Pro tip: those H4 retrofit housings usually have a little rotational play. You can see it when he installs them and he can rotate the housing just a little bit. Once he turns them on, you can see the effect in his passenger headlight, where the cutoff isn't perfectly horizontal. Take advantage of that slop and use it to clock the housing so that the cutoff is horizontal. And as a quick FYI: the usual rule of thumb is you want the cutoff to be down 1.5" from bulb center with the car 20' from the wall. That's about as aggressively as you can aim a headlight while still being legal. As always, be willing to tweak them a little during the first few uses so you aren't blinding people. Oh! and do this all with a full tank. The Miata tilts up quite a bit with a full tank because the wheelbase is so short. If you adjust headlights with an empty tank, you'll be pointing up at the sky when the tank is full.
Everything else is good but how far down the cutoff should be depends on the car. For the Miata you can actually lower it just 1/2 inch. For a truck you want closer to 2 inches. The reason is that the beam shouldn't blind other drivers and higher cars have higher headlights.
@@Oh2x you’re one of those people who always gotta find offense in something huh. I was joking man, they do a lot of complicated work to that Miata, they are probably just to busy to wash it.
@@lyndonmoore6286 the lol was real so i see how you thought i said it to mock you like a dickhead i said it kinda jokingly but to get offended by thought of me being offended? lets just all agree that zach has a kickass miata and leave it at that🤝
I'm so happy Zack talked about adjusting the lights. Currently in my neck of the woods there is a fad starting where you bypass your stock wiring and just have all of your lights on... all the time. So driving down the road, and people have HID's in their Highs, Lows, and Fogs... all on. Makes me want to carry a can of spray paint with me.
@@michaelclark3192 in my country yeah, can't use far lights all the time. But in USA it should depend on state laws. I doubt they have federal regulations on car headlights...
One side is usually a piece of cake. The other side, though...always has the goddamn battery or fusebox right in the fucking way. I respect engineers, but I fuckin' _hate_ 'em.
@@someguy9520 haha ya I was thinking that also. Halogen is surprisingly efficient for radiant heat light sources (I made that term up but I'm sure there's a term to describe light from glowing heat sources...)
@@bzboii by efficient you mean terribly unefficient. isnt it like 1% effectiveness? you get like 10lm/watt with halogen and like 100lm/watt with high quality LED chips theoretically we can get like 1000lm/watt, so even LEDs are terribly unefficient. thats why they still need active cooling in many high wattage scenarios
Zach every episode: Is this mod worth it? Me: Hmm... Let’s find out. Zach at the end of every episode: Yes, this mod is worth it. Me: *surprised Pikachu face*
@@ob9444 that's not at all how those work. When your new lights have more lights the wiring gets complicated. This guy is in for a hell of a time trying to figure out what to splice. I'd take it to a place that does wiring tbh. Save a lot of headache
One detail worth mentioning: brighter halogen headlight bulbs have a way shorter life span so you'll have to change them more often. Also they get gradually dimmer over time. Cheap HID kits throw a ton more light and don't use as much power but you HAVE TO aim them correctly like Zach did or you'll risk blinding other drivers
@@Tallnerdyguy in overall heat output I disagree. Stand in front of an HID and stand in front of a regular halogen headlamp bulb installed in the same housing and tell me which puts out more heat. Even if plasma is locally hotter than a glowing filament, there isn't much of it. That's also why halogen bulbs pull more electrical wattage to make less light than HIDs: waste heat.
Honestly it's great that you're showing us these small things rather than going for turbo from the beginning. Things like this are what make a project stand out and I think these basic things will help the viewers a lot. Keep it up!!
That's because in the US nobody knows how to use high beams... You're supposed to turn them off when you see someone coming the other way or in front of you! Edit: and adjust them too damnit!
@@simpleinverso8628 I don’t think you understand the problem , regular LED lights are blinding because the people who install them don’t position them right and they become absolutely blinding and annoying. Especially in trucks
Lots of people like your show, and you set an example for many. If you find yourself driving fast, (even in the Miata) without being able to use the high beam, the brightness focused in front of the car, will not allow you to see further up the road. Not to mention the stripes of light escaping over the cross line of the light beam, as seen on the wall. Best to way to improve the lighting would be by fitting projectors, with any kind of high wattage or output bulbs, as they are designed to spread the light, (lower the density just in front of you) and make a clear a cut so you do not disturb incoming traffic. Please set the right example, lots of love from Europe, Greece!
I believe donut owns it. It been in the background of most MoneyPits. Either that or Zacks so hot he gives all the other employees third degree burns every time he turns up for a shoot.
Ohhhh man. I hooked up a set of round lights like this in the front bumper of my 98 tercel, 90s subie style! They took 100w H1 bulbs, and were made by Blazer. They were bolted directly to the steel bumper support, and yes I had to cut the bumper. They were "Hella bright" lol. Could reflect off the big highway road signs long before I could ever have a chance of reading them! (Maybe with binoculars lol just a little bright rectangle off in the distance) Wired up basically a kit like this made myself, 40amp relay, 14g wiring, illuminated switch in the dash, all the bells and whistles to prevent fire The lil tercel was sprayed tremclad white, and had red Rally Armour style mudflaps made from red plastic crazy carpet (plastic kids snow sled from the dollar store), and the tow strap (crane rigging strap) hanging out the trunk shackled to the factory tow hook under the back. The little "Terstallion" was a 22b subie wannabe lol. During the Corona gas price drop, 6 bucks would get you half a tank from empty! That car was a last, and almost got a 3" lift and a 2.0L AWD swap from a 98 rav 4 before I had to sell it due to needing room for car seats if ya know what I mean 😉 😂
Really love this Money Pit series good work guys! Please note at 8:08, there is, molded onto the new headlights' plastic housing, a power rating for, I assume, recommended bulb usage. I have had experience with these higher power H4 bulbs and they CAN melt the ABS plastic headlight housing. I would suggest you inspect these headlights after ~1 month of use. Can't wait for the turbo build :D
I did a full LED conversion in my 1989 MG Mini. Indicators, brake lights, reverse lights, the whole damn car. That includes the headlights. Best thing I've done to that car. The only problem is that I bought cheap shitty ones. They decided to die yesterday. Just.... Stopped working. They were crappy Chinese knockoffs that had a crappy app to change the color of the running lights. A tip from me? Simplicity is key. Hey a good set that isn't trying to get fancy. Want to have colored running lights, get the ones you wire in what you want, not something that is trying to be extra.
