Hi guys just wondering if led headlights are better to use then those h.i.ds ,? I got hids now but sometimes one doesn't work. I'd like to have optimal lighting , what's best to go with ? Thanks

 

For the simple swap in LED's, no, they won't work better than your HID's.

But if you are thinking of these LED's then I believe they are awfully close.
And maybe these too.

 

My swap in style LEDs sucked so bad. They were more like high power flashlights than headlights. They didn't reach as far and they also didn't 'high beam' either, despite having the circuitry to do so. The lens geometry isn't right for them.

If you're okay with people giving you the finger and verbally assaulting you, stick a set of HIDs in your reflector lenses. At some point I'll be dropping in a set of 3000k hids into my OEM fog lights. If, however, you'd like to spend the extra cash, projectors will allow you to get the most out of them. I bought a set for about 20 bucks I believe, brand was 'sunwolf'. Cheap Chinese trash that didn't last 3 months.

Also, the key to HIDs working properly in either case is not to buy cheap chinese crap. I was recommended to use this brand, below. Very popular amongst other members, but I have not had a chance to try them for myself.

 

Projectors with pretty much anything in them is about the best you will get. However i was interested to see a youtuber test some swap in LED's against their swap in HID's (i don't recall if they were projectors)

The result was about the same, with a little nod to the LED's - the beam was good with a nice pattern/cut off.

So i tried them, so far, so good, nice and bright, not dazzling.

They were the F16's from Auxbeam.com

 

LEDs in a halogen housing = NO.
Beam pattern sux, glare to oncoming traffic is terrible. Just not much good about them except in the ghetto or on Bubbas '67 GMC junker.
Do it right, those Morimotos you were given a link to are top shelf. Anyone with any sense would thank you.

 

Not everything is created equal.

People used to shove regular LED's in reflector housings, they would always be *** - these days they're making actual headlight bulb shaped/designed LED's - difference being where on the unit the LED's are mounted.

Now there are still bad ones on the market, but generally, they're getting a lot better. All i can say is that mine do not have glare or poor beam patterns.

 

What kind do you have David? These are LEDS in the halogen housing? These must be a very recent offering?

 

I had(have) the same view you do, o went through the whole light upgrade thing in the mid 2000s, stood against upgrading reflector housings without projectors.

I was surprised to find out they were making these, though I should have guessed with the way LED development was going.

Anyway, there are several companies making LED headlight bulbs now, I got these cheap ones from auxbeam.com after seeing someone test them, worth a shot at 40 bucks. They're the F16 model 9007 bulbs and work very well in the Ranger.

 

Thanks, I'll look them up. Another member on another forum swears by some by the name of broview, no, I didn't make them up.

 

Broview? Haha :)

Yeah, I got these based on one instance of seeing them, I started looking them up after the fact, seems there are a lot of brands, anything from 20 through 400 dollars!

 

MaDMaXX - if you're referring to the LED bulbs that can be installed in reflector housings, they still look terrible. I've got a set in our Forrester and they'll be coming out soon. Without a reflector actually designed to work with them, the light output is scattered all over the place. Yes, they're brighter than the stock halogen bulbs - in all the wrong places. The only way LED works is with a complete headlight and LED bulb system designed together. It's just like HID - to do it right, you get a projector and retrofit it into the stock headlamp rather than simply inserting an HID source and letting it shine all over the existing unit.

 

I am referring to straight replacements.

I am going to disagree with you, to a point.....

The *main* reason that these, as well as retro HID's look bad in reflector housings, is because they're designed with the light source being in a very specific place - that's where most of the HID's failed, the element wasn't even in the right orientation, never mind the right place, so the light was scattered to a galaxy far far away.

There of course is a caveat, i said that that was the main reason, and it is, but there is a case of whether the reflectors are accurate enough when given enough light, some aren't, others are ok, again, depends how how *much* extra brightness the bulb has.

I have seen the very LED replacement i have in the truck (running without the above issues) tested against a myriad of other LED replacements and compared to stock - the result was clean cut off, but not a focused beam in the center portion. The bulb tested was of a different fitment to the Ranger.

What i *can* say for certain, is that my pattern and cut off do not look like the one tested, in fact it specifically looks good in the area they marked it down for in their test.

It's a different socket type - that means filaments in different places Vs the mounting ring as well as reflector type/quality.

I can't say for general on the suitability/overall quality of these, i bought this one having seen them run in a Ford housing (worked well) as well as it being quite cheap ($40) and having a return policy i could work with.

The result was pleasant, no issues, i will continue to run them, without fear of dazzling other road users and still having a good beam on the road ahead.

 

From your last post, it really sounds like we're on almost the same page. You're just saying that with the particular replacement you got in your Ranger housings, it actually focuses fairly well (essentially a matter of luck as much as anything)?

 

I would say so; i do know that these Chinese brands never quite stick to the blue prints and keep evolving through accuracy and/or cost improvements - my bulbs were nearly a year newer than the test i saw dated.

How much luck is involved, i don't know, it could just be they really got the 9007 type nailed, i'll say at least that type in the Ranger, seems to work well.

 

Is there a certain orientation to install these F16s?

 

They're manufactured correctly in that regard, there is no way to mis-orient them during installation.

I will say their documentation regarding the 9007 model is poor, you do need to unscrew a band to fit the Ford collars over correctly, you'll need a pretty small Philips screw driver for that part (they're tight too) I mention this as the instructions suggest the collar itself unscrews or pulls off.

 

On their website, the photos aren't very clear as to how many LEDs on each "bulb", and how they are oriented. The photo with 2 LEDs I see, but are there any opposite those 2?
Also, what is the orientation when installed. Two leds facing the centre of the truck? Two towards the centre and another aiming outward? Or are there 2 facing up, and any facing down?
I'm assuming there are more than just 2 on one side.
Sorry about being so specific, but the orientation could have a lot to do with how they perform regarding oncoming traffic.

 

Yeah, the pictures are generic, well, they're of one of the fitment models, H4, H7 etc.

The length, orientation and 'size' of the LED's match that of the stock 9007 filament bulb, it was most certainly the first thing i checked when i received them.

 

Unless you are retrofitting led projectors from a new vehicle you are not going to be satisfied with led bulbs. The problem with the cheap led bulbs you can get online today do not produce the light in the exact same spot as your original inconsistent bulb did. So what happens is you produce 300% more light but is is not focused properly because it reflects out of the headlamp housing at different angles. If you pay attention you will notice that hid and led lights produce funny light patterns with awkward hot spots. This is why so many oncoming travelers flash high beams at you they get hit by one of those hot spots and think your high beams are on. If you want to get real lighting improvements that put the light where you want it either get a better brighter bulb or retrofit a quality hid/led projector in to your factory housings.

 

Are people just posting in here without reading?

Just came back from first full dark test, everything looking pretty good, though i'm fairly convinced my left/right aim isn't setup yet.