Spyder headlamps.....my take on 'em...and LIGHTING in general

[shovelbill]

I definitely understand why he says what he says. W/T grille swap would be the way to go if you were really serious about upgrading. Simply because you could use the TruckLite LED housings. However the Spyders you have and my Anzos seem to work reasonably well, and for a whole lot less money than the grille swap and $350 worth of headlights!

What we've been working towards in this thread may not be the absolute best solution for these trucks, but I feel like it's about as good as you can get without a W/T grille.

remember...my goal was to see what could be done with the composites......i like the way you said "SEEM to work reasonably well"...HAHA....doubting yourself now?

 

[shovelbill]

in fact, i have to go back and find the post someone(sorry i forgot who) made regarding his e-mail with Mr. stern. it was around the time i got the harness.....it was suggested he go to W/T grill too....i GET it....i really do. but some of us want to keep the trucks looking as they came. maybe it's a liability issue, not just an availability issue.

i REALLY want the Arteb's now.

 

[shovelbill]

i hope Mr. Michael Hurd chimes in.......

 

[df2x4]

well...."serious" means different things to different people......

At 124 pages, I think you've put in the effort to call this a "serious" upgrade.

And I agree about some aftermarket composites being better than others. Some of the no-name Chinese stuff is absolute garbage. I wish TYC still made the Elegantes, those were pretty much the holy grail of aftermarket composite housings for these trucks. I'd like to see the Artebs in action too of course.

remember...my goal was to see what could be done with the composites......i like the way you said "SEEM to work reasonably well"...HAHA....doubting yourself now?

HA! Nope, I'm still happy with my setups for sure. There's no way I'm switching grilles just for the TruckLites. My Anzos are good enough for me, I think the pictures (wherever the hell they are) speak for themselves. I like shiny things too much to give up my fake chrome anyway. Plus the three horizontal lines in the housings and all that... Might blow an OCD gasket or something if I switched it up.

Both of my trucks are staying as they came from the factory. As much as I like the TruckLites, I like the fancy grilles too. What I have looks decent, is plenty bright, and won't blind anyone looking at it in oncoming lanes. That's good enough for me.

My conclusion from the information gathered in here so far regarding readily available aftermarket composite housings is this... If you want the absolute best cut-off and reflector performance, get the Spyders. If you want to get pretty damn close with plastic lenses instead of glass, get the Anzos. And stick to halogen bulbs!

 

[shovelbill]

i can not believe they went after this market.....well, i can actually. and they have a little "disclaimer" as to the legality of it.....watch the video. i think i'm gonna go get a job in a pizzeria, this is ****** lunacy

http://www.harley-davidson.com/store/spectra-glo-controller

 

[shovelbill]

At 124 pages, I think you've put in the effort to call this a "serious" upgrade.

And I agree about some aftermarket composites being better than others. Some of the no-name Chinese stuff is absolute garbage. I wish TYC still made the Elegantes, those were pretty much the holy grail of aftermarket composite housings for these trucks. I'd like to see the Artebs in action too of course.



HA! Nope, I'm still happy with my setups for sure. There's no way I'm switching grilles just for the TruckLites. My Anzos are good enough for me, I think the pictures (wherever the hell they are) speak for themselves. I like shiny things too much to give up my fake chrome anyway. Plus the three horizontal lines in the housings and all that... Might blow an OCD gasket or something if I switched it up.

Both of my trucks are staying as they came from the factory. As much as I like the TruckLites, I like the fancy grilles too. What I have looks decent, is plenty bright, and won't blind anyone looking at it in oncoming lanes. That's good enough for me.

My conclusion from the information gathered in here so far regarding readily available aftermarket composite housings is this... If you want the absolute best cut-off and reflector performance, get the Spyders. If you want to get pretty damn close with plastic lenses instead of glass, get the Anzos. And stick to halogen bulbs!

those are not pictures.....CLICK on them! LOL.....didn't you miss them the first time?

124 pages? holy ****

i need someone that speaks Portuguese to see if i can order those Artebs from the Brazilian Walmart....

the JW Speaker or Trucklites are what's recommended as top shelf i guess...there are still great halogen lenses available from Cibie, Bosch and Hella, the Hella's aren't a really a close third as i've read.

the ol' OCD gasket ploy....i know it well.......LMAO....remember Peter Sellers? haha

 

[shovelbill]

i agree...told him as much....and i won't put LED's on the front of my truck....PERIOD. i don't like them.

i've read the same things on the other forum...lighting "SCIENTISTS" they are too.....i consider myself to be quite an objective person. i can go beyond what i feel (subjective) to seek the truth.....not make a "truth" based on the amount of work or money invested in a decision......i can't argue photo-metrics and my own ocular motor system...i can understand it reading it, but can't say with good conscience "i guess they're right, rip it all out, i'm really NOT able to the sides of the road, the end of my low beams and beyond because my brain is fooled and these 'trinkets' are actually worst than the OEM lamps". i don't believe it to be my ego either.

you've seen these before...please watch them again and tell me what i'm missing please.

this IS what i see...the camera captures THIS view almost perfectly. that's not embellishing anything.
VIDEO...CLICK ON IT.

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this too (disregard what i SAY the bulbs are, my brain sucks)
VIDEO...CLICK ON IT

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i guess i just CAN"T see what they're saying i THINK i see....i don't know any other way to put it but "ican see much better than before i did this upgrade"....tho they consider it actually a DOWNGRADE.....that actually baffles me.

i edited for YOU

 

[df2x4]

those are not pictures.....CLICK on them! LOL.....didn't you miss them the first time?

I went back and dug them up after I saw you mention them at some point, but I just watched them again. Those Spyders are awesome! Those combined with good bulbs and a good harness are a massive upgrade from stock no matter how you look at it.

Might as well re-post my beam shots of the Anzos from a while back, I'm not even going to try and find them in the thread right now.

Lows:

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4-Hi:

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[deejaaa]

here's a drag truck i saw just a few mins ago on craigs:

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looks kind of like the rover lights.

 

[df2x4]

Are those the new stick-on LEDs?