Dull Headlights- 100 series

[SDCORT]

Im sure this has been answered at some point but the most recent conversation I saw was back in 2016.

My headlights are dull, both high and low beam. Has anyone tried / had success with something like this :

Amazon product ASIN B07K43XKDF
If no, what are the recommendations to upgrade my lights without making it a major project ?

Thanks.

RT

 

[di1uted]

Do not use drop in LED lights without upgrading to projectors, you will blind everyone.

 

[atnolan94]

Only highly effective option is a HID projector retrofit.

I bought depo lights which a definitely way better than stock but I will still retrofit one of these days.

 

[gregnash]

Do not use drop in LED lights without upgrading to projectors, you will blind everyone.

Can't say this enough... Too many damn people on the road now days that have put in LED bulbs because they're nice and bright and don't realize that they reflector housings aren't made for them.

If you are looking for a cheapish fix, go with higher output HALOGEN bulbs. Otherwise invest in some good quality HALOGEN bulbs like Osram Nightbreakers, Hellas, Philips NightHawk, etc. There is a large thread on the HID/Bi-Xenon housing retro-fit if you wish to go that route but you are looking at a minimum of $300 to do yourself. There are aftermarket housing out there that already have the HID/Bi-Xenon globe installed but their quality is questionable.

 

[C6H12O6]

I upgraded to Phillips HIR 9011/9012 bulbs in the stock projectors. You have to file the tabs a little on the new bulb bases, but it’s a 1/2 job. Great bang for the buck. Not HID bright, but a lot easier and cheaper upgrade. Lots of info on ‘MUD on the upgrade.

 

[SDCORT]

Can't say this enough... Too many damn people on the road now days that have put in LED bulbs because they're nice and bright and don't realize that they reflector housings aren't made for them.

If you are looking for a cheapish fix, go with higher output HALOGEN bulbs. Otherwise invest in some good quality HALOGEN bulbs like Osram Nightbreakers, Hellas, Philips NightHawk, etc. There is a large thread on the HID/Bi-Xenon housing retro-fit if you wish to go that route but you are looking at a minimum of $300 to do yourself. There are aftermarket housing out there that already have the HID/Bi-Xenon globe installed but their quality is questionable.

Thanks. When you say their housings arent made for them, is the result blinding other drivers or they just dont fit / work at all ?

 

[saucebox]

Thanks. When you say their housings arent made for them, is the result blinding other drivers or they just dont fit / work at all ?

The housings shape the light to go where it's supposed to go (if they're fitted with the correct bulb). When you change the bulb type, you're kind of working outside the design parameters. The end result is of course that it blinds everyone else.

 

[SDCORT]

The housings shape the light to go where it's supposed to go (if they're fitted with the correct bulb). When you change the bulb type, you're kind of working outside the design parameters. The end result is of course that it blinds everyone else.

Thanks again. So the manufacturer saying " Maintain safety of the driving is the top priority, SEALIGHT 9005 and 9006 LED headlight bulb do not blind oncoming traffic, no glaring thanks to an optimized light distribution " , means nothing .

 

[knewstance]

Check out Diode Dynamics. They design their LEDs to mimic the hot points of a stock halogen bulb and do a pretty good job maintaining the proper cutoff provided by the stock headlights.

Check this video out to know what you need to look for in an LED if you are think about making that switch, because like everyone else said... Don't by THAT guy with LEDs blinding everyone on the road.

 

[gregnash]

Thanks. When you say their housings arent made for them, is the result blinding other drivers or they just dont fit / work at all ?

The result is they blind other drivers. Reason behind it is that they light pattern is different and thus throws light all over the place, instead of focusing it in the necessary areas like it does for a halogen bulbs. Plenty of videos on this from TheRetroFitSource and Headlight Revolution on YouTube. However, you can buy premium setups like MoriMotos that are specifically built to go with the reflector style housings, they are much better at focusing the light but not as good as true LED/HID/Bi-Xenon housings.

 

[saucebox]

Thanks again. So the manufacturer saying " Maintain safety of the driving is the top priority, SEALIGHT 9005 and 9006 LED headlight bulb do not blind oncoming traffic, no glaring thanks to an optimized light distribution " , means nothing .

So it's hard for me to say definitively, because I haven't run the 1000 iterations of LEDs out there. LEDs keep getting better and better—I don't think it will be long before LED replacements are kind of a default. I suppose it's possible that someone has created a bulb that works with the housings, but I haven't seen it yet and it kind of sounds like neither has anyone else. @C6H12O6 has good information—I did that for a while, and it was a good improvement.

I gave up looking—HID and no need to look back. The best-of-the-best LEDs are hardly comparable. It was expensive, but the results are nothing short of ridiculous. Mine is an LX—worst factory beams I've ever owned. Maybe the LCs have better stock beams.

