Pilot 2020B Driving Lights (Amber)
This kit was very easy to install. The instructions were missing out of the box right off the bat. Good thing I am inclined toward things of an electrical nature. Installation was fairly simple, a couple of screws to attach to the upper mouth, routing of the harness (my 9 year old son came in handy here with his small hands!), mounting of the relay behind the left headlamp on an existing bolt, and wiring in of the switch. A couple of comments.. I found the wire for the power to be WAY too short if you are going to tap off the fuse block. I used the one-wire blue 12V connector that all of the Miatas have near the front of the left fender (we've all used it to power our timing lights). The wire was just about the right length for that. I wound the two switch wires with electrical tape through the entire length, mostly for asthetics, as I dislike unwrapped, multicolored wires hanging everywhere. I REALLY hated the billet stem switch provided. Nothing like one of those to say"I'm aftermarket!". I bought <review cut off>
Lights are excellent! Very powerful and bright. From the side, the amber beam looks white. Really neat. These small lights give a very clean look that doesn't detract from the Miata's open mouth. They look very "factory". I paid $59.99 for the pair a local auto parts dealer.
Under 30 minutes to remove completely
55W slim rectangular lamps w/ metal housing, smooth (non-fluted) blue-gold lens, regular H3 bulb.
Objective:Some guy on a now defunct site once described a mod which involves cutting open the M1 turn signal/parking lamp, and stuffing a CATZ MSX inside. He claimed to be able to drive with these w/o the pop-ups. Instead of the$200+ CATZ, I got a set of $25 Pilot fog lamps from the local Grand Auto and attempted to duplicate the same exercise.
Modification to the stock turn/parking lamp housing: notice there are 2 bosses in the plastic molding on the backside of the lamp housing: these are for the screws attaching the reflector to the inside of lamp housing. Saw from boss to boss. Now you have a large opening to stuff an aftermarket lamp inside. Relocate turn signal to the corners using the Moss Twilight Kit.
Modification to the Pilot lamp: the Pilot lamp is too tall to fit into the chopped lamp housing. I had to break off the beautiful lens (don't worry- all it does is make the light beam yellow anyways), and then grind down the 'bezel' and mounting flange surrounding the lamp. Another benefit to doing this is weight reduction; the stock lamp housing is held on by 2 sheet metal screws- thus will not take the weight of a heavy aftermarket lamp. The lamp was then glued into the chopped housing w/ Goop Automotive adhesive/sealant (excellent way to mount, it turns out). I made an airtight seal w/ the Goop to keep out moisture and dust.
Electrical: I used a stock fog-light switch, and took the power from
the stock fog-light connector. Had to plumb my own wires from the switch to the lamps
though- I couldn't find the stock wiring for the life of me.
Results: Still not as bright as the pop-ups. The light diverges reasonably well in the
horizontal direction, but is too narrow in the vertical direction. Also, I made the
mistake of aiming the lamp parallel to the ground; should have aimed it pointing slightly
low. I changed to PIAA Superwhite bulbs: beam is a beautiful bright white now, but the
beam pattern is still unimproved. It's perfectly alright to use in city/suburban traffic,
or more to the point, boulevard cruising/posing, but is still not bright enough to replace
the pop-ups.
It would make a great story if I could beat a $200 CATZ lamp w/ a $25 crap lamp, but alas, Mr.Cheap concedes defeat this time- if you want to duplicate this experiment, use CATZ, or some other lamp w/ more divergence in the vertical direction. BTW cutting and inserting a lamp into the stock housing is easier than it sounds; it is a very forgiving mod- it'll look and work great even if you do a sloppy job.
55 watts amber light that have an ideal beam pattern
Very easy to install. These lights have the new blueish/purple chromatic lens that produces an amber beam. The road is lit up more and it comes with a switch, so you can turn it on whenever you want. I have them mounted on the mouth and it looks really great (especially at night).
I would recommand this product to anyone that wants fog lights or a PIAA. It's the same as a PIAA and it costs half as much. Looks very good on a miata
These lights are as good as any "high-end" driving light. They are 55 watts and have an ideal beam pattern. The street is brightly lit to about forty feet out. In addition, the illumination is perfect to the sides, vertically, and down the road without blinding oncoming cars. Street signs on the side and above are much more visible and are lit up in "yellow". These lights have the new purple chromatic lens so an amber beam is produced without taking away any of the brightness. Installation is a snap and they come with (belive it or not) a classy billet switch with a tiny red power light on the end of it. I mounted them to the corners of my 'mouth' intake and they don't interfere with the mesh intake screen. I actually think that these are the same lights sold for more than twice as much as the PIAA. If you're looking for a quality light upgrade and want to save some bills, then these are for you.
| Back to Product Reviews | 17 June, 1999 |