Headlight bulb question

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seattle80series

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I've done some searching and i'm not totally clear on the answer.

Can i replace the low beam bulb with a 9006 led, or are modifications necessary (wiring harness , etc)?
 
Are you using the original wiring harness? I was considering the Slee but it sounds like a dog s*** product.
 
I bought the Auxbeam 9006 LED lamps for my stock housings (with glass fronts), and got what I paid for. They were cheap and the beam pattern is very poor.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KFBPBX4/

I can light up the street and see the reflections off the street signs 2.5 blocks away, so there's lots of light - tons of light, but the beam pattern on low is very poor, basically like high beam is on when I turn on the low beams.


HeadlightRevolution.com had a Black Friday sale and I picked up a set of these for a different vehicle (my wife's Ford) and hope to install them this weekend along with new headlight housings (the old ones were cloudy and leaking badly).
Supernova V.4 LED Headlights, 9006 Bulbs
I would check out Headlight Revolution's youtube channel before you part with your money, I learned a lot there, and they only seem to recommend what works. In some of their videos they say for certain applications they tested dozens of lamps including their own brands and never found one had a great beam pattern, so they didn't recommend anything for that particular truck.

I'll wait on replacing the Auxbeams until I see if the Supernova v4 lamps work as good as they say.
 
I’ve been running LED bulbs for a couple years. Sooo much better than the stock bulbs. Some will criticize me for using LEDs with stock lenses because they think it blinds oncoming drivers. I don’t get people flashing their brights at me at all so I don’t think they’re blinding anyone.
Here’s the ones I’m using. Found them on Amazon. The grey one is the first one I ran. The black one is the current one and the box is what the black ones came in. 10 min mod. 100% plug-n-play.
9189F54D-1D75-49F1-A1B6-31159D51C132.jpeg

E6BA0410-674D-4B2A-A64A-FC5A4E5D9393.jpeg
00FB6F27-1742-4CA8-9AAA-EB062B5F8A66.jpeg
 
This comes up all the time. I know people are totally enamored with LEDs. They do have some great qualities. However, putting LEDs into a housing that was designed for a halogen bulb is just bad. LEDs throw out a different light pattern than the halogen bulb they are replacing. The housing will not reflect the light evenly creating hot spots, stray light, etc.

Instead, put in some HIR bulbs. Discussed over and over. I live rural where it is very dark and have no complaints about my HIR lights.

And wiring harnesses are a waste of money in this application.
 
Box Rocket said:
I’ve been running LED bulbs for a couple years. Sooo much better than the stock bulbs. Some will criticize me for using LEDs with stock lenses because they think it blinds oncoming drivers. I don’t get people flashing their brights at me at all so I don’t think they’re blinding anyone.
Here’s the ones I’m using. Found them on Amazon. The grey one is the first one I ran. The black one is the current one and the box is what the black ones came in. 10 min mod. View attachment 1849111
Click to expand...


You may like them and haven't noticed anyone flashing you, but that photo of the scattering light on your garage door is exactly why LEDs don't belong in a housing that's not made for it. Most people on the road are just getting used to so many old cars having LEDs thoughtlessly tossed in with no regard that they don't bother flashing anymore.

HIRs as mentioned, or if you really want bright, modify some projectors and mount LED or HID.
 
Dork said:
You may like them and haven't noticed anyone flashing you, but that photo of the scattering light on your garage door is exactly why LEDs don't belong in a housing that's not made for it. Most people on the road are just getting used to so many old cars having LEDs thoughtlessly tossed in with no regard that they don't bother flashing anymore.

HIRs as mentioned, or if you really want bright, modify some projectors and mount LED or HID.
Click to expand...
#triggered ;)

just kidding. But seriously, all I can say is that this setup is MUCH safer for me as a driver compared to the stock headlights. Visibility is terrible IMO with stock headlights, especially on rainy, wet roads at night. I would argue that my ability to drive more safely offsets (or improves on the safety for all) compared to the horrible light output of stock lights. But it is in no way "thoughlessly" tossed in with "no regard". Sorry.

I don't disagree that the ideal solution is to modify the housings with projectors or to use HIRs. But I see newer HID headlights (even with cutoff) that are more distracting to oncoming drivers than these are.
 
I suggest you just put the brighter ones (I think the 9011) into both the high and low beam headlights.
 
Testing HIR lamps - What I found

I run 9011 HIR for both high and low beams for the win

Vosla HIR1/9011 - 3000 lumens output @ 3450°K A very bright lamp with excellent color
 
Last edited:
Box Rocket said:
#triggered ;)

just kidding. But seriously, all I can say is that this setup is MUCH safer for me as a driver compared to the stock headlights. Visibility is terrible IMO with stock headlights, especially on rainy, wet roads at night. I would argue that my ability to drive more safely offsets (or improves on the safety for all) compared to the horrible light output of stock lights. But it is in no way "thoughlessly" tossed in with "no regard". Sorry.

I don't disagree that the ideal solution is to modify the housings with projectors or to use HIRs. But I see newer HID headlights (even with cutoff) that are more distracting to oncoming drivers than these are.
Click to expand...

As long as I dont have to face you on the road, it doesn't bother me so enjoy your increased safety... until a blinded driver crashes into you :cheers: ;)
 
Last time I put in HIR bulbs, I got Wagner bulbs from Rockauto. They are now only $8.39 each (used to be $6.91) and are re-badged Philips. Cheap upgrade. Here's a stolen picture from another thread.


9011-bulb-rock-auto2-jpg.1713191
 
I ran LED's in the low beam just to try it out and maybe to convince myself they were okay ,or that they did indeed suck. While they were definitely brighter, when I drove them in a snowstorm, I might as well have been blind. The light scatter was ridiculous compared to the HIR's I now run, its worse in rain too. I tried the LED's for about a month and was never flashed by other drivers, but I don't think was because they didn't mind my headlights blinding them, I think it is because they're afraid of getting shot by another driver. Keeping too themselves in other words. I don't plan on going back to LED low beams. I do however run LED's in my high beams and am happy with that. Plus at that point, who cares if its blasting light everywhere, my high's are on.

My 2 cents.
 
Cruzerman said:
Last time I put in HIR bulbs, I got Wagner bulbs from Rockauto. They are now only $8.39 each (used to be $6.91) and are re-badged Philips. Cheap upgrade. Here's a stolen picture from another thread.


9011-bulb-rock-auto2-jpg.1713191
Click to expand...

Not all HIR's are created equal. Wagoner lamps also have nice color at 3450° but only ~75% the output (2350 lumens) of the Vosla
 
Cruzerman said:
I suggest you just put the brighter ones (I think the 9011) into both the high and low beam headlights.
Click to expand...

^^^^^ This is what I did. Bulb bases are easy to modify. Bulbs are inexpensive (keep a modified bulb or two on-board in case one burns out).

I live way out in the country on a pitch black rural road that often has animals crossing it (Deer, Feral Hogs). My low beams are adequate for those conditions and when the high beams are applied, I can't imagine needing more light than that.

Many folks simply 'over-drive' their headlights. Whether running high or low beams if they are not projecting enough for you to see, SLOW DOWN!
 
Dork said:
You may like them and haven't noticed anyone flashing you, but that photo of the scattering light on your garage door is exactly why LEDs don't belong in a housing that's not made for it. ...
Click to expand...

No doubt, that is the worst "pattern" I have ever seen, no focus, spread, shoulder light, etc, just two uncontrolled blobs.
 
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