LED Low Beam Bulb suggestions

[floridafitz]

Curious as to which plug and play LED low beam bulbs are people most satisfied with that don't behave light high beams with oncoming traffic. Mostly want a nice white look and a little extra viewing range with lows would be a bonus. Just replace the backup / reverse bulbs with JDM ASTAR 1200 lumen and it really helps.

 

[07TrailyLS]

Stay far away from them and invest in a projector retrofit or a quality halogen 9006 bulb from Phillips etc. after countless hours of research 98 percent of all LED bulbs are blinding and give out nearly no usable light but foreground. Foreground makes things appear bright but after 30 foot you can’t see anything.

 

[Capote]

These will not disappoint you, very high quality and they have an internal driver as well:

9006:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EYQ8660/?tag=gmtnation-20

9005:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EYQ86A6/?tag=gmtnation-20

I recommended these to @Matt. He tried these as well and he's also another satisfied buyer. I'm running Lasfit LED's for high's and low's with a quad beam mod.

 

[Reprise]

Appreciate you passing this info on, @Capote. These can be run in stock housings?

 

[Capote]

Appreciate you passing this info on, @Capote. These can be run in stock housings?

Yup, only thing you'll have to do (if you want an even light pattern) is to unscrew the locking tab in the back of the headlight assembly and rotate each one until it locks the base of the LED's in a position where they properly reflect the light. A proper position would be the LED's on both sides facing directly outwards, not vertical. You can see what I'm talking about if you look at my High Beam. Just takes some fiddling around with that locking ring/tab to get the LED bulb rotated correctly.

Best part is you can put the dust cover back on and keep moisture and dirt out, just as you could when you had halogen bulbs.

 

[Reprise]

LOL... I think this has to be one of the first times where the *picture* didn't clue me in, but the description *did*!

I'll see if I can get the locking tabs altered on mine (I have a Voy, so the housing is a little different than yours).

Thanks again!

 

[Chickenhawk]

Interesting topic, and the technology is changing. LEDs have traditionally not had the same throw distance of halogen bulbs. (I work with them every day on film sets and they have only replaced halogen lights for very short distance lights.) The other problem is that almost no one has done a proper head-to-head test that is not in some way connected to a dealer or manufacturer. The third problem is that a camera cannot duplicate what the human eye actually sees. Even if you lock the exposure and white balance, there will still be a bias towards the light that the camera is balanced for. This is why photos of LED lights are always impressive and the halogens are far more yellow appearing than in real life.

Even Consumer Reports and government tests on vehicles factory equipped with halogen versus LED show there is no clear winner. Good halogen headlights have still beaten marginal LED headlights.

There is no question that LED and Xenon headlights are better than halogen in housings that are designed for them. As far as aftermarket bulbs, the jury is still out.

The issue is not the amount of light they project or the color of the light; it is whether they can light up hazards on or near the roadway so that the human eye can detect them and react in time without blinding oncoming drivers. THIS is the major problem with aftermarket HIDs and LEDs. As long as people understand the issues, then I am all for head-to-head headlight tests using roadside hazards at an appropriate distance. I couldn't care less about output at 20 feet or even 100 feet; I want to know how much it lights up a real hazard.

Without wanting to derail this thread with a debate, let me just say why I am NOT going to LEDs:
1) They are illegal in every state and province if installed in housings not designed for them.

One can argue all they want, but the fact is that they are not legal anywhere in North America unless the vehicle came with them from the factory.

Is anyone going to care? Probably not (unless you are pulled over for a random safety inspection - in which case your truck will fail) but police have far more important things to worry about than your headlights.

2) Oncoming drivers will HATE you.

LEDs and HIDs are great ... in housings designed for them. Aftermarket HIDs and LEDs will blind oncoming drivers and the ones who don't flash you are still being subjected to dazzle to the point that they ALMOST think your high beams are on. Just because you only get a couple of people flashing you a night does NOT mean you are not dazzling drivers; it probably means you are dazzling everyone. But not everyone wants two blinded drivers approaching each other.

3) Whiter does not translate into brighter, as far as seeing hazards in front of you.

In fact, if you live in an area of the country subject to frequent snow or fog, you WANT lights that are much lower on the Kelvin scale.

4) LEDs need heatsinks to prevent burnout but they do not project any heat forward. This means they will not clear snow or ice from the lens.

If you drive in wet snow or in freezing rain, your headlights will gradually dim to almost nothing and you will need to pull over on a regular basis to clear your headlights. (NOT something I want to do in a blizzard!)

Lest you think this is a small point, live in the snow belt and see what happens.


I am, of course, interested in people's experiences with LEDs, good or bad. There is so much fluff, myths and marketing floating around that it is hard to see real world results.

Personally, I am happy with my good-quality halogens. I also keep my lenses clear, and it is always curious to me why anyone would put an upgraded bulb into a faded and cloudy housing when all they had to do was to renew the lens regularly and the difference would be phenomenal for just the price of a renew kit every year.

