Noobie with a question about headlights

SinisterMind · Post by **SinisterMind** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:00 am

Hi AllAbout 2 weeks ago I bought my wife a '03 Vibe base with auto. My wife complains that the lights are on the dim side. I also saw that MatrixRacing will be releasing projector lights for Toyota Matrix. The question is, what is the difference between Matrix and Vibe headlights? I emailed guys at MatrixRacing and they said that they are not planning on making headlights for Vibe. I have projectors at home, so a retrofit might be the only way. Any input will be appreciated.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:13 am

pretty much all the exterior parts like headlights, taillights, etc are different from the matrix. interior parts are almost identical as well as engine or mechanical parts. if the headlights are too dim, then i suggest changing them to better bulbs. some people will tell you the sylvania silverstars, but in my experience, they may be bright, but didn't last very long (6-8 mos tops). before i got rid of my vibe, i was using xenon lights from walmart, $18/pair and they were just about as bright! they made a HUGE difference between the crappy stock lights and those cheapy xenons. hope that helps you out.

SinisterMind · Post by **SinisterMind** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:27 am

I was hoping that the housing was the same. Oh well. I will look into getting brighter bulbs. I will be adding HIDs to my GTI, but I bought euro spec headlights because DOT lights produce too much glare(thanks DOT ). For this reason I don't want to add HIDs to my Vibe. I might get spare set of lights and retrofit projectors into them. Thanks guys

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:29 am

Make sure your lights are aimed properly before you rule them as "too dim." Also, as said, try different bulbs. Silverstars are nice, but seem to have reliability issues. Cool blues seem popular, and a few have braved the unknown trail of GE Nighthawks. I'm personally not a huge fan of dual-tungsten/single-capsule installations. I much prefer independent high/low beam capsules. All personal preference. But hey, we got what we got, eh?And as for retrofitting projectors, make entirely sure you know what you're doing, because you know how jersey inspections are, and if there's any "abnormalities" in the light patterns or beam spread, you risk failing.My original plan was to disconnect the HIDs and revert to traditional bulbs come inspection time, but the Vibe will be long gone by 10/06, when I'm due for the *first* inspection since delivery.

SinisterMind · Post by **SinisterMind** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 8:39 am

My wife loves the car, so it will stay with us for a while. I'll look around for some brighter bulbs.

zionzr2 · Post by **zionzr2** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 10:54 am

also several of us had the headlights aimed to LOW from the factory... a small tweak in raising the aim up will give a huge improvement too..http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id ... ro...#6195

Noobie with a question about headlights

Noobie with a question about headlights

Re: Noobie with a question about headlights (joatmon)

Re: (ragingfish)