I'm so happy you guys cover real upgrades we'd actually do to our cars. I love the real issues you come across, and the assessment of the value added. This, along with hi-lo cars are my favorite. Keep up the good content.
My first car was '98 Honda Civic and one of the mods I performed was exchanging the headlights for aftermarket ones. I was low on money and did not switch the housing for black ones, but I was satisfied with the modification. I was seeing stop signs three blocks down the street. It was awesome. As for the stock headlights, they weren't in bad shape. It's just that it came to a point where I was barely seeing the street at night.
This episode pushed it over the top, this is one of the best technical automotive TH-cam shows. I personally would have chosen different types of lights but the details are important to get a brighter and a safe headlight, that's what's demonstrated here and that's what matters.
To put a video in short: YES. If you're driving a Miata, or anything with old school sealed beams really, invest in some good aftermarket headlights. It will be a night and day difference, whether you use LEDs or some modern incandescent bulbs.
@@IraqVet0608 I looked for headlight casings for my Yugo and found US market ones with non changeable bulbs. I was surprised and thought it was just a Yugo thing, but I was wrong it seems. All cars here in Europe had changeable bulb casings
100w «rally» bulbs, were known to melt reflectors. I have had really good experience with osram Nightbreaker bulbs :) They output alot more light than regular 60/55w bulbs :) Relay kit is a good upgrade on alot of older cars where the power runs through the stalk on the steering column as this causes a voltage drop when it gets to the bulb :)
Same, using plastic reflector with high wattage bulbs is a big no no. Even if you don't deform the reflector, it can get dull because of the heat. These high wattage bulbs should be used with metal reflectors. Using H4 LEDs is usually the best way to go with plastic reflectors, way higher light output per watt and much better spread.
M-m-m-m-m-money pit! XD And to think that most are hardly best or cost-effective mods, tho replacing lights is one of best things they've done. I hope they actually return to Miata, repaint it and make it track ready and not like last few times.
This channel is such a blessing. For a car lover this is a treasure, and for someone new to the community, this is a great way to get them even more interested.
@@michaelrefuerzo9186 its not about legality. Halogens are just better in a lens built for a halogen bulb. The science is super complicated, but, LED's output light from a single source and then spread that in an arc, I think 120degrees. A halogen has a filament at the center and it burns with a certain intensity and the light trails off from that filament in a certain way. A halogen lens is specifically engineered to gather up all that light and project it forward. An LED placed into a halogen housing can get the light source close to a halogen, but then the pattern of light being projected on the lens is different. The brightest spot of the LED may not be in the brightest spot of the halogen filament and the tapering effect of the light is different too. You can get light scatter into areas of the lens it was never meant to have. This scattered light is why those lights are so much brighter to oncoming drivers. A *good* halogen bulb will outperform a *good* LED and will have the correct temperature and light spread out in front of you without odd hot spots or blinding oncoming drivers. Look up "Daniel Stern lighting HID." It explains it from the perspective of HID kits, but the principles still apply to LEDs.
Also if you want better lights for night time driving upgrade to a more neutral kelvin rating or cooler as warmer lights are more relaxing to the eyes and night. The cooler ones wont look like they throw as far but they will illuminate so much better.
I keep a common garage worth of tools in my trunk because I’m stubborn and don’t wanna pay for a tow truck. I also bought a truck specifically to tow broken cars though.
@@grantkendrick277My truck is the same way. I keep a floor jack, jack stands, impact and 2 sockets sets. Plus a bag of misellaneous tools like pliers, vise grips, and different screwdrivers.
As a truck driver that drives a lot at night, I sincerely thank you for taking the extra time to properly aim your headlights! With all the LED/HID upgrades available on the market today, most people don't care, or know how to aim them down just a little. It's VERY annoying, and dangerous! Great! You can see everything buddy, but the truck weighing 80k+lbs coming right at you is absolutely blind. Lol. Take the time to aim your new bright ass lights people. Donut media rules! ✌😎
@carfreakify The problem is that these headlight housings are not projectors, so there's no clearly-defined cut-off line. You would need to aim these so low that they become worthless. I've wrangled with this predicament on older cars where I installed retrofit HID kits in the same fashion as what this video is showing. It just doesn't end well. What would have been really slick is if there was a 40-watt low-beam, and 100-watt high-beam. Best of both worlds, without blinding everyone else on the roadway.
most car guys/gals and experienced drivers use car lengths as a unit of avg when driving... for example its suggested that you stay 300ft/90m (around 20 car lengths) from a semi truck but trying to avg that distance it sort of hard when you're driving BUT for some odd reason we can precisely avg that distance using car lengths as a unit of measure...
I’m a retired mechanical engineer. Part of my career was spent designing motor vehicle lighting. The reason that you don’t touch the bulb on halogen lights is this: 1) Halogen bulbs are made from a thick, very strong glass (borosilicate) that is under pressure. 2) Your fingers leave behind oils that, when heated, penetrate the glass and weaken the glass (a weakening called “devitrification”). Since the bulb is under pressure, weakening the glass causes it to fail. I applaud Donut Media for swapping out halogen sealed beams for halogen replaceable bulbs instead of swapping in HID or LED. The way the human vision system perceives light is very complex. I can’t begin to go into it here, but human perception of brightness isn’t linear, which means that doubling watts does not translate into seeing twice as far. And the human perception of color is complex as well, for many technical reasons relating to both the physics of light and the biology of vision. AND I definitely want to applaud aligning the headlamps. I see so many poorly aligned headlights that I don’t think most people bother to do it. I’m all for putting more light down on the road, but watch out for low beam lights that throw too much light into the yes of oncoming traffic. Not blinding oncoming drivers is the reason you have low beams.
