headlights upgrade for Mack chn or chu

[chu613]

Hello guys

I am looking to upgrade my headlights on my 2012 Mack chu. The factory rectangular headlights are not that great and are outdated. I am not sure how old is the design but I can see this type of headlights on the last generation R models. They were upgraded from the round headlights to the rectangular ones in mid 90`???. Anyways that time is not really important, what is important is the fact that the design of this headlight is probably coming close to 20 years pretty soon. The light you get from this headlights is mediocre more or less depending on the brand of bulb you use. But even with the top brands like PIAA, VISION, HELLA that cost @ 120-130 $ \ set, you will not get anything spectacular. The other trucks on the market have options to upgrade but not us which is sad and shows how important is Mack for the aftermarket business. TRUCK-LITE has design the first LED headlight in the world and that is for CASCADIA. CORONADO can also be upgraded with LED headlights. So both FREIGHTLINER trucks can benefit from new and latest in lightning technology, when we...... I called TRUCK-LITE a while ago and asked if they have any plans for Mack but they couldn't give me an answer, they didn't now. It all comes down to sales n's and that is an area where Mack is not a strong player. All the trucks that have the 4 rectangular headlights like KW-W900, WESTERN-STAR, FREIGHTLINER-FLD, PETERBILT can also be upgraded with LED lights made by TRUCK-LITE or JW SPEAKER. Paccar is the ONLY truck manufacturer to offer XENON lights on some KW and PETERBILT models, technology that is only offered in the top end and luxury car segment. So the conclusion is that most of the guys out there have some options as long as they don't drive Mack.

Anyways even if I new that there is no way to get some better lights on this truck something came up; I seen a picture of a Mack chn with 4 round headlights; the truck is a north American Mack because it has the left hand steering wheel. What do you think about those headlights? Do they belong to some kind of car, van, bus etc.? I showed that to my Mack sales guy and he was helpless with anything regarding this matter. There is also some hope on the Australian built Mack Trident that seemed to have had some similar lay out but with 4 round headlights instead of one rectangular one; this is an older Trident model but is pretty hard to find pictures of it on the net. There is one here on this website (bigmacktrucks) if you type Mack Trident on the search bar will get you to a topic from Feb.2013 about this particular truck; there is a picture of a green Trident day cab with 4 round headlights. The signal light is identical with the one on the CHU( with the exception of the one they have on top of fender) and even the whole look and size of it; The truck, according to the picture belongs to DOOLAN'S heavy haulage which has a website; went there and checked and found a couple more pictures with a Trident with sleeper with the same headlights so is pretty clear that they had this kind of headlights installed on Trident's before. The problem is that I don't now when that particular model was build which makes my hunt even harder. If you Google Mack Trident, all the pictures you get show a different Trident, something similar with Titan( the hood and headlights). I am sure that those headlights are way better than what we have here on CHU, and as far as I now the round type of headlight will always project the light better than any square or rectangular type of headlight. If I would have a year of manufacture or a specific model or code for that Trident I would get the ball rolling and get some headlights from Australia; I'm sure they will fit. Any input of any kind on this matter is really appreciated guys.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Edited September 5, 2013 by chu613

[Baxter]

Love those headlights . Would like them on my CH.

[2stacksuperdog]

Gives it a "old school" look

[b61mack]

Check www. slclighting.com

[fullfuel01]

They'll the model for next year. Hope they dont screw it too much.

[Murf915]

Ya i agree the headlights on my new mack suck too

[chu613]

Check www. slclighting.com

Ok.

thank you

[chu613]

Ya i agree the headlights on my new mack suck too

Is yours a CHU or CXU?

The CXU ( former CX-CXN Vision) are not that bad.

I think that when they designed the Vision in mid 90' the headlights were ahead of their time.

But again, nothing has changed since. My personal opinion is that the CXU headlights are begging for some projector type of light for low beam. They have the shape and style for that kind of design.

I hope Mack will make a move in the near future.

[chu613]

They'll the model for next year. Hope they dont screw it too much

what model?

CHU or CXU?

How sure are you of that?

How do you now?

I'm asking because sometimes I'm so fed up with Mack that is hard to believe that they will move a finger for something or listen to customers unless you order 200-300 trucks

[Mackpro]

We get alot of new broke down MRU's towed to our shop. They are usually being delivered to the customer from the bed companies. I have seen a couple of MRU's with what looked like HD headlights. Never really paid enough attention to check them out. We also had a new GU rawhide show truck , on its way to a big show and it had some weird blue bulbs in it. However I have never seen a CHU with any aftermarket lighting.

