arn:I'm going to strongly object to that statement. Quite frankly, I find the headlamps on my daughter's CR-V to be a throwback to the 'dark ages'. The root cause of the problem is the combo H4/9003 bulb. The low beams are OK. The pattern and cutoff of the reflector assembly is typical of this older design. Incandescent bulbs in projector housings are typically better, but I can live with these. Slightly better bulbs help. But they don't help for long due to tungsten darkening. I'm now in the mode of replacing her bulbs every 18 months or so.It's not true that the OE headlights are inadequate.
I went back and read your post several times to see if I could get a solid idea on where you are coming from with all this. Having spent the last 25 years of my truck driving career as a nighttime linehaul driver on the same run (AUS_DFW), I have a lot of night driving experience. So that's where I come from. I will 100% agree that the "new" four-bulb systems are better than the "old" two bulb ones. It's basically the equivalent of two glass headlights compared to four. My last big truck, a 2016 Freightliner, had a two bulb system that was very good. My '07 CR-V has the old two-bulb system but to my eye, while not superior, is quite adequate. I have to conclude that you, and some of these other folks, must have a degree of night blindness, which, while it may be minimal, is enough to make your perception somewhat different from mine, and enough to make some systems inadequate to fit in your comfort zone for night driving. So I applaud your attempts at upgrades. I am all for anything that makes you safer. My main objection to some of these upgrades applies more to the accessory addicts out there who insist on running ridiculously over-bright setups for no good reason, and which have been proven to be ineffective as well as illegal. In fact, there are factory systems on some high end cars that are also proven ineffective and which do not meet federal standards. Luckily, in Texas at least, enforcement has been stepped up on this, and it's very satisfying to see a lot of these folks get big fat tickets for it.I'm going to strongly object to that statement. Quite frankly, I find the headlamps on my daughter's CR-V to be a throwback to the 'dark ages'. The root cause of the problem is the combo H4/9003 bulb. The low beams are OK. The pattern and cutoff of the reflector assembly is typical of this older design. Incandescent bulbs in projector housings are typically better, but I can live with these. Slightly better bulbs help. But they don't help for long due to tungsten darkening. I'm now in the mode of replacing her bulbs every 18 months or so.
The high beams, unfortunately, are pretty poor. And the use of the high beam filament as a DRL degrades the entire system by depositing tungsten on the inside of the envelop. Take out your bulbs and observe the black film that's stealing your light as they age. I'll post pictures of the ones I took out last year if you aren't convinced.
Most modern cars prior to the introduction of LED lighting use the "4 lamp system". Dedicated low beams and high beams. When you turn on the high beams, you also retain the wide/low spread of the low beam bulbs. They illuminate the mid-distance range, and are particularly useful for driving in dark hilly areas when cresting a hill. When the high beam distance pattern 'lifts' off the road, the low beam pattern fill in. On the 2012-2014 CR-V you are left with a huge dark region until the nose of the car points back down again. That's unacceptable in heavily populated deer areas.
We had similar H4 dual filaments on our old Odyssey, but the problem was easily solved with a minor wiring modification. Those housings were larger and able to handle the heat. I've been advised that the smaller housings of the CR-V cannot.
In the 2015 facelift, Honda addressed this shortcoming, and went to a 4 bulb system. Drive the two back to back, and the difference in illumination is striking!
So, what to do about it....
1) JDM or EDM enclosures are NOT the answer, as the beam patterns are too different from FMVSS/DOT. Illegal and potentially dangerous.
2) I hate rebased HID conversion kits. Glare city, especially in reflector housings. The 'filament' (gas discharge) is in the wrong spot. LED bulbs are generally no better, as no two makers align the LEDs the same, or correctly.
3) An entire Projector transplant could be done. Again, it likely won't provide separation of high and low patterns.
4) There are aftermarket headlamps available (Anzo and others) that pack two projectors into the space on each side. No data on quality or pattern integrity available.