If I’m honest I prefer all the little daft bits as they’re the bits everyone fits to there car, obviously I’m really looking forward to the turbo but don’t want it to over shadow all these little bits
I enjoy this caveat of donut for the modifications of the Miata is more natural of a transition. More genuine than most, but most of us may never see the inside of a shop with a Dyno . It's on my bucket list .
You mention that it's good to have the right light a little to right, to see pedestrians etc. Here in Europe (atleast I'm used to it) most of cars have their right light pointed a littlebit higher because of that same reason, so you can see the pedestrian earlier(?). Not sure how scientific it is or anything, just thought it was an interesting thing to mention! :)
A few years ago I converted the sealed beams on a 1980 Malibu to this set up and it was a great improvement. But, I also have a C-6 Corvette that uses the modern headlight system and I cannot find an aftermarket high beam LED bulb that has more lumens than what I have now. There are plenty of companies claiming to improve brightness over the stock H9/H11, but they do not.
The way I adjust my headlights is on a flat ground parking lot. Pull up to the back of a car and back up till there is about a car length or a bit more and adjust the top of the beam to the top of the bumper of the car in front of me. This way I know I'm not blinding anyone (LED headlight are bright AF and 8000 lumens will melt eyeballs in the rearview or on coming traffic). If you don't have a friend or family member you could go up to your local mechanic shop and ask if you can use the parking lot at night to adjust your lights and pull up to car leaving a car length or so to make the adjustments. I've had my lights for over a year now and not one person has flashed their brights at me.
This is one of the first upgrades I want to make to my Toyota. It makes a huge difference and is worth the cost. These kinds of items that enhance our driving experience are better than fart cans and other random tid bits. Good work sir.
On the new headlight is clearly written 55w and he is installing 80w bulb in hot climate, excellent advice. There is a huge difference in light power and color between H4 and H7 bulbs, so better to find H7 headlights, put some bulbs like Osram Nightbreaker or Philips Racing Vision... No need to install additional cables, only downside is that they last shorter than regular, but since his 80w will heat like crazy they will last the same.
I appreciate this mod. One thing I cant stand is ultra bright led headlights. I'm forever blinded by them by on coming cars. Its definitely unsafe. There should be a lumen limit for cars, and if there already is, it's way too high.
At least where I live there is. 10,000 lumens low 20,000 lumens high. I believe they’re trying to make it so trucks have a lower rating because their headlights aim so much higher then regular cars but we’ll see 🤷♂️
It has nothing to do with how bright the headlights are and everything to do with making sure they’re aimed properly. Many aren’t. Some manufacturers, like Toyota and Subaru, aim their headlights too high straight from the factory. Even old Halogen headlights will blind oncoming traffic if they’re improperly aimed.
I've got a 2019 mustang gt. I know they are bright already but there's a few aftermarket ones to upgrade the looks now as well. So an older car to gain light and looks is worth every penny
I miss the headlights that were on my '17 GT so bad. They were so nice. I got *close* to the same output/profile on my Colorado I traded for, but it's just not quite the same.
@@ChickenShackIRL they're definitely bright. I know I get flashed sometimes because people think the high beams are on but its just the regular light haha
Hey, I just want to start off saying sorry because, I never knew I wasn't subbed to you guys; I swear I was but anyhow... I have been watching your videos for at least 2 years and I cant wait to watch more! I watch a lot of your videos and looking forward to more money pit and hi and low! cheers you guys!
Technically double the wattage will put out double the light (in terms of lumens), ignoring negligible differences like increased voltage drop. Doesn't the power doesn't mean double the *throw/distance* of the beam though.
Sealed beam headlights are just straight up garbage for light output, nevermind their wattage. The halogen reflector is a good upgrade from them as they are brighter lighting elements and better focused. A halogen projector would be better still, but I would have went with a proper LED reflector lamp to avoid the extra wiring. Projectors sometimes look silly in older cars.
It's funny you think that you're saying something profound, but you didn't actually listen to the wattages that he said, he didn't double the wattage. He went from 35w to 85w.
Upgraded my 92 miata to LED headlights. It put out way more light, and didn't need to upgrade the wiring. As it's an older car I'm also glad they changing all the lights to LED reduced the battery drain in case I leave the lights on when I run into the store.
I've used the H4 conversion also and it's a phenomenal product. But one suggestion if I may, use non-sealed beams with removable bulbs rather than sealed beam. This way you can run virtually any light you wish.
First modification I did to my Miata was headlights I work at night and that was the best safety upgrade I did. I went with some Halo led headlights that are meant for a jeep(fit just the same) very bright and made my car look like it had eyes with the halos.
I absolutely love this show its very fun to follow along like Hi-Low
The miata is Mid-car
Yellow sus.
What happend to hi low tho
Yellow was not the imposter.
Yeah, what happened to hi low anyway? Are we getting an engine swaps episode?
Engineering Explained: We should use Watts instead of horsepower.
Donut 1 hour later: This Miata is 89,000 watts.
89kW
I only use metric to measure my bullets #FreedomMurica
@@cptnscoob car powere are hsually measured in horsepower
How many horsepower are these headlights? That's what I want to know now.
And fuel should measured by hour not by miles since it depends on the vehicle's speed
Pro tip: those H4 retrofit housings usually have a little rotational play. You can see it when he installs them and he can rotate the housing just a little bit. Once he turns them on, you can see the effect in his passenger headlight, where the cutoff isn't perfectly horizontal. Take advantage of that slop and use it to clock the housing so that the cutoff is horizontal.
And as a quick FYI: the usual rule of thumb is you want the cutoff to be down 1.5" from bulb center with the car 20' from the wall. That's about as aggressively as you can aim a headlight while still being legal. As always, be willing to tweak them a little during the first few uses so you aren't blinding people.
Oh! and do this all with a full tank. The Miata tilts up quite a bit with a full tank because the wheelbase is so short. If you adjust headlights with an empty tank, you'll be pointing up at the sky when the tank is full.
Thanks man!
