Can you see getting there?

[Jeff]

Been looking to replace the bulbs in the RV.  (GMC Kodiak chassis).  I think there are some plug-n-play replacements that are better, but I have to dig around for them again.  The OEM bulbs suck.

[Rick Beggs]

i thought i was just going blind, the clear lenses sound great, i was thinking of putting the KC daylighters off my jeep on the roof of my MH and wiring them to work with my high beams

[Super Dave]

Lots of options.  I wanted to stay legal as much as possible.  All of us running around with gas, stickers, etc...that's just asking for DOT guys to pull someone over.  Throw a lighting system well above normal, legal systems, and that's an opportunity to be pulled over for a "spot check". 

[G 97]

Hey Dave, what was the cost of this.  tanks man.

[Super Dave]

The new replacement headlight housings were under $100.  They came with bulbs, just standard halogens.  The clear increased lumen bulbs were around $36.  In lumens, the difference should be from around 1100 for a standard 9007 bulb to 1500 to 1700 for the bulb that I got.  Yeah, it is above DOT, but it really didn't feel like a big visual difference going from the bulbs that were supplied to the "better" ones.  For me, again, the clear housings were great.

I got them off ebay.  You can get clear headlights and clear corners as a unit for $100.  They were made in Tiawan.  Quality wise, they appeared to be pretty decent except for the locking mechanism that held in the bulb.  Was a little cheap there, but, as one doesn't replace bulbs very often, I'm not expecting to have any problems.

[Jeff]

Just off the pics, the clear housings seemed to make the biggest difference.  I opened 2 windows to see the difference between just the clear lenses and the clear lenses with new lights and it is barely noticeable.  But the old to new housings were definitely a huge difference.

[Super Dave]

Yes, that was my statement too. 

I can't say that I'm capable of measuring the power of the lights to extend my "reach" with my simple pictures.  I think the light can only get so "white" and that's it.  It won't get any wider because of the way a reflector beam focuses light.  If regular bulb has the ability to put X many lumens on the pavement at 100 feet, the idea is that the better bulbs will put X+Y lumens on that spot 100 feet ahead, and then put some more light on a spot that the regular bulbs put very little on. 

Some of the tricks in actual use might be this:

With an older, yellowed diffuser type housing, can I expect more glare now in foggy situations where the light quality is best when it is actually a yellow color?  Will I have a harder time adjusting my eyes to the dim dash lights with the increased light from my headlights? 

[tzracer]

Just off the pics, the clear housings seemed to make the biggest difference.  I opened 2 windows to see the difference between just the clear lenses and the clear lenses with new lights and it is barely noticeable.  But the old to new housings were definitely a huge difference.

Yes there is a big difference, but is the difference better? The stock lights concentrate most of the light towards the center of the pattern, the clear style spreads the light more uniformly. By spreading the light more uniformly, it can give the illusion of producing more light. Without a light meter, it is difficult to tell if the clear lens covers give up any strength in the middle of the pattern. If it does, then you will not be able to see as well in the distance. One way to test would be to drive with the 2 setups back to back on the same road under the same lighting conditions.

Was the oem set up tested with same bulbs as the clear set up? Comparing the reflectors with different bulbs only adds more variables.

[Super Dave]

Agreed.  Can always do more testing.

The OEM lense diffused light a lot.  Made it hard to see much of anything.  It's not an uncommon complaint either.  (There are Ford van forums...LOL!)  I haven't had an opportunity to drive it at night.  Probably won't get any huge testing until our first school at Topeka in April.