What are them blue headlights called? I find them annoyingly bright on coming, but they are the next best thing for me not to get glasses again or spend the money for lasik. I have an 01 SD. What is involved to covert to these blinding blue wonders?

 

Lariat79SC,

The blue you see could either be High Intensity Discharge (HID) bulbs, which are truly the best, or it could just be a regular halogen bulb with colored glass.

None of the superduties (that I'm aware of) ever came with HID, and HID conversions are very expensive. The stock bulbs that came in my 2000 Excursion (I think your 01 SD has the same type) were 9007 55/65 watt bulbs. I agree that the lighting was less than great. To get that blue look, you could try:

•(good)55/65 watt Slyvania Sliverstar or some other aftermarket bulb. Sylvania also has a 'cool blue' bulb, apparently, it doesn't perform as well as the silverstar. Just check the local Autozone or whatever, and they should have a good selection of these types of bulbs

•(Better)(illegal, but who could tell because it fits in the stock housing) Higher wattage headlights (85/100 watt) They will obviously provide more light output, and depending on the bulb, some have a blue color to them. If you do this, you might want to consider an aftermarket headlight harness so the extra current doesn't overload the wimpy stock wiring.

•(best) (illegal)HID conversion. Will draw less current, and be considerably brighter. However HID conversion kits are prohibitively expensive in most cases

My friend just installed the middle option on his truck, also a 2000 X. He put in Hella Optilux 80/100 W bulbs. They have a blue, more daylightish color.
http://www.hella.com/produktion/Opti...XB/HB5/HB5.jsp

He also put on an aftermarket wiring harness to seal the deal from Painless to keep the stock wiring safe from overheating
http://www.painlesswiring.com/InfoSe...chField=30816#

I've had the chance to ride in his truck, and it is considerably brighter. Way better visibility without the yellow tinge to the light.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

Isaac

 

If you mean the HID lights like newer BMW's and the like come with, forget it. While any headlamp not designed for them will be annoying to oncoming traffic, it goes double for your headlamp style (because of it's lens style. It doesn't have the clear lens of the newer "Diamond" style lights found on newer SD's). With most kits you will lose having a separate high and low beam. In fog or light mist you will be blinded be the light because of the poor spread reflecting back at you.

If you mean the blue tinted bulbs, stay away, especially if you already have impaired vision. Even if they are high watt, there is always a better option in a completely clear bulb. Adding a blue tint will NEVER result in a better light spectrum. They tend to really suck in the wet. The yellow that the blue coating filter out is very important for wet operation.

As mentioned before, the upgraded harness, especially in combo with an upgraded CLEAR bulb can make a dramatic difference. The GE Nighthawks (available at most Walmarts) are a good choice and easy to find. There are slightly better bulbs out there, but they are harder to come by.

If you do the above upgrade: Make sure your headlamp lenses are in excellent shape (not yellowed, no pits), it makes enough of a difference that imperfections will scatter the light enough to really annoy oncoming traffic. Make sure you keep them clean for the same reason. You may need to aim them a bit lower, they move the filament a little bit and make the beam go farther on the road.

I've done the exact combo to mine, it is a world of difference. If it's not enough get some quality fog lights to supplement your low beams, and/or some driving lights to go with the high beams. I find my fogs are unnecessary most of the time, I do regularly use my driving lights with the high beams. They really make a difference when spotting deer.

You could get the upgraded harness (it helps with even stock wattage bulbs), buy the bulbs, new OE headlamp housings (if needed...or you can buy a $20 restoration kit and get them 95% new looking, again, if needed) and get some decent driving lights for the same cost of a decent single beam HID kit...with better overall results.

 

Well I see them silver star bulbs at Walmart. I might give them a go. My headlight lenses are like new, but they are the older style. Not dimond clear or nothing like that. The 03 SD here at home seems a tad better and thoughs are clear. I just didn't want to change the look of the 01 to something newer, but I'd like to see better also. I just bought an LED Mag-Lite and it is as blue and intence as one of them HID equiped cars. I love it! It is almost like daylight. I'd argue they are safer because you can see better, so I wonder why illegal if properly upgraded then? If I had the choice I'd rather have uncoming traffic with the HID/blue over the blinding white light of the high watt bulbs. The high watt white light is too blinding like you just flip on all the KCs. Blue I find annoying, but it isn't as common so that might be part of it. I still can see.

 

YOU can see better, but all the little refractors (or whatever you'd like to call them) in the stock lens put a ton of glare out for other traffic. Most all the HID equipped vehicles have either a projector with a sharp cutoff or the diamond style lights (designed to house them). The only car I know of with the same style lens as what you have are some earlier Mercedes, and are generally regarded as very poor comparatively. This is true even though they were designed from the start with the HID bulb in mind.

You will really tick people off if you do it. If you think you have troubles seeing now, wait till everyone is flashing their high beams at you. The point is that there is no "proper" way to install them without getting a diamond style lens and then modifying it with a projector inside. It would still be illegal in most places at that point and very expensive if you aren't capable of doing the custom job yourself.

You won't be AS annoying as other cars with factory HID, you will be much MORE so. It's not hard to tell an aftermarket job coming at you on level ground. Head towards me with them and you get a dose of my nighthawks and my Hellas.