Just Thinking This
1cm drop per m for the Europeans
Thank you all knowing headlight guru
Everything else is good but how far down the cutoff should be depends on the car. For the Miata you can actually lower it just 1/2 inch. For a truck you want closer to 2 inches. The reason is that the beam shouldn't blind other drivers and higher cars have higher headlights.
"miata-length"
When I hear people say that Americans will use weird units as long as it isn't Metric. I didn't know it was to this extent.
it's literally anything you can think of, but metric.
Here in Florida we social distance by average adult gator length
Theres this joke that we measure in inches, feet, blue whales, foot ball fields, and miles
It's really NOT actually
@@harkin3684 You said enough as soon as you said "Here in Florida"....😂
I love how relatable this show is, you guys don’t even wash the Miata before rolling the camera! Great episode!
I think that’s just lazy lol,
@@lyndonmoore6286 you arent paying just dont watch it lol
@@Oh2x why take it that way? They can be lazy. They are human.
@@Oh2x you’re one of those people who always gotta find offense in something huh. I was joking man, they do a lot of complicated work to that Miata, they are probably just to busy to wash it.
@@lyndonmoore6286 the lol was real so i see how you thought i said it to mock you like a dickhead i said it kinda jokingly but to get offended by thought of me being offended? lets just all agree that zach has a kickass miata and leave it at that🤝
4:23 i was expecting him to calculate how much horsepower the headlights make. little disappointed :/
Well you can do it yourself. He gave the ratio :p
High beams are 0.13 and low beams are 0.10
80/746=0.11hp, and 100/746 0.13hp. So his car was 120hp before, now it is 119.78hp on low beam and 119.74hp high beam meow.
@@numberpirate the engine doesn't power the headlights tho
@@RobCharo Engine cranks the alternator which charges the battery and powers accessories
The one episode where Zach actually wants the sun to go down 😂
yeah really, first one I've watched that didn't go into the next day!
Nobody:
Zack Jobe: Has an ambulance in his driveway
So much win! Every episode we see another awesome vehicle at his house.
notice its debadged and without the colored lights on the bar, its been in a few episodes parked on the street
I've got an ambulance too! I'm even gonna start uploading videos of my travels in it when my camera gets here.
Maybe if in case he gets hurt or something
I was legit mad when it pulled off without being acknowledged in the slightest bit 🤦🏾♂️🤣
I'm so happy Zack talked about adjusting the lights. Currently in my neck of the woods there is a fad starting where you bypass your stock wiring and just have all of your lights on... all the time. So driving down the road, and people have HID's in their Highs, Lows, and Fogs... all on. Makes me want to carry a can of spray paint with me.
Same here people have those new led lights and don’t care about anyone else, so they drive with their brights on or never adjusted the lights
Wouldn't that be illegal and get your pulled over?
@@michaelclark3192 in my country yeah, can't use far lights all the time. But in USA it should depend on state laws. I doubt they have federal regulations on car headlights...
@@KasumiRINA they do
@@KasumiRINA lots of federal headlight regs lol. Everything is regulated round here.
"Trying to keep this Miata, not on fire."
*Flashback to flames out the exhaust*
Lmao
I thought I was the only one 💀
It's called flyin Miata, not flamin Miata. 🤣
I drive without headlights to assert dominance.
Just like a certain tofu delivery boy
Or if you want to commit fall damage sure
And to assert a certain death.
They won't see it coming
If fall damage was not there
I love how everything was so easy to install and adjust back in the days. Imagine changing your lights on a 2020s car your self 😥
not really that different. except it's just harder to get to them.
Harder to get and 90% of car have to remove bumper
Well.. not much different apart from tearing down the entire front end of the car just to reach the bulb...
They were a pain in the ass. most of the time the adjusters would be rusted out.
One side is usually a piece of cake. The other side, though...always has the goddamn battery or fusebox right in the fucking way. I respect engineers, but I fuckin' _hate_ 'em.
I drive a BMW and personnally I don’t think it’s worth it! Hell, I’ve never even used my turn signals!
Much love, your friends at Rev Media!!
What’s a turn signal
@@jackderry9106 idk man, some idiot told me about these, but I don’t even know what they’re for!!
Hello there rev
@@revmedia8108 Tailgate at 100mph?
@@exernal8969 hey man! Wassup!
Fun fact, to double the length of the throw of light, you have to quadruple your light output. It's the square law!
2.5 min in and was going to point out the inverse square law. But it looks like you beat me to it.
and dont get me started that double the halogen power is like...40% more luminous output?
And with sound, every time you double the distance from a source of noise the signal drops 6db
@@someguy9520 haha ya I was thinking that also. Halogen is surprisingly efficient for radiant heat light sources (I made that term up but I'm sure there's a term to describe light from glowing heat sources...)
@@bzboii by efficient you mean terribly unefficient. isnt it like 1% effectiveness?
you get like 10lm/watt with halogen and like 100lm/watt with high quality LED chips
theoretically we can get like 1000lm/watt, so even LEDs are terribly unefficient. thats why they still need active cooling in many high wattage scenarios
"10 Miata lengths" good to see Americans will use anything but the metric system
10 1/16 Miatas
Or 9 ish z3's in length?
This joke is getting old mate
@@TeethOfDead your getting old mate
20 Toyota corolla lane
Zach: "I'm trying to keep this Miata, not on fire."
Literally 23 episodes before this one: hold my beer
The anti-lag replica flames one made me cringe hard
I was confused on what one that was, I went back counting the episodes and went “ahh ahaha”
@@huntermervyn3646 didn't his back bumper catch on fire once during it lol
Zach every episode: Is this mod worth it?
Me: Hmm... Let’s find out.
Zach at the end of every episode: Yes, this mod is worth it.
Me: *surprised Pikachu face*
so true
@I WANT BOY !!!! SEND ME !!! Not 100% true. What about him fixing his rack and pinion?
Did they install the lights @ 2:06 in the high/low series? I have the same lights and have yet to find a good install video!
Yes they did
@@zeea.2428 I found the video. I guessed I missed that one. Unfortunately they didn't show much of the install lol.
