Two questions about jewel headlights

[flyfishing31568908306]

OK, now we're on the same page.

Mike, did you just pop them on with the bulbs Geo. supplied or did you change bulbs?

If so, (in your opinion) how much better (in %) would you consider them to be over the stock 98-00 lights?

hey jim,

yes, i used the bulbs that come with the kit. they are actually a pretty white hue.

i had the orginal bulbs in when i first got the car. i then switched to the silverstars. this was a pretty big difference in light out put.

with the clear jewels it seems almost double the oem bulbs and maybe 25% brighter and whiter than even the silvers(slightly blue).

i'm still monkeying around trying to get my most desired light pattern but there is no doubt they're brighter than the oem/fluted/silvers. with the high beams on, i bet they could see me from the moon thats how good they are.

i give it my Mike R seal of approval.

mike

[AlexD]

hey jim,

yes, i used the bulbs that come with the kit. they are actually a pretty white hue.

i had the orginal bulbs in when i first got the car. i then switched to the silverstars. this was a pretty big difference in light out put.

with the clear jewels it seems almost double the oem bulbs and maybe 25% brighter and whiter than even the silvers(slightly blue).

i'm still monkeying around trying to get my most desired light pattern but there is no doubt they're brighter than the oem/fluted/silvers. with the high beams on, i bet they could see me from the moon thats how good they are.

i give it my Mike R seal of approval.

mike

It's all in the light pattern

[uwackme]

How do these compare with higher wattage silverstar ultra's in stock headlights? The 100W rather than 55W versions?

I occasionaly drive to VT and NH and its moose/deer country and like powerful highbeams for to avoid glorious moose of kasakstan hitting my car

On the Vette I used 85W lowbeams and 150W highbeams and I could see a good mile ahead on the highway.

[defgh1]

How do these compare with higher wattage silverstar ultra's in stock headlights? The 100W rather than 55W versions?

I occasionaly drive to VT and NH and its moose/deer country and like powerful highbeams for to avoid glorious moose of kasakstan hitting my car

On the Vette I used 85W lowbeams and 150W highbeams and I could see a good mile ahead on the highway.

If you put 100W bulbs in the stock sockets you will have a Very High Probability of melting the plastic housing!

Doug H

[Rabin]

I currently have to go from the current 6000K HID kit I installed last weekend to regular bulbs, so I think I'm going to order some 65W H7 bulbs from Daniel Stern lighting. (See market place if interested in the HID kit)

Seems like it'll be the best comprimise for my desire to have good lighting, and my wife's desire not to get migranes...

He's a very knowledgable resourse, and seems to know his stuff very well.

Rabin

[Diggler]

I currently have to go from the current 6000K HID kit I installed last weekend to regular bulbs, so I think I'm going to order some 65W H7 bulbs from Daniel Stern lighting. (See market place if interested in the HID kit)

Seems like it'll be the best comprimise for my desire to have good lighting, and my wife's desire not to get migranes...

He's a very knowledgable resourse, and seems to know his stuff very well.

Rabin

Why are you taking out your HID's? I have been trying to consider HID or e-codes and silverstars and was leaning towards the HID, but now I am starting to hesitate after all of this debating.

[AlexD]

Why are you taking out your HID's? I have been trying to consider HID or e-codes and silverstars and was leaning towards the HID, but now I am starting to hesitate after all of this debating.

If you read back a few posts, it's because his wife has migraine problems and they are aggravate by the HID color he has.

If you want good lighting on the (relatively) cheap, get some E-code lenses and HIDs, it's a great combo, that's what I had on my '98.

[Diggler]

If you read back a few posts, it's because his wife has migraine problems and they are aggravate by the HID color he has.

If you want good lighting on the (relatively) cheap, get some E-code lenses and HIDs, it's a great combo, that's what I had on my '98.

Yeah, I just went to look at his Marketplace post and realized that is why he is getting rid of them. I just though there was more than just that one reason. Well it looks like I will just go with the e-codes to start and then get the HID kit later. I just cant see at night at all.

[AlexD]

Yeah, I just went to look at his Marketplace post and realized that is why he is getting rid of them. I just though there was more than just that one reason. Well it looks like I will just go with the e-codes to start and then get the HID kit later. I just cant see at night at all.

Somethings to keep in mind here are:

The E-Code lenses will not yield more light, they yield more focused light, however, the pattern of the light is not designed to light as far down the roas as the US spec lenses.

HID lamps with 35watt HID bulbs produce more light than the 55W halogens, so you will get better range out of the lights with proper adjustment, just be mindful that with the US spec lenses, glare for oncoming drivers is a real concern, this is less a problem if you move to E-Code lenses.

The best distance/focus would be achieved by going to HID bulbs and the C70 reflector based system.

[Diggler]

Somethings to keep in mind here are:

The E-Code lenses will not yield more light, they yield more focused light, however, the pattern of the light is not designed to light as far down the roas as the US spec lenses.

HID lamps with 35watt HID bulbs produce more light than the 55W halogens, so you will get better range out of the lights with proper adjustment, just be mindful that with the US spec lenses, glare for oncoming drivers is a real concern, this is less a problem if you move to E-Code lenses.

The best distance/focus would be achieved by going to HID bulbs and the C70 reflector based system.

I have noticed that people flash their lights at me thinking I have brights on but I can barely see. It is kind of funny. All I want to do is see the road better for as cheap as possible. I need all the money I can get for other issues with the R. It seems like ecodes and some nice bulbs will definitely help based on the couple of people who have tried it. There are some nice kits on SharpHID.com for a reasonable price but I wouldnt be able to get the ecode lenses yet if that is the way I went. I love the look and light output of the HID's so that would be my ultimate goal but if the stock lenses are going to dispurse the light all over then what is the point.

