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ellipsoid lights are dim
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Miker-90-325is



Joined: 11 Feb 2002
Posts: 138
Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:21 pm    Post subject: ellipsoid lights are dim Reply with quote

hi - hopefully some of you have some experience with these. I picked up a set used because I am cheap Shocked and didn't want to part with the prices being listed for new sets.

I realized there was some pitting due to age but didn't think that would be a huge issue. I am finding the light output is rather dim and significantly lower than the original sealed beam setup I had previously.

I bought new xenon bulbs from our local Canadian Tire store and it didn't improve things much. Could the age of the light housing be to blame for the light output considering that they are 20 years old ? I can take pictures if you like. Also I looked inside the lowbeam housing and there is a baffle which appears to block 50% of the light output - is that the way these are supposed to be ?


Thanks very much.
Mike






Last edited by Miker-90-325is on Sun Apr 26, 2009 8:30 am; edited 3 times in total
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85-325e



Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 4712
Location: Southampton, NY

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike... In my case, my car didn't come with Ellipsoids, and like you, bought a used set (actually 2 so I have a spare set just in case).

They weren't THAT much brighter. The high beams are definitely brighter but the low beams are still weak.

Sylvania Silverstar bulbs may help... There was also an article someplace that talked about modifying a 9006 bulb to work in a 9005 socket or visa versa. I don't think the pitting, unless it's VERY bad, would affect it THAT much...
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robert1700



Joined: 04 Jul 2004
Posts: 1398
Location: Seattle

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This topic has come up a lot. The way to get the best lighting is to keep your sealed beams and upgrade to Hella H1. Cost is around 200 bucks. Otherwise you can research Xeons or Euro lights but the prices start to become outrages.
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beejay



Joined: 18 Nov 2002
Posts: 1158
Location: Eastern, Pa

PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 7:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Are you saying that the light output is low or are they actually seem dim as in a flashlight with the battery going weak?
Mine is a conversion also and the Silverstars helped a little.
Make sure you have them adjusted because it makes a big difference too.
Mine were set way to low and I cranked them up a bit and it helped.

I agree the highs are good but the lows leave a little to be desired.
One option is to replace your std 55w fog bulbs with 100w h3 bulbs.
I haven't done this yet on this car but on another older Honda I had it made a difference.
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Miker-90-325is



Joined: 11 Feb 2002
Posts: 138
Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

beejay,

Have you run your ellipsoids with xenons and also the silverstar? i was about to buy the silverstars but the guy told me about xenons for literally 1/2 the price and knowing the light output on my TSX I figured the xenons would be better. If the silverstars are better then I could try those.

Does anyone have any comments on the baffle that is inside the light housing ? I assume it is supposed to be there? What if it was removed?

Mike
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85-325e



Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 4712
Location: Southampton, NY

PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 1:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike... I believe the baffle is there to direct the light to the cones, and without it, the light won't be focused... cops don't like that.
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beejay



Joined: 18 Nov 2002
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Location: Eastern, Pa

PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 3:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

haven't tried those xenons, sounds interesting, I will take a look at em next time I'm in the parts store
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idanity



Joined: 21 May 2005
Posts: 3097
Location: N.W.U.S.A.

PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Miker-90-325is wrote:


Does anyone have any comments on the baffle that is inside the light housing ? I assume it is supposed to be there? What if it was removed?

Mike


answer is easy, after you play w/em.

the baffle, is on the bottom, and refracted light will invert once, so, the baffle on the bottom, will prevent the light from shining above a certain point (determined by your aim) to prevent blinding oncoming drivers.

best way to aim lights are
1. park car within a foot (or closer)of a flat wall.
2. place tape, on center points of light, ON WALL
3 reverse 30 + feet
4. aim lights to meet back up to tape marks on wall.

driving surface must be flat.
now, you can drive around, and not blind others...its quite a perfected system on flatlands...but on hills..well, no choice

i love mine (silverstars)
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 3:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I bought new xenon bulbs from our local Canadian Tire store


Don't confuse the auto-parts-store-xenon-bulbs, with a real Xenon bulb with a 25kv transformer. If you have a newer Acura, I'm sure that's what it has.

The a-p-s-x-bulbs, are just a normal tungsten filament, in xenon gas.
The real-deal-Xenon, is a plasma arc, which is why it needs 25kv to ignite, rather then 12v.

The a-p-s-x-bulbs will be slightly brighter then normal halogen bulb, but the big difference is they will be up the color temp scale, likely around 6k, to appear bluer.
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beejay



Joined: 18 Nov 2002
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Location: Eastern, Pa

PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 7:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dale wrote:
Quote:
I bought new xenon bulbs from our local Canadian Tire store


Don't confuse the auto-parts-store-xenon-bulbs, with a real Xenon bulb with a 25kv transformer. If you have a newer Acura, I'm sure that's what it has.

The a-p-s-x-bulbs, are just a normal tungsten filament, in xenon gas.
The real-deal-Xenon, is a plasma arc, which is why it needs 25kv to ignite, rather then 12v.

The a-p-s-x-bulbs will be slightly brighter then normal halogen bulb, but the big difference is they will be up the color temp scale, likely around 6k, to appear bluer.


that's was my feeling too, It's primarily just marketing.
I prefer the Silver starts because its whiter light and is a bit of improvement over the std. halogens.
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Miker-90-325is



Joined: 11 Feb 2002
Posts: 138
Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 11:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I posted some pictures at the very top of this thread so you can see how pitted the lights are - they're not too bad I don't think.

I put the Sylvania Silverstar Ultra bulbs in and the lighting is a little better. Still not as good as my 4 x sealed beam, but I just like the look of the ellipsoids so much that I want to keep them in anyway.

I read somewhere about changing a relay so that the high beams will be on with the low beams (the way it is now, the lows turn off when you switch to high beam). Has anyone done this successfully ?

Mike
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You could try some glass polish on the lights and try to remove some of the pitting.
Eastwood has this Autosol product, I haven't used it, but have been happy with other Eastwood products:

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=2621&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=glass%2Cpolish


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Miker-90-325is



Joined: 11 Feb 2002
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Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 10:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks! I'll see if I can find that polish up around here.

Mike
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85-325e



Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 4712
Location: Southampton, NY

PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 10:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Guys...

I think that kit is just for PLASTIC lenses.

For the glass, you'd need a real glass polishing kit with the right abrasives. Buffing down glass is no easy task, I'm sure...

I wiped mine down with ArmorAll before I put them in... I left a good coat on there so it filled the pits and dried. Seems to have worked OK...
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greenie



Joined: 02 Nov 2002
Posts: 420
Location: los angeles

PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I swapped out the sealed beams on my trusty 91 318IC with Hella H4 buckets, which are reasonably priced, and have never regretted it. Running silverstar lamps, which are pretty good but still nothing to write home about. I've thought about a higher wattage lamp but am concerned about the cops. Brighter lamps or going to a true xenon with ballasts? Any opinions out there?

Steve
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