It's just lights? Just take the OEM out, and do the opposite to install.
@@ob9444 that's not at all how those work. When your new lights have more lights the wiring gets complicated. This guy is in for a hell of a time trying to figure out what to splice. I'd take it to a place that does wiring tbh. Save a lot of headache
@@colewelden and give the shop the headache to deal with lol
Was Expecting a
"POP UP, UP AND DOWN HEADLIGHTS!!!"
Same episode ruined
Unpopular opinion... Kinda glad there wasn't,
@@kk-ie1uy woa what??
@@MohdAzylee
Profile pic is Supra thus opinion is invalid.
@@mastergamingnic1681 ok
Why there's an ambulance on Zach's driveway? Are we supposed to expect a "pimp ma 'bulance" series?
That is the comment I was looking for
...with Vermont plates. Maple syrup delivery?
Can we have a Whambulance?
@@tonyb2271 haha I came here to say the same thing, those have to be Vermont plates
It's as a precaution with all that Nos Energy
One detail worth mentioning: brighter halogen headlight bulbs have a way shorter life span so you'll have to change them more often. Also they get gradually dimmer over time. Cheap HID kits throw a ton more light and don't use as much power but you HAVE TO aim them correctly like Zach did or you'll risk blinding other drivers
HID's are hotter though.
@@Tallnerdyguy in overall heat output I disagree. Stand in front of an HID and stand in front of a regular halogen headlamp bulb installed in the same housing and tell me which puts out more heat. Even if plasma is locally hotter than a glowing filament, there isn't much of it. That's also why halogen bulbs pull more electrical wattage to make less light than HIDs: waste heat.
Honestly it's great that you're showing us these small things rather than going for turbo from the beginning. Things like this are what make a project stand out and I think these basic things will help the viewers a lot. Keep it up!!
"Are aftermarket headlights worth it?"
If you wanna blind that guy who's been annoying you, I'd say yes.
That's because in the US nobody knows how to use high beams...
You're supposed to turn them off when you see someone coming the other way or in front of you!
Edit: and adjust them too damnit!
Justin is a car guy !
Hi Justin
@@simpleinverso8628 I don’t think you understand the problem , regular LED lights are blinding because the people who install them don’t position them right and they become absolutely blinding and annoying. Especially in trucks
@@DavinR16 oh yeah, and there's that too!
Lots of people like your show, and you set an example for many.
If you find yourself driving fast, (even in the Miata) without being able to use the high beam, the brightness focused in front of the car, will not allow you to see further up the road.
Not to mention the stripes of light escaping over the cross line of the light beam, as seen on the wall.
Best to way to improve the lighting would be by fitting projectors, with any kind of high wattage or output bulbs, as they are designed to spread the light, (lower the density just in front of you) and make a clear a cut so you do not disturb incoming traffic.
Please set the right example, lots of love from Europe, Greece!
“I want to keep it how it looks”
*Everyone liked that*
I was kinda worried that they were going to do the aftermarket headlights that make the lights fixed in place
I like how no one has mentioned the ambulance in the intro background of the driveway
I was thinking the same thing lol
Yeah... Like, what's it doing there?
I believe donut owns it. It been in the background of most MoneyPits. Either that or Zacks so hot he gives all the other employees third degree burns every time he turns up for a shoot.
@@maximumfartsmell camper conversion?
It's possible one of the people living in the house are also an emt and works for donut on the side?
Ohhhh man. I hooked up a set of round lights like this in the front bumper of my 98 tercel, 90s subie style! They took 100w H1 bulbs, and were made by Blazer. They were bolted directly to the steel bumper support, and yes I had to cut the bumper. They were "Hella bright" lol. Could reflect off the big highway road signs long before I could ever have a chance of reading them! (Maybe with binoculars lol just a little bright rectangle off in the distance) Wired up basically a kit like this made myself, 40amp relay, 14g wiring, illuminated switch in the dash, all the bells and whistles to prevent fire
The lil tercel was sprayed tremclad white, and had red Rally Armour style mudflaps made from red plastic crazy carpet (plastic kids snow sled from the dollar store), and the tow strap (crane rigging strap) hanging out the trunk shackled to the factory tow hook under the back.
The little "Terstallion" was a 22b subie wannabe lol. During the Corona gas price drop, 6 bucks would get you half a tank from empty! That car was a last, and almost got a 3" lift and a 2.0L AWD swap from a 98 rav 4 before I had to sell it due to needing room for car seats if ya know what I mean 😉 😂
The way James says "Kentucky cobra" makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside
Really love this Money Pit series good work guys! Please note at 8:08, there is, molded onto the new headlights' plastic housing, a power rating for, I assume, recommended bulb usage. I have had experience with these higher power H4 bulbs and they CAN melt the ABS plastic headlight housing. I would suggest you inspect these headlights after ~1 month of use. Can't wait for the turbo build :D
I did a full LED conversion in my 1989 MG Mini. Indicators, brake lights, reverse lights, the whole damn car. That includes the headlights. Best thing I've done to that car. The only problem is that I bought cheap shitty ones. They decided to die yesterday. Just.... Stopped working. They were crappy Chinese knockoffs that had a crappy app to change the color of the running lights. A tip from me? Simplicity is key. Hey a good set that isn't trying to get fancy. Want to have colored running lights, get the ones you wire in what you want, not something that is trying to be extra.
Zach : "Lets install new aftermarket headlights"
Meanwhile,somewhere in aftermarket shop:
Turbo: *sad whine noises*
Noice comment but make it *sad sutututu noises*
How much $ u think a shop makes swapping headlight bulbs
I'm so happy you guys cover real upgrades we'd actually do to our cars. I love the real issues you come across, and the assessment of the value added. This, along with hi-lo cars are my favorite. Keep up the good content.
My first car was '98 Honda Civic and one of the mods I performed was exchanging the headlights for aftermarket ones. I was low on money and did not switch the housing for black ones, but I was satisfied with the modification. I was seeing stop signs three blocks down the street. It was awesome. As for the stock headlights, they weren't in bad shape. It's just that it came to a point where I was barely seeing the street at night.
