99'Subourbon
Longroof NOOA Member
Morale of the story; get good quality headlights, and HIR 1s (9011s) are ******* awesome (equivalent to 35w HIDs, but halogen). I run 4 of them, and they are dumb bright.
Low brow Anzo headlights?
- Thread starter Spastik Monkey
- Start date
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sewlow
Bitchin' Stitchin'
After the first set of aftermarket lights I bought, (& threw away within 6 months!) any others I've purchased, the first thing was to mount them into the factory brackets. End of fitment probs & having to deal with el-cheapo crap adjusters.
...and sealed them up along the lens/bucket seams with silicone.
Don't run the 'EuroDezigns' bulbs. The 100 watt high beams. Yea, they're bright, but they also run hot!
So hot that they melted the tops of the inner buckets! ("Where IS that H2o coming from?")
...and sealed them up along the lens/bucket seams with silicone.
Don't run the 'EuroDezigns' bulbs. The 100 watt high beams. Yea, they're bright, but they also run hot!
So hot that they melted the tops of the inner buckets! ("Where IS that H2o coming from?")
I'm going to throw in my .02 on headlights in these trucks, even though nobody asked for it or surely wants it.
99% of all headlight assemblies for these trucks, including aftermarket options, were designed for factory style halogen bulbs. Even the aftermarket options with glare caps. Whenever I read horror stories about people being unsatisfied with HID retrofits, HIRs, LEDs, etc... It always makes me think "Yeah, but did you even try a regular ass set of clear headlight assemblies with regular ass halogens and a 4-Hi?" I mean yeah, everyone has the Anzos I run. These, clear with no glare caps.
http://www.amazon.com/111004-Chevrolet-Crystal-Headlight-Assembly/dp/B0015PPZMC
I understand wanting to be "unique," but do you know why everyone has these? Because they WORK. I put these in both of my trucks with factory GE Nighthawk halogens and the 4-Hi mod, and they'll light up anything 150yds in front of me in pitch black on a 2 lane blacktop. I'm of the opinion that anything more "advanced" than this setup is pretty much just a dick swinging contest.
I'll also note that I had ZERO fitment issues with the brackets or anything on these, on either truck. It took some fiddling to get everything to line up originally, but the fit is great.
Yes Anzo are made in China, no they probably won't respond to a single one of your emails. Buy from a reputable 3rd party source such as Amazon, Summit, Jegs, etc and you won't need to worry about that.
99% of all headlight assemblies for these trucks, including aftermarket options, were designed for factory style halogen bulbs. Even the aftermarket options with glare caps. Whenever I read horror stories about people being unsatisfied with HID retrofits, HIRs, LEDs, etc... It always makes me think "Yeah, but did you even try a regular ass set of clear headlight assemblies with regular ass halogens and a 4-Hi?" I mean yeah, everyone has the Anzos I run. These, clear with no glare caps.
http://www.amazon.com/111004-Chevrolet-Crystal-Headlight-Assembly/dp/B0015PPZMC
I understand wanting to be "unique," but do you know why everyone has these? Because they WORK. I put these in both of my trucks with factory GE Nighthawk halogens and the 4-Hi mod, and they'll light up anything 150yds in front of me in pitch black on a 2 lane blacktop. I'm of the opinion that anything more "advanced" than this setup is pretty much just a dick swinging contest.
I'll also note that I had ZERO fitment issues with the brackets or anything on these, on either truck. It took some fiddling to get everything to line up originally, but the fit is great.
Yes Anzo are made in China, no they probably won't respond to a single one of your emails. Buy from a reputable 3rd party source such as Amazon, Summit, Jegs, etc and you won't need to worry about that.
99'Subourbon
Longroof NOOA Member
I'll agree with everything, except for the unsatisfied HIR part. Form and function, they are identical to any other halogen bulb - they are just brighter. They throw light exactly as any other halogen bulb when used in housings intended to be used with halogen bulbs. The key here, is getting good headlights; and you hit the nail on the head there. I got lucky with my current headlights, they are cheap as ****, and I mean cheap... brittle, won't adjust well, leak, etc. but, they throw light amazingly - as good as any modern headlight.
Oh, and bullshit. There are few people on the board who's opinions are generally welcomed, critical or not; you're one of them.
Thanks man! It's nice to have a civilized discussion about this stuff.
In regards to my comments on other bulb types, specifically HIR in this case... I'm not debating that they're brighter than stock halogens. I can't agree that they throw light in an identical way, though. They're probably the closest of the other options, but as I've mentioned before they lack the glare cap on the low beam bulb which the halogens have. I've seen a few sets in person in reflectors with no glare caps, and to be honest it's a little irritating to me. I'm sure it doesn't bother everyone, but it absolutely makes a difference. My advice to anyone running them is to use housings with glare caps to eliminate that effect. The other thing is... I just don't know why you'd need them. I live in an area with a lot of dark two lane roads and I can honestly say that with my factory halogens in those Anzo housings, I've never thought to myself "Man I wish I had more light." As with all discussions on here though, to each their own.
EDIT - Also, @sewlow gave a tip that didn't get nearly enough love. Some of the aftermarket headlight brackets are fine, some are junk. If you have any issues you can always use your factory brackets, though.
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99'Subourbon
Longroof NOOA Member
That could be very true; I don't have experience with the HIR2 (9012) low beams. I run dual HIR1 (9011) hi beams, which have the built in glare cap on the bulb. That, combined with the my headlights which have a glare cap as well, produces great pattern and light throw (which having stacked glare caps could be completely meaningless).
SO! I'll heed your advice, and advise others in the future when it comes to bulb/headlight recommendations, to use a headlight housing with built in glare caps if they are/intending to run HIR2s.
Huh... Interesting. To be honest I've never seen an HIR bulb with a glare cap. What brand are you using? Every listing I can find for 9011s and 9012s are 100% transparent glass.
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-9011-Standard-Halogen-Headlight/dp/B00480J5CW
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-9012-Standard-Halogen-Headlight/dp/B00U32DG4C
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99'Subourbon
Longroof NOOA Member
I ordered mine from CandlePower.com; but I could be completely full of ****... I'll have to go out and check. My brain is telling my that there is the black graphite(?) coating on the end of the bulb....
Now I'm doubting myself.
99'Subourbon
Longroof NOOA Member
Was just looking at those listing on amazon... they sure seem off. The packaging shows them as 'standard' with 2 stars, yet they are the brightest halogen bulbs on the market (55w/65w automotive anyways), by a large margin. 1875 lumens for the lows, 2700 lumens for the highs. I'd buy from CandlePower, just for fear of getting knock-offs.