[Slc Lighting]

That Aussy truck does look good. They are obvisouly fabricated as an aftermarket product. I'm curious if they meet the ADR requirements.

Fabrication headlights can be risky at times. Mostly from durability. Got to make sure they don't vibrate loose and stay adjusted.

Mack isn't much different then the other OEM's It's always about cost and ease of assembly. I hear from drivers of other makes how crappy the forward lighting is. And then Mack goes to that larger then normal bulb from Hella.That must have been Volvos doings.

I can't offer a safe recommendation for those with aerodynamic lighting or lighting in plastic housing. Upgrading to a higher wattage burner will just melt the housing.

Plus they may overload the electrical system.

But if you did fab yourselves a better light, wouldn't you be concerned about various safety inspections? Or are them people dumb to stuff like that?

[Marcel67]

Are there any new led lights for the MH model?

[rsb502]

I put a Hyper White PIAA bulbs in my RD's and Granite, made a huge difference and has the added bonus of looking cool at night.

[41180]

Hello guys

I am looking to upgrade my headlights on my 2012 Mack chu. The factory rectangular headlights are not that great and are outdated. I am not sure how old is the design but I can see this type of headlights on the last generation R models. They were upgraded from the round headlights to the rectangular ones in mid 90`???. Anyways that time is not really important, what is important is the fact that the design of this headlight is probably coming close to 20 years pretty soon. The light you get from this headlights is mediocre more or less depending on the brand of bulb you use. But even with the top brands like PIAA, VISION, HELLA that cost @ 120-130 $ \ set, you will not get anything spectacular. The other trucks on the market have options to upgrade but not us which is sad and shows how important is Mack for the aftermarket business. TRUCK-LITE has design the first LED headlight in the world and that is for CASCADIA. CORONADO can also be upgraded with LED headlights. So both FREIGHTLINER trucks can benefit from new and latest in lightning technology, when we...... I called TRUCK-LITE a while ago and asked if they have any plans for Mack but they couldn't give me an answer, they didn't now. It all comes down to sales n's and that is an area where Mack is not a strong player. All the trucks that have the 4 rectangular headlights like KW-W900, WESTERN-STAR, FREIGHTLINER-FLD, PETERBILT can also be upgraded with LED lights made by TRUCK-LITE or JW SPEAKER. Paccar is the ONLY truck manufacturer to offer XENON lights on some KW and PETERBILT models, technology that is only offered in the top end and luxury car segment. So the conclusion is that most of the guys out there have some options as long as they don't drive Mack.

Anyways even if I new that there is no way to get some better lights on this truck something came up; I seen a picture of a Mack chn with 4 round headlights; the truck is a north American Mack because it has the left hand steering wheel. What do you think about those headlights? Do they belong to some kind of car, van, bus etc.? I showed that to my Mack sales guy and he was helpless with anything regarding this matter. There is also some hope on the Australian built Mack Trident that seemed to have had some similar lay out but with 4 round headlights instead of one rectangular one; this is an older Trident model but is pretty hard to find pictures of it on the net. There is one here on this website (bigmacktrucks) if you type Mack Trident on the search bar will get you to a topic from Feb.2013 about this particular truck; there is a picture of a green Trident day cab with 4 round headlights. The signal light is identical with the one on the CHU( with the exception of the one they have on top of fender) and even the whole look and size of it; The truck, according to the picture belongs to DOOLAN'S heavy haulage which has a website; went there and checked and found a couple more pictures with a Trident with sleeper with the same headlights so is pretty clear that they had this kind of headlights installed on Trident's before. The problem is that I don't now when that particular model was build which makes my hunt even harder. If you Google Mack Trident, all the pictures you get show a different Trident, something similar with Titan( the hood and headlights). I am sure that those headlights are way better than what we have here on CHU, and as far as I now the round type of headlight will always project the light better than any square or rectangular type of headlight. If I would have a year of manufacture or a specific model or code for that Trident I would get the ball rolling and get some headlights from Australia; I'm sure they will fit. Any input of any kind on this matter is really appreciated guys.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

put some foglights on your bumper .

[Truckinjeff]

The CH style square lights are terrible, I have never seen any upgrades offered from Mack or any Aftermarket. Unfortunately modifying the stock headlights is illegal. The only thing you really can do is check and adjust the aim of the headlamp assembly. Fog lamps or running lamps on the bumper to my knowledge is legal and may give some improvement. Its sad that Volvo isn't really doing much for Macks aging headlamp design. I think its funny that a modern Volvo truck (and most other manufactures) use a light control module that can detect shorted wiring and burned out bulbs but Mack is still utilizing switch and relays for its lights.