This episode pushed it over the top, this is one of the best technical automotive TH-cam shows. I personally would have chosen different types of lights but the details are important to get a brighter and a safe headlight, that's what's demonstrated here and that's what matters.
To put a video in short: YES. If you're driving a Miata, or anything with old school sealed beams really, invest in some good aftermarket headlights. It will be a night and day difference, whether you use LEDs or some modern incandescent bulbs.
I’m still gonna watch the video
I was seriously shocked when I found out in USA there were sealed beams with non changeable bulb. That is just plain stupid.
@@dindinbre only on really old stuff. Most 90’s cars switched to changeable bulbs
night and day difference, I see what you did there :)
@@IraqVet0608 I looked for headlight casings for my Yugo and found US market ones with non changeable bulbs. I was surprised and thought it was just a Yugo thing, but I was wrong it seems. All cars here in Europe had changeable bulb casings
100w «rally» bulbs, were known to melt reflectors.
I have had really good experience with osram Nightbreaker bulbs :) They output alot more light than regular 60/55w bulbs :)
Relay kit is a good upgrade on alot of older cars where the power runs through the stalk on the steering column as this causes a voltage drop when it gets to the bulb :)
It can also cause a fire in the steering column if you're drawing more current through there than those little skinny wires can safely handle.
Same, using plastic reflector with high wattage bulbs is a big no no.
Even if you don't deform the reflector, it can get dull because of the heat.
These high wattage bulbs should be used with metal reflectors.
Using H4 LEDs is usually the best way to go with plastic reflectors, way higher light output per watt and much better spread.
Paul Walker: "You should be working at M.I.T. or sumthin"
Zach: "I've got that... A.M.H.D. Automotive Miata Halogen Disorder. Yes that sh!t."
🟥❤️
*smokes a blunt*
🍎♥️
Zach: Win this headlights.
Donut.media: Limited to entries in the USA
Me: Cries in european.
Me: cries in south american
Ever heard of a Freight Forward service?
@@agustingarrido7761 Me cries in Indian
Don't worry, it would have been illegal here anyways :(
Cries in Canadian
I started to watch old Donut videos and they are as gold as new ones.
How much money would you like to spending modding your old miata?
Zach: Yes
M-m-m-m-m-money pit! XD And to think that most are hardly best or cost-effective mods, tho replacing lights is one of best things they've done. I hope they actually return to Miata, repaint it and make it track ready and not like last few times.
"Racecars don't need headlights cause the track is always lit"
lol
lighting mcqueen
ITS LIT
So is my brother but he still needs headlights...
Kerchoo
I haven't seen a sealed head lamp since my '74 Bronco!
Thanks for the memories Zach
I appreciate that Zach and I both agree that we want our Miatas to still look like they're from the 90s, just better
♥️🛑
Money Pit and HiLow are by far my absolute favorites, but the great part is pretty much every series on this channel is a banger.
This channel is such a blessing. For a car lover this is a treasure, and for someone new to the community, this is a great way to get them even more interested.
Them talking about the head lights:
Me looking at the ambulance: 👁👄👁
Haha same
69th babyy
It’s never explained either 😂
Me: Just replaced every single bulb on my miata with LEDs
Zach: *laughs in halogen*
I think aftermarket LEDs are not legal in most states, so that's probably why he stuck to high wattage halogens.
@@michaelrefuerzo9186 I'm able to put the brightest LEDs on my car. Granted I do blind incoming people. 😅
Edit: I'm also in California.
@@michaelrefuerzo9186 as long as the lumens stay the same, I don't really see why would they be illegal, and sometimes it'd be better to increase them
@@michaelrefuerzo9186 its not about legality. Halogens are just better in a lens built for a halogen bulb. The science is super complicated, but, LED's output light from a single source and then spread that in an arc, I think 120degrees. A halogen has a filament at the center and it burns with a certain intensity and the light trails off from that filament in a certain way. A halogen lens is specifically engineered to gather up all that light and project it forward. An LED placed into a halogen housing can get the light source close to a halogen, but then the pattern of light being projected on the lens is different. The brightest spot of the LED may not be in the brightest spot of the halogen filament and the tapering effect of the light is different too. You can get light scatter into areas of the lens it was never meant to have. This scattered light is why those lights are so much brighter to oncoming drivers. A *good* halogen bulb will outperform a *good* LED and will have the correct temperature and light spread out in front of you without odd hot spots or blinding oncoming drivers. Look up "Daniel Stern lighting HID." It explains it from the perspective of HID kits, but the principles still apply to LEDs.
I get it dude, litterally me within 5 minutes with every car I get
Also if you want better lights for night time driving upgrade to a more neutral kelvin rating or cooler as warmer lights are more relaxing to the eyes and night.
The cooler ones wont look like they throw as far but they will illuminate so much better.
Donut has mastered car media. I love this, Hi-low as well as zach, nolan, James, and the others! :^)
"Ill just keep some tools in the car in case I f*cked up" or whatever he is said, is probably the most car guy thing I've ever heard lol
I keep a common garage worth of tools in my trunk because I’m stubborn and don’t wanna pay for a tow truck. I also bought a truck specifically to tow broken cars though.
@@grantkendrick277My truck is the same way. I keep a floor jack, jack stands, impact and 2 sockets sets. Plus a bag of misellaneous tools like pliers, vise grips, and different screwdrivers.
As a truck driver that drives a lot at night, I sincerely thank you for taking the extra time to properly aim your headlights! With all the LED/HID upgrades available on the market today, most people don't care, or know how to aim them down just a little. It's VERY annoying, and dangerous! Great! You can see everything buddy, but the truck weighing 80k+lbs coming right at you is absolutely blind. Lol. Take the time to aim your new bright ass lights people.
Donut media rules! ✌😎
Yes and at least, you are sitting higher in a truck. In a car, it is even more annoying!
