Value of aftermarket Xenon Headlamps
I like many owners of motorized RVs have less than adequate OEM headlamps. I have seen many kits advertised as "DOT" approved conversion kits for changing to Xenon lamps and they are very expensive a...
Forum Discussion
It takes awareness and intelligence to actually end up "upgrading" light output to see better. My rule for me was to no 1 NOT INCREASE GLARE for oncoming drivers with low beams. The final proofing of this is driving a few hundred miles, pass by say a thousand cars and not have a single one flash me down.
Choosing a spot with no traffic - find a road sign or hydrant or whatever, then drive well out of optical range at night. New lighting should illuminate the target or it is a failure. Look at the quality of side lighting with original lighting. New lighting cannot FLARE side lighting or it is a failure.
New lighting hot spots 100' ahead of the vehicle make new lighting a failure.
I chose Hella 80/100 9004 bulbs. Low beam lighting forced me to lower beam angle maybe 20 degrees to avoid oncoming glare. But relationship of the 2 elements allowed me to see my triall target and then some on high beam. High beam is also wider to the right side.
Now the fun began. The contact pins of these bulbs are aluminum which mate to brass wire terminals. The results for thousands of these high wattage conversions down here is predictable. But instead of Hella the parts stores sell Chinese knock-offs. The 80/100 knockoffs are built so bad even my bad eyes can see crooked and misplaced filament supports. It's a cruel joke.
Then the high heat chars terminal to wire connections to flames and melts plastic plug bases to a glob.
I chose ceramic replacement plugs. Liberal cleaning with DeOxit D100 followed by meitulously precise application of silicone zinc oxide paste to the contacts thwarted overheating. The ceramic bulbs come with 14 rather than 18 gauge wire.
But it's a minefield out there. Vendors cheat, lie, exaggerate and huff and puff. I went into my conversion with my eyes wide open and discovered that working with lighting any other way was a sure recipe for disaster and disappointment. Plug n play my butt.
Choosing a spot with no traffic - find a road sign or hydrant or whatever, then drive well out of optical range at night. New lighting should illuminate the target or it is a failure. Look at the quality of side lighting with original lighting. New lighting cannot FLARE side lighting or it is a failure.
New lighting hot spots 100' ahead of the vehicle make new lighting a failure.
I chose Hella 80/100 9004 bulbs. Low beam lighting forced me to lower beam angle maybe 20 degrees to avoid oncoming glare. But relationship of the 2 elements allowed me to see my triall target and then some on high beam. High beam is also wider to the right side.
Now the fun began. The contact pins of these bulbs are aluminum which mate to brass wire terminals. The results for thousands of these high wattage conversions down here is predictable. But instead of Hella the parts stores sell Chinese knock-offs. The 80/100 knockoffs are built so bad even my bad eyes can see crooked and misplaced filament supports. It's a cruel joke.
Then the high heat chars terminal to wire connections to flames and melts plastic plug bases to a glob.
I chose ceramic replacement plugs. Liberal cleaning with DeOxit D100 followed by meitulously precise application of silicone zinc oxide paste to the contacts thwarted overheating. The ceramic bulbs come with 14 rather than 18 gauge wire.
But it's a minefield out there. Vendors cheat, lie, exaggerate and huff and puff. I went into my conversion with my eyes wide open and discovered that working with lighting any other way was a sure recipe for disaster and disappointment. Plug n play my butt.
