I would like to start an open discussion on 2 things. First being what is the brightest bulb that will go into a headlight that is designed to fit a 9007 (HB5).
Modification of the wiring harness is acceptable. Such as new pigtails for different plugs or installing relays with with larger wires for power source. Slight modification of housing is also acceptable.

Prefer to stick with Halogen or HIR bulbs, never had HIDs but the warm up time is something im trying to avoid.

Secondly i would like to discus the highest light output and lifespan from different manufacturers.
In have in the past had 9007 Philips X-treme Power, claim 80% brighter than stock. They did not last long at all, low beams burnt out in less than a year ,both driver and passenger within 2 days of each other. Maybe it was just a bad set. i have heard of them lasting past 2yrs. The 9007 Philips X-Treme Vision claim to be 100% brighter than stock.
I hear all good things from GE Nighthawk Platinums. How will they stack up.


What do you guys have to say... GO!!

 

https://www.f150online.com/forums/il...eadlights.html

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/...test-9007-bulb

http://www.visionxusa.com/Halogen-He...duct_info.html

^^ May negatively affect yer headlight housings...

MGD

 

I believe I remember reading something about running a relay setup with bigger gauge wire to get the full 14.4 voltage to your lights.
Also there are catz Zeta if they even make them anymore. You'll gain lumens, but you'll sacrifice life span.

Over wattage bulbs are a waste without bigger wiring and a chance of peeling the reflective surface of your headlights. I ran over wattage bulbs in my 02 for a year. They died quickly and output actually sucked.

I loved my Nighthawk platinum. They lasted me 2 years before I changed them out and only changed them out because at 2 years a halogen bulb is at its witt end.

The HIRs you have in your projector will be the best you can get without going hid. To bad they don't make HIRs to replace dual filament.

 

I am going to check the voltage drop across my lighting wiring. If it turns out to be something like 5% or more then I will simply use my existing lighting wiring to trip relays that are hard wired from the battery with over sized wire to insure i get a full 14.4Vdc at the bulbs, even carrying increased current of the higher wattage bulbs.

I cant seem to find catz zetas. But i like the idea of them. From my understanding they are an DC-DC converter. Basically a voltage amplifier to get the voltage to 15.4Vdc. That increase in voltage shouldn't negatively effect the lifespan of the bulbs as much as under volting them would. The less voltage you have the more current that must be carried to keep the same wattage. Which I would think would kill the bulbs faster... Maybe im wrong but with most any product more current, more heat, shorter life.


Simple math shows...

14AWG Copper Wire
14.4Vdc Alternator
65W High Beam


Different wire routing paths will give much diffent wire lengths. But lets assume 12' of wiring.
That would calculate:
1.88% Voltage Drop (with brand new copper wiring)
0.27Vdrop
Vout = 14.13Vdc
65W / Vout = 4.6Amps


Old wiring can cause your Vout at your headlights to be anywhere from 12-14Vdc.
So for sake of average lets say you have 13Vdc.
65W / 13Vdc = 5A

That is 1.13V less than the voltage the bulb is designed to run at. So now In order to power a 65W high beam to its full potencial it is taking 5Amps. No only is filaments dimmer the lower the voltage but its also carrying more amperage.


The zeta produces a constant 15.4V.
65W / 15.4Vdc = 4.2A

That is only 1V higher than what the bulb is designed to operate at. And now it only takes 4.2Amps to operate at 65W. I would think that the more consistant power as well as lower currnet draw would ofset the voltage increase in terms of life span of the bulb.

This is all strictly speculation as i have absolutely no testing to backup my hypothesis.

If i could find a cheep sealed 500W DC-DC converter I would power it straight off my battery to produce about 15Vdc. Then power 4 relays with that voltage, 2 HI Beam, 2 LO Beam. And use the existing headlight wiring to switch the relays. That would give good clean consistant power and allow the bulbs to opperate at the peak of thier ability.

 

Your watts aren't the constant in that equation tho. Its the amps. I believe. V x A = W. volts being the variable. The filament has a set resistance. So adding more voltage drives up wattage, lumens, but also heat. Which is what kills them quicker.

 

You are correct. I dunno where my brain was that day. I feel even dumber considering i am an electrical engineer. lol
Ohms Law:
E = I*R
E = Potencial (Volts)
I = Current (Amps)
R = Resistance (Ohms)

Greater potential increases the current flowing across the resistor which releases more energy. I believe a halogen filament emits something like 3-4% Light and 96-97% heat.

After thinking about this i decided to do a little research into Voltage vs Output vs Lifespan.
According to Wikipedia the light output is proportional to V^3, and the lifetime is proportional to V^{-14}.
So if you increase the voltage 5% you would get 15% more light and half the lifespan.

 

Ya I don't think 15% would be worth half the life. You're talking about 200 more lumens but a cut in life that will only last 6 months to a year..