For you yes, for other drivers no :D
You just gotta adjust them and that's it, plus there's so many people right now that have SUVs and Trucks you won't be blinding that many people
@carfreakify Yeah low AND almost not crossing what would be the middle of the road
@carfreakify The problem is that these headlight housings are not projectors, so there's no clearly-defined cut-off line. You would need to aim these so low that they become worthless. I've wrangled with this predicament on older cars where I installed retrofit HID kits in the same fashion as what this video is showing. It just doesn't end well. What would have been really slick is if there was a 40-watt low-beam, and 100-watt high-beam. Best of both worlds, without blinding everyone else on the roadway.
@@iwantsexseemyvideo890 bro u gud?
@@instantbeansoup you just replied to a spam bot😂
“You dont need headlights. Just git gud and you can drive without headlights” -Bunta Fujiwara
bunta is G
He didn’t say that
@@MikkelFRT yes he did
@Pho Que he’s typing with a broken accent 😐
@@bilbobaggins4710 he didnt
I like how they jacked up the car just to change the headlights lol
Prolly just for comfort, mans was still bending over heavy with the jacks
On my G35 I have to remove the front bumper, engine shroud and wheels just to get to the lights
@@alexanderdenney6255 The _wheels?!_ I'd be finding a different way.
@@NaruSanavai right? i just have to flip the headlights up on my car
ROW: meters
Muricans, doing everything not to use meters: 10 Miata lengths
Homie could've used an obscure SI unit to sate his american desires, the Lumen!
most car guys/gals and experienced drivers use car lengths as a unit of avg when driving...
for example its suggested that you stay 300ft/90m (around 20 car lengths) from a semi truck but trying to avg that distance it sort of hard when you're driving BUT for some odd reason we can precisely avg that distance using car lengths as a unit of measure...
Metres*
@@dacam2067 depending on your region
Ha! das ist lustig weil das imperiale system halt kacke ist haha
"10 miatas ahead of me" Americans will do anything except use the metric system 😂
Was looking for this comment!
we got about 45 potatoes of length here
You're right! How stubborn can they be?
But it worked great for the sake of everyone understanding the measures kkkkk
They even use imperial horsepower to look buffier !
Zach : "Lets install new aftermarket headlights"
Meanwhile,somewhere in aftermarket shop:
Turbo: sad whine noises
@13:03 that's on point having the window track hanging inches above the window frame
My favorite time of the week ❤️
Yyyeeeessssss
it is my favorite time of the week too
Share this with every pick up truck and jeep owner you know so they can adjust their lights after lifting and stop blinding me every morning!
Shit man sometimes you can't because the headlights and their housing are in a fixed position instead of being adjustable like on older trucks
Maybe I’ll drop my Jeep back down 3.5 inches 🤔
@@romanbernal9157 how old we talking? Only owned back to a ‘91 and they were adjustable.
@@whiskeypete88 nah man, I have one too but actually aimed the lights to not be a dick.
@@kc510 haven’t been high beamed in 9 months so I guess I got lucky on the aim
I’m a retired mechanical engineer. Part of my career was spent designing motor vehicle lighting. The reason that you don’t touch the bulb on halogen lights is this:
1) Halogen bulbs are made from a thick, very strong glass (borosilicate) that is under pressure.
2) Your fingers leave behind oils that, when heated, penetrate the glass and weaken the glass (a weakening called “devitrification”). Since the bulb is under pressure, weakening the glass causes it to fail.
I applaud Donut Media for swapping out halogen sealed beams for halogen replaceable bulbs instead of swapping in HID or LED. The way the human vision system perceives light is very complex. I can’t begin to go into it here, but human perception of brightness isn’t linear, which means that doubling watts does not translate into seeing twice as far. And the human perception of color is complex as well, for many technical reasons relating to both the physics of light and the biology of vision. AND I definitely want to applaud aligning the headlamps. I see so many poorly aligned headlights that I don’t think most people bother to do it.
I’m all for putting more light down on the road, but watch out for low beam lights that throw too much light into the yes of oncoming traffic. Not blinding oncoming drivers is the reason you have low beams.
"As my Miata keeps getting faster" [snickers a little]. Love this series though.
Im waiting every wednesday to see: "Is turbo kit worth it?" and you change the headlights😐
I feel the pain from this comment 😔
Istina
Lol they’re stretching it. The Miata is more than ready for a turbo.
If I’m honest I prefer all the little daft bits as they’re the bits everyone fits to there car, obviously I’m really looking forward to the turbo but don’t want it to over shadow all these little bits
I think last week Zac said they’re waiting on parts delays
Car power in Estonia does get measured in Watts... kiloWatts though. It's easier to say that the Miata is 120HP = 89kW and not 89520W
Same as Australia
"I told him 'Bro I'm not leavin!'"
lol
@@andrewlill9319 that guy got so lucky bro. Escaped with his life by a hair
I'm always amazed how Zach can make something kinda boring so entertaining and informative 😂😂. Especially when you've done it before
I enjoy this caveat of donut for the modifications of the Miata is more natural of a transition. More genuine than most, but most of us may never see the inside of a shop with a Dyno . It's on my bucket list .
You mention that it's good to have the right light a little to right, to see pedestrians etc. Here in Europe (atleast I'm used to it) most of cars have their right light pointed a littlebit higher because of that same reason, so you can see the pedestrian earlier(?).
Not sure how scientific it is or anything, just thought it was an interesting thing to mention! :)
One of the most overlooked things about “newer” cars is how good the headlights have gotten.
No shit, i have two high power H4's AND two H7's and new cars still outshine me with those LEDs.
A few years ago I converted the sealed beams on a 1980 Malibu to this set up and it was a great improvement. But, I also have a C-6 Corvette that uses the modern headlight system and I cannot find an aftermarket high beam LED bulb that has more lumens than what I have now. There are plenty of companies claiming to improve brightness over the stock H9/H11, but they do not.
Is anyone else loving Zach and worried he will leave us one day like Bart? Am I the only one with abandonment issues 😂
You are not the only one.
nope you are not the only one and my fears are growing worse with no word on up 2 speed
@Rick Preston still hurts bruh
@Rick Preston it was something like that also i think science garage may have cost to much to produce
I didn't expect to see Miata eye surgery today, but here we are.. lol
* twists screwdriver left * Is this one better * twist right * or this one better? A or B? Ok how about now? A or B?
