1998-2002 Accord Coupe Headlight Upgrade?

[timberwolf]

owner of a 1998 v6 coupe that i really love but the problem i have with it is that the headlights on dipped beam are really useless and at times i have to check that they are on. is there any upgrade that i can get. the lights are in good order its just the light given out is poor and anything over 40 mph is dangerous. any help would be appreciated but i,m not an auto electrician.

[Mangoman]

Try better quality Bulbs......  It might help but I'm afraid the Headlights on these cars are not the best.  In the late 90's Reflector Headlights on cars were still in their infancy and not the greatest - but they have improved over the years.

Also check that the Aiming is correct. If they are aimed too high you will see nothing of the road ahead. Try tilting them down with the adjustment on the dash. If that improves things then I suggest you get your Aiming adjusted at a Garage. Or you can do it yourself by means of the Adjusters under the Bonnet.

[hughezee]

Check out these topics there's a good chance the bulbs in yours are still the factory ones

 

[Laird_Scooby]

What sort of condition are the reflectors in? If they are still bright and shiny then you should be ok with better bulbs and/or headlamp aim, if they are mottled this has an alarming decrease on light output as do dirty lenses - do the headlamp washers work ok and are the lenses clean?

[hughezee]

54 minutes ago, Mangoman said:

Also check that the Aiming is correct. If they are aimed too high you will see nothing of the road ahead. Try tilting them down with the adjustment on the dash. If that improves things then I suggest you get your Aiming adjusted at a Garage. Or you can do it yourself by means of the Adjusters under the Bonnet.

 

Good suggestion Bill, new bulbs and adjustment will only help get the most out of the new bulbs

4 minutes ago, Laird_Scooby said:

What sort of condition are the reflectors in? If they are still bright and shiny then you should be ok with better bulbs and/or headlamp aim, if they are mottled this has an alarming decrease on light output as do dirty lenses - do the headlamp washers work ok and are the lenses clean?

1

Good point I have had to replace a coupe headlight housing which had mottled, never flagged on a MOT just looked awful

[Laird_Scooby]

Something else just crossed my mind - are they plastic lenses? If so they may have "cateracts" and need polishing. The mottled reflector will often still give a good beam pattern but very decreased output so could well pass the MoT several years running.

[hughezee]

3 minutes ago, Laird_Scooby said:

Something else just crossed my mind - are they plastic lenses? If so they may have "cateracts" and need polishing. The mottled reflector will often still give a good beam pattern but very decreased output so could well pass the MoT several years running.

 

Good old fashioned plastic lenses 

[Laird_Scooby]

3 hours ago, hughezee said:

Good old fashioned plastic lenses 

Hmmm, i wonder.............

[timberwolf]

reflectors are fine. had the headlight aim checked which was fine. what new bulbs can be fitted without major electrical updateing. thanks for info from everyone as well. i,ll try anything as i do a lot of night driving e.g. coming back from football matches.

[Mangoman]

I would recommend as reputable makes one of these: (I have used all in the past and found them highly efficient).

You will need the HB4 for the Dipped Beam.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Philips-WhiteVision-White-Vision-Headlight-Bulbs-H1-H3-H4-H7-H8-H11-HB3-HB4-W5W-/252547192539?var=&hash=item3accfc56db:m:mVPcN4Teg902LXJu4xQNYnw

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-HB4-Ring-XENON-ULTIMA-Car-Headlight-Bulbs-120-Brighter-HB4-Pair-9006-/321638971456?hash=item4ae32d3840:g:fo8AAOSw0e9UsYhC

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ring-Ultra-Xenon-HB4-9006-Halogen-Headlamp-Bulbs-50-Brighter-RW9906-51w-Pair-/262205354191?hash=item3d0ca830cf:g:2CAAAOSw3KFWeqjJ

I have used these aswell to good effect but they are not to everyone's liking as to the very 'White' light emitted. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271803750838?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT 

I have also used Phillips 'Colour-Vision' Bulbs - I got them free as a Trial from ECP - they were excellent...

 

I'm sure others will come along with their suggestions..

