Aftermarket headlights: Pros and Cons

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to be honest with you i just ordered the headlight adjustment tool cuz they are litterly 10 feet in front of the car, so ill have to get back to you once they are properly adjusted. but im hoping for better than stock.
ain't gonna happen, leds do not 'point' a beam in any particular direction, they are just annoying to on coming drivers.
 
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LEDs in a halogen housing don't work.

Take a look at how the OEMs do led head and taillights. They use an array and direct projeCt. These really make a difference in light output.
 
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I've seen them work but it's a crapshoot in terms of headlight housing compatibility. My buddy has them in an f150 and they aren't terrible. However I've seen some that look like they are guiding airplanes in for a landing.

I've done HIDs in a fox housing and it was terrible
 
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All kinds of comments about headlight housings and designs. I am happy I read the entire thread as I never thought about the quality and design of the reflective backing inside the head light housing. It all makes sense.

Does anyone have experience or a direct comparison of stock halogen bulbs vs led conversion bulb kits? I am curious if a LED headlight would be brighter, generate less heat and maybe draw less power? My only knowledge on this is comparing household LED's to traditional incandescent bulbs.

Ideally I could swap out a bulb in my stock housing that is brighter (not blindingly bright) and draws less amperage. Is this a realistic goal or does something like this not exist?
 
All kinds of comments about headlight housings and designs. I am happy I read the entire thread as I never thought about the quality and design of the reflective backing inside the head light housing. It all makes sense.

Does anyone have experience or a direct comparison of stock halogen bulbs vs led conversion bulb kits? I am curious if a LED headlight would be brighter, generate less heat and maybe draw less power? My only knowledge on this is comparing household LED's to traditional incandescent bulbs.

Ideally I could swap out a bulb in my stock housing that is brighter (not blindingly bright) and draws less amperage. Is this a realistic goal or does something like this not exist?
Ummm...are you sure you read the four or five posts directly above yours because they specifically answer your LED question. Or did I miss something?
 
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LEDs in a halogen housing don't work.

Take a look at how the OEMs do led head and taillights. They use an array and direct projeCt. These really make a difference in light output.

...and focus and projection.

Here's a short video that illustrates very well, the issues associated with using LEDs for headlights:


View: https://youtu.be/Gl1xYyGom1g


By the time you engineer a solution to focus and project and squeeze LED light into a beam, it becomes expensive.

Still, they get cheaper to produce and are also still improving... a lot.

Better versions are near... It's just not quite there IMO. I maybe spend a bit more time focusing and projecting LED light than most but not specifically in auto applications. :O_o:
 
Just go with HID,all the new oems got em.And their inexpensive,got mine from amazon two years ago,the road ahead is so well illuminated..
 
Ummm...are you sure you read the four or five posts directly above yours because they specifically answer your LED question. Or did I miss something?


I only saw one post saying don't use them. Has to be more experience and other users who tried them.

What don't fully understand is the inability to focus the LED light? Standard light bulbs project radially and LED's also project radially right?

Cool video on the drone. Looks like a UFO in the sky.
 
This link will help understand a led headlight bulb and how it is supposed to work.
I have not used this type of headlight bulb but they seem to do their homework.
 
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This link will help understand a led headlight bulb and how it is supposed to work.
I have not used this type of headlight bulb but they seem to do their homework.

Thanks! Good information on the testing of Diode Dynamics LED's. I am surprised they actually take time to test the max/min values per DOT. I wonder if they present themselves as a bright blob coming down the highway? It does seem like they spent a lot of time researching and evaluating the bulb design / performance.
 
bright blob coming down the highway


Always. What is worse is that if there's any kind of fog or precipitation then that is all you will see at night.

What you could do in that case is get infrared LED emitters and $10,000-ish pair of Night Vision Goggles (NVGs). In that spectrum, it has the opposite problem. :D

Oh... You may also need a helmet. They can be pricey too. :O_o:
 
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It just amazes me that here in the 21st century, nobody can make a proper repro headlight:mad:
I agree. Unfortunately, we are victims of our own wishes. In general, people want the cheapest whatever possible. Years and years of the better but more expensive stuff not selling made companies have to buy cheaper and cheaper. Quality went out of the window. Lots of us may not fit into that group but if we are honest, we all probably do on some things. Well we got what we asked for....cheap crap!
 
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$100 for them new includes bulbs .
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