The way I adjust my headlights is on a flat ground parking lot. Pull up to the back of a car and back up till there is about a car length or a bit more and adjust the top of the beam to the top of the bumper of the car in front of me. This way I know I'm not blinding anyone (LED headlight are bright AF and 8000 lumens will melt eyeballs in the rearview or on coming traffic). If you don't have a friend or family member you could go up to your local mechanic shop and ask if you can use the parking lot at night to adjust your lights and pull up to car leaving a car length or so to make the adjustments. I've had my lights for over a year now and not one person has flashed their brights at me.
This is one of the first upgrades I want to make to my Toyota. It makes a huge difference and is worth the cost. These kinds of items that enhance our driving experience are better than fart cans and other random tid bits. Good work sir.
I like how causally they had an ambulance on the driveway at the start of the video
I work at HELLA and it always makes me so happy when I see some of our stuff used somewhere 😁
Nice results 👌
You didn’t say “WATT do I mean?” and I feel it was a missed opportunity.
5:47 turn on subtitles "What up ogre"
On the new headlight is clearly written 55w and he is installing 80w bulb in hot climate, excellent advice. There is a huge difference in light power and color between H4 and H7 bulbs, so better to find H7 headlights, put some bulbs like Osram Nightbreaker or Philips Racing Vision... No need to install additional cables, only downside is that they last shorter than regular, but since his 80w will heat like crazy they will last the same.
Zac just shed some light over this problem
Those are HELLA cool
I leave don't worry
But at least I leave enLIGHTned by this video
Magnetic force? More like buff air
😂😂
I appreciate this mod. One thing I cant stand is ultra bright led headlights. I'm forever blinded by them by on coming cars. Its definitely unsafe. There should be a lumen limit for cars, and if there already is, it's way too high.
At least where I live there is. 10,000 lumens low 20,000 lumens high. I believe they’re trying to make it so trucks have a lower rating because their headlights aim so much higher then regular cars but we’ll see 🤷♂️
It has nothing to do with how bright the headlights are and everything to do with making sure they’re aimed properly. Many aren’t. Some manufacturers, like Toyota and Subaru, aim their headlights too high straight from the factory. Even old Halogen headlights will blind oncoming traffic if they’re improperly aimed.
I've got a 2019 mustang gt. I know they are bright already but there's a few aftermarket ones to upgrade the looks now as well. So an older car to gain light and looks is worth every penny
I miss the headlights that were on my '17 GT so bad. They were so nice. I got *close* to the same output/profile on my Colorado I traded for, but it's just not quite the same.
@@ChickenShackIRL they're definitely bright. I know I get flashed sometimes because people think the high beams are on but its just the regular light haha
So if cars HP can be measured in watts, can we start measuring lightbulbs In horsepower??
I do love my 0.147453 hp headlights!
Watts for power and lumen for light output and kelvin for color temperature
How about millihorsepower? My headlights are 147mHP.
Hey, I just want to start off saying sorry because, I never knew I wasn't subbed to you guys; I swear I was but anyhow... I have been watching your videos for at least 2 years and I cant wait to watch more! I watch a lot of your videos and looking forward to more money pit and hi and low! cheers you guys!
Man finally someone who agrees that insane headlights look bad on older cars.
Whenever Zach says "... and it comes with this wiring harness" I know it's a mod i'll never ever do
Upgraded my Miata to a set of Wipac Crystals + Osram Nightbreakers this spring.
Literally night and day. Must-have mod.
Short answer: Of course.
Long answer: Well you see, it depends.
Long answer: Well I decided to used halogens from 1950s instead of LED bulbs
Double the wattage of a light doesn’t equal double the light output Zack.
“Easier to install, I think....” Famous last words. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Technically double the wattage will put out double the light (in terms of lumens), ignoring negligible differences like increased voltage drop. Doesn't the power doesn't mean double the *throw/distance* of the beam though.
@@Biker790 True. Square-cube law says that you need 4 times the light to have the same intensity at twice the distance.
Sealed beam headlights are just straight up garbage for light output, nevermind their wattage. The halogen reflector is a good upgrade from them as they are brighter lighting elements and better focused. A halogen projector would be better still, but I would have went with a proper LED reflector lamp to avoid the extra wiring. Projectors sometimes look silly in older cars.
It's funny you think that you're saying something profound, but you didn't actually listen to the wattages that he said, he didn't double the wattage. He went from 35w to 85w.
Upgraded my 92 miata to LED headlights. It put out way more light, and didn't need to upgrade the wiring. As it's an older car I'm also glad they changing all the lights to LED reduced the battery drain in case I leave the lights on when I run into the store.
“Break my heart and throw it away and keep the giftcard” ALMOST CRIED WHO WOULD DO THIS
Is anyone else questioning that ambulance sitting in the driveway lmao
00:32 That ambulance in the background is the best flex for an American I have ever seen
Kilowatts is the official specification for power in German, but also here Horsepower are more the common sense
Still waiting for the turbskis, at this point next week is gonna be
“After aftermarket valve stem covers worth it?”
😂😂😂
You gonna take that jobe?? lmao
Are aftermarket window wipers worth it?
I'd be more interested in supercharging it.
Yo, but really... is filling ur tires with nitrogen worth it???
I've used the H4 conversion also and it's a phenomenal product.
But one suggestion if I may, use non-sealed beams with removable bulbs rather than sealed beam. This way you can run virtually any light you wish.
What wiring harness did you use
What road are you on? That looks “hella” fun😂
Keep it up I love this series
also, they're hella bright
Looks like either Mulholland Drive or Topanga Canyon. I've taken my Miata down those roads and I love it.
I think that is Zack's motto: "Easy-ish to install.... i think"
First modification I did to my Miata was headlights I work at night and that was the best safety upgrade I did. I went with some Halo led headlights that are meant for a jeep(fit just the same) very bright and made my car look like it had eyes with the halos.
Thank you guys for doing this show! It's simple yet so enjoyable and useful all the time! You guys rock! Keep up the good work! :D