Why do my headlights suck so bad? | Page 3 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Why do my headlights suck so bad?

^ +1. That's exactly what I keep telling them, and they always bring up the same argument. They assume that others are the same like them (disrespectful, bad raised) and will "flash" them - including the cars behind them.
I drive on roads every day and I still have to see a well-done HID conversion - I can spot every one of them, as opposed to factory ones.
 



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Try baking soda and vinegar mixed together and a pot-pan scrubber. It works a lot better than brake fluid or toothpaste. toothpaste will work but takes a lot of time. Put the toothpaste on some 0000 steel wool and rub, rub, and rub some more! This is for cloudy lenses not the bulbs. Should have put that in there first.
 






I am hesitant on aftermarket headlights. Heard a few complaints about horrible light pattern, complaints on easily broken mounting structure, and some complaints on how easy the lens crack.

Pry buying one of the better know aftermarket brands would have better quality though :dunno:

I put a set of ANZO headlight and signal housings on my X. Used Sylvania Silverstar bulbs. AMAZING difference! Been on for a few years now and still clear as glass. It was a bit of a pain getting them sighted in but I'm very happy.

I also put ANZO Carbon finish taillight housings on. Really dresses t\ he old girl up and have had a few compliments. I put new fogs in as well but used the original mounts.

btw, I still have the stuff I took off if anyone is interested. PM me.

Chef Duane
Plano, TX.
 






What would be the maximum watts that would not burn out the stock socket, can i use philips crystal vision bulbs with stick sockets there 65/55 watts?
 






Those wattage number will work fine.

Take a look at Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs. I have Philips Xtreme Power bulbs with new OEM headlights in my Explorer, and the same in my Paseo with OEM Toyota Cynos headlights. The Xtreme Vision bulbs are the newer "better" version of the Xtreme Power bulbs.
 






What would be the maximum watts that would not burn out the stock socket, can i use philips crystal vision bulbs with stick sockets there 65/55 watts?

Yes, they don't actually use more watts or produce more heat than many standard bulbs, rather they run a thinner, shorter or higher resistance coil element at higher temperature for brighter, whiter light, longer beam travel, and shorter lifespan. That's an over-generalization but it's still true that 65W is the same heat no matter the light pattern or lumens.

As for the maximum, I don't know but it would depend on ambient temperature and vehicle speed. Being conservative I'd stick with 65W or less.
 






Take a look at Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs. I have Philips Xtreme Power bulbs with new OEM headlights in my Explorer, and the same in my Paseo with OEM Toyota Cynos headlights. The Xtreme Vision bulbs are the newer "better" version of the Xtreme Power bulbs.

Same here for Explorer and Taurus. They are really brighter and still street legal!
They might not last as long as the original bulbs, but... I can see at night and that's worth every penny.
 






One thing I don't understand is why the low beams shut off when you turn on the highs. The cloudy lenses aren't really the entire problem though. I know that is part of it, but like I said also that between hi and low, there is almost no difference in light output. What would cause that? Its almost like the voltage isn't there or something. I'm gonna have to break down and buy a multimeter and see what kind of voltage I'm getting at the plug.

With new lenses, even OEM suck. I don't get why they are all diffused and stuff, almost just translucent, brand new. Almost every new vehicle has completely transparent lenses. That has to make a large difference on light output.

May I suggest something. It's called the LAMPS OUT CONTROL MODULE! I lost the right hand low beam and my fog lamps, but the bulbs were okay! This module was the problem! You can find it IN THE CONSOLE and the stupid thing about it is that it takes the FULL CURRENT of the lighting circuit through it! The solder connections at the front of this module are terrible and pins became unsoldered killing the lights in question! If they partially fail, you get quite noticeable voltage drop! This happened DIRECTLY after I installed Sylvania Silverstar bulbs which draw more current and are brighter. This module is VERY HARD to find and surprisingly, even many dealers do not know it exists! The pins, just before the spades are the problem. I resoldered these connections with high quality silver solder and not only did I have all my lights back, but they were significantly brighter as well! Even high beams seemed brighter! I was lucky that someone knew about this module as the dealers in my area did not even know about it! There is a video on this on Youtube and that's how I found out about it. When I fixed this everything works great! It is located in the console just ahead of where the message center is. Would suggest taking a look at this particularly if you're experiencing voltage drop and the like. Even Explorers not having the message center have been found to have this module. Betcha this is your problem! My headlamps light up the world now!
 






I converted one of my vehicles. Would gladly challenge you to spot them as not factory.
I used high quality HID projectors, high quality, low color temperature (not the nasty blue!) bulbs. They have also been very carefully aimed. The only thing that my converted HID headlights do not have is the fancy gyro-controlled mechanism that new vehicles with HID have, which prevents them from responding to bumps in the road.

 






^ If they don't visually illuminate a lot better than factory then why did you install them? Good aiming doesn't eliminate the additional light that would have to exist if they have any benefit in driving, light that has a corresponding increase in blinding other motorists.

Even factory bulbs night-blind other motorists to some extent, in the right situation(s). In other words I feel it is excessive and detrimental for many modern vehicles to have HID from the factory, and especially on an older Explorer the handling will give out at high speed before you're driving too fast for the headlights to handle.
 






My headlights SUCK. I put brand new bulbs in the other day, which barely made a difference. My lenses are a bit cloudy but not horrible, but I don't think that is the problem anyway. There is hardly any difference in the light output between high and low beams. However when I pull the lever towards me and hold it I can actually see pretty good, there is a very noticeable difference in light output. Can anyone explain this to me and possibly give me a remedy? I kinda plan on buying some clear headlights off ebay but that will only do so much when the hi and low beams are almost exactly the same light output. This is pretty important considering I work midnights and probably 75% of my driving is done at night...
You might have a bad ground wire, and fogged head lights u can either buy turtle Wax headlight cleaner or you can try regular toothpaste and buff it on like a wax and then clean it off repeat if you want
 






You might have a bad ground wire, and fogged head lights u can either buy turtle Wax headlight cleaner or you can try regular toothpaste and buff it on like a wax and then clean it off repeat if you want
Well, you just recommended everything already recommended in this thread, except you’re 7 years late.
 






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