Community Forums

sponserv · 10-14-2021, 05:25 PM

I know it sounds weird but I would like to switch my headlight bulbs to get a whiter light with better visibility. Is it as simple as getting aftermarket Sylvanias? Any issues with the CANBUS system switching the bulbs out?

2015 LADP

2cyber71 · 10-14-2021, 05:39 PM

All I know is my headlights cost $550 to replace from Hella.
Amazing.
One of mine went out this summer, I called Winnie and they covered it even though I was 16 months out on the headlight warranty.
Thank you Winnebago!

AbdRahim · 10-14-2021, 05:43 PM

If it is just a bulb replacement, you can switch to LED. That is what I did.

Dutch Star Don · 10-14-2021, 10:05 PM

Something to think about....your current lenses are most likely setup for incandescent bulbs, not LED or HID. If you look into your lens, there is a tripod shaped unit inside the lens, with a cone shaped metal end. This keeps your current bulbs from blinding anyone. It also blocks any other kind of bulbs like HID or LED.

If you look at LED lights that come on new cars, they use a "fisheye" shaped projection lens, like a magnifying glass. It concentrates and "projects" the light out, giving you very bright lights. If you change to LED in your current lenses, you'll typically get a brighter light directly in front of the coach, like in the trees and walls and houses nearby. The reason for this, the brighter light of the LED is spattered by your lenses, as they're not designed to project it. The light just bounces off of the chrome reflectors inside the lens.

So.....you'll look at the lights and they'll look brighter and when you drive by low hanging trees, they'll light up better, but the light down the road, where you really want to see won't be improved. You'll still be overdriving your lights at 60mph -65mph.

There are a couple of solutions. One you can change your lenses. My coach uses the lenses from a Dodge Challenger. You can order those lenses in three quality levels. One is designed for incandescent bulbs, low end Challenger, one is designed for LED and one is designed for HID. If we drove more at night, I would change our lenses.

Years ago, I went on a mission to improve the lights on my 2005 Monaco Diplomat. Monaco was using Oldsmobile Chinese knock off lenses. I replaced them with GM OEM lenses, increased the wiring size, and added ceramic sockets with quality Phillips bulbs. The improvement was just okay. Part of my project also included changing out the lower driving lights. I replaced the cheap driving lights with Hella driving lights. That was my BEST improvement. I adjusted them to shine low and way down the road and I finally had good lighting for night time driving.