Smoked Headlights... What's The Difference..

billison · Jun 30, 2013

ok, need new headlights, looking to go with the smoked ones. and I want to order a set that has the mounting hardware and seals so I can just install it all no hastle.

what seams to be the best one is

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/LRS-13008USM-K/87-93-Mustang-Ultra-Smoked-Headlight-Kit

seems to have eveything I want.

but I find this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMOKE-87-93...Parts_Accessories&hash=item53f75fc025&vxp=mtr

and it seams to be the same thing.... but 60 bucks cheaper...

so what's the difference? or is there someplace to get the quality lights a tad cheaper?

f8tlfiveo · Jul 1, 2013

Good luck seeing in the dark. My brother had them with hid's they were ok, but halogens sucked

billison · Jul 1, 2013

I'll offset it with brighter bulbs, neither this nor that are on topic.

jcgafford · Jul 1, 2013

billison said:
ok, need new headlights, looking to go with the smoked ones. and I want to order a set that has the mounting hardware and seals so I can just install it all no hastle.

what seams to be the best one is

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/LRS-13008USM-K/87-93-Mustang-Ultra-Smoked-Headlight-Kit

seems to have eveything I want.

but I find this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMOKE-87-93...Parts_Accessories&hash=item53f75fc025&vxp=mtr

and it seams to be the same thing.... but 60 bucks cheaper...

so what's the difference? or is there someplace to get the quality lights a tad cheaper?

ebay headlights are usually junk. cheaply made and fall apart. at least you have a known company with someone to get ahold of with late model restoration. whats 60 bucks?

billison · Jul 1, 2013

I think that's my thoughts too. So unless I get some other big reason to change, I'll be ordering these today. Gonna give it a few hours.

jcgafford · Jul 1, 2013

billison said:
I think that's my thoughts too. So unless I get some other big reason to change, I'll be ordering these today. Gonna give it a few hours.

when i was looking for headlights i went thru the same thing. lots of threads out there on cheap ebay headlights that just turn to crap in a years time. ended up finding good stock ones in a part out, otherwise LMR would have gotten my business.

f8tlfiveo · Jul 2, 2013

If they are not ford, they are china. I haven't had any trouble with my china ones yet. But my car doesn't get driven much.

f8tlfiveo · Jul 2, 2013

billison said:
I'll offset it with brighter bulbs, neither this nor that are on topic.

Not saying don't get them, I like them personally but I know they cut down on the night vision. Where are you getting brighter bulbs anyway?

2000xp8 · Jul 2, 2013

Brighter bulbs, usually draw more power.
More power melts the wiring to the light switch.
Just something to consider.
When you reach over to turn the lights off and the switch is hot, you know you are in trouble.

If you drive the car alot, in all weather conditions, you should use real ford headlights.
The rest are garbage, i speak from experience, my own, my family and friends.

jrichker · Jul 2, 2013

2000xp8 said:
Brighter bulbs, usually draw more power.
More power melts the wiring to the light switch.
Just something to consider.
When you reach over to turn the lights off and the switch is hot, you know you are in trouble.

If you drive the car a lot, in all weather conditions, you should use real ford headlights.
The rest are garbage, I speak from experience, my own, my family and friends.

Excellent advice. Take it and run with it.

The smoked or tinted headlights are not street legal. No legitimate SAE or DOT marks on them: most of the honest vendors have a disclaimer saying "Not for street use, show car only". That means no pass vehicle inspection or get a ticket if you are stopped by a law enforcement officer.

mikestang63 · Jul 2, 2013

I bought a set of new headlights several months ago for about $99 and so far so good. No leaks. I did reuse the stock weatherstrip and adjusters. I did lay a bead of clear silicone around the seams just in case. Kept the original ones just in case.

However, if you want the best fitting and looking headlights that are also going to be the easiest to adjust, I would recommend keeping the original ones as long as they are not too far gone. I would not recommend tinted ones for the reasons mentioned.

billison · Jul 2, 2013

The ones on the car currently are a crappy set of euro angel eye lights , cheap corners, and possibly stick centers. None of which I care for. I had already ordered the smoked by time you guys chimed in. Having second thoughts now. The car is just a summer/weekend cruiser. I'll post back once I see them in person.

Thanks for the heads up guys!

madspeed · Jul 2, 2013

whatever you get, do run a layer of clear caulking aroung the seam to seal it

7991LXnSHO · Jul 3, 2013

With as complicated as some things seem to get on your car, I would hate to see you make it so on purpose. I bet you have enough to fix without making more problems. An intentionally well done HID set up will require relays much like the fog light improvement.

I went with LRS stock style and am very pleased. I could say that about all my purchases there too. There were NO gaps to fix with caulk so I feel they were put together right at the factory.

billison · Jul 3, 2013

^^ I agree. That's why I got the complete kit. It comes with all mounting hardware , seals , bulbs and so on. The current ones have relays and other crap installed. I'm getting all that silliness out of it for a stock style ( smoked) headlight.

7991LXnSHO · Jul 3, 2013

Good deal. If you need brightness, get Sylvania Silver star or streak bulbs. They really are brighter without melting your switches.

Mustang5L5 · Jul 3, 2013

i have smoked lights. They suck. Can't see crap with them. For craps and grims i tossed an HID kit in them (not projectors) and they glared all over the place.

My solution....don't drive car at night. I'm serious when i say the car hasn't been driven at night since putting the smoked headlights on. I go for a ride...and then make sure i get home before the sun goes down.

Fit and finish was ok. I think mine came from LRS. In fact i'm sure of it. No issues with the lights physically...it's just that they really cut down on light transmission, and HID's do not work with diffuser style headlights.

billison · Jul 3, 2013

I have no plan of going hid.

f8tlfiveo · Jul 3, 2013

7991LXnSHO said:
Good deal. If you need brightness, get Sylvania Silver star or streak bulbs. They really are brighter without melting your switches.

I agree with this , but I never had luck with silverstars on my Mazda 3 daily driver. The bulbs would last 6 months then done.. I had them both die within 24 hours of each other. It was almost like they self destructed after so many hours. I replaced them with an hid setup for 35$ but my car has projector headlights so they work much better than a normal headlight setup. They lasted 2 years before the ballast crapped out in 1 light. But I run my headlights every time I get in the car. So I ordered another set on eBay for 35$..

7991LXnSHO · Jul 4, 2013

You probably know this, but skin oils will do that to bulbs. Did you get fingerprints on the halogen bulbs? Sounds like that or a bad batch. These bulbs make our van's back up lights as bright as headlights.

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