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revrick3 · 01-15-2016, 05:22 AM

Have a 2003 Mountain Aire that we got a few months ago. The previous owner replaced both headlights with aftermarket ones. The old ones were glazed over so bad could not see. These look like new now. Problem is I drove it at night for the first time a couple of weeks ago and almost scared myself to death. The lighting on this unit is horrible. The appear to be aimed correctly just no where near enough light to drive on cournty roads. It was raining and I had to almost stop to keep from getting hurt. Once on a highway with lines it was better. Is this a standard for the motorhome or are there some things I can do to improve visibility. Thanks guys I love the motorhome and forum.

FastGlassMan · 01-15-2016, 05:57 AM

Hi RevRick, My suggestion would be to take it to one of those shops that accessorize cars. They have quite a lot of different lighting things they put on them , maybe they could help you out! Bobby

DJJ · 01-15-2016, 06:01 AM

I have the same issue and the few times I drive in the dark I turn the fog lights on which helps a little.

I am guessing the problem is low voltage at the bulbs due to voltage drop from a long wire run. A couple years ago I did an Internet search and found were someone added a relay from the headlight switch to activate a 12 v source closer to the bulb so they got the correct voltage. Maybe if an led bulb replacement is a available it would be brighter.

Jeff
2003 Dutch Star, 3126B Cat.

RattVader · 01-15-2016, 06:22 AM

Just letting you know that you are not alone my man!!! I have a 2015 Baystar(gasser) and I have driven this thing a few times in the darkness and had pretty much the same experience. Not sure if it's the design,low voltage or just misaligned,but it is somewhat unnerving!!!

TwelveVolt · 01-15-2016, 07:06 AM

See what bulbs are used in your headlights and check online (e.g. Sylvania) for brighter versions of the same bulb. Note, however, that reviews seem to indicate that the brighter the bulb, the shorter its life.

pcurt23 · 01-15-2016, 07:16 AM

If you can get a new light housing with projection lenses and then fit them with https://www.sylvania.com/en-us/produ...travision.aspx
that will help a lot. Then upgrade your fog lights with the same kind of bulbs.

I have that setup on my rig and the headlight lighting is decent.

I used Phillips xenon bulbs in my car projection housing and that was remarkable.

quadder · 01-15-2016, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RattVader

Just letting you know that you are not alone my man!!! I have a 2015 Baystar(gasser) and I have driven this thing a few times in the darkness and had pretty much the same experience. Not sure if it's the design,low voltage or just misaligned,but it is somewhat unnerving!!!

I have changed my low, high, and fog lights to HID on all my vehicles in the last 10 years. It's on my spring "to do" list for the moho as well.
Rob

revrick3 · 01-16-2016, 05:32 AM

Thanks guys, seems this is a problem with many coaches. If it is a voltage drop that would also effect any bulb I put in the housing. Does the wiring for headlights come from coach battery or engine battery? That should make quite a difference. The engine battery is next to the lights. Are there led lights available for these housings and where would I look for them? Thanks for all the help. I was starting to think I was going blind that night.

TwelveVolt · 01-16-2016, 09:41 PM

All driving lights should be on the chassis battery.

revrick3 · 01-17-2016, 06:50 AM

If on the chassis battery there should not be a voltage drop, its only about 2 ft. away, as close as any automobile.

Sky_Boss · 01-17-2016, 09:58 AM

I replaced my low beams and totally rewired them. The advantage was that I could swap out the Hella 90 mm halogen with Hella 90 mm Xenon/HID...STREET LEGAL...modules. Looking at your brochures the is not an option for you. However...please think very carefully before you resort to ILLEGAL HID bulb upgrades. They are easy to find but you can't aim them properly because the bulb "hot spot" is not in the correct place for the reflectors to form the beam.

What I did do that could be of help is to wired my own 12V power directly off of the B+ on the back of the generator to a set of relays to control power to both my high and low beams. If you are limited in simply finding higher power halogen bulbs and/or new, clearer headlight assemblies, this could be enough.

The first thing to do is to determine if you are getting a voltage drop at the bulbs. For that I will refer you to Daniel Stern who is one of the most respected people that deals with headlight performance.

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

In particular pay attention to this page regarding the process of determining voltage drop and how much even a small drop can affect light output. It also diagrams a typical stock wire plan and one based on relays controlling better power supply points.

Relays: WHY AND HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR HEADLAMP CIRCUIT

Finally...headlight aiming...

How To Aim Headlamps and Auxiliary Lamps

If you opt to install an HID/Xenon or even an LED system requiring a ballast learning all of this and more is a MUST especially if you have daytime running lights that use half power on the low beams. In the case of a Spartan chassis you will have to disable DRLs. In my case I had to remove 2 wires form the Spartan Chassis Controller. Also, you will need to use the stock headlight wire harness to control the relays. You can NOT use the stock harness to apply 12V to the ballast, at least in my case, because the Spartan Chassis Controller doesn't like the power draw and assumes headlight failure.

After all my work the final result was a headlight system that had some real capability. Functionally it was identical to my stock system except loss of DRLs. Daniel Stern does offer a kit to turn your lower turn lights into DRLs. Since I always run with headlights on, I opted to not do that. WHY? DRLs do NOT meet headlight requirements for states that you must have you headlights on if your wipers are on. In those states you must have all other lights (marker & tail) also illuminated.

You are welcome to PM me if you have any specific questions about what I did.

Sky_Boss · 01-17-2016, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by revrick3

If on the chassis battery there should not be a voltage drop, its only about 2 ft. away, as close as any automobile.

Yes and no...

It really depends on 2 factors. The first and most important is whether the power is routed through the light switch in the cab or not. The second, and nearly as important is the AWG wires used.

That being said, at least in the DP line (EDIT...I see the OP is in the Workhorse forums so I assume he has a gasser) Newmar does NOT run substandard AWG and uses relays closer to the headlights.

The auto manufactures WERE more likely to run substandard AWG but that has changed a great deal over the last several years.

Sky_Boss · 01-17-2016, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quadder

I have changed my low, high, and fog lights to HID on all my vehicles in the last 10 years. It's on my spring "to do" list for the moho as well.
Rob

I hope you used DOT/SAE approved replacements. It gets very difficult for oncoming traffic when folks slam in HID bulbs modified to fit in halogen applications. These cheap, overseas manufactured bulb replacement systems are NOT street legal. They can not be properly aimed to avoid glare in the eyes of oncoming drivers. The higher the headlights are above the ground, the more of a problem they become.

Sky_Boss · 01-17-2016, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwelveVolt

See what bulbs are used in your headlights and check online (e.g. Sylvania) for brighter versions of the same bulb. Note, however, that reviews seem to indicate that the brighter the bulb, the shorter its life.

That is a FACT! That being said, life span will also be shortened if you get the max voltage to them. Still...many folks don't realize that light output of halogens decreases with age. There are some folks that suggest replacing halogen bulbs, especially high output bulbs, be replaced every 3-4 years.