Review: BRAND NEW Carbide Series Corvette C6 Housing by GTR Lighting
Review: BRAND NEW Carbide Series Corvette C6 Housing by GTR Lighting
Review: BRAND NEW! Corvette C6 Housing from GTR Lighting
For your 2005–2013 Chevrolet Corvette, welcome to the GTR Lighting Carbide Series, C8 Style headlights. Adopting headlamps from the eighth-generation Vette onto the sixth-generation Corvette C6 is, to be honest, a nice concept.
The interior's matching paint job and projectors created a really fantastic appearance. Sadly, they lacked brightness and had lenses that faced the sky, making them susceptible to UV ray damage. Since the majority of modern cars have their headlights facing forward, they are protected against UV ray damage if left untreated.
Using the new GTR Lighting parts will improve your C6's lighting output and give it a more contemporary appearance.
LIGHT OUTPUT
A 540% increase in light output over stock is what the new C8 Style lights from GTR Lighting will give you. To test this, we turned on the headlights and parked the car 25 feet from a wall. The brightest point was then measured using a Lux meter. Always keep in mind that the Lux rating is merely a means of gauging the headlight's maximum light output and has no practical use.
Let's start by looking at the C6's stock halogen headlights. The low beams have a maximum brightness of 100 Lux. This is very bad! The GTR Carbide produces a low beam of up to 640 Lux, which is 540% brighter than the stock.
This is proof of that mantel, as GTR Lighting has been known to have the brightest headlights in the world.
It's crucial to remember that the C6 headlights have distinct low and high beams before we examine the various high beams. The driver increased the amount of light produced by stacking the headlights.
By keeping the brightest point constant, the GTR Carbide set creates a broader beam pattern by opening a bi-LED projector.
After testing the high beams, we discovered that the C6's stock halogens provide a maximum of 350 Lux on high lights with an unsatisfactory beam pattern. The maximum brightness of the GTR Carbide is 640 Lux, which is 82% brighter than stock.
QUALITY
The factory C6 headlights were nice and retro-looking, but they were vulnerable to severe UV damage if misused or kept outside for extended periods, either by using protection film or by doing regular cleanings.
The toughened, UV-resistant polycarbonate lens of the GTR Lighting Carbide line is new. Its style is modeled off the C8 Corvette (2020–), which is known for its iconic blacked-out appearance.
It has a single LED light strip inside that serves as both a turn signal and a running light during the day. When you turn it on, the blinker pulses from bottom to top. The light doesn't wink; it is straight ahead.
A factory projector equipped with a HID ballast and bulb powers the stock C6 headlights. All LEDs are integrated into the new headlights. It requires no maintenance because you don't need to change any bulbs.
A powerful LED that illuminates through the projector is positioned on a surface board in the rear of the headlight. When desired, the projector expands to produce a higher beam.
You must see the start-up routine for these carbide headlights before we go into the technical installation details.
CUSTOMIZATION AND WIRE CONFIGURATIONS
You can choose to let the startup procedure commence in one of two scenarios with the new headlights. The first occurs when the vehicle is started, and the second occurs when the lights are turned on.
There is a wire hookup on the back of the headlight housing. The LED light strips won't turn white while you drive with your headlights off if you only connect it in without adding any more cabling. The top strip will be amber instead. The headlights must be turned on before the startup sequence starts.
Although you have an option, the recommended method of installation is to connect the DRL fuse-tap wire and detach the wire shown below. Two single-wire connectors are located on the opposite side of the DRL fuse-tap wire, which also contains a connector that inserts into the fuse. The DRL connector receives one wire, while the ignition box gets the other.
A white-labeled wire that was your parking light will be disconnected after that. Your DRL's dazzling white LED light strips will now be shining, along with the previously described smooth startup procedure.
HOW TO INSTALL
Step 1: To access the fender liner, turn the wheel to the side and open the hood.
Step 2: Use a flathead screwdriver or pry tool to remove the five clips holding the fender liner in place.
Step 3: Get inside the fender and disconnect the fog light and side marker.
Step 4: Take out two 10mm bolts behind the side marker and one at the front of the fender.
Step 5: Go underneath the vehicle and take out the three 7mm bolts and the 10mm nut.
Step 6: To remove the bumper, you must first remove four 7mm bolts located underneath the hood, facing forward. After removing them, unlatch the inner panel using a prying tool.
Step 7: Loosen the sidestep around the headlights using a pry tool. On both sides, repeat.
Step 8: Pull the bumper away from the automobile by loosening it on both sides by the headlights and then from the middle, under the hood.
Step 9: We can now remove the headlights because the bumper is gone. Every light includes three 10mm bolts and a single connector. Remove and unplug them accordingly.
Step 10: Remove the 10mm section near the car's headlight to loosen the fender.
Step 11: Take out the six T15 screws that are attached to the fender.
Step 12: Pull the fender up a little by pulling on it to start removing the headlight. Next, carefully remove the headlamp.
Step 13: Attach the DRL harness to the fuse box before mounting the GTR Lighting Carbide headlights.
Orient the harness so that the long side is on the driver's side and the short side is on the passenger side.
Step 14: Insert the GTR Lighting LED headlamp from the Carbide Series into the openings. To avoid scratching the fender, take caution when installing the new housing.
Plug in the DRL harness as well as the primary headlight plug.
Step 15: With your new GTR Lighting Carbide Series LED headlights installed, you may button up the rest of the vehicle and drive away after making sure the headlights are functioning.