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Help with LED Headlights

15K views 24 replies 11 participants last post by  21SF 
#1 ·
I've read every thread I could find on HID and projector lights. I still don't quite understand how to install LED headlights. Can I just replace the 9007 stock bulbs with 9007 Led's and be done? Or do I need some sort of housing to put the bulbs in? Any clarification would be great. Thanks
 
#2 ·
LEDs and HIDs are 2 completely different things. Do not use LED bulbs for your low beams. The light output is weak and does not produce the legally required amount of light to be used as a low beam bulb. If you're wanting to increase your light output from your OEM headlights, then HIDs are the way to go. There's somewhat of an argument that to install HIDs, you need to install them in a projector retrofit since our headlight beam was only designed to be used with halogen bulbs. Here's a writeup of how to install HIDs without putting them into a projector retrofit: http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?t=26639&highlight=hid+install
 
#5 ·
I actually found the info on CF after posting here. I'm really leaning towards ordering these. I drive a lot of out of town roads, and drive from KC to Colorado at least twice at year, usually at night. Plus my security company uses Xterras and the light improvement would be great at the lights are pretty much for 8-10 hours a night every night. Has anyone used them here?


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#10 ·
Could always rig up some LED strips or your fog lights to be DRL's. I don't think anything says it HAS to be your headlights that are DRL's... Then just remove the DRL fuse, or, re-run it to whatever you want your DRL's to be.

My "Daytime running lights":

 
#12 ·
from the FJ forums, DRL seem to work fine, people dont really notice the difference in brightness from DRL to low beam. I think that has more to do with the high beam not being much brighter than the low beam, but probably because LED care more about current than voltage. i bet that little box that is inline with the bulbs is lowering the voltage because led's dont operate on 12v
 
#19 ·
21SF:
Retrofit only way to go.
Lets see, No sick color flicker. No sick cut off line....HID ONLY way to go.
I said SICK cutoff line, those are crap. Look at all that work, how much are they?

I am assuming you are an HID fan. Yes they are nice if done properly, also not cheap.
The newest CREE LED Headlights seem to be pretty decent, and are way better than the old smd lights most are familiar with. I wonder considering how much you are bashing them if you have done a side by side comparison? Got pics of said comparison?

I would like to see the results from the OP if he/she goes through with this.
 
#21 ·
I dont need a comparison for what I stated, LED cant have a color flicker with out a projector, even then I doubt they give off the same prismatic effect.

The cutoff line on a projector with a clear lens also cant be matched well with an LED.

I love LED I put them in almost every socket I can find. For HEADLIGHTS HID cannot be beat.

Until LED's become mainstream OEM, I will continue to believe that car manufactures have more money for research than I.

Expensive? How much are those LED's ? I just did my retro for 222.00 out the door.

You are entitled to disagree.
 
#20 · (Edited)
My LED lights are on their way back to Lifetime. They might put out more lumens but they didn't work very well. There is one LED on each side of the light, they beam a certain direction and bounce off the reflector for low or high beam. I had both the headlights and fog lights. Neither set was worth keeping IMO. LED lights can be awesome when the housings are developed specifically for them. Like a flashlight or the Totron lights I got from T.N.X. Those are very bright, but were designed that way from the get go. Retrofitting LED in halogen housings was a waste of money for me.

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#24 ·
The LED lights can be had for less than $100, the rest is mark up from whomever you are buying from. Same as other LED's, they are assembled in China. And before ya say it I already will agree there can be quality control issues with China, but Totron and for that matter a ton of the HID stuff is assembled if not entirely made over there.

LED is not as mainstream as HID, but is evolving. When people started putting HID in the X they just slapped them into the stock housing, now we as a community know it looks like azz and use projectors. HID is merely more proven,more developed tech, but it is not what the OP was inquiring about.

You guys mentioned flashlights. Streamlight is a great example, old technology with a high price. My $20 China made LED flashlight with a current CREE LED kicks the snot out of a Streamlight, and when it dies I can buy 6 more and still have spent less than a Streamlight, and I will add my first is over a year old and works perfectly. And it is not gently used.
 
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