jimlab

You can see here how badly the RE Amemiya pod clips the output of the lights...





On the low beams especially, the bottom of the beam hits the pod first and is reflected upward.

jimlab

Why can't someone make something like this for us?



This is the European glass version of the Supra headlight. Shown below compared to the U.S. plastic version, which hazes and scuffs with age...

the_glass_man

iTrader: (2)

For the love of god, why isn't there a respectable headlight kit for our cars? I think I'm going to commit euthanasia (no not the youth in asia) if I don't find better lights soon. All my friends are afraid to ride with me at night, because I don't have any lights! Sometimes I pick up girls at the bars and they frightened away when they see how **** poor the stock lighting is. Damn I could have scored! Jim and some of you other guys are my (our) only hope? How many other could have got lucky if only their headlights were better? Its like I'm afraid to go out at night with the beast!

Someone should get a hold of the Witzer (sp)guy that was working on this $hit for so long.
I have some ideas on how to improve the lighting.
1. I'm going to get me a set of those neon windshield squirters, so I can improve the lighting. That or the Apex'i Front end.
2. I've been wondering for a long time why we can't clear glass chrome housings (like Jim pointed out) even for the stock popups. Are the European or J-Spec ones any better? How can the Japanese put up with such **** poor lighting for so long? They can't still be the same on the newer ones are they?
3. HID's are a must, benefits from they add greatly to the **** poor lighting.
While I like the the pop ups, in their current state the light output SUCKS! I easily out drive them at night. If we could get a real HID or sleek HID solution (it doesn't matter which to me) I would be all over this.
Jim or someone make this happen I would be willing to pay just as much if not more than the current kits for something that actually works!
Now they still have to look good to!
Sorry, but to me (without a cover) the East Bear lights just don't cut it. The RE's look slightly better, but still look like a cheap (not $1,500) kit. I favor the CWEST kit the most, because you don't have to hack up anything and with the nice carbon fiber cover it doesn't look as cheesy as the others. The only cheesy about the is that for $1200 you get lighting provided by Catz forlights that my neighbor has on his rusted out F150.
I also don't mind the slight bubble as it sets the lighting patter out better than the (shine all this light in your bumper) RE kit.
Not to mention for the hardcore folk like myself the added benefits of reduced weight with these kits! And less chance of the stock plastic covers cracking and flying off at highspeed or discoloring.
A special cliff notes version will be available at Barnes and Noble for the low low price of $24.95

HedgeHog

Nope....more like this:



The stagger is more prominent.

jimlab

The RE kit doesn't have staggered lights, they're straight across just like the East Bear kit. The forward socket shown in the picture above is a duct inlet, and if there were a light behind it, it would be recessed by about two inches farther from the cover than the other, just like the "normal" RE kit.

HedgeHog

Sorry...i wasn't clear. I know the lights line up but what I meant was the design cue to make it look more staggered. Since the original RE is under a cover, the prominence of the 2 lamps being on the same plane has been diminished and obscured. The East Bear makes the "flatness" of the lamps more distinguished (especially with the hoods bulging line astern). The new RE/PanSpeed openinings are staggered to follow the curvature of the fender towards the front bumper...just more graceful and flowing....IMHO. But hey, if the lights work for ya...exomundo. I just think it's aethetically lacking.

jimlab

OK, I understand where you're coming from now. Moving one light even further forward like the staggered ovals of the RE/Panspeed pods...



I'm not totally happy with the East Bear kit either, but I thought that it was a good starting point for developing a kit which didn't require cutting, mounted easily, could work with the DOT legal Hella 90mm lights which are readily (and cheaply availble) to everyone, and could possibly be adapted to have a cover.

martini

Jim, Those C5R lights look a lot like the RUN Racing kit to me for some reason.

Jordan

second that.

Jordan

Yo, man. you are hilarious.

Silex

I think they are.

jimlab

Nope.

bladz311

iTrader: (1)

I like the kit a lot

Crazy_Jake

I'm in agreement with this. IMO all the headlight kits suck. Maybe not functionally, by cosmetically. The C-West looks cheezy. And those big round lenses found in all the other headlight kits, RE Amemiya, East Bear, Rotary Extreme....to me it looks 1980's and played out. And you can see the adjustment bolts for christ's sake...ugly. How about finding some smaller HID lenses so you have a little more room to make a nice molded fiberglass surround. Then, put a nice bezel around the lenses and put a real glass (not plastic or lexan) cover over them that doesn't have a one inch black trim and five inches of the top painted black to cover up the cheapness of the kit. I'm already looking into building my own. Hella needs to sell the small HID lenses they put in BMW's and Audi's. Also, take a look at the new 2005 vette headlights, 360 modena, 550 maranello, or aston martin (any newer car). Thats's what we need. Lets get a little classier headlight kit and get rid of the "Looks like it was built in my garage look" outta here.

Scrapiron7

Wow.. you dug up a nearly 2 year old post!

I like the East Bear and have them myself. The stock pop-ups provide absolute crap for lighting, and IMO pop-up lights are such a thing of the past. Keep them in the 80's please. I'm sure there's a good reason new cars haven't been produced with them in quite a while...