[Bijoy&Indu]

Hello BHPians

I bought a secondhand 2006 model Honda Civic and i am really impressed with it except for the headlamp performance. Highbeam is OK but low beam and fog lamps are very ordinary. Thought of going for Angel eyes but heard that it is only for show and not for better road visibility. Checked with Peninsular Honda (Cochin) and they don't have better option for a different headlamp bulb and also said that headlamp relay cannot be fitted in civic. They suggested to install HIDs but not quite sure whether it will help because i heard it is against rules. Please give your suggestions.

[naveen.raju]

Hello.

Good to see another BHPian from Cochin.!
Now coming to your query.
Using Angel eyes will improve the night vision for city drives but wouldn't recommend it if you do frequent highway drives. I personally use Angel eyes on my Swift. I find city drive improved but highway drive, not as expected. But i heard that Philips HID's are really good so using them on your Angel eyes would improve the light throw.
But, this would mean you will have shell some cash.

Else, I would recommend you to go for higher rated bulbs by installing a relay. Please keep in mind that, showroom executives are against this. I had a personal experience too when I went to install a relay from the service center. Then finally went to a local mechanic to fix the relays. Then later on opted for Angel eyes and HIDs.

Another option would be HID's. But have got mixed reactions when it comes to installing HID's on stock reflectors. A lot of light output will be scattered since HIDs are basically meant for projector setups. But this is a good option if you can get a good technician to do the job.

Keep me updated.
Cheers.

[sajjt]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Hello.

Good to see another BHPian from Cochin.!
Now coming to your query.
Using Angel eyes will improve the night vision for city drives but wouldn't recommend it if you do frequent highway drives. I personally use Angel eyes on my Swift. I find city drive improved but highway drive, not as expected. But i heard that Philips HID's are really good so using them on your Angel eyes would improve the light throw.
But, this would mean you will have shell some cash.

Else, I would recommend you to go for higher rated bulbs by installing a relay. Please keep in mind that, showroom executives are against this. I had a personal experience too when I went to install a relay from the service center. Then finally went to a local mechanic to fix the relays. Then later on opted for Angel eyes and HIDs.

Another option would be HID's. But have got mixed reactions when it comes to installing HID's on stock reflectors. A lot of light output will be scattered since HIDs are basically meant for projector setups. But this is a good option if you can get a good technician to do the job.

Keep me updated.
Cheers.

I second that. Angel Eyes are nothing but DRL (Day Running Lights) as per European Standards. It’s an ornamental headlight feature originally found in BMW 5 Series. The projector headlamp unit on the BMW has a pair of circular-shape rings that when light up, they produce a pair of halos with the help of powerful halogen bulbs. Actually the term 'Angel Eye' derived by BMW. They are also called as 'Demon Eyes'. They look very aggressive and very much appealing.



They don't serve any purpose other than DRL, and to distinguish from others at night. But there are a lot of Chinese brands came out with cheap imitations of AE with CCFL tubes and at night it offers the same road show as the OE does, provided if you use the halogen or the nearest CT HID. But it can’t offer the usage of DRL even though it’s not a practice at least in our place. Even I am using this same setup (Ofcourse Chinese) in my bike with a Bi xenon projector.



An AE is just a show off when you consider a Chinese version because it can’t give much visibility at day time as the CCFL intensity is too low to get noticed.

For better visibility, we have to think of the higher watt bulbs or even HID will do a great job, but at the cost of others happiness as on a stock reflector HID produces a lot of glares, which is illegal. Being on a projector setup, I will vote for your projector mod, and I am pretty sure that the low beam spread will be very much impressive as it can offer a better low beam spread than any other reflector type sealed beams can offer with a very good control over glares. Admitting that the high beam performance of a projector is far behind of a reflector Head light assembly.

[naveen.raju]

True Saj.
If you are willing to chip in some cash, go for Projector headlights with HID's in these and also for the fogs. I know it's not a good idea installing HID's in fogs, but trust me, the light output will be brilliant. There are few rides in Cochin too.

[vasoo]

You can try replacing the stock bulbs with Philips X-treme Power. I have placed an order for the same on ebay and awaiting delivery.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by vasoo

You can try replacing the stock bulbs with Philips X-treme Power. I have placed an order for the same on ebay and awaiting delivery.

Hi vasoo - Have you got the bulbs installed and how is the difference ? How much did they cost you ? I too would like to improve the lighting for my Civic and hence the query

[vasoo]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

Hi vasoo - Have you got the bulbs installed and how is the difference ? How much did they cost you ? I too would like to improve the lighting for my Civic and hence the query

Yes rr_zen. I installed it last year and I am fully satisfied with them. I just changed the low beam bulbs (HB4/9006) as I rarely use the high beam which seems to be good enough. I ordered it through ebay HK and it cost me some USD40 including shipping. The bulbs are made in India though.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by vasoo

Yes rr_zen. I installed it last year and I am fully satisfied with them. I just changed the low beam bulbs (HB4/9006) as I rarely use the high beam which seems to be good enough. I ordered it through ebay HK and it cost me some USD40 including shipping. The bulbs are made in India though.

Thanks vasoo. I am assuming you have not made any changes to the original set up as in this was just a plug and play exercise without any modifications. Also, do you know if these can be sourced locally within India now ?

[sohail99]

Many a times, the cause for low headlight performance is a scratched/hazed plastic lens!(especially in a pre-owned car)

Function and performance can sometimes be restored by polishing the headlight lens also!

Do post a pic of the headlamp lens.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by sohail99

Many a times, the cause for low headlight performance is a scratched/hazed plastic lens!(especially in a pre-owned car)

Function and performance can sometimes be restored by polishing the headlight lens also!

Do post a pic of the headlamp lens.

Thanks for the insight. Mine is barely a year old (and is not pre-owned) and the quality of headlight lens is top notch. Poor lighting in the Civic is a known issue which we have discussed quite a bit in different threads.

[sagarpadaki]

Get a relay and a higher wattage bulbs installed.My cousin with a civic was also facing the same problem.He does a lot of night driving.After upgradation to higher wattage bulbs he is totally happy with the lighting.

[vasoo]

Originally Posted by rr_zen

Thanks vasoo. I am assuming you have not made any changes to the original set up as in this was just a plug and play exercise without any modifications. Also, do you know if these can be sourced locally within India now ?

It is totally PnP. Took about 10 minutes to replace considering the tricky process of changing the low beam bulbs in a Civic. You have to get this done through the front wheel well after removing the mud guard cover.

Not sure where you will get it in India. You may check it with some authorised Philips dealers or call up and check with their customer service dept. I could not find it in any known shops around my area and ended up ordering through ebay.

[dot]

Folks I had a quick question. Are Civic headlights HB4 or H7?

[dinu2506]

Originally Posted by dot

Folks I had a quick question. Are Civic headlights HB4 or H7?

It is HB series. 9003 for high beam and 9004 for low beam

[sushrutha]

I have very recently put Morimoto Projectors for the Low Beam with 4300K Morimoto bulbs and HID kit.
High Beam is Philips 55W Crystal Vision 4300.
Fog lamps are Blazer Projector Fogs(Halogen 880 bulbs).
I'm very much Happy with light output of all 3 retrofits.