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

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df2x4

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Oh dear God......

I can't tell if you're impressed at the brightness or hate them. :lol: Either way feel free to elaborate Bill. Always interested in your opinion on these matters.
 

shovelbill

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I can't tell if you're impressed at the brightness or hate them. :lol: Either way feel free to elaborate Bill. Always interested in your opinion on these matters.
I was being sarcastic in the fact you may be a convert to the voodoo that is LED lighting........The pics may or may not be representative of real life, but it seems to be a bit "blotchy' and not have a blanket of coverage.....might just be the picture because it's very close to the door.

They do seem to be bright as all fukk.
 

df2x4

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I was being sarcastic in the fact you may be a convert to the voodoo that is LED lighting........The pics may or may not be representative of real life, but it seems to be a bit "blotchy' and not have a blanket of coverage.....might just be the picture because it's very close to the door.

They do seem to be bright as all fukk.

I agree that the pictures do make the pattern look a little blotchy, especially compared to some I've seen of the actual TruckLites. I do feel like the orientation of the car in relation to the door is a lot of that, though. They are crazy bright compared to the Sylvania halogens that I removed. Wish I would've thought to take some before/after pics. The side to side coverage is pretty awesome on the road, I can see much better. I'd love to get my hands on one of the actual TruckLites to compare it side by side with these and observe any differences in the beam pattern. Maybe one of these days I'll buy one and put that to the test.

I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm an LED convert, I still hate seeing them in the low beams of halogen reflector housings. (And boy, there sure seems to be a lot of that in my area these days) I do think there are benefits when they're used in a non-offensive way though.
 

shovelbill

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I agree that the pictures do make the pattern look a little blotchy, especially compared to some I've seen of the actual TruckLites. I do feel like the orientation of the car in relation to the door is a lot of that, though. They are crazy bright compared to the Sylvania halogens that I removed. Wish I would've thought to take some before/after pics. The side to side coverage is pretty awesome on the road, I can see much better. I'd love to get my hands on one of the actual TruckLites to compare it side by side with these and observe any differences in the beam pattern. Maybe one of these days I'll buy one and put that to the test.

I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm an LED convert, I still hate seeing them in the low beams of halogen reflector housings. (And boy, there sure seems to be a lot of that in my area these days) I do think there are benefits when they're used in a non-offensive way though.

Hey.....for the money spent, if you are happy, then it was well worth it.

as an aside......I started working for the local Harley dealership, part-time, 3 days a week. In the year plus that I've been out of that business, there have been some updates......including a Bar & Shield branded adaptive headlight for their accessory catalog. It's made by J. W. Speaker....somewhere in this thread I posted about that light. JW made the original available for public consumption in 2016.

https://www.harley-davidson.com/sto...FfxSd0kGDmC4m1zwt_hoC0W8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

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I really wish these companies would offer them in temperatures other than 6K.....if they had a 4K there be one on my bike right now.
 

df2x4

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I like that the heated lenses are becoming more common. For a vehicle that gets driven year-round in various weather I think that's a feature worth spending extra for.
 

df2x4

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Update on those Chinese LED 9005s from FastTech that I linked to earlier... They are complete garbage. I bought two sets and none of the four even light up when power is applied. Completely non-functional, and the mounting rings are super wobbly. They're going back to China for a full refund. I'm tempted to buy a set of the Auxbeams or Beamtechs off Amazon to see if they are in fact the same as the ones I bought, because if so I'm amazed that these companies are making any money off this crap.

EDIT - I'm guessing the main issue is related to polarity. I can't see any other reason that none of them would light up when halogen bulbs work fine. I'm not about to start chopping wires to get these to work, though. After watching some videos on the Auxbeam and Beamtech 9005s, it looks like they use a different method of construction that provides a more solid mounting solution and better, less intrusive set screws. I think I'm going to try ordering some of these Auxbeam S1s. I'm sure they still come from China, but maybe the factory that Auxbeam sources from is a little more on point.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074GZ3S4Q
 
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Brother Al

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Sup Gents!

Damn site doesnt send me msgs about posts anymore....

Anybody have a line or diagram on how to modify the '98 DTRL's harness to make it H.D.? Also includes the later factory foglight set up in the diesel bumper holes.

...because I'm in the Communistwealth of Taxxachusetts, we're fkd with the newest version of state safety inspection... The inspection bays have cameras everywhere and all non-stock appearing lighting and some accessories are no longer acceptable.
Working DTRLs (if originally equipped) is mandatory. I had to argue that my '92 Z71's factory cargo light was stock and it never had a 3rd Brake Light...

A friend of mine recently had to remove his aftermarket fog lights and brush bar from his squarebody to pass.... (fn bs)

So, to beat them at their own game, I've since bought 2 sets of complete '98-00 C/K factory Foglight setups and one Z71 Tahoe/Limited aluminum brush bar... (hunting for another for the '92 Z71). Then when they say, "NOT STOCK", I can show them the GM Parts Manual and point to the stock GM switches... (yes, I have a '88-94 style fog switch too.)

BTW, the $1200 '98 GMC is rocking out nicely, but desperately needs better lighting at night... I have glass Spyders but I want to upgrade to the brighter bulbs...

Also, I may be going w/a 5.3 in the '92...
 

aball

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After reading through many many pages of this thread and being totally disoriented wether which headlights to buy, I checked the price for the original headlights at my local Chevy dealer here in Germany:

...

$420.

...

Each.

So at least this decision is made. :)
Still need to figure out if I stay with the OEM looks or opt for clear lenses.

Anyway: thanks a lot for the incredible amount of information (even if I only made it through a fraction of the thread yet...).
 
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