 

I agree 5% voltage increase is entirely too much. However if you have something lower than 14.4Vdc already then bumping it up to a solid 14.4-15V would just put you at the standard rated lifespan.

 

Exactly. Never hurts to check the voltage at the plug. Now before upgrading anything

 

I like your thinking. Math was spot-on and I'm glad to see someone engage lights from a mathematical standpoint.

However, you've got a choice, lifespan or lumens? Philips Silverstar Ultra and Philips XtremePowers are the brightest stock bulbs you can get. FMVSS laws regulate how many lumens they can emit. There is a wiggle room of about 300 lumens from minimum to maximum, and the regular Silverstars that come from the factory will be at the lower end of that spectrum as they last many many years, but suck at output. The Ultras and XtremePowers will have maximum output, but only a lifespan of about 1 year.

It is worth noting that past 2 years, the halogen cycle severely diminishes and bulbs should be replaced (in pairs) anyways.

OP, I know you said you wanted to avoid HID, but all of this time and planning, you sound like you have the know-how and the time to do it right, especially if you want output. An OEM setup with Philips 85122 bulbs and Denso ballasts would have a warm-up of 1-3 seconds, and you'd have more than twice the output- 4300K D2S projectors emit around 3200lm each, versus a halogens 1100 lm (low) and 1800lm (high). Apart from the picture in my signature below, I don't have any of them handy but I think it would be a choice you would benefit from.

 

What do u mean when you say OEM setup with Phillips 85122 bulbs and denso ballasts?
What OEM setup? I would consider HIDs as my low beams. im just not well educated in the ins and outs of what it would take to get from my Depo headlight assembly with 9007 reflector to using the HID bulb and ballast.
Everyone says not to use them in the reflector. I have seen the projector mod that thelariat02 did to his. I like the look of that. But i dont know what projector to use or anything. Nor do i really have the time to go to all the work that he did.
Everything i look at seems like it has a price tag higher than im willing to commit to.
I could justify $100-150 plus my time to get some sweet low beams. But not really much more than that.

 

^^^ Uh, no...

==>https://www.f150online.com/forums/il...ml#post5106694

MGD

 

OEM, as in manufacturer-quality components - not aftermarket knock-offs.

You do indeed get what you pay for.

Refer to:

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/

Where you'll find OEM ballasts like: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/com...l#.VCXsIFcXJc8

And OEM capsules like: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/com...l#.VCXsTlcXJc8

Excellent resource for info: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/forum.php

Example: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/show...bout-HID-bulbs

More - output shots:

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/show...arison-Outdoor

http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/show...eam-Comparison

And: http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/show...-D2S-Bulb-Test

Join - it's free - you'll see all the images, and perhaps educate yerself ....


MGD

 

MGDFan - I don't believe that chart is accurate. Or possibly it is accurate but it doesn't tell the whole story...
Perceived light is not the same as actual light output and color has allot to do with that. I used to work for an energy management company and did energy audits as well as lighting schedules for indoor and outdoor lighting retrofits for buildings regularly. I wish i still had a light meter to do some research and experimentation with.
I honestly feel like the high end bulbs do produce more light, at least more light in the visible spectrum. I am no scientist just an engineer. But thinking through this...
The high end bulbs compared to a standard bulb has a much finer wound filament. So it would seem that the high end bulb filament would get hotter than a thicker filament. Equivalent resistance means equivalent current. Equal current put through a smaller conductor increases heat that radiates out of the conductor. Heat output is directly proportionate to the light output. I assume the reduced filament size also is why it produces a whiter light. If you over current a wire it turns red. Increase the current it will eventually turn orange and almost white then burn in half. On the same token if you take and over current a wire it will turn red. Pass that same current through an even smaller wire and it will be a brighter color. Each time the color coming out of the wire turns whiter it appears to get brighter. I would assume this is because there is less infrared radiation coming out and more light in the visible spectrum. None the less it helps you see better.
Whether its more light out. or just more light in the visible spectrum doesn't matter to me as long as it makes me see better.

 

Lol -

You are attempting to argue with the very DESIGNERS of those light sources (those are Sylvania's charts) - who probably have in their possession sophisticated instrumentation to produce those numbers.

Fell free to call them on it

Indeed - perception is, for the most part - the PROBLEM. Folks routinely run far too much foreground lighting, fer example (PnP's, HID fogs, LED lightbars, poor aiming - you name it) - and then INSIST they are seeing better. Far from it - they have actually hugely crippled their distance visual acuity. Perception.

Others will SWEAR that 8000K ---> Gamma ray ---> Cosmic ray HID's are brighter - they are most decidedly not. Again - perception versus the science of the human optical system.

You need to spend some quality time perusing that info resource I linked to.

Here's another: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/ ( refer to any/all relevant sections).

Tip of the iceberg here...

MGD