LED Headlights...

[SidecarFlip]

Owning an older truck 97 F350 Ford Diesel, back then the only option for headlights was Halogen bulbs and, while they work pretty well and I can see pretty well with them, I wanted to upgrade to a better system

I looked pretty hard at HID lights but the amp draw is steep plus they have to warm up and I don't particularly like the emitted light. Oncoming vehicles with HID lights I find irritating to look at and always have to look away

so...

Superbrightleds.com was running a special on LED retrofit bulbs and had my size for the '97 Ford.

Install was pretty easy, I had to remove the batteries to gain enough access to the backside of the headlight to get the units in because they have large heatsinks on the backside. That also entailed removing the LED bulb itself from the base to install the OEM lock ring. I also had to locate the ballasts, which I zip tied next to the headlights themselves

What a big difference in illumination. On low beam I can see farther down the road and much better to the sides too (great on a 2 lane country roads I drive on alot. The emitted light is very white, not yellowish like the Halogen lights were and road signs and paint stripes really pop now.

Wondering if anyone else runs LED headlights and if you do, do you like them. Most all military vehicles now run LED lamps because they last 10 times as long as Halogen and 3 times as long as HID lamps plus they draw very little current.

Amazing technology.

[spoon059]

2012Coleman wrote:
What happens with these LED upgrades when you switch to brights?

My brights are still halogen. I felt they were sufficiently bright enough, and get used rarely enough, that it wasn't worth the cost to upgrade them.

[1995brave]

Mine actually switch between different sets of LEDs. One set for low beams that matches the pattern of regular low beam lights and the high beams are set to the high beam pattern of regular lights.

[Bill_Satellite]

Assuming you mean high beams, the LED's get brighter and wider just the same as a standard light bulb.

[2012Coleman]

What happens with these LED upgrades when you switch to brights?

[spoon059]

I've got the Supernova V.3 led's in my Ram. I watched plenty of video's comparing the quality and light distribution before I made my decision. The design of the Supernova works very well with the Ram headlight housing and provides a very sharp cutoff, so they won't cause excessive glare. They advertise that the led's put out 1660 lumens per headlight at 23 feet, which is 30% brighter than the halogens, while maintaining the appropriate beam pattern and cutoff.

My experience has been that my field of vision is wider and brighter, but not substantially farther out. The white light makes it easier to see objects and react, as opposed to the yellow halogen bulb. I haven't had anyone highbeam me yet. I was following my wife to dinner the other night and she said that my lights looked great and didn't project any glare into her car at all, and she was driving a little Camry.

I think the most important thing to do is research led options in your specific vehicle. Different led modules react different depending upon the housing in which they are placed. Go to a vehicle specific forum and search for led's that other people have tried. Check beam patterns against a wall or garage. Don't get anything with a scattered beam pattern, only get something that mimics the halogen bulb pattern and provides a higher lumen rating.

[SidecarFlip]

Traver8 wrote:
Glad to hear you had a positive experience with the LEDs. I have been thinking about doing this myself for my '99 F350. What I have tried first was just replacing the headlight housings with new ones which did help a lot. My next step will likely be the LED lamps.

I have / had that issue with the headlight lenses. Mine got foggy and I got the polishing kit at Autozone and polished off the 'yellow' which made the halogen bulbs even more yellow. Now I go over the lenses with 'Mothers wheel polish' every month and that keeps the yellow off. I plan on replacing the headlight housings with 'upgraded ones' this next summer. Not expensive. Don't know why the 'yellow' but it's fixable and not expensive. Flea-Bay is loaded with replacement headlight buckets that are upgraded and don't 'yellow'.

[SidecarFlip]

Steve 83406 wrote:
I'm running LEDs in my 2014 Ram 2500. I put in 6500K lamps and really like the way this color cuts through fog and rain. The fog lamps also have a wider spread and illuminate the sides of the road much better. Just be sure to get the resistors for the CANBUS system so you don't get any "light out" errors on the newer trucks.

Steve

The ones I got from Superbright are CANBUS compatible but my old truck don't have the 'light out' technology so no issue.

I've actually replaced almost every bulb in the truck from dome lights to cab top clearance lights with LED bulbs. I left the rear turn signals and tail light bulbs incandescent so my turn signal flasher operates properly. I did the RV as well. All the outside clearance lights and tail lights (my TC covers the truck tail lights) are now LED. Most of our lights at home in the house are LED too.

I've gotten them all from Superbright.

I also did my farm tractors, really makes a huge difference when working after dark in a field. I have one of the 'light bars' on one of my tractors and I can illuminate almost 1/2 mile in front of the tractor.

When I refitted the clearance lights on the truck camper. I sealed the lenses because the life expectancy of the LED bulbs are longer than the camper will last so that eliminates and water intrusion issues through the light covers.

It's amazing technology and I'm amazed that those tiny LED units can produce that much light output. My headlight bulbs have what appear to be only 4 LED's, 2 on each side of the bulb itself.

I'm not at all savvy to how they work or the physical size but I was a 'doubting Thomas' until I turned them on.

It's actually painful to look right into the light close up.

While I always drive with courtesy on the road and try to ignore discourteous drivers who have forgotten where their dimmer switch is, If the poster that made the comment about turning on his light bar wants to, I'd return the favor in kind. No issue with me. I can roast eyeballs now too....lol

[SidecarFlip]

rhagfo wrote:
Just hope I don't come across you coming at me on a dark two lane road. There is a reason your low beams don't light the other lane very much, it blinds the oncoming driver.

I've had no issue with oncoming drivers at all (flashing their lights), but I have them aimed low.


The older I get, this less I like driving at night but it's sometimes not aviodable.

[GordonThree]

rhagfo wrote:
Just hope I don't come across you coming at me on a dark two lane road. There is a reason your low beams don't light the other lane very much, it blinds the oncoming driver.

X2 ... Always bad when I'm on the receiving end of someone who's put after market bulbs in a vehicle not designed for the light source. Plenty of YouTube videos out there to explain what's wrong.

But "C'est la vie" ... Sometimes the upgraders get a taste of my 480 watt off road LED light bar.

[imgoin4it]

Have OEM LED lights on a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. They are absolutely fantastic.

[Steve_83406]

I'm running LEDs in my 2014 Ram 2500. I put in 6500K lamps and really like the way this color cuts through fog and rain. The fog lamps also have a wider spread and illuminate the sides of the road much better. Just be sure to get the resistors for the CANBUS system so you don't get any "light out" errors on the newer trucks.

Steve

[1995brave]

rhagfo wrote:
Just hope I don't come across you coming at me on a dark two lane road. There is a reason your low beams don't light the other lane very much, it blinds the oncoming driver.

This is not true with the new versions of LED headlights. I have 3 vehicles I put LED headlights in. I did my research before hand and got some that are adjustable. A minor loosen and turn of the bulb put then in alignment.
Just found out our city busses have LED headlights (retro fitted) and you can buy new cars with LED headlights.
What irks me are these kids that buy the halogen or Xeon lights that shine Blue or purple.

[Bill_Satellite]

There are my new LED headlights on the RV. The difference in the amount of light is amazing! They are adjustable to keep the light in front of me and the high beams completely cover the road side to side as well as a greater distance. I don't drive at night that often but these are a great improvement.

[Old-Biscuit]

SidecarFlip wrote:


so...

Superbrightleds.com was running a special on LED retrofit bulbs and had my size for the '97 Ford.

Amazing technology.

Super Bright LED Clicky