 

[Capote]

LOL... I think this has to be one of the first times where the *picture* didn't clue me in, but the description *did*!

Sorry about that bud, it was the only pic I had on hand at the moment.

 

[Matt]

I really like the Lasfits that @Capote turned me on to. They were designed for halogen housings and when clocked properly to vertical, not horizontal like the pic below, they give a nice cutoff and I've yet to be flashed by anyone. I'm lifted but have adjusted my headlights per instructions in the workshop book.

 

[Reprise]

There is no question that LED and Xenon headlights are better than halogen in housings that are designed for them. As far as aftermarket bulbs, the jury is still out.

As I read through this post, I was wondering why the OEM switch to LEDs was so prevalent (my Accord has them, and the only car I've owned that had better lighting, IMO, was my S2K (HIDs)). Then I came across this. Great info, and well-reasoned (the entire post, not just this part). Appreciate the insights.

Sorry about that bud, it was the only pic I had on hand at the moment.

No worries! Like I said - I understood the description straightaway, having just opened up my own housings recently to install new bulbs. Took a second look at the pic w/ my tired eyes and saw things a little better

 

[Mooseman]

As I read through this post, I was wondering why the OEM switch to LEDs was so prevalent (my Accord has them, and the only car I've owned that had better lighting, IMO, was my S2K (HIDs)). Then I came across this. Great info, and well-reasoned (the entire post, not just this part). Appreciate the insights.

They do have better lighting and are also less of a drain on the power system so some savings in alternator drag on the engine. Might also be longer lasting.

However, I find that those aren't any netter than the illegal conversions as I am regularly blinded by them even though they are stock and in low beam mode. Maybe the OEM's just don't know how to aim them properly. Even those that are properly aimed, they hit a bump and it's the same as flashing the highs. I hate them.

 

[Redbeard]

Thanks for being concerned about oncoming drivers! It seems to be getting worse and worse that folks are using a blinding brightness and not aimed well. Most of the folks that I flash I look into the rear view mirror after they pass and the illumination they shine on the road is poor compared to the blindness they shined on me. I hate it when I am blinded for no good reason.

 

[dna59]

The new Diode Dynamics SL line claims street legal output as a result of a design mimicking halogen bulb light output.
https://www.diodedynamics.com/feature/sl1-led-headlight.html

 

[hockeyman]

I bought these from amazon and had them installed since Feb of this past year:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KMHIRLO/?tag=gmtnation-20

They are for my '11 Acadia and are an awesome upgrade to the OEM lights. I have the round projector-type bulb housings, and the beam has a sharp cutoff line at the top. Even so, after installing, I had my wife take drive the Acadia while I drover her accord (at night) just to see if it was blinding or not as we were driving towards each-other. They were blinding at first, but I re-adjusted the beams a bit lower and it's much better for oncoming drivers now.

I too hate it when the LED's/HID's are blinding at night. Or even worse, when people forget to turn their *"BRIGHTS"* off!

 

[Bow_Tied]

Great thread discussion!

Is there a consistent winner(s) for bulbs that are legal? I've tried Silver Stars 9006s and they were good but not as many times better than the price was over the regular Sylvanias.

 

[Mooseman]

And cue @Chickenhawk !

 

[Chickenhawk]

LOL! There is a lot of marketing speak with headlights, and very little science to back up many of the outrageous claims. But there is no such thing as a free lunch; EVERYTHING is a compromise of sorts. When it comes to halogen, brighter lights burn hotter, at the cost of a reduced service life. Whiter bulbs also appear brighter but do NOT shine farther. (The color coating necessary for halogens to appear whiter also reduces the total light output.)

I believe the future is in LEDs. But I also believe in good bulbs, in well-aimed housings that are designed for them. I am serious about my lighting, and I am often on the highway in winter driving conditions.

This is why I run the GE Nighthawk in low beams. They burn hotter and are noticeably brighter than stock, with a slightly shorter service life. (I get three years on a pair and usually end up replacing them within a week of each other.) The Sylvania Xtravsion is similar to the Nighthawk bulb. Silverstars are a bit whiter than the Sylvania Xtravision but they burn out more rapidly. (10 to 12 months is about all you will get from Silverstars.)

I run the PIAA Xtreme White Plus in my high beams. In my area, I don't get to run highs very much, so the reduced service life is almost meaningless. They are not crazy white to the point of blue; they are only 4000 K, and in head-to-head high beam tests, the PIAAs were brighter than stock and this resulted in a slightly greater throw distance, but certainly not as much as it first appears. My high beam tests showed whiter certainly LOOKS brighter but it just does not reveal obstacles from much farther away.

I also found that the white color was more fatiguing at night, and I really hate the "cold" look of the color.

I also run PIAA LP530 LED fog lamps on a light bar to supplement my factory fogs. They use one rear-facing LED bulb and are crazy bright. (And crazy expensive.) They are all about the reflector design, and I keep them with the cutoffs well below that of the headlights. (I hate people who try to use fog lights as driving lights or as bling lights, running them in clear conditions.) I don't run them in clear conditions because one can sometimes have TOO much light on the road. When aimed properly, they light up the road directly in front of the truck so bright that it actually reduces your night vision, making the deer that suddenly appears in front of you even harder to spot. I also love the PIAAs because they are only 8 watts each, so I simply splice them in to the factory fogs.