5) I did look at if it's possible to swap in the grill & lights from a 2016 into a 2013. Maybe.... and a lot of cash outlay to try it. The fit looks OK, but without a full set of mechanical drawings, it's a gamble. I occasionally look for a junk yard find, and maybe over time I'll 'collect' all the parts required to try it.
Or... I'll just dump the car and move on....
How are the high beams? Are they brighter than your prior stock? Also, do your DRLs work properly?The stock headlights suck plain and simple. I just upgraded my 2014 to LED headlights. Look on Amazon for a company called beamtech... I bought the 9003 plug-in replacement LED headlights $38! I wish I would have done this years ago. They plug in to the existing wiring harness and have an adapter for the light itself into the receptacle. The only thing that I did was put a piece of electrical tape around the connector as it does not plug in flush there is a little bit of a gap left. Also the rubber boot that goes around the headlight cover on the inside you'll need to turn that inside out in order for it to go over the new light mount.
So, if I am reading everyone's threads correctly, Oldwarrior's solution seems to be the easiest and cheapest. I think I might try this. I am just waiting on the answer to the question posed by wb5dx regarding hi-beams and DRL's.The stock headlights suck plain and simple. I just upgraded my 2014 to LED headlights. Look on Amazon for a company called beamtech... I bought the 9003 plug-in replacement LED headlights $38! I wish I would have done this years ago. They plug in to the existing wiring harness and have an adapter for the light itself into the receptacle. The only thing that I did was put a piece of electrical tape around the connector as it does not plug in flush there is a little bit of a gap left. Also the rubber boot that goes around the headlight cover on the inside you'll need to turn that inside out in order for it to go over the new light mount.
Oldwarrior40 ... so, how are those LED headlights? Do the DRLs work? There are several of us wanting to update our headlights as well, keeping all of the designed features intact.The stock headlights suck plain and simple. I just upgraded my 2014 to LED headlights. Look on Amazon for a company called beamtech... I bought the 9003 plug-in replacement LED headlights $38! I wish I would have done this years ago. They plug in to the existing wiring harness and have an adapter for the light itself into the receptacle. The only thing that I did was put a piece of electrical tape around the connector as it does not plug in flush there is a little bit of a gap left. Also the rubber boot that goes around the headlight cover on the inside you'll need to turn that inside out in order for it to go over the new light mount.
I see that you've edited again.... Let's stay with your original objections to my reply.I went back and read your post several times to see if I could get a solid idea on where you are coming from with all this. Having spent the last 25 years of my truck driving career as a nighttime linehaul driver on the same run (AUS_DFW), I have a lot of night driving experience. So that's where I come from. I will 100% agree that the "new" four-bulb systems are better than the "old" two bulb ones. It's basically the equivalent of two glass headlights compared to four. My last big truck, a 2016 Freightliner, had a two bulb system that was very good. My '07 CR-V has the old two-bulb system but to my eye, while not superior, is quite adequate. I have to conclude that you, and some of these other folks, must have a degree of night blindness, which, while it may be minimal, is enough to make your perception somewhat different from mine, and enough to make some systems inadequate to fit in your comfort zone for night driving. So I applaud your attempts at upgrades. I am all for anything that makes you safer. My main objection to some of these upgrades applies more to the accessory addicts out there who insist on running ridiculously over-bright setups for no good reason, and which have been proven to be ineffective as well as illegal. In fact, there are factory systems on some high end cars that are also proven ineffective and which do not meet federal standards. Luckily, in Texas at least, enforcement has been stepped up on this, and it's very satisfying to see a lot of these folks get big fat tickets for it.
As for me, my '07's stock headlights are fine. If I thought otherwise, I would probably do something about that, too. But in my CR-V research I've also seen plenty of YouTube videos and read forum posts that show that most of these so-called upgrades are not really effective. Now, if I could convert to a 4-light setup I might, if I thought it would make me safer. But my stock ones work just fine. So, all I can say to the rest of you is good luck. I hope you get what you need. I'd never vote against anything that improves safety. If it really does, that is. Meanwhile, I am of the opinion that my '07 is a better car than your Gen4 or 5 in all other ways.
