Modern style headlights
To address and quote most of what Slant Six Dan said thus far and his response to my quote below.....
My 67' Dart came with (I'm guessing newer) Wagner Halogens. I really like them a lot.
That is an excellent illustration of the reason why vehicle lighting devices' performance has to be measured objectively -- the human visual system is usually wrong at telling us how well or poorly we can see. It's very easy to create situations in which we think/feel we can see way better or not nearly as well as we actually can.
Wagner's sealed beams -- all of them -- are garbage.
Put in*relays*and*good*headlamps. No "HID kits", no*blue bulbs.
There is exactly*one*good, safe, legal, cost-effective HID*headlamp*currently manufactured in the 7" round size format, built around the*Hella*BiXenonprojector used in various late-model Mercedes, Audis, Porsches, etc. Very very expensive, about $1400/pair.
There are a few different 7" round*LED headlamps*on the market. The Truck-Lite or GE ones (same lamp, different box) cost around $600/pair and they're OK. The*new 701C from Peterson*looks to be very promising; I've got a pair on the way for evaluation. The*8700 Evolution*from JW Speaker is quite a good performer and it is well made of good quality materials. Spendy, though, around $400+ each.
There is only one 7" round sealed beam, made in Japan, that qualifies as a genuinely excellent*headlamp, but it is difficult to get hold of and I bet nobody reading this plans to spend $85 apiece on sealed beam*headlamps*(that's more than it costs to get good replaceable-bulb units).
The only sealed beams even arguably worth using are GE Night Hawks (regular Night Hawk sealed beams and Night Hawk Platinum replaceable bulbs -- not the Night Hawk Sport ones.)
All that above being said by YOU, SLANT SIX DAN about how many other options(which I presume you have tested and have weeded out) does the guy have w/o spending a fortune? Save for the GE Nighthawks you mentioned.
I was just stating that I like the performance and the shade of headlights that came with my dart. That's all. I'm not saying they are the greatest sealed beam on the market. I'm not claiming to be an expert, or have tested every sealed beam known to man. They are much better than the sealed beams in my 68' Dart were, I can tell you that.
Dan,I understand that your a seasoned automotive lighting engineer and know what you are talking about. That's great, you have light years more info and testing experience than the rest of us.
Sir, thank you for your expertise. Good day.