 

[gregnash]

So it's hard for me to say definitively, because I haven't run the 1000 iterations of LEDs out there. LEDs keep getting better and better—I don't think it will be long before LED replacements are kind of a default. I suppose it's possible that someone has created a bulb that works with the housings, but I haven't seen it yet and it kind of sounds like neither has anyone else. @C6H12O6 has good information—I did that for a while, and it was a good improvement.

I gave up looking—HID and no need to look back. The best-of-the-best LEDs are hardly comparable. It was expensive, but the results are nothing short of ridiculous. Mine is an LX—worst factory beams I've ever owned. Maybe the LCs have better stock beams.

No you are correct, technology is advancing fast enough that yes, we are getting to that point where the PCB that is holding the diodes is getting thin enough to create the same "thickness" of the halogen filament. Can't remember which one, either TheRetroFitSource or Headlight Revolution, but one of them did a really good video on explaining all of this. Think of it like having one of those harbor freight led flashlights that had the zoom telescoping front to allow you to focus the beam. When you have it pushed all the way in, the beam is not really focus, light is thrown all over the place and while there is still a hot spot for the main portion of the beam, really there is light spill everywhere that you have no control over. You can focus it in and out to help centralize the hot spot, but really you will always have spill.

With many cheaper bulbs and setups, that spill is what ends up blinding oncoming traffic because there is just light being thrown all over the place, and you as the driver really don't have a clear vision of the road. Flipping on the hi-beams only compounds the issue and makes things worse. So unless you really are ready to make the jump to an expensive LED bulb (like Diode Dynamics, Morimoto, or GTR) then stick with a good, quality halogen bulb. Those three companies do make compatible solutions for reflector housings but they even preface it that while they will work OK with those housings, for optimal light output and focus you want a specific LED/HID projector housing. Oh and all of those, you are looking at right around the $150 mark starting out for just one set of bulbs.

 

[jasoncjung]

After a friend gave me some el cheapo bulbs that "looked cool" and I used them for a few years and swore my eyesight was getting worse, it was because the light was brighter, but was being scattered all sorts of ways. I am no longer friends with him.

I finally swapped proper projectors into my housings (3 nights job, after kid goes to bed), and at first it was so daunting (baking, cutting, sanding), but even a monkey like me was able to do it (I only do simple stuff like oil changes and rotate tires, but do enjoy small realistic projects). The results are hands down amazing. I think the projectors were $250 or so, and then another $10 in sanding discs.

 

[Mbchance]

Im sure this has been answered at some point but the most recent conversation I saw was back in 2016.

My headlights are dull, both high and low beam. Has anyone tried / had success with something like this :

Amazon product ASIN B07K43XKDF
If no, what are the recommendations to upgrade my lights without making it a major project ?

Thanks.

RT

As others have said, retrofitting HID's is the best way to go as of right now. It's not a "hard" job to do, just a bit time consuming if it's your first time. Check out the thread by @Luke111 for his projectors and website: LB BuiltWerks - Design - Fabrication - Retrofit Lexus LX470 Headlights
You can buy everything you need from him to do the retro fit. His brackets make swapping out the projectors an easy task without needing to do any sanding. Just read through his thread's regarding the retrofit so you can familiarize yourself with it.

 

[Mojay101]

Upgrade to 9011/9012 and see what you think. Trim the flange as mentioned above to look like the ones you pull out and see what you think. I love the upgrade and don’t want to spend for an HID solution right now. Worse case, it’s not bright enough for you and you are out $25. Still better while you wait on an HID fix.

 

[DuckLN]

I had the hir2 low beam bulbs and my opinion is that they were a slight improvement and lasted about a year. I’m liking my sylvania silver star ultras but they are expensive.

 

[planomateo]

What is the physical condition of the headlights? Are they yellow or clear?

If the physical headlight is in poor shape, then you should resolve that first. Try the headlight cleaners, worst case get new headlights. Doesn't matter what bulb you put in if the plastic is in poor shape.

 

[SDCORT]

I upgraded to Phillips HIR 9011/9012 bulbs in the stock projectors. You have to file the tabs a little on the new bulb bases, but it’s a 1/2 job. Great bang for the buck. Not HID bright, but a lot easier and cheaper upgrade. Lots of info on ‘MUD on the upgrade.

I just bought the Phillips 9011 but they wont click in. It didnt appear to be something I could just file. Curious to know which ones you bought ?

 

[C6H12O6]

Those are the ones. The tabs are the wrong size on the base of the bulb. I measured the tabs on the 9005/6 bulbs and then modified the tabs on the 9011/12 bulbs. Otherwise, they won’t fit correctly through the keyhole slots in the back of the projector housing.

 

[nissanh]

I have stock oem lamps and those are bright as sun. How good are the reflectors and glass on yours? clean the inside and use good branded light bulbs. Hi beam is crazy bright I hardly use it.