Get the Silverstars if you like, but the GE Nighthawks are right beside them, cheaper, longer lasting, brighter and just better overall. The Xtravisions are a good choice too. The blue coating on the S'stars (and other blue coated bulbs) is a gimmick. You will notice the light more under some conditions because of the different color and some colors will be more "true", it doesn't mean you can actually see better. A few tests I've seen results of showed them putting out less light than regular bulbs (~23% less!), and they disappear in the wet. Yes I have a set, yes I was fooled until the first rain (checking my headlight switch to make sure they were actually on) and until I tried some clear xenon gas halogen bulbs (Nighthawks, Xtra's) to compare them to in both wet and dry.

Comparing blue tinted halogens, LEDs and HID's as far as color is concerned is an apple, orange and banana scenario.

I don't know about where you live, but the deer (and other obstacles) around here are a lot closer to the color yellow than blue. Why would you want to filter that yellow color out? Even the "Import" scene is coming to grips with this reality, in both cases.

Again, do what you like, but at least give my words some consideration... know that you were warned. Some good clear bulbs and a good harness will put you at ~2/3 the output of a factory HID light, probably more compared to an aftermerket kit (which will waste light). Plus you'll have a bulb which was originally designed for the housing , not somethng rigged to fit.

 

That is my point. With my current factory lighting I'm not seeing too well at night. I damn near took out a deer the night before Thankgiving. I didn't see it. Yet it was there plain as day. The 95 F150 I traded in was bright, but why is the SD lacky? With that F150 I could see a frog at night and avoid it. I don't give a crap about color as long as I can see. I do however see more area as them HID cars are passing by and with crystal clear clarity. Maybe it is just me, but I'd sure like that if it was possible to have it set up correctly. Or maybe I just need a beemer? One 850i please...

 

Now you're talking! An 850i is a nice car, you'd be surprised at the deals you can get on them these days. Don't wanna have to pay for any maintenance on that 12, but what a car.

On topic: Harness, Nighthawks and some Hella driving lights = ~$150. Worth every penny and then some. It's also a much cheaper gamble than the HID kits. You aren't the first person to complain about the SD beam, especially of that vintage. The lens throws the beam over too much area for the stock wiring and bulb to cover. Get some decent bulbs and more voltage to them (harness) and I bet you get a smile on your face, driving lights added make it all the better. I can't imagine needing much more with that combo on mine. It's nice even without the driving lights, but they give a lot more distance to the beam.

I've spent a lot of time (and a little $$ too) playing around to see what works. I'm not selling this stuff. It does make a world of difference. I've got more bulbs and harnesses siting ion my garage than any sane man should.

If you don't care about the color, stay away from the tinted bulbs.

Make sure they are aimed properly too. The factory doesn't always get it correct.

 

The whole wiring harness thing. Is that needed or is it just to get the most out of the bulb? Xenon/HD4 bulbs just burn hotter ie more bright...

 

I think you need to check the adjustment on your headlights and see if that helps..Lights that blind other drivers are a hazard.

 

Already done. Aimed correctly, but lacking performance. Drivers that fail to dim their brights are the hazard. most people should be able deal with the different on road lighting on dim.

 

It is not a must-have in the sense that you need one to make the bulb compatible, it IS a must have in the sense of getting MUCH more light from a halogen bulb. Plug and play, no hacking of the original harness at all. On avg you will go from ~12 volts (possibly a little less) to ~14 volts (possible a little more).

I don't have the #'s on hand for a 9007 bulb but it should be very similar to a 9006 which is as follows.

at 12 volts a normal 9006 bulb will put out 803 lumens.
at 14 volts that same exact bulb will be putting out 1356 lumens.

that's quite a difference. here's what a couple SD owners had to say about the harness upgrade: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...t-harness.html

About the only downside is that bubs will have a shorter life. If you don't like the harness, I'll bet you can find someone on here to buy it in a flash. You bulbs, if OE units, are probably in need of replacement anyway (they do get dimmer over time). Hardly a gamble.

EDIT: Read Daniel Sterns case for not doing doing the HID swaps: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html
You COMPLETELY screw up the optics of the light when you do it. There is no more high and low beam, you aren't just putting more ight through it, you are changing where that light goes in a major way.

A few fiends have installed HID kits. All 3 still have the same car, none of them still have the HID's.

HD4?

 

I was wondering about that harness from painless afreemanmd posted. It was just a harness. Nothing spacific in terms of vehical. That is pulg and play? A breif look around painless web page and I din't see a price. On average how much are we talking? Is there harnesses to be found elsewhere to?

 

http://www.gosracing.com/inc/sdetail/1983

Yours should be the largest vehicle it was made for, I bet it will fit nicely. The 9008 harness I got from them for my sister's truck was very nicely made.

I made my own for a little cheaper and have added a few mods to it (I activate my aux. lights through it).

I'm not sure Painless makes a harness for this application.

Note EDIT in above post

 

Thanks for your insight and help. And thank you everyone else that replied. I know enough now I can effectively research and make an informed decision. Now I must sleep on it...LOL

Side note: I get this SD paid off I might just find that 850i with my name on it.

 

Oh yeah, (just to rain on your parade again) not sure I've ever seen an 8 series with HID's. I've driven a few been, around a few more (used to work at an Exotic auto body shop, that how I KNOW how nice they are). Driven lots of other exotics to compare them to also. It is one of my alltime favorites, especially considering when it was designed.

If you are even half serious, I'd consider an 840 instead. Much cheaper and easier to fix, much less maintenance and 90% of the fun of the V12.