Headlight bulb upgrades

General topics relative to the Caprice and associated vehicles. For items not fitting into other sub-sections in addition to general chat.
SuperDutyDave
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Headlight bulb upgrades

Post by SuperDutyDave »

Anyone upgrade their Headlight bulbs yet? The stock ones seem far less white than other recent cars I've driven.

Sure they aren't zenons or LED's but I'm guessing a better bulb would make vast difference

Anyone do it yet?

Dave
Dave AKA "SuperDuty"

2013 9C1 Caprice PPV

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Navy Lifer
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Re: Headlight bulb upgrades

Post by Navy Lifer »

"Good morning, Super Dave. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to research and report on availability of a superior headlight bulb for the EK19 Chevy Caprice. As always should any member of your PPV force be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck Dave."
SuperDutyDave
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Re: Headlight bulb upgrades

Post by SuperDutyDave »

LOL

Mission accepted Bill

Will see what I can come up with. Let you all know

Dave
Dave AKA "SuperDuty"

2013 9C1 Caprice PPV

2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500-HD 4X4 ext-cab

2009 Deere 5525 4WD Full Cab Tractor

2010 Harley Davidaon Road Glide

Tax Payer Paid Chevy Pickup and 400 HP Patrol Boat
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GTObert
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Re: Headlight bulb upgrades

Post by GTObert »

I know you can get HID upgrade kits, but I'm not sure if that's the direction you want to go. If you're just looking for a better bulb head down to the parts store and try out a few options.

Personally, I may do a HID upgrade someday after a few performance issues are taken care of.
2011 9C1
2005 GTO
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storm9c1
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Re: Headlight bulb upgrades

Post by storm9c1 »

Gosh, I guess none of you have driven the old B-Bodies. LOL. The headlights on the PPV are 100x better than the old B-Bodies and 10x better than most modern cars that I've driven, I couldn't imagine upgrading them as they are plenty bright for my needs. My car only has 5300 miles on it, so my lights are rather new still, and produce a whiter light than any of my older cars. In fact, I would suspect that anything brighter or anything that modifies the current beam pattern could be outright dangerous for oncoming motorists. I know I get very annoyed by some of the aftermarket HID kits people are putting on their cars these days... Perhaps I am just getting old and cranky... continue with your research. But first, perhaps just try a set of new high quality bulbs. Halogen bulbs do become more dim and yellow with age. Also make sure your headlight covers aren't yellowing or blurry already (I hope not!). If only the headlights were made of glass like the old days, we wouldn't have to worry about yellowing.......
Tom (AKA: Storm)
2011 Caprice 9C3: L77, 8K miles, first-owner, purchased July 2011.
1995 Caprice 9C1: LT1, 178K miles, summer car.
1995 Impala SS: LT1, 21K miles.
1995 Caprice Wagon: LT1, 62K miles.
1995 Caprice Wagon: LT1, 128K miles. Rust In Pieces
1994 Caprice 9C1: LT1, beater winter car.
1969 Chevy C30: 383ci stroker, 4L80E, rollback car hauler.
1972 Chrysler Newport: 400ci big block, survivor 27K miles, 2-door hardtop.
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cheapest
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Re: Headlight bulb upgrades

Post by cheapest »

Seeing as how all of my old cars had some degree of lazy eye and/or cataracts (that was only on the Honda), I'm thrilled with the Caprice's stock headlights. I pulled up to a store at night a few days ago and noticed the completely flat cut-off of the upper headlight beam... had to stop and look at it for a while.
Btw, I can't complain about headlamp hazing or yellowing - there's good money to be made there, if you know what you're doing.
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elc32955
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Re: Headlight bulb upgrades

Post by elc32955 »

Isn't there an Australian version of the Caprice that does have Xenons? Wonder what a retrofit kit for the US would be like? CP, any ideas?
System Manager and your tour guide for the day. 2015 Caprice w/LFX, former NC DPS staff car. Partial hybrid G8/SS/Camaro SS interior mods, SS MyLink radio upgrade, 2016 Camaro V6 rims, GMPP Malibu chrome exhaust tips, otherwise bone stock for now.
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The Tech
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Re: Headlight bulb upgrades

Post by The Tech »

I agree with Tom (Storm). I wish I could put the headlights from my PPV in my 95 9C1 so I could see when driving it at night. :-)
2011 Alto Gray Caprice PPV 9C3, Kooks Long Tube Headers, Kooks Drag Cats and Crossover, Solo Axle Back System.
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GTObert
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Re: Headlight bulb upgrades

Post by GTObert »

I agree that compared to the old B bodies the Caprice lights are a huge upgrade. However, I felt as if they were not even as good as my GTO lights. I decided to look into a HID upgrade and found a kit on amazon for the ridiculously low price of $45. I figured I would give them a shot and if they were junk I could just send them back. It turns out that these things are the real deal! I installed them on Sunday with only minimal effort to access the passenger side bulb and they were up and running in less than an hour. There was no wiring, everything is plug and play. The only irreversible modification is the 1" hole that needs to be drilled into the dust cap. While I can't say anything for the longevity yet, I am pleased with my new lights. I think it was money well spent when I see the extremely bright, pure white light my headlamps now produce. If you're interested the brand is Kensun and they can be found on amazon.
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klevrgrafix
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Re: Headlight bulb upgrades

Post by klevrgrafix »

Any update on your HIDs, GTObert? I've ran DDM Tuning HIDs in a couple of my vehicles with no problem, but I guess more of my concern was any condensation issues in the headlight housing resulting from the hole drilled in the dust caps... I did this with my 2012 Chrysler 300 and I noticed some condensation issues... But then again, Chrysler also released a TSB on faulty headlight housings that contained moisture...
Mike Summers
KLEVR Grafix | klevrgrafix.com
2012 Chrysler 300
2011 GMC Acadia Denali
2004 Ford CVPI
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