I have 2006 3500 diesel and one of the headlight bulbs burnt out and I need to replace them. I have read several posts and everyone has a different opinion. At this timeIi just want to change the bulbs i need something bright for at night. I see Hella selsl replacement bulbs but I think I saw that they are for off-road only is this true. What do you think?

Thanks for any help that you can provide.

 

I'm running Silverstar and Stilverstar Ultra's. They're way better than stock, can't say vs the hella light's though.

 

Welcome to the site.

Everyone starts out with halogens...LOL

Some move up to Silverstars and MOST move up to HIDs. HIDs are the easiest, brightest and best way to go IMO.

We have a sponsor here called HIDextra that you can order from and they will give you everything you need to run the right setup.

 

Unless you feel like doing a headlight swap or retrofitting projectors scratch HID's off your list.

For a reflector housing a high quality halogen bulb is your best bet. With that said I will second Deathrend. I have the Silverstar Ultra's in my truck. They are unreal. I run them in my truck, the Mrs SUV, and had them in my Jetta before I sold it.

I have heard very good things about the PIAA Ultrawhite's as well but have not personally run them.

 

Now granted there is a right way and a wrong way to do things and although HID and projectors go hand in hand, lots of guys use HIDs without projectors.

 

As of today, I am officially unimpressed with the PIAA headlights.

4 months of service and one of them has failed to light up the low beam. I have DRLs turned off so there isn't any unnecessary lighting of the filament. To boot, the high beams are anemic at best. I have to use my offroad lights on the highway to see any definition.

I think I'll try the Silverstar lights... they seem to get pretty good ratings from what I've seen. They will likely last hopefully longer and perform better than these over-priced PITA PIAAs.

 

Just because lots of people do something doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Nothing personal Weed, I agree with you on most everything. Just not this.

HID's in reflectors give the illusion of better lighting but in reality a high quality halogen bulb will out perform HID's in reflectors any day.

Neglecting fixture type yes HID bulbs have more light output than even the best halogen bulb (usually around 4x as much output depending on quality of HID kit...HID = 2400-3200lu, halogen = 800-1700lu and around 10x the intensity again depending on the quality of the HID kit that you have...HID = 202,500cd, halogen = 21,000cd).

However without the right fixture type you can't take the benefits of the HID bulb with you. HID bulbs need the precise optics of a quality projector in order to contain the light and concentrate it in the right spot. Otherwise a large majority of the extra light that you upgraded to HID's for is lost through scattered light.

This is especially noticeable in rain or snow storms where driving with HID's in reflectors can be down right dangerous at times.

Ever drive in heavy rain or snow with your high beams on? Pretty damn hard to see isn't it. That's due to the less contained and more spread out light pattern of the high beam...HID's in reflectors are much the same as that even on low beams. Because the beam isn't properly contained and concentrated where it should be you are lighting up areas that you don't want to be.

These pictures demonstrate clearly the scattered light output and the horrible glare that your fellow motorist have to suffer through when you run HID's in reflectors.

the 3 lights in the red circle are HID's in typical reflector housings. The light in the green circle is a typical Halogen bulb. Notice how bad the glare is?



Again compare the top photo which is HID's in reflectors and the lower photo with HID's in projectors.

This post is probably a way over the top response, but HID's in reflectors are an absolute pet peeve of mine. Maybe it's because when I used to drive around in my lowered Jetta I was constantly blinded by people with HID's in reflectors, or maybe because on more than one occassion I've almost driven off the road by being blinded by the glare coming off HID's in reflectors (even in my truck I've almost ended up off the road). There is a reason they are illegal in alot of areas.

I'd do a proper write up on the forums here about HID's but it'd probably be time wasted even if it was stickied.

 

I totally agree with you. Im was just saying it can be done is all although HIDs in OEM housing do scatter. Projectors are THE way to go if you have the money or time to do a setup. Im looking for some Q45 projectors myself. Ive dont retrofits before and they came out good but had a fortune tied up in them. But I was in Atlanta last weekend and seen a Nissan with some Q45s and they looked awesome so now I want a pair also

 

If ya want halogen, heed those who rec Silverstars or Nighthawks.

If ya want HID, heed the rec of using projectors made for HID.

I myself will be retrofitting some Morrimoto HID projectors with 8k HID system. Probably one of the easiest retrofits I've seen done.

 

I was hopeing to get something thats white in color or more white then oem. What about the Phillips Crystalvision Ultra. One day i will put in real HID's but in the mean time Im just looking for the best light to put in. My truck is atlantic blue so i want a good light thats not yellow in color.