Headlights still dimming with 270a alternator

[Athecal]

On 12/14/2022 at 11:51 PM, Barry Frasier said:

where are you grounded at?

The ground is class k 1/0 welding cable run directly from the frame to the amp. 

[Athecal]

On 12/15/2022 at 8:48 AM, SnowDrifter said:

This.

Anything else about equipment is largely irrelevant.

Alts won't stop the millisecond level voltage dips and spikes. nor will a bank of batteries

Need led / hids, 2 charging systems, or a voltage regulator/driver for the headlights

Just.... If you go the hid/led route, at a minimum, get bulbs that will let  you adjust the focal point so you don't have squirrel finders. Or better yet, convert the things to projectors from the retrofit source or something (there are others out there, those are just the only ones that pop into my head).

 

I drive a 2002 GMC Sierra 1500HD crew cab, don't know what projector headlights are but that store doesn't seem to have any for this body style truck. I have been wanting to completely replace the whole headlight assembly due to their age and the frequency with which I have to wet sand the lenses to make them clear again anyway. Not a fan of the blue HID headlights when they are shining in my face going down the highway so I will look into swapping in some LEDs instead. Thanks for the information.

[SnowDrifter]

11 hours ago, Athecal said:

 

I drive a 2002 GMC Sierra 1500HD crew cab, don't know what projector headlights are but that store doesn't seem to have any for this body style truck. I have been wanting to completely replace the whole headlight assembly due to their age and the frequency with which I have to wet sand the lenses to make them clear again anyway. Not a fan of the blue HID headlights when they are shining in my face going down the highway so I will look into swapping in some LEDs instead. Thanks for the information.

Projector lights are a different kind of housing technology

If a normal headlight puts the bulb in a reflector like a flashlight to guide the light where it needs to go. A projector uses a lens, not unlike a movie projector, to guide the light

They generally have a pretty sharp 'cutoff' where the light is, and is not

Installation for these involves disassembling the headlight housing with a heat gun / oven, securing the projector unit inside, then reassembling it with some butyl adhesive to seal it back up. To my knowledge, these are only compatible with HID bulbs.

Regarding the blue color: That's entirely dependent on what you purchase. Bulbs come in different color temperatures, which affect the color of the light output

3000k - piss yellow
3800k - looks like normal incandescent
4000k - white
4300k - 'crystal' white. Like the sort of white you get off your computer screen, and my personal favorite
5000k - bluish white, really lights up reflectors and animal eyes
6000k - notably blue. Performs markedly worse in the rain and doesn't cut through wet roads well (imo)
higher - why