The_Vermonster
Well-known member
That is highly illegal for headlights. A Halogen enclosure may only have a halogen bulb per DOT specs and NHTSA. If you put LED or HID retrofit bulbs, you'll be endangering everyone else on the road.
The LED headlight thread
- Thread starter Vasily
- Start date
That is highly illegal for headlights. A Halogen enclosure may only have a halogen bulb per DOT specs and NHTSA. If you put LED or HID retrofit bulbs, you'll be endangering everyone else on the road.
Yah, yah...
You can get LED bulbs these days that are properly designed to produce good quality beam patterns. You just need to make sure you are buying good ones. Even Philips sells them now at retail stores and you can guarantee they are 100% safe. Don't be so dramatic. I have not seen you come on here bitching about people buying god knows what brand LED headlights, most of which are not DOT compliant. Go look at the series of tests I linked to. Some of them are horrid.
For some reason, there is a plague of people with the aftermarket LED inserts here in Oregon. Everyone from the coal rolling pick-up trucks to Jeeps to lowered Hondas have them. They are blasting orange, green, purple, and LED blue all over the place on the rainy streets, and most of them run with the light bars and other auxiliary lights turned on as well. ...I live in a rural/semi-rural area...
I say we need more drama on this issue.
I say we need more drama on this issue.
NPT90
Well-known member
Absolutely have, always bought top of the line bulbs for my vehicles. I just spent quite a bit of time researching these options. There is just minimal improvement in technology for reflectors and halogens in the past several years. LED bulbs are a decent upgrade of course and cost about the same as standard halogen.
Likewise beam cutoff is very difficult with the available reflector housings and a standard H4/H3 bulb. You basically have a low (dim setting) and a high (slightly less dim setting).
If you were to upgrade to a sealed beam/LED bulb the cost is going to run right around $130 anyway. Presuming longevity of the LED bulbs is considerable lower than full assemblies its safe to presume you will need to replace them similarly to Halogen bulbs (maybe longer but they are all certainly made in china).
Just my 2 pence, I love the light output of my trucklites and I don't feel that the investment was wasted. Saved me from needing AUX lighting on my vehicle in the short term.
NPT90
Well-known member
The bulbs are better, the housings are shit. Pricing on high end screw in bulbs is approaching the cost of full sealed LED headlights!
NPT90
Well-known member
Some of the new LED bulbs do have better cutoff capabilities.
LED sealed units can be just as bad.
Moral of the story really is, high end LED bulbs with cutoffs ($250)
Sealed LED headlights $500
Decide on your budget and go from there.
There are lots of high quality housings available. Bulbs can be as expensive but there are also great choices that are cheaper. As I said, it is a great option for people that want a stock look.
Yes, the cheap Chinese mystery bulbs on Amazon give you crap light. Just like the cheap Chinese LED headlights that you can get....
Buy wisely and make sure you have seen real light output numbers and beam patterns from a trustworthy source.
The_Vermonster
Well-known member
Are these the bulbs you're talking about?
Philips X-tremeUltinon LED H4 bi-LED Bulbs Set of 2x Bulbs 6500K +200% 12901HPX2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0759RTSWT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_nOqVBbPSHZCTN
Notice anything about them? If Phillips can't make a LED halogen replacement than I highly doubt anyone else can.
It doesn't pass the bullshit test. If a $180 set of bulbs was legal, why would companies be trying so hard to make $500+ complete units? We're not talking specialty units either. Companies are making multiple models of expensive headlights to replace something that has been around since the 60s.
I don't advocate anyone use illegal headlights on their vehicles, ever. I was simply addressing your statement about putting illegal LED bulbs into a halogen fixture.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
NPT90
Well-known member
Most expensive bulbs I could find at $220
Here is a comparison between trucklite and regular halogen:
Here is a comparison between trucklite and regular halogen:
Here is a show of the GTR bulbs in a stock Jeep housing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSqCFWztC-k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSqCFWztC-k
NPT90
Well-known member
$139 for a not DOT approved bulb with a 2 year warranty isn't really a deal. Again, replacing the canisters is going to run your right around $50 anyway.
I basically pointed out why this isn't a budget upgrade. If you're stuck on a 'stock' look then these LED bulbs are going to make your truck look the same as mine at night and will suffer from the same icing problems as all LED replacement beams.
I basically pointed out why this isn't a budget upgrade. If you're stuck on a 'stock' look then these LED bulbs are going to make your truck look the same as mine at night and will suffer from the same icing problems as all LED replacement beams.
NPT90
Well-known member
Right, $240, I don't see how this is even productive.
Here's the spec sheet on those bulbs
Even their own testing shows the stock halogen puts out more light...
Watch the video. That is not what they measure. They measured 1043 lux low beam.
Your chart is the wrong bulbs. These are them.
https://cdn6.bigcommerce.com/s-bsru...a-series-led-headlight-chart.jpg?t=1508445862
I'm just showing options for those that like the stockish look. You just want to argue. I'm not saying anything against LED headlights, just providing decent alternatives.
NPT90
Well-known member
That is the same bulb, one is the high beam and one is the low beam (at least from what I can tell from their site)
I wouldn't think that any of my posts constitute argument. So far I have only stated that none of these are DOT approved, they are pseudo cost prohibitive as a solution, and likely will not produce comparable light to the aforementioned sealed units previously discussed.
LED offroad bulbs in reflector housings are really apples and oranges compared to the LED replacement units.
NPT90
Well-known member
They really aren't all that noticeable in my opinion, was another reason I went trucklite over nolden or speaker.
Pretty decent comparison:
FYI, JW Speaker do heated lens as well.
http://www.jwspeaker.com/products/led-headlights-model-8700-evo-2-db/
~$400 EACH!!
The_Vermonster
Well-known member
The point is that they're not options or alternatives. Unless you can show a legal LED retrofit. There is nothing in the US or EU market that is legal for headlights. If you want to put them into off road lights, then I don't think you'll hear a peep out of anyone.
A pair of genuine, un-heated, Truck-lites off Amazon is $314. Stop advocating illegal modifications for the sake of saving a few dollars.