[rsb502]

And Macks headlight wiring still holds up better and is easier to fix too.

[41180]

i know i can see alot better at night with my CL than i could see with the superliner . i am not sure why mack hasnt updated the chu headlights to the granite/titan style ? the chu is selling well in my area it seems like every day i see new chu tractors . i think if they designed a new hood and headlight design they would sell even better.

[bbigrig]

Make sure those headlights draw less amps then the factory ones on any 2008-2010 CXU's. (I'm sure the LED'S would solve the issue) The wiring circuit for the CXU with bumper fog lights uses the headlight circuit as its power source from factory. The harness has a tendency to cook because of the high amperage load on the one circuit. A couple of our trucks have been in for the Tech Service Bulletin to replace the headlight circuit harness at the frame and hood. Sadly that bulletin doesn't cover the harness going up to the cab which shows signs of black wires under the insulation. That harness has cost us some money. Our trucks while driving with both bumper and headlights operating at the same time would cut out due to circuit breaker overload after a few years of service. The drivers would have to stop using the bumper lights and the problem went away. Not sure why they didn't feed the bumper lights on a separate circuit.

[Mackpro]

Make sure that behind the dash cluster, that the factory pugged in the correct wire according to what type of truck it is. We found lots there were incorrect and were burning up hood harness.

[chu613]

We get alot of new broke down MRU's towed to our shop. They are usually being delivered to the customer from the bed companies. I have seen a couple of MRU's with what looked like HD headlights. Never really paid enough attention to check them out. We also had a new GU rawhide show truck , on its way to a big show and it had some weird blue bulbs in it. However I have never seen a CHU with any aftermarket lighting.

Yes you are right. I forgot to mention that the MRU and first generation Granite can be upgraded to aftermarket HID lights because they have a pretty popular 7" round headlight made by almost if not all aftermarket companies.

[chu613]

Make sure that behind the dash cluster, that the factory pugged in the correct wire according to what type of truck it is. We found lots there were incorrect and were burning up hood harness.

Thank you.

Good info. I am communicating with a sales guy from SCLLITHNING.

Maybe I can get something working

I really appreciate your interest

[chu613]

Make sure those headlights draw less amps then the factory ones on any 2008-2010 CXU's. (I'm sure the LED'S would solve the issue) The wiring circuit for the CXU with bumper fog lights uses the headlight circuit as its power source from factory. The harness has a tendency to cook because of the high amperage load on the one circuit. A couple of our trucks have been in for the Tech Service Bulletin to replace the headlight circuit harness at the frame and hood. Sadly that bulletin doesn't cover the harness going up to the cab which shows signs of black wires under the insulation. That harness has cost us some money. Our trucks while driving with both bumper and headlights operating at the same time would cut out due to circuit breaker overload after a few years of service. The drivers would have to stop using the bumper lights and the problem went away. Not sure why they didn't feed the bumper lights on a separate circuit.

Yes I will definitely be aware of that. I am not willing to do any modifications to the factory harness, relay, fuses etc.

Thanks for your reply

[chu613]

i know i can see alot better at night with my CL than i could see with the superliner . i am not sure why mack hasnt updated the chu headlights to the granite/titan style ? the chu is selling well in my area it seems like every day i see new chu tractors . i think if they designed a new hood and headlight design they would sell even better.

Good thinking.

That is how I picture the new CHU; with the granite-titan style headlight

And also cab mounted exhaust for the overall look. That would be a hot seller

Thanks for reply

[chu613]

And Macks headlight wiring still holds up better and is easier to fix too.

I have to say that Mack makes really good wiring, harnesses, etc.

Didn't have to replace a fuse in 5 years of driving this Pinnacle tractors.

Actually o don't remember to have had any kind of electrical issues

[chu613]

The CH style square lights are terrible, I have never seen any upgrades offered from Mack or any Aftermarket. Unfortunately modifying the stock headlights is illegal. The only thing you really can do is check and adjust the aim of the headlamp assembly. Fog lamps or running lamps on the bumper to my knowledge is legal and may give some improvement. Its sad that Volvo isn't really doing much for Macks aging headlamp design. I think its funny that a modern Volvo truck (and most other manufactures) use a light control module that can detect shorted wiring and burned out bulbs but Mack is still utilizing switch and relays for its lights.

Yes is true. Somebody else is calling the shots now.

There are a couple of things that need improvement on Mack trucks, for example the wipers switch?

Volvo and Mack have the same style stalker for the onboard computer( co-pilot at Mack)

On that stalker Volvo has the wipers control too when Mack is using that old style switch on the dash.