Aftermarket headlights: Pros and Cons

Potomus Pete · Jul 6, 2019

What about the Led . Where they plug in 1157 type and were they the expensive ones. Im interested in those , and my back driving lights are not bright enough.

General karthief · Jul 6, 2019

rademf64 said:
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.

Mustang5L5 · Jul 6, 2019

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.

FastDriver · Jul 6, 2019

I've read stuff like that on the powerstroke forums, before. So, do you think that LEDs in the right housing are superior to halogen in terms of functionality?

Mustang5L5 · Jul 6, 2019

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

Acj2001_Fordman · Jul 18, 2019

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?

Wayne Waldrep · Jul 18, 2019

Acj2001_Fordman said:
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?

Noobz347 · Jul 19, 2019

Mustang5L5 said:
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.

nickyb · Jul 19, 2019

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..

Acj2001_Fordman · Jul 19, 2019

Wayne Waldrep said:
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.

General karthief · Jul 19, 2019

This link will help understand a led headlight bulb and how it is supposed to work.

Search results for: 'led-bulbs sl1-led-headlight'

Automotive LED lighting for cars and trucks, including headlight, fog light, turn signal, backup, tail, interior, halos, demon eyes, boards, strips, and more!

www.diodedynamics.com

I have not used this type of headlight bulb but they seem to do their homework.

Diode Dynamics Lighting Tech 101: Research Automotive Lighting Technology

Not just for trucks, they can be stealth mounted on tons of applications! Diode Dynamics SS12 LED Light Bar Click here to shop: Diode Dynamics Stage Series LED Light Bars

www.stangnet.com

Blown88GT · Jul 19, 2019

Acj2001_Fordman said:
...Standard light bulbs project radially and LED's also project radially right?...

LED's do not project radially unless fabricated into an array of many.

Acj2001_Fordman · Jul 19, 2019

General karthief said:
This link will help understand a led headlight bulb and how it is supposed to work.

Search results for: 'led-bulbs sl1-led-headlight'

Automotive LED lighting for cars and trucks, including headlight, fog light, turn signal, backup, tail, interior, halos, demon eyes, boards, strips, and more!

www.diodedynamics.com

I have not used this type of headlight bulb but they seem to do their homework.

Diode Dynamics Lighting Tech 101: Research Automotive Lighting Technology

Not just for trucks, they can be stealth mounted on tons of applications! Diode Dynamics SS12 LED Light Bar Click here to shop: Diode Dynamics Stage Series LED Light Bars

www.stangnet.com

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.

Noobz347 · Jul 19, 2019

Acj2001_Fordman said:
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.

Oh... You may also need a helmet. They can be pricey too.

trebor3170 · Jul 19, 2019

It just amazes me that here in the 21st century, nobody can make a proper repro headlight

Wayne Waldrep · Jul 20, 2019

trebor3170 said:
It just amazes me that here in the 21st century, nobody can make a proper repro headlight

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!

MrPerfect2 · Jul 24, 2019

$100 for them new includes bulbs .

MrPerfect2 · Jul 24, 2019

Potomus Pete · Jul 24, 2019

Nice car brother . Those lights are interesting. Where did you get them.. Are those orange things lenses they almost look like covers.

MrPerfect2 · Jul 24, 2019

Amazon for heads , but , I painted fogs

Aftermarket headlights: Pros and Cons

I'm still waiting for the fully nude shots

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

I was uncomfortably high & wearing a helmet

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

Member

Before I post a pic, do you have one of yours?

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

I gotta say i never painted my nuts, Never Ever

Member

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Member

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

mine usually gets hard with the car on

Before I post a pic, do you have one of yours?

I'm still waiting for the fully nude shots

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