you to "clock" the chip so light is thrown correctly for the most part, however, it much more critical to get the focal point of the light placed in the proper position of the reflector in order to focus the light correctly. Most multi-element LEDs don't do this and the light becomes scattered, hence the glare. Halogens have a definitive central light point, and thats what the reflector housing is designed for. Get LEDs with exact same central light point distance and they MAY work in a halogen reflector. Caveat emptor.
My daughter has a 2017 Elantra headlights extremely weak. Put in a pair of Sylvania 9005 extra vision re aimed them better not great tweaked the aim a little higher definitely helped. Now much better than the OE there acceptable. But one bulb already went out exactly 53 weeks after purchase.
I would be happy with that exchange, 2 new bulbs per year, if there was a meaningdul difference in being able to see, and I'm not blinding others. I'd be happy if the bulbs were a few $ each, not if they are 50$.
If they're halogen then the osram night breakers or philips + 100 were noticeably better without going higher wattage. If you want a project look at going oem hid retrofit. There is a great forum for that.
On my beloved 26 yr. old Mazda protege, I put in some Phillips "Extra Vision" 20% brighter low beam bulbs. Fantastic! (Cleaned & coated the headlight covers as well.) It seems to me after seeing the LED headlight cars going in front of me, my light is less directional and spreads more light evenly. Different color temps, but I see just fine w/my halogen bulbs. I don't think I blind oncoming drivers. Some of these LED headlights are just too much. Just another example of no government oversight and letting car manufactures do anything they want. (Just wait tell you have to replace an LED housing! $$$) Too much complexity, bring back old and simply. Cars with souls and personality.
I've been buying Sylvania Ultra's for at least 16 years to replace old bulbs. Oreilly's Auto is running a $15 gift card promotion on them right now.
https://rapid-rebates.com/OR7851
https://rapid-rebates.com/OR7851
Sorry I want the eye pleasing head lights of the 60's. Night vision people can't tolerate the overly bright head lamps.
I paid $20 for the pair from Amazon nobody
I paid $21 for two pack of bulbs from Amazon
Yes, light sources suffer from lumen depreciation, and the fixtures can degrade over time as well.
Though most treat bulbs as "lifetime fill" in practice, they can also be considered maintenance items and replaced before they fail.
Lastly, human eyes are not photometry instruments, so anyone who claims that their eyes can discern whether something is proper is talking out of their behind.
Though most treat bulbs as "lifetime fill" in practice, they can also be considered maintenance items and replaced before they fail.
Lastly, human eyes are not photometry instruments, so anyone who claims that their eyes can discern whether something is proper is talking out of their behind.
I had less than pleasant experience with Silverstars, but that was many years ago. We ran Phillips VisionPlus and Xtravision in our Kia cars, both are brighter than stock bulbs Xtras were brightest but lasted only a year or less, Plus lasted longer but not as bright.
Eventually went with LEDs and not going back. Both have projector type headlights, after positioning LEDs properly inside headlight there was no need for height or horizontal adjustments as light pattern was exactly same.
Tried Hikari and a few other bulbs and settled on Katana from Amazon.
Eventually went with LEDs and not going back. Both have projector type headlights, after positioning LEDs properly inside headlight there was no need for height or horizontal adjustments as light pattern was exactly same.
Tried Hikari and a few other bulbs and settled on Katana from Amazon.
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