Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives LED headilght replacement bulbs

Read a bunch of reviews on the Sylvania Silver Star replacement bulbs.

Most guys say they don't last long. Already did that with PIAA.

Any more ideas? I'm thinking about installing a set of driving lights, separate from my headlights.

Thanks! Virgil B.

Same as spray and wipe with WD-40. Looks great until it rains. One would have to do that almost daily. Wasted effort, IMO&E.

Mo betta to R&R the fixture and have nice lights for years.

Not sure on the newer Jeep’s but one of the things noted on the Jeep forums is how under-sized the older Jeep headlight wiring is. Lots of guys are installing bigger wire and relays to remedy the problem. Might be something to look into. Good luck, Dave

That doesn’t tell what bulb your headlights use is. H4 or H11? Check out the recommendations on the Tacoma thread for bulb replacements, higher than stock wattage requires a relay headlight harness (not expensive). This guy has most of the bulbs in these sizes tested, obviously in Tacoma reflectors but should give you an idea of what might work better. Higher wattage bulbs burn out faster, no getting around that in a halogen. But they also light up way farther down the road than any LED replacements in halogen reflectors. Another upside is they won’t be a bright flood light that “lights up the road” up close - preventing you from seeing what’s down the road at a farther distance. Which is what headlights are designed for.

Just talked to the people at batteries plus Bulbs. They have some Halogen bulbs that will work, for $50. pr.

Going to go check them out and compare warranty, and specs on these. Gotta make sure they will work with my wiring.

Virgil B.

SeanD; I just looked at a chart that lists my 2013 Jeep Rubicon, and it says my headlights are H13 ?

I'm not very skilled at computer stuff, so I appreciate the help.

Thanks!

Virgil B.

Nice article. Fully agreed.

Nineo Gen II. Amazon.

Anyone who thinks leds put out less light than halogens are using the wrong bulbs. Period.

There are many tests out there, just look them up. Nineo gen 2 were the third brightest at about 3 times the original light output of a test of 25 top bulb makers. The bottom bulbs are less bright than halogens, the top ones are immensely brighter. The number 2 and 1 bulbs were 100 dollars each and 200 dollars each. Nineo gen 2 are about 18 each.

Please aim them correctly. You will blind people if not careful. You may also need to align them correctly (they have a lock screw on the side of the mount for this) if the flat spot is not at the top of the beam shape when initially installed. Rotate them until the flat spot is at the top then re-aim them. Again - be sure to aim them correctly - they will blind the living snot out of other drivers.

For clouded lenses - replace them if feasible. If not (Mrs. Geno's headlight housings were 600 each - whew), wet sand with 600, 800 and 1200 grit. Then spray with spray max 2k high gloss. This is a 2 part paint that mixes when you activate it. It's only good for 48 hours afterwards. Lasts about 3 years. Be absolutely certain to mask off the entire car. That stuff on your windshield makes terrible glare and can only be removed with a razor. Don't ask how I know this - lol.

I believe the term used was "less USEFUL light". There is no denying that LED's installed in a headlamp assembly designed for halogens results in undesirable beam scatter, causing glare to oncoming traffic. This is because the placement of the LED(s) on the bulb are not in the same place as the halogen filament of the original bulb, and the "shape" of the light produced is different. People say "make sure they are aimed". Yeah, right. You'd have to aim them so low to avoid blinding oncoming traffic that you'd only illuminate 30-40 feet in front of you.

Prove me wrong, nobody else has been able to yet.

I am a self confessed light slut. My wife's ride has factory adaptive LED headlights that self level and aim into corners depending on steering angle. My truck has Bi-Xenon headlights, Rigid DOT legal LED fog lights, and a set each of ARB Intensity and ARB Solis driving lights. I don't blind oncoming traffic, because my low beams and fog lights are properly aimed and have very well controlled beam patterns. The driving lights will most certainly get anyone's attention, but I use them in rural areas with little to no traffic. You get what you pay for in lighting, and trying to fit a square peg into a round hole gets the results one should expect.

I think a lot of them are saying to make sure they are adjusted correct don't realize they are talking about the bulb itself, not the housing. Some of the top end bulb companies will have adjustable bulbs so you can position the bulb differently in the headlight housing.

I do like how you say you have yours set up. Run something that won't blind on coming traffic in your low side and then some top end stuff as high beams and offroad/rural lights.

What kind of truck are you using them in?

The LED’s bulbs that I have seen that have the adjustable collars do not allow for adjusting the depth of the diode in relation to the reflector, only the rotational angle, thus limiting effective placement. Maybe there some that do, I’m not aware of them.

My truck is a 2014 Ram 2500 4X4. Unfortunately I gave up on posting photos when Photobucket went rogue……

Give postimages.org a go, pretty easy hosting site.

I just redid an 08 Sierra. Thinking about some kind of high power lighting for high beams and fogs. Maybe an LED bar tucked back in behind the grill.

https://www.blackoakled.com/

These are worth looking at. Very good quality and high output.

Had the headlight lenses on my Jeep polished out, and halogen bulbs installed.

My Mechanic explained LED's to me, saying they put out light in a different place than Halogens.

So, now I finally understand why one must use the correct reflectors.

Virgil B.

That's a shame, because your truck is bad ass.

I have a black oak led bar on my truck, wired with a switch and high beam only. Great light - it paid for itself on the first moose that I probably would have hi without it. I'll go with a bigger bar next time, but that one fit well and doesn't interfere with the plow.

I will end up with something like your arb intensity eventually. It is 3.5 hours each way to our cabin, and dark the whole time with plenty of ice and snow and wildlife to dodge in winter. More light is better.

Agreed LEDs are typically configured in a blade format shining perpendicular to you direction of motion and thus require a housing configire to turn the light ~90° +/- as opposed to 180° +/-..
Additionally many aftermarket LEDs have an ungainly heat dissipation system that requires spa e behind the lights...


I find it Odd that a Jeep has bad lighting... they used to be known for their excellent lighting.... But that is when ther were intended for off road time..

My last Jeep was a 1973. It had pretty good headlights, but they were standard seal beam lights.

Polishing out the lenses and installing halogen bulbs made a HUGE difference.

When the lenses get "foggy" again, I'll replace them with new factory lenses.

Still going to add a pr. of driving lights soon also.

Virgil B.

Apparently the oem lenses in my '08 Dodge 2500 weren't made for halogens either. They didn't put out enough light to see anything. I tried bigger ones and that didn't help. I finally got LED's and that worked. I can see twice as far and the lows have a definite cuttoff at the top so they don't blind other drivers.

You’re not wrong about that. Stock Ram headlights were miserable in both the 2nd and 3rd Gen trucks, even new. The 4th Gen projector lights were better, but not by much unless you went HID in the projectors. The 5th Gens finally have some pretty good LED’s, but it damn sure took long enough to get them.