[timberwolf]

thanks bill. will give them a try. i,ll go for the dearest as you usually get what you pay for in the motor trade

[Jon]

Please can someone recommend what is the best headlight upgrade for a 1998 Coupe 3.0

[hughezee]

With the new MOT rules what upgrades you fit might become an issue, I've fitted various LED or HID kit and all performed well just so long as you don't go over 3500k , personally I just fitted night breakers but not to everybody's taste as they don't tend to last long, whatever your looking at they are HB3 and HB4 fitment. Also, the posts linked below might be of interest?

 

 

[PTR200S]

I have used Night breakers in other cars before with no issues on longevity but as Stu says some have experienced short life versions. Whether this is due to cheap import copy stuff is possible.....

I was recommended to use some Japanese hid type 4200k halogens,.. paid 7 quid for 4 delivered !!!!

Company is called factory car parts on ebay but they appear to be on holiday at the moment!

They have been in the car for around a year or so and been through an mot no problems. A slight adjustment in alignment may be required though.

Will try and find the thread info for you.

Laird has had some great success with led lighting so he should be along soon to impart some , erm, light on the subject .?

 

edit; this will take you to a point in the "what have you done to your coupe today" section.....

Just scroll down a ways.

 

 

 

[Laird_Scooby]

A general rule of thumb when upgrading to LED bulbs is to get those where the LEDs mimic the shape and size of the original filament. Also the position of it needs to be the same as the filament.

To explain this, i'll use the ubiquitous H4 bulb as it has two filaments, one dipped beam and one main beam :

In the diagram, the main beam filament is the one closest to the lamp base and the dipped beam filament is partly hidden by the shield that starts roughly at the top of the 28.5 dimension line.

Now compare that diagram to this LED bulb :

You can only see the main beam "filament" there but the dipped beam is hidden by the shield but surprisingly, these give amazing performance both in terms of light output and beam sharpness. They are more expensive than what can be found on fleabay but still cheaper than a failed MoT test for "No beam pattern" as you would get from most of what's on ebay.

Many people think that the larger LEDs will give better light output - this is a fallacy as it will just produce a large, uncontrolled blob of light on the road so you may not even get improvements where you want/need them.

If you go for an LED replacement/upgrade, try to limit the Lumen (Lm) output to 2000Lm per side (often listed as 4000Lm bulbs) to keep vaguely within the law (maximum 1800Lm) and aim for LED patterns that mimic the original filament - usually Philips LumiLEDs are a good indication of the right sort of LEDs in the bulb. Bulbs such as these will be no good for you at all :

This last set however should work well :

In fact i know they will and there's a pair in a gold Rover 827 Coupé in Northern Ireland - i know this because it was mine and i fitted them! It's a shame Photobucket turned all diva on us as there is a thread on here where i logged the various tests i did on several different sorts of LED headlamp bulbs, complete with photos of the beam patterns produced on a headlight beam setting machine.

Although H4 may seem irrelevant to what you need, the principles hold true. If you find some HB3 and HB4 LED bulbs and are thinking of buying them post a link here and i'll have a look and give you a good idea if they'll work or not.

[Jon]

Thanks Dave, 

I am not rushing with this and appreciate the size of the task. So long as I can make an informed decision before the winter.

The assistance I am getting from you all here is invaluable, thank you.

I upgraded my first Coupe which improved things but it's so long ago I can't remember what they were.

Probably bigger halogens  .....never had any MOT issues

I understand it is the beam pattern cut off or lack of it that they can fail you on ?

If I decide on LED's  I will certainly run my ideas past you.

[Laird_Scooby]

5 minutes ago, Jon said:

I understand it is the beam pattern cut off or lack of it that they can fail you on ?

Spot-on Jon! This is the pattern you're looking for :

It needs to be the bottom one for the UK, the higher part on the left of the beam is used to illuminate road signs and the verge/pavement when on dipped beam. It's easy to see why we have to fit beam deflectors (those strange shaped black sticky things) on the headlamps when touring countries with left hand drive and why they need to do the same when they come here as the "kick-up"will dazzle oncoming traffic.

