Your Vintage Corvette Needs LED Headlights Immediately

Old halogen sealed beam headlamps are very easy to “outdrive.” So you need a set of LED lamps to keep up with your fast Chevy.

I’ve been driving old cars for years, and have always subscribed to the ethos that headlights on old cars are really just for other people to be able to see you, rather than for you to be able to see the road. I didn’t — and still don’t — do much driving after dark, so it wasn’t ever much of an issue. That mindset has begun to change as time marches on. For one thing, I’m getting older, and my night vision isn’t quite what it used to be (chalk that up to too much time behind a computer screen). For another, every other car on the road is getting progressively brighter headlights every year, and my car’s dim little lights can’t keep up.

Just a few weeks ago, I was driving down the highway at night, actually doing well below the speed limit for a change. It was almost too late when I noticed a trio of young deer standing on the asphalt surface afraid to move. Luckily my car has decent brakes, and I was able to stop a few feet short of the deer becoming hood ornaments. It was in that moment that I decided to get a set of LED headlamps to help avoid this situation in the future.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About New Lamps

Luckily for all C1, C2, and C3 Corvette owners, the headlamps in these cars are all 5 3/4″ round housings, which are shared with thousands of other car models, not to mention myriad motorcycles. LED bulb manufacturers have been cranking these out relatively inexpensively for a few years, and they’re only becoming easier to find. If you can avoid it, don’t get the “drop in” style LED bulbs for later cars, instead opt for a complete replacement housing, as the replacement bulbs are much more difficult to properly aim.

Admittedly, these bulbs aren’t always as attractive as the regular sealed-beam bulbs. They sometime don’t quite match up to the classic Corvette style. But at least for C2 and C3 owners the headlights are hidden during daylight driving. Besides, isn’t your visibility and relative safety more important than having period-correct headlight bulbs? If you regularly drive at night, do yourself a favor and get some LED lights, you’ll know the difference immediately.

Via [RandomDayProd]