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

[Brother Al]

My suspicion/hope is maybe leftovers from the original design vs a new revision headlight?
The mounting system on the initial design was crap so perhaps they revised it?
Or maybe it's purely the cheapo light bulb.

 

[bugdewde]

The answers to all your questions are in this thread... I'll post it once again for those who don't want to read the whole thing. This info is for people wanting to keep a composite housing with 9005/9006s.

1. New OEM housings if you want the absolute best, Anzo 111004 if you want non diffused clear plastic lenses, Spyder HD-YD-CCK88-C if you want non diffused clear glass lenses.

2. Philips X-tremeVision +100 9006 low beams, Philips 9011 Standard HIR high beams (in place of 9005s). You can run Philips X-tremeVision 9005s for high beams if you don't want to modify the 9011 tabs to fit your sockets. Sylvania XtraVisions are a more readily available halogen that you can find easily at parts stores and WalMart but they're not as bright as the Philips X-tremeVisions.

3. Upgrade your headlight wiring with relays. This should really be number one, it makes a huge difference.

As stated previously, don't run LEDs or HIDs in housings that aren't designed for them, you'll be blinding people. HIRs are fine in the high beams because the filament is in the exact same spot and orientation as a 9005. You don't want to use HIRs in your low beams unless you have a glare shield in your housings, though. Here's a tutorial on how to modify HIR bulb tabs to fit our sockets.

https://sep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-91565365470012/how-to-modify-hir-bulb-bases-1.jpg

Thanks df2x4.
I just PMed Bill for a synopsis of the 227 page thread after reading 11 pages, before reading the thread "backwards" a few pages hoping to find an update. Lol......
Maybe Bill or a mod could put this info in the original post? Lol.

- I want to do the relay mod, and maybe a 4 Hi mod … any recommended kits?
- I definitely want glass lenses (Spyder probably).
- I like the looks of the black signal light housings (LED) and markers. Just not 100% sure.

I have Dark Blue paint and soon to swap a GMC grille in ….. The black signal/marker housings might look good with the GMC grille.

 

[98chevy2500SS]

imo, I'd stick to chrome instead of the black. It will look kinda weird with black parking lights/corners with chrome headlights. If you go black parking lights/corners, then I would go with black headlights as well. I love the look of a blue truck with chrome headlights/park lights/corners. Again, that's just my opinion.

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And I agree, that post should be moved all the way to the beginning.

 

[df2x4]

Thanks df2x4.
I just PMed Bill for a synopsis of the 227 page thread after reading 11 pages, before reading the thread "backwards" a few pages hoping to find an update. Lol......
Maybe Bill or a mod could put this info in the original post? Lol.

- I want to do the relay mod, and maybe a 4 Hi mod … any recommended kits?
- I definitely want glass lenses (Spyder probably).
- I like the looks of the black signal light housings (LED) and markers. Just not 100% sure.

I have Dark Blue paint and soon to swap a GMC grille in ….. The black signal/marker housings might look good with the GMC grille.

No problem!

As far as the headlight harness kits, LMC Truck and Painless Performance have options for both. Personally I'd probably go with the Painless kits, I've heard mixed reviews on the quality of the LMC stuff. Here's some links.

HD Harness (might take some modification to work with our trucks, not sure):
https://www.painlessperformance.com/wc/30817

4-Hi Conversion Harness:
https://www.painlessperformance.com/wc/30802

Regarding black light housings, keep in mind that you'll lose some output. Not as big of a deal with the parking and corner lights if you're running LEDs, but you'll definitely notice the drop in brightness if you use black headlight housings. I'd stick to either OEM or one of the two aftermarket headlight housings that I mentioned in that post you quoted.

 

[Jermaine Smith]

Spyder better than Anzo ?

 

[df2x4]

Spyder better than Anzo ?

Subjective really, they're about the same reflector design. Just depends on if you'd rather have the durability of plastic lenses, or the anti-yellowing properties of glass. For what it's worth, I've been running the plastic lens Anzos on both of my '97s for years now and they haven't yellowed or degraded at all. Both of my trucks get parked inside every night, though.

 

[98chevy2500SS]

Mine haven't yellowed either. Since my trucks both sit outside 24/7, I wax them every few months to prevent yellowing.

 

[df2x4]

I finally ordered some Philips X-tremeVision 9006 halogens to try in my low beams, I'm excited to see how they perform compared to the Sylvania XtraVisions I've been running.

Also I know this is unexpected coming from me considering how I've bashed on everything plug n' play LED up to this point, but I ordered some drop-in 9005 LEDs to try in my high beams. I found a direct-from-China source for the fanless units that BeamTech and Auxbeam slap their names on for about $20 per set. I'm absolutely leaving halogens in my low beams, not only for the obvious reason of not irritating other drivers on the road but also to keep some heat in the housings to melt snow in the winter time. If the LEDs suck, I'll rip them out and go back to halogen immediately. I'm mainly curious to see how far out the LEDs throw light compared to the halogens in person and if there are any obvious gaps in coverage.

 

[TheAutumnWind]

https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-148541...hella+harness&qid=1555726622&s=gateway&sr=8-4

adaptable.....maybe

Reviews don't look great. Better off piecing together your own.

 

[TheAutumnWind]

I finally ordered some Philips X-tremeVision 9006 halogens to try in my low beams, I'm excited to see how they perform compared to the Sylvania XtraVisions I've been running.

Also I know this is unexpected coming from me considering how I've bashed on everything plug n' play LED up to this point, but I ordered some drop-in 9005 LEDs to try in my high beams. I found a direct-from-China source for the fanless units that BeamTech and Auxbeam slap their names on for about $20 per set. I'm absolutely leaving halogens in my low beams, not only for the obvious reason of not irritating other drivers on the road but also to keep some heat in the housings to melt snow in the winter time. If the LEDs suck, I'll rip them out and go back to halogen immediately. I'm mainly curious to see how far out the LEDs throw light compared to the halogens in person and if there are any obvious gaps in coverage.

What do you have in your high beams atm?

9011s shot work nicely with a harness.