There are lot of great choices in vehicle lighting these days. Everything is a compromise, and everyone will be different on what they choose to compromise. Putting $120 poorly-aimed bulbs behind cloudy lenses will not be as good as $20 bulbs behind clear lenses in well-aimed housings.

 

[Capote]

All things aside our housing just suck for properly reflecting light outwards when compared to most other vehicles, hands down no matter what you're running: HID's, Halogens, or LED's.

 

[Bow_Tied]

Great feedback chickenhawk!! I might try the GE nighthawks next time.

Are you running a TB or a 'voy? The shape of the housing looks different to me - are the housing designed different enough between these two trucks that different bulbs might perform differently (eg halogen brand X vs Y)?

 

[Mooseman]

His profile says he has a TB.

 

[kkeo211]

I'm glad I found this thread. I have an old GMC Envoy that I use for hunting and fishing trips (not often). The lights are mostly fine but when I drive on windy country roads, it's sometimes hard to see far enough to drive safely. I've been looking to upgrade the lights but didn't want to spend a small fortune on a car I only put a few hundred miles on a year.

I've stayed away from the normal HID and LED lights because I didn't want to blind people so I may try those GE Nighthawks and see if they produce enough light to make driving a little safer.

I'll update when I do.

 

[Chickenhawk]

You will gain far more by clear housings and $20 Nighthawk bulbs than you would with HIDs or LEDs in cloudy housings. When I am doing 110 KPH at night and a deer suddenly appears in front of me, EVERYTHING about headlights becomes secondary to how well they can help me spot hazards at a distance far enough to safely stop if I need to. That's what it is all about.

This is why my contention has always been that: whiter is not always brighter; brighter is not always better (especially at longer distances); and running fogs on clear nights actually reduces your night vision.

I also learned many years ago in my sports sedan days that the European headlight pattern with sharp cutoffs do not do well in North America. On long distances on flat prairie highways, objects suddenly appear out of total blackness. Plus, driving on hills is WAY worse because half the road in front of you suddenly disappears.

The current trend toward LED and HID factory lights with sharp cutoffs is not always for better light; sometimes it is to follow the herd. And when they are aimed by idiots or owned by incompetents, they can be VERY irritating to oncoming traffic.

And if you don't think people are that ignorant about aiming lights, check out how many idiots try to use their factory fog lights as "driving" lights by aiming them up to the sky or drive with them on in daylight or on clear nights. (Because the term "idiot light" is widely used for instrument panel warning lights, I just call them "dumbass" lights.)

But when driving at slower speeds down trails or backroads when hunting, well-aimed fog lights really help light up the ditches.

This is why GM wired the factory fogs on our platforms to turn OFF when high beams are selected; they are for two different purposes.

 

[kkeo211]

You will gain far more by clear housings and $20 Nighthawk bulbs than you would with HIDs or LEDs in cloudy housings. When I am doing 110 KPH at night and a deer suddenly appears in front of me, EVERYTHING about headlights becomes secondary to how well they can help me spot hazards at a distance far enough to safely stop if I need to. That's what it is all about.

When you say clear housing, do you mean to make sure the headlight housing is clear/clean versus a foggy headlight? Or do you recommend replacing them with an aftermarket housing? I don't mind spending money to do something right the first time.

 

[Chickenhawk]

When I broke an adjuster, I replaced one housing with an aftermarket one, and the difference was spectacular. I tried a headlight lens cleaning kit on the other, and it didn't seem to make much difference.

But other members have had good results with lots of other solutions. My view tends to be more technical than trendy though, and I have yet to see actually documented evidence that whiter light actually lights up hazards at a greater distance, or that HIDs and LEDs with their sharper cutoffs do more than just look cool. (But, Lord knows, we ALL do stuff just to look cool, so there is nothing wrong with that.)

I just find the whiter white light at night to be very cold-looking and fatiguing.

 

[SBUBandit]

Yup, only thing you'll have to do (if you want an even light pattern) is to unscrew the locking tab in the back of the headlight assembly and rotate each one until it locks the base of the LED's in a position where they properly reflect the light.

They really should have just made those bulbs clockable. The Philips LEDs I run in my Malibu's high beams, actually purchased here through DFWWIZ about 5 years ago and still running great, have a set screw at the base of the bulb, and you just turn the light portion of the bulb in relation to the base and then tighten the screw.

 

[Capote]

They really should have just made those bulbs clockable. The Philips LEDs I run in my Malibu's high beams, actually purchased here through DFWWIZ about 5 years ago and still running great, have a set screw at the base of the bulb, and you just turn the light portion of the bulb in relation to the base and then tighten the screw.

Totally agree, guess it didn't come across their mind when they designed these.