After giving the LED headlight retrofits a good chance to do well, I've decided they don't do well. They make adequate light on low beam (but blind oncoming drivers) and suck on high beam.
I'm going back to halogen/incandescent so the focus is correct for my housings.
Years ago on a different car I did some upgraded/white bulbs and because they burn hotter/whiter, they lasted about a year. Replaced them with another set of slightly less white bulbs and one of them died a few months later. Are there any upgraded bulbs that can give me more light without sucking in the reliability department? Have they figured out the hotter light/reliability struggle?
The ones I was using were all varying kelvin from Sylvania. I didn't do the super blue top line ones, I think I did the Silverstar first, then the more modest XtraVision. Both looked great... while they lasted. I ended up putting the stock bulbs back in which were 20 years old with 150k on them and still working great. Then I sold the whole car to EastSideTim so it's his problem now 
Any good bulbs that will last and give better light?
TGMF
HalfDork
7/31/20 1:26 p.m.
by retrofits do you mean, actually installing a projector and the HID/LED driver or just one of those fancy LED bulbs stuffed in the housing?
If the latter, maybe check out the projector kits on this site for ideas.....no idea if they are fair on the prices, but lots of info there.
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgo_5BRDuARIsADDEntQzKgA6Eg9wy35XRVHBr7hRD1vWaWvQ-nLehVo14pTJcXsRLWFanNIaAjs-EALw_wcB
Ive used the hella higher wattage bulbs a few times with long term success. My trucks always get them. The set in my gmt400 have been there a year or two now.
TGMF said:
by retrofits do you mean, actually installing a projector and the HID/LED driver or just one of those fancy LED bulbs stuffed in the housing?
If the latter, maybe check out the projector kits on this site for ideas.....no idea if they are fair on the prices, but lots of info there.
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgo_5BRDuARIsADDEntQzKgA6Eg9wy35XRVHBr7hRD1vWaWvQ-nLehVo14pTJcXsRLWFanNIaAjs-EALw_wcB
I mean stuffing bulbs into my original buckets which were designed for incandescent/halogen.
I bought some retrofit LED bulbs to put in my stock buckets and they suck because of the mismatch. I'm going to go back to halogens for now.
Edit... thanks for the link. The only thing they offer for a 94 Mazda B-series are retrofit LED bulbs for $250.... which is what I tried and didn't work.
the thing you need to realize about halogen and tungsten lamps, because you cannot up the voltage to any real degree, the only way to make them "brighter" is to run thinner filaments so they run hotter. This means their lifespan is more limited than a standard lamp. Being a thinner Filament, they also do not survive vibration and large moment as well as a lamp running a standard thicker filament.
It's just a chance you take. Buy brighter lamps and hope they last a decently long time or buy dimmer and know they will last longer.
I haven't used them myself, but I've been eying the Hella High Wattage "off road" bulbs for my Silverado's high beams. The Silverado uses 9005/9006 bulbs that I believe are 55/65 Watt. The Hella replacements are 80/100 Watt respectively.
$15 for both high/low beams for your truck since it's one bulb. Bumps from 55/65 to 80/100 Watt.
https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-100-80WTB-Wattage-100-9007/dp/B078SH59Y7/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=hella+9007+bulb&qid=1596233585&sr=8-3
tremm said:
You should modify your original post to include your make, model, and size bulb used
94 Mazda B4000, 9007 bulbs.
WillG80 said:
I haven't used them myself, but I've been eying the Hella High Wattage "off road" bulbs for my Silverado's high beams. The Silverado uses 9005/9006 bulbs that I believe are 55/65 Watt. The Hella replacements are 80/100 Watt respectively.
$15 for both high/low beams for your truck since it's one bulb. Bumps from 55/65 to 80/100 Watt.
https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-100-80WTB-Wattage-100-9007/dp/B078SH59Y7/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=hella+9007+bulb&qid=1596233585&sr=8-3
I gave consideration to that, but two things are preventing me. First, mine uses 9007s which is high/low in one bulb. Second, most of my driving is in areas with a fair amount of traffic, so I rarely use high beams. I also thought about adding driving lights which might be an option, but they haven't done much for me in the past - although I never spent huge amounts of money on good ones. They were usually whatever was on sale with an H4 bulb.
I borrowed a bulb from a buddy with a stalled project. Its one of the sylvania top-of-the-line ones. Silverstar Ultra I think. Not the blingy white/blue ones, but the ones that are supposed to be the best at distance and brightness, but still the warmer color. I put it in the passenger side to compare with the LED in the driver's side. Now just waiting for it to get dark. If I like it, I'll just permanently borrow the other one and buy him new ones later.
The LED that is in the driver's side was advertised at 6000K, which I believe. The new Silverstar Ultra looks like an orange candle by comparison, but I'll wait to pass judgement until after dark. The focus and where it puts the light is the more important part. The LEDs just kinda flood everything with a highly visible color, but it's pointless since they are not focused well.
9007 is one of the designs with not many upgrades available. Your options are limited.
I've used (and am currently using) Silverstar Ultras. They are absolutely brighter than regular bulbs. However, they have a short life, so they don't match your criteria. Also, they're expensive.
Remember to start with housings and wiring. Polish the housings if they're cloudy, and check to see if the silvering is still plenty silvery. Adding relays helped a bunch on my GMT400 but helped hardly at all on my former '94 Dakota. Since you're a wiring geek, per previous posts, adding relays and 12 gauge wiring should be a fun and cheap project for you.
Maybe I'm wrong about limited options. Amazon offers this: https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-9007-100-80W-Wattage/dp/B000H0QR9G They're dirt cheap, but upgrade your wiring first.
