I switched my old stock bulbs with NightHawks

I am not to impressed. what do you guys think?
The pictures were taken using a Pentax K100D


I had the left one with the nighthawk and right with old bulb
New Old Side by Side



Low - Old

Low - New


High - Old

High - New

High - New2

 

well there certainly no "HID look but not bad"

how much you pay?

 

silverstars are still the best imo

 

I like my nighthawks WAY better than silverstars or stock. I'm only trading mine out because I bought some GE Megalight +80%'s from europe.

I can definitely tell a difference in yours too.

 

They looks what they are supossed to look like!
if you want the fake HID look then get some imitation bulbs

 

You can definitely see the difference. I like it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by vtec4lyfe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">They looks what they are supossed to look like!
if you want the fake HID look then get some imitation bulbs</TD></TR></TABLE>

Werd. These aren't supposed to be uber-gay-***-blue-neon headlights. They're a bright, uncoated bulb with good longevity and distance.

 

I am not saying there isn't a difference but its no where close to their 50% claim.

They say its 50% brighter than Stock.
My stock are old i'll get some pics but you can see they are melted a bit on the bottom and black. I mean i think they are as old as the car 99. and I would say maybe 25, 30% brighter tops. If I got new OEMs they might only be 10-15% brighter.

For 27$ a Bulb I expected more.

I was thinking of doing this
http://www.danielsternlighting....html
but i checked i am getting around 11.8 Volts. (I should of checked on the battery the voltage)

 

I can tell a pretty big visual difference between the 7year old stockers and the new nighthawks. The camera picked it up quite well I might add.

11.8 volts is ok, nothing like a good 13.8 volts coming straight off the battery; harnesses are great for this as described in that article. Get some BOSCH type relays, good 12GA SXL type wire (do not use vinyl/pvc insulated wire, it cannot resist heat/gasoline as well as cross-linked polyethylene, stick with GXL(intermediate insul), SXL(thickest insul), TXL (thinnest insul)), and crimp/solder the connections. 100ft roll of 12 ga SXL $17.45 at http://www.delcity.net/delcity...age=1

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tilhasbb &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am not saying there isn't a difference but its no where close to their 50% claim.

They say its 50% brighter than Stock.
My stock are old i'll get some pics but you can see they are melted a bit on the bottom and black. I mean i think they are as old as the car 99. and I would say maybe 25, 30% brighter tops. If I got new OEMs they might only be 10-15% brighter.

For 27$ a Bulb I expected more.

I was thinking of doing this
http://www.danielsternlighting....html
but i checked i am getting around 11.8 Volts. (I should of checked on the battery the voltage) </TD></TR></TABLE>

First, you need to develop an understand of what the +30, +50, etc., actually refers to. It does not refer to overall lumens output. Also, the Nighthawks I've seen have been dubbed +30, not plus +50, although they may have newer models now. Taken from a recent bulb test:

"Makers have developed Plus 30, 50 and 60 per cent bulbs. These figures refer to the amount of light 75 metres ahead of the driver. This is achieved by reducing the size of the filament and burning it harder. Xenon gas, meanwhile, prolongs bulb life and is sometimes referred to in the name of the bulbs"

If you paid $27 each for them, then I'd have to agree that you could have done better. There are better performing bulbs that cost around $25 for the <u>pair</u>. However, you still have a decent improvement over the stock bulbs.

Your idea of constructing a relay setup is a very good one, and it is one that I would have personally suggested. If you combine this with a very good set of bulbs, you will have a nice, low-budget lighting upgrade.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Padawan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

First, you need to develop an understand of what the +30, +50, etc., actually refers to. It does not refer to overall lumens output. Taken from a recent bulb test:

"Makers have developed Plus 30, 50 and 60 per cent bulbs. These figures refer to the amount of light 75 metres ahead of the driver. This is achieved by reducing the size of the filament and burning it harder. Xenon gas, meanwhile, prolongs bulb life and is sometimes referred to in the name of the bulbs"

If you paid $27 each for them, then I'd have to agree that you could have done better. There are better performing bulbs that cost around $25 for the <u>pair</u>. However, you still have a decent improvement over the stock bulbs.

Your idea of constructing a relay setup is a very good one, and it is one that I would have personally suggested. If you combine this with a very good set of bulbs, you will have a nice, low-budget lighting upgrade. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I hope he didn't pay $27 a bulb .... I buy my nighthawks for $26.99 a pair at Wally-world.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eran &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I hope he didn't pay $27 a bulb .... I buy my nighthawks for $26.99 a pair at Wally-world.</TD></TR></TABLE>

To his credit, I've noted that he lives in Canada. However, with the current exchange rate, $27 USD bulbs should still only cost around $32 CAD.

 

I dunno depending on how much he paid, if he paid as much as silverstars or less I would think it's not too bad. I can tell a difference.

 

Night Hawks will last longer then most any other after market bulbs except for HID's.

 

Looks fine to me . . .

What were you expecting, night to turn daylight?

 

silverstar.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EM1FORLIFE. &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">silverstar. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Unless you're talking about the Osram variety, no thanks. Sylvania SilverStars are over-hyped and not a terribly good choice.

 

The only reason i dont like this relay idea is I live in canada and we have to have a daylight running light. Which is highbeam on low power. I am not sure how to incorporate that.


I expected a more spread spectrum (right and left).

I was thinking of going for the silverstars they were actually a dollar cheaper a bulb but I am not sure if they are osram or the american style ones.

By the way I really wanted to try the Philips +80 but I looked everywhere and could even find philips bulbs anywhere.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tilhasbb &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The only reason i dont like this relay idea is I live in canada and we have to have a daylight running light. Which is highbeam on low power. I am not sure how to incorporate that. </TD></TR></TABLE>

You could simply relay the low beams (and upgrade the ground wires), while leaving the factory positive lead hooked to the high beams. Since the majority of driving is done with the low beams, you would still have an improved lighting in most situations.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tilhasbb &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I expected a more spread spectrum (right and left).</TD></TR></TABLE>

The stock Civic housings are poor to begin with. Better bulbs can improve the overall dispersion depending upon the tolerances used and how they are designed, but the improvement is relatively minimal. This isn't the fault of the bulbs, it's just a limitation of the entire headlight.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tilhasbb &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I was thinking of going for the silverstars they were actually a dollar cheaper a bulb but I am not sure if they are osram or the american style ones.

By the way I really wanted to try the Philips +80 but I looked everywhere and could even find philips bulbs anywhere. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Unless it was some sort of speciality shop, they were almost certainly just the standard Sylvania coated SilverStars. The Philips X-treme Power +80 should prove to be an excellent bulb, but they are a bit more difficult to find since they're rather new. However, you can order them from http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk or http://autolamps-online.com.

 

I actually ordered the Philips +80%'s before the new year from Autolamps, and will do a similar write-up comparing stock, Nighthawks, and the MegaLights.

edit - I'm a tard

 

Are you referring to the GE Megalight Plus +60%, or the the the Philips X-treme Power +80%?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Padawan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Are you referring to the GE Megalight Plus +60%, or the the the Philips X-treme Power +80%? </TD></TR></TABLE>

Philips X-Treme's. Sorry, just woke up like 10 minutes ago. self.

 

Sweet thanks.
If there that much brighter I am going to get those.

I sometimes go up north and there are no lights or anything so for me its a must

 

Do you eyelids on yo headlights? it'll obviously be brighter without them.

 

yes but its not even an inch that its covering. I was planning on taking them off and putting a reflective material so any light hitting the eye lids get reflected back in and out.


By the way I shot this in a very foggy night on purpose to see the spread better
just a tip to anyone who wants to do a similar test