Ever since I changed my bulbs to one of those aftermarket bulbs, I've been paying more attention to lighting. Is it just me, or does the stock halogen lighting in the 1st gen CL really suck.....even compared to other stock halogen lighting? I look at the other newer cars out there and the stock halogen lighting seems to be much better than the stock CL. The lights seem to project a further distance and just seem to light better. I've tried adjusting the height and everything, but the lighting distance seems to be pretty short compared to other cars. This really makes me want to get HIDs now, but until I get the $$$ to buy them, I think I'll try a 9005 conversion.....

I think this is one of the major flaws of our cars. It's so depressing......

 

yeah... the 9005 works nicely, a nice change.

 

it's probably the aftermarket bulbs you put in also

 

I don't think so, the aftermarket bulbs I put in are actually brighter than the stock Stanleys. I put in Wagner Britelites, which were made in Germany and OEM in many German cars. Also, whenever I see another stock CL, I see the same suckiness in the stock lighting. It's pretty sad, my friend's 2003 Civic has better lights.

 

Usually newer cars will have nicer output because 1) it is newer, things improve, 2) the lens are clearer and not clouded by age/usage.

 

2 words-

pro jectors

 

spell it right
































3 words pro ject ors

 

the 9005 conversion with the stock halogens work really nice

 

My h.i.d kit is pretty bright. I was driving next to a s2000 the other night, and his and my output were close, except for the cutoff from the projectors.

 

ive been doing the highs in the low thing for a while now.

no problems thus far.

just that my headlight lense is pretty hot after the end of the night.

im gonna get halogen projectors.

 

I agree I did the 9005 swap and it made a HUGE difference.

 

i bought a pair of 20$ blue'ish/white bulbs, and they suck shit!

 

9006->9005 is the best bang for the buck when it comes to better lighting. otherwise my avatar tells the rest

 

I think there is an inherent flaw in our headlights that cause them to heat up far too much. My original stock bulbs were literally scorched from the heat. One of my HID capsules got toasted on the tip.

 

The h.i.d kit was the best investment i've ever made in my car. It's actually one that I still smile to myself everytime I turn my lights on.

 

baka, what kind of hid kit do you have

 

Gourmet Garage 4300k 9006 h.i.d kit. Be aware tho, nowdays it is illegal to have them. So, kits are hard to find. Many people stopped selling them.

 

i need hid's, man.

 

why is the kit illegal now?

 

Too many people going around blinding people because they didn't do the set up correctly. So they just made all of the illegal until DOT starts approving them.

 

HID's are the way to go if you ask me or you can take the cheaper way and get Xenons.

 

Hell, there are SUVs and Trucks with stock halogens that blind people. But with that being said, it's another reason why I am somewhat hesitant in getting HIDs. I live in LA and sometimes cops will pull you over for no reason and try to find something wrong.

I don't think having older lens always make that big of a difference in our stock lighting. I had to replace one of the headlight lens last year cause it got cracked. It was a little brighter, but not much. The lighting in our car just inherently sucks. I've tried aiming it higher, but even with it all the way up, it doesn't get that high.

Do the 9005's really get that much hotter than the 9006's? I mean, they are like only 10 watts higher. There should be a sticky about 9005s, HIDs, lighting, etc. One thing I think would be useful is where to mount the HID ballasts.

 

SUV's the only reason they blind you is because they are sitting higher than you and they shine right in your eyes


Like VXCL said projectors are only the way to go

 

the reflector is shitty in the CL

 

Yeah, projectors are the way to go....but it's a lot of work and effort. Second, if you get a ticket, you are screwed.....unless you have a spare set of headlights.

 

Who is gonna write an Acura a ticket for having HIDs? Now an S10 looks out of place with them, but not our cars - unless you did some ghetto job installing them.

DanMan1464, the reflectors are actually pretty good with HIDs tho.

 

if you set them up right and you angle the lights right you will not get a ticket, i had mine for 6+ month and mst cops dont say anything and if they do just tell them they are aftermarket headlights that are 100% legal, they wouldnt sell you illegal ones

mike has had his longer than anyone on here and i dont think he's had any problems

 

i have had mine for years and no problems As for the legallity, aftermarket kits have Always been illegal. VX's are the most legal if you will but anything other then stock is pretty much illegal making his illegal too. Granted he has bulbs with projectors out of a car as opposed to aftermarket but they are still in stock reflector housings not OEM projector housings Do i think he will be pulled over for it, almost guarantee he wont but he could get in trouble from what i have read especially after reading ont he phillips lighting forum

 

In theory u won't get in trouble with a VXCL like set up, because:

1) The CL lenses are DOT and legal
2) the projectors are DOT and legal

Inspector might see it , check the numbers on it, and go ok, they DOT, Good enough for me