New Headlights !

[oil pan 4]

As they say, different strokes for different folks. I'm not willing to start adding lights and additional wiring to my vehicle. I feel I've solved the problem successfully, without creating one for other drivers.

And there will always be people who will disagree with that, no matter what you say or do... It all kind of reminds me of the lyrics to the Rick Nelson song, "Garden Party"... "You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself".

I didn't create problems for other drivers.
The low beams are the factory low beams.
The ligh bar doesn't add any wiring to the vehicle and magnetic feet allows it to be put away when it's not needed.

 

[billt460]

.....I didn't create problems for other drivers.......

I didn't mean to infer that you did. I'm just saying there are people that will never be in agreement with whatever solution you happen to employ.... Especially if it involves installing LED bulbs.... Of any type, on any vehicle.

 

[martinq]

You are correct.

IMHO, the majority of folks with headlight issues (that aren't cloudy/hazy plastic lenses) would benefit greatly from a set of replacement halogen bulbs.
Not only are they cheaper than LED, they maintain the OEM beam pattern, while being easy to oncoming drivers.

I had this exact situation on our 2010 Nissan Cube.

Headlights were a little cloudy but the light output was terrible. After not finding any good upgrade options (HID, LED, etc) that were less than $200, and reading about old halogen bulbs dimming, I decided just to try new bulbs and clean up the clear plastic. I wanted a slight "upgrade" from stock halogen but not a bulb that burns out in 1-2 years so I ordered Philips 9003 VP (Vision Plus). When I pulled out the old bulbs I saw they were 9003 LL which are actually DIMMER than "stock" halogen. The difference was remarkable and very acceptable. Not blinding bright but we can now drive safely with great night vision. All in it was less than $50.

Just reading through more comments and I should check the voltage drop with the lights on daytime / low / high and see how much loss there is. It might be worth some wiring upgrade / relay.

The Philips halogen range is roughly:
9003 LL (Long Life, ??% dimmer, ??? hrs?)
9003
9003PR (Vision, 30% brighter, 300+ hrs)
9003VP (Vision Plus, 60% brighter, 300+ hrs)
9003XV (Xtreme Vision, 100% brighter, 200+ hrs)
9003NG (Night Guide, 130% brighter, 200+ hrs)

TLDR, terrible headlights were a combination of lens haze and old LL (Long Life) halogen bulbs. New Philips VP (Vision Plus) bulbs and clear lenses makes a HUGE difference. LED, HID, hundreds of dollars not required.

 

[billt460]

......After not finding any good upgrade options (HID, LED, etc) that were less than $200........

LED, HID, hundreds of dollars not required.

It is not necessary to spend "hundreds of dollars" to find good LED headlights. MY LED's were less than $10.00 more than the crappy Halogens they replaced. And they're guaranteed to last thousands of hours. Filament bulbs of any type are quickly becoming obsolete.

 

[martinq]

It is not necessary to spend "hundreds of dollars" to find good LED headlights. MY LED's were less than $10.00 more than the crappy Halogens they replaced. And they're guaranteed to last thousands of hours. Filament bulbs of any type are quickly becoming obsolete.

I haven't found any good LED options that are plug-n-play and cost comparable with OEM type halogens for my applications. I can spend double on cheap LEDs but the life, warranty and performance are all sub par or questionable. To get something close to an OEM performing LED or HID bulb setup I'm looking at 7-15x the cost and those products do seem to have reliable performance and a functional warranty.

These are CDN prices for a pair of 9003 bulbs:
$20 OEM type halogens
$39 Philips Vision Plus halogen (60% brighter)
$45-150 Amazon, endless LED "brands" with essentially no warranty, 30 day returns
$100 house brand auto store LED, 3-year, not great reviews
$130 Sylvania LED, 5-year, decent reviews
$150-300 various LED brands & warranties, some that seem close to OEM quality & performance, usually not sold by box stores, Amazon, etc.

After chewing through all of that over the last 3 years I could not find a reliable, cost effective solution that made sense to me. I ended up buying an "expensive" halogen bulb (Philips VP) that is 2x the price of a basic OEM and I'm happy with the results.

 

[TheMAN]

Please adjust your headlights appropriately. I'm sure with your new dazzle you will be at risk of blinding / distracting oncoming traffic. Thank you.

yup.. those headlights are notoriously bad for glare, even brand new... I remember very well back in the days when those trucks first came out, they had horrible glare on bone stock bulbs

 

[TheMAN]

You can always add more lights.
I wired in a pair of 55w H3 lights I mounted to my Fords brush guard. They're ran off a relay that gets power when the highbeams are energized and power for the lights is pulled off the battery as to not overload existing wires.
If that's not enough I stick my 24 inch LED light bar with magnetic feet on top and plug it into the lighter port. Works best on people who drive around with their highbeams on all the time.

the better way without adding wiring or taxing the electrical system is to simply convert to "ugly" sealed beams... I'm not talking about your run of the mill parts store DOT sealed beams, but good quality "E-code" H4 sealed beams... then run good H4 bulbs with them... will out perform brand new stock headlights and LED retrofits any day

 

[oil pan 4]

It is not necessary to spend "hundreds of dollars" to find good LED headlights. MY LED's were less than $10.00 more than the crappy Halogens they replaced. And they're guaranteed to last thousands of hours. Filament bulbs of any type are quickly becoming obsolete.

Have you tried taking your truck and going out to a back road with a fried in a car, swapping vehicles and then driving past your truck to see how terrible the LEDs are to other drivers?

 

[JavierH19]

The filaments definitely wear out and lose brightness so replace them.

 

[oil pan 4]

the better way without adding wiring or taxing the electrical system is to simply convert to "ugly" sealed beams... I'm not talking about your run of the mill parts store DOT sealed beams, but good quality "E-code" H4 sealed beams... then run good H4 bulbs with them... will out perform brand new stock headlights and LED retrofits any day

New stock headlights with Sylvania xenon bulbs fixed the low beams and highbeams being trash without drawing any extra power. I think it was same as stock 55w for low beams and 65w for highs, so slightly more on high.
The extra 110w of 2x 55w H3 highbeams is just so much better than any other option.
Eventually I'll find some 12v H3 xenons to put in the aux highbeams.
The lightbar just turns night into day with LEDs and another 100w from the lighter plug.

 

[TheMAN]

I looked it up. Sealed beam conversion definitely is possible and has been done on the "brick nose" F-series and Broncos
That will give you infinite high performance lighting options without causing dangerous glare to others (and yourself). Back glare from crappy headlights is very real when bad weather hits and good glare free headlights makes a literal night and day difference in being able to see on a clear night or in pea soup fog

 

[billt460]

Have you tried taking your truck and going out to a back road with a fried in a car, swapping vehicles and then driving past your truck to see how terrible the LEDs are to other drivers?

My project is complete. I've had it out on the open road at night a total 3 times now, and have not had a single vehicle flash me. I even ended up following a cop for the better part of a mile. (I didn't know it until he turned). He was far less concerned than you seem to be.

I'm satisfied with the results. There is nothing "terrible" about any of it. And I'm not interested in turning the entire thing into a Saturn V launch. Done.

 

[Spring Break '92]

I can't believe I am the only one who has said this, or that I have to say it - LED bulbs DO NOT BELONG in halogen reflector bowl headlight housings. If you need to see better, install LED driving lights that are able to be switched off or get a newer vehicle.

 

[Albin]

I would explore other less intrusive options before tearing into your vehicle's wiring.