[JRL]

Somethings to keep in mind here are:

The E-Code lenses will not yield more light, they yield more focused light, however, the pattern of the light is not designed to light as far down the roas as the US spec lenses.

HID lamps with 35watt HID bulbs produce more light than the 55W halogens, so you will get better range out of the lights with proper adjustment, just be mindful that with the US spec lenses, glare for oncoming drivers is a real concern, this is less a problem if you move to E-Code lenses.

The best distance/focus would be achieved by going to HID bulbs and the C70 reflector based system.

Back to my original question and I still am not sure what to get, 04 C70 lights or Euro E codes.

Will the US lights do a substantially better job then what I have in there now, (stock 2000 R lights)?

Consequently will the E Codes do A LOT better job than those (US C70 lights) or just a little better plus have a Euro cut off beam?

I'm still not sure of the way to go, all I know is I'm NOT going to HIDs so it's between one of the two lights, C70 jewels or Euro E codes.

Which is it?

Perhaps I should define my use better, the primary usage will be LOW beams, supplemented by the fogs.

I'm way too blind now to drive very fast at night anymore and we live outside Philly, not in the boonies

[AlexD]

I have noticed that people flash their lights at me thinking I have brights on but I can barely see. It is kind of funny. All I want to do is see the road better for as cheap as possible. I need all the money I can get for other issues with the R. It seems like ecodes and some nice bulbs will definitely help based on the couple of people who have tried it. There are some nice kits on SharpHID.com for a reasonable price but I wouldnt be able to get the ecode lenses yet if that is the way I went. I love the look and light output of the HID's so that would be my ultimate goal but if the stock lenses are going to dispurse the light all over then what is the point.

This is an unfortunate problem with DOT standard headlamps. The DOT standard actually requires that the headlamps produce light in a pattern that will disturb oncoming traffic. This is because the DOT standard intends that light being shone upwards will illuminate un-lit overhead signs. If you had the E-code lenses, and they were adjusted to the ECE spec, then you would not have this problem because the ECE standard prohibits all but a small amount of light being shone upwards from the horizontal.

Will the US lights do a substantially better job then what I have in there now, (stock 2000 R lights)?

I assume you mean the US C70 reflector optics "jewel" lamps? With the same bulb, they will be no brighter than stock. They will however have a better focused light pattern, so what light they do emit will be more useable, and less glaring to oncoming traffic. But will it be substantially better? I don't know if I would call the difference "substantial."

Consequently will the E Codes do A LOT better job than those (US C70 lights) or just a little better plus have a Euro cut off beam?

The E-Code lenses will similarly improve the pattern of the light, not the light output. The pattern of the light should actully be close to the C70 reflector optics "jewel" lamps since from what I can see, the '03+ C70 lamps sold in the USA meet the ECE regulations for light pattern. So the benefit is improved focus, light pattern, and less glare to oncoming traffic.

Either way you go, you will get a similar functional improvement, the difference is honestly mostly aesthetics. To get even more visibility out of both solutions, you would need to get bulbs with higher light output. This would be either something like the PIAA bulbs that claim 110 watt light output for only 55 watts of power, HID bulbs (you can get a HID bulb that produces halogen spectrum colored light, look for 4300K or lower color temperature and they won't be "blue) or you could try a 65 or 75 watt bulb and hope that it doesn't melt your lamp module. I ran 75 watt bulbs in my S70 for a while before I upgraded to HIDs and never had a melting issue.

So in a nutshell: it's a complicated issue, and there's a great deal of personal preference and aesthetics involved here.

[JRL]

So in a nutshell: it's a complicated issue, and there's a great deal of personal preference and aesthetics involved here.

So, (from what you're saying) that I should go with the C70 US "jewel" lights and with some of the $300 I save over the Euros update to the best possible bulb(s) out there.

The actual aesthetics don't mean that much, either light is a huge improvement in looks over stock.

All I can say is I'm driving an 07 XC (NON xenons) and the lights are terrific!

[AlexD]

So, (from what you're saying) that I should go with the C70 US "jewel" lights and with some of the $300 I save over the Euros update to the best possible bulb(s) out there.

The actual aesthetics don't mean that much, either light is a huge improvement in looks over stock.

All I can say is I'm driving an 07 XC (NON xenons) and the lights are terrific!

Yep, that'd be a good combo. I was too cheap to go with the C70 lights, so I just went with the E-code lenses which were cheaper.

[Rabin]

Apologies to Nick - his topic was jacked bad. To answer his questions first (Did they get answered already?) Yes you can just buy the clear lenses, but you'd obviously have to run projectors for low beams to focus the light. Not sure how high beam would work through Last I saw lenses were $269 USD each from Volvo supply places. I'm sure you've found some by now. They do fit the assemblies - but you have to mount those projectors in the assemblies of course.

To comment on the HID and e-codes - I'm using the cheapo e-codes, and while better than the DOT spec lenses, the beam pattern is fuzzy and inacurate compared to my proper euro headlights on my Peugeot's. I also find that while it's focusing the majority of light - the fluted glass is throwing a little light everywhere and when you stand outside looking at your own car it's harsh - but not harsh enough that it's blinding. I've read that proper euro e-code assemblies are much better.

If I could do it again and could use HID I'd save my pennies for the jewel lights as it would have much better control of the beam pattern, or save for the projector assemblies designed for HID. What I have is MUCH better than stock - but now that I know I can't use HID - I'm going to look at sourcing some proper e-code assemblies out of Germany/Finland and use 65W halogen bulbs. Till I find something the DOT assemblies with cheap e-code lenses should be fine.

Rabin