[Jon]

Great I seem to be on the right track then. Is it only dip beam that they are twitchy about ? Are they concerned with high beam at all ?

Thanks Jon

[Laird_Scooby]

Main beam isn't checked as part of the MoT Jon but obviously if you dazzle oncoming motorists you might get a tug - but that's why you have dipped beam so you don't!

[Jon]

Thanks guys

I am still looking around, not decided on anything yet. Was quite taken with some rather naughty big halogens 80/100 watt. Does anyone know if the standard units would cope with the extra heat ?

Thanks Jon

[Laird_Scooby]

If the headlamp lenses are plastic on yours i wouldn't risk it. Better off paying the extra for decent LED bulbs in the first place than paying a few quid for high power halogens then having to renew your headlamps some time down the line. The heat also tarnishes the reflectors quicker and bakes road dirt onto the outside of the lens, another bonus of using LED bulb, the headlamps stay cleaner for a lot longer!

[Jon]

Yes they are plastic.  (and still crystal clear after 20 years)

I share your concerns thank you

[PTR200S]

21 hours ago, Jon said:

Yes they are plastic.  (and still crystal clear after 20 years)

I share your concerns thank you

I would say not re 100 watt stuff too, heat, old wiring and plastic lenses are not a great combination! Also the wiring / relays apart from being old probably isnt upto the job of a 60% increase in current loading !!!

In answer to the comments you posed on my Greenie thread re a lot to get your head around , i would say its down to how much you want to spend on the upgrade.

Daves solution is probably the best quality solution with the larger price tag followed by the nightbreaker / branded / philips nightvision stuff regarding price or the last solution like the one i used, the cheapskate version , with the jap bulbs.!!!

With each one I would ask how much night driving you are likely to do, coupled with what the area roads are like? Country lanes, no lighting with twists and turns then the led option is better by far. However, i have a lot of country roads around mine but don't tend to be out a lot at night..winter being the worst time obviously but the jap bulbs cut it for me.....  Plus the wallet moths are undisturbed ! ?

[Jon]

Interesting you favour led's for country lanes as this important for me. So too is the challenge (this can be on any road) to continue seeing the near side margin on dip when a neanderthal driving a popular german make is approaching ! 

My thoughts swing back to led's too in consideration of my 20 year old relays

[Laird_Scooby]

The "Big Hammer" award goes to Pete ^^^^^ for well and truly nailing it!

There's another reason LEDs would be my choice on country roads. Unlike halogen and even HID, there is something in the composition of white LED light that causes animals (inc birds) eyes to light up, similar to cats eyes. I've spotted loads of different animals lurking in the hedgerow, waiting to cross the road - mice, rats, hedgehogs, foxes, pheasant, muntjac, deer, cats, dogs etc.

The other thing is, with LED 6000K (colour temperature) bulbs, night driving is much more relaxing on the eyes as it's so close to natural daylight. While HIDs can achieve the same colour, because of how they work they give that blue tinge which is actually quite a strain by comparison because that blue tinge causes glare. Still better than halogen that end up looking yellow by comparison but glare nonetheless.

Bottom line is, the LED bulbs are well worth the extra expense. They last a long time, don't deteriorate in performance (unlike all other light sources) and even just on a cost per mile work out cheaper in the long run. With halogens, even if they are still working, you really need to renew them once a year to make sure they still perform at their best. The local constabulary use Nightbreakers and while they say they're good, they also don't last long - 2 months on average. Granted the lights are on for however many hours per night solidly which is probably more than the average road user but it highlights (no pun intended!) the fact that with extra brightness comes extra heat. I can't find the photo now but i did a comparison test between LED bulbs, Nightbreakers and ebay cheapy "Xenon-look" halogens. The photo confirms it but the LEDs were the best, both for definition of beam pattern and brightness followed by the ebay cheapies (yes, it surprised me too) and the Nightbreakers bringing up the rear. They were still better than standard halogen but not as good as the ebay cheapies and both fell a long way short of the LED bulbs.

The test was performed with 3 similar cars, all headlamps in good/excellent condition, clean etc so it was a direct comparison.