LED 9006 Headlights 3200 Lumen 80 watt

[Muddy Bean]

A short while ago, there was a group buy for some CREE LED headlight bulbs and I have never really seen much of a review response from those that purchased them. After spending a few months researching and waiting for a few iterations of the technology to develop and work out issues, I pulled the trigger today on a set of 80 watt 9006 (H4) 3200 lumen LED's for my 100. Purchased from a well rated Amazon seller for $150 for the pair. Ratings are nearly unanimously 5 star from previous purchasers and the reviews were pretty detailed and promising.

With LED's at this lumen level, the unfocused output could be distracting to oncoming traffic so I'll be purchasing Morimoto projectors to put these in. The LED's arrive December 24 and I'll follow up this thread with my personal take on them and my projector retrofit. I haven't seen anyone on MUD put an LED behind a projector yet. I am aware that LED's in halogen housings often don't project far enough down the road, so I'm hoping that issue may be resolved utilizing a projector.

 

[drwapenshaw]

Wow. I had no idea people were using LED's in their headlights. I am curious why you didn't look into HID's?
I was thinking that after doing my long list of body mods I will look at messing with the headlights, but I was thinking HIDs.
Please keep us informed on how this LED project works out.

 

[iwashmycar]

Tons of people on the FJ forums have them. Look at Lifetime LED. Lifetime warranty if you should ever have problems.

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...-install-lifetime-led-headlights-how-wow.html

They dont seem to really blind other drivers from what I gather. May depend on the trucks housing though. These generally round housings tend to work well with LEDs

 

[Muddy Bean]

HID's are amazing and in some ways are likely brighter and better but in other ways they aren't. My personal reasons on LED vs HID:

1. Plug and play on the LED. No wiring drama.
2. Lifespan. LED has a theoretical longer lifespan than HID bulbs/ballasts
3. No flicker and instant on LED vs HID
4. Vibration proof more so than HID.

I have followed LED technology for a long time. My dad worked in tech back in the 80's and 90's and he had access to and brought home some of the early LED's for me to play with as a kid. I wired them up in my pinewood derby cars and Legos and other projects. Matched resistors to them and learned how to solder as a kid. I knew someday they would be the lighting of choice. They are finally really on the cusp of being a superior choice for car headlights if not there already. Several car manufacturers are churning out cars with LED headlights and they are obviously DOT approved. Aftermarket bulbs are slower to catch up but I think there's options now for us and I'm going to see what an 80 watt 3200 lumen LED can do behind a quality projector.

 

[spaber05]

I'll be looking at a retro for my LC as well in the near future so I'll be very interested to see how this turns out. I'm just coming out of a car with HID's and I'm not liking the reduced visibility in wintery conditions on the ski trips. If they are comparable in terms of output down the road, I may seriously consider LEDs over HID's. I see that Audi and others (even Toyota with the new Corolla) are starting to offer them as standard so I don't think others will be far behind.

What are the potential downsides to LEDs?

 

[bdac]

There's also a thread on the 80's forum re: LEDs.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/index.php?...stall,-2000lm-each-no-external-driver.821531/

I put morimoto 4.3k HIDs in the projector housings of my lows and fogs on my LX470. I also put morimoto 4.3k HIDs on the lows and morimoto XB LED fogs in my wife's LX570.

 

[r2m]

What are the potential downsides to LEDs?

My guess? No one makes them for our rigs yet!
Only down side I see...

 

[spaber05]

I looked over that thread and didn't see anyone with a projector retrofit. Honestly, HIDs (or LEDs) in non-projector housings are a bad idea as you blind oncoming drivers. If I'm going to upgrade, I'll do it right and get a properly aimed light with a nice cut-off done right. I know it's pricier but for me it's worth it not to be THAT guy blinding everyone else on the road and have a quality set of headlights.

My guess? No one makes them for our rigs yet!
Only down side I see...

Haha well that's what I like to hear.

 

[Muddy Bean]

2000UZJ nick has done a lot with morimotos and I'd love him to chime in...

 

[2000UZJ]

the person infront of you is going to have a bad time...

 

[Muddy Bean]

the person infront of you is going to have a bad time...

If projectors are not used?

 

[2000UZJ]

LED in a halogen housing, round or square will net you a rough beam pattern just like HID's. If you really want LED headlights get a set of Prius LED projegtors from a wrecked car and retrofit them in, they look badass as well. The color temp of the aftermarket LED's and the heat they will produce will be a short throw beam and a short lived life. I hate to pee on products like this since they are cool. However function over form usually plays a big roll on MUD. I just don't see the function in these. HIR Halogen bulbs will net similar output yet the proper beam. A proper HID Retrofit costs quite a bit more, but you get quite a bit more function as well as a lot more form. You also have to take into account the 16 year old chrome plating on the reflector. It's been corroded quite a bit on some of our rigs. That also reduces output. For $400 you can purchase brand new OEM assemblies and throw some HIR's in them and have a killer OEM setup with a much improved output. Anything will be an improvement over the original 16 year old headlights with worn out bulbs. Over time that LED 5K hue will fatigue your eyes and get old. New technology is great, just not meant to be put into old trucks that were build when the technology never existed.

Just my opinion. Try them out. If they suck then we can mark them off the list.

 

[mcgaskins]

One concern I've read about in J**p forums with an LED conversion is that they run so cool (generating little heat), that the headlight housings can collect snow and ice unlike with halogens which keep the headlights warm enough to keep them from icing up. Some LED conversions that replace the whole housing apparently have a defroster type device embedded in the glass to keep it warm when the temp drops below a certain point.

 

[Muddy Bean]

Here's the thing about snow and ice, we've lived in Michigan all our lives and even with my high beams on, snow and ice completely cover the lens requiring manual scrapage to remove. I'm sure that the problem will increase with a cool front LED but for the handful of times that it's an issue, I'll take the risk.

That being said, comparing numbers in terms of lumens, HID's still have A slight edge over LED's. So worst case, if these turn out not to fill my insatiable appetite for light, then I'll pop them into projectors in my fogs, and run a quality HID kit in the headlamps.

 

[ngrich99]

Butt post sorry.

 

[Muddy Bean]

I put the LED's in sans projectors and it's honestly hardly worth even posting about. I'll get some projectors in there and revisit this. At this point, I'm not impressed and nicks prediction may come true, but I'll hold my judgement until I put them behind projectors. My reflectors are peeling and completely dull.

 

[Muddy Bean]

 

[Muddy Bean]

 

[Muddy Bean]

 

[Muddy Bean]

With halogen high beams on