Headlight Opinions?

Definitely looks brighter . Have you driven with them at night and what is your impression of them ?

be carefull pat there is a cop pulling up next to u

can't take her out for a drive tonight,

the low beams




the high beams




John that's not a cop anymore, it's my retired 2010 impala police interceptor winter beater/daily

thats the rare ford i mean impala interceptor

Quetzalcoatl wrote:

This is my story... i've bi-xenon (2 complete HID kits) on my previous car... also notice that FIAT Marea headlight are very low on light efficiency, so HID conversion is a must... but the headlight has 2 separate lenses for high and low beam, and with high beam all the 4 lights are on... so, now my poor little (LOL) RMW has VERY poor headlights. As one bulb has gone, i decided to buy a LED kit (more simple to install to HID and don't require a warm up time to make light) and i've bought a kit similar to this:
http://www.ebay.it/itm/H7-9005-9006-H11-H4-9004-9007-H13-6000K-White-Light-Bulbs-CREE-LED-Headlight-Kit-/162098672568?hash=item25bdd573b8:g:QOAAAOSwLnBXWXiE
i's a fanless kit and the aluminium belts work as heatsinks.
But i think they are out of focus. I mean, the LED position in the headlight lense is wrong.
With low beam, i have a straight, narrow and long bright zone, while with high beam i have an awful "ring" of light, that will go on the floor and on the sky, but with a "black hole" in the middle.
I've also tried to turn the bulbs but they're in the correct position, with low beam on the high side and high beam on the low side.
Now i don't know if it's better to buy the clean aftermarket Caprice/Impala headlights, or try to customise BMW E36 ones.

All LEDs should be on when you have the high beams on. The low beams should fill the hole in the high beams.

After running the LEDs on my wagon for a while, here is how I feel.   I did as many people said and installed the high beam LED pointing straight down, with the two low-beam LEDs at 10-11 and 1-2ish positions.   This for-sure works best in my Roadmaster Wagon.  

-The low-beam:  The low beam is very bright when looking at the car from the front, but I think more of a function of the headlight housing design itself that was not meant for LEDs, the view from the driver's seat is kind of a white "fog" of light, not a defined "beam" of light.    Considering how dim the standard headlights are, this is not really a downgrade, but it's not a huge upgrade when driving in the city....on roads with streetlights, bright highways and in town, where the headlights are not...sharply defined.  You don't really SEE your headlight beams under streetlights and such with these.  HOWEVER on a dark back road, the low-beams are much better..not like the two flashlights before, but the entire road and the SIDES of the road are lit up in a white "fog of light".   It's almost spooky.   

-The high-beam:  The high beam is disappointing.   There is not a big change when the high beam is on.   It does light up more of the road directly in front of the bumper, and the "fog of light" may be brighter, but I don't see the major change from low-to-high like I did with standard bulbs.

Concerns:

- First, I worry that I'm blinding other drivers.   I've aimed the lights as best I can against my garage door, but still, standing in front of the car, even well in front, these things look SOO bright.   I don't want to be an a-hole to other drivers (one of my pet-peeves is seeing idiots that run their fog lights all the time..or worse, not dimming their high beams to oncoming traffic...I am not that guy!).   I worry that others will think I'm driving with my high-beams on.

- Second...longevity.   I do believe you "get what you pay for", and while these things have DETAILED aluminum housings and appear very well made, I worry that for the less-than-$20 I paid for them, that they won't live long, especially considering they have little fans that run whenever the lights are on...   It's odd to get out of my Roadmaster with the Twilight Sentinel on and hear the headlights whirring away with the engine off.  And considering Sentinel is very sensitive, my headlights come on under bridges and way before dim dusk, they headlights are on a lot when I drive this car.   Moving parts...fail.   And as cheap as these bulbs were, this concerns me.

My Roadmaster is retired from daily use, and is not driven in rain.   It's a weekend toy these days.   I would be more concerned with all the above if this car was my daily driver, especially if I lived somewhere up north where you deal with more gloomy weather and dampness all the time.   I don't know how these will last in constant use, especially if soaked in water or freezing salt slush.  Happily....I won't be finding that out myself.  

SO do I like them? Well...they're different. Driving the 40-miles home through pit-dark twisting back roads in the Texas Hill Country from Marble Falls to Round Rock a few weekends ago, I was AMAZED at how these lit the road and woods on both sides, so that I DO like.

Honestly, the biggest shock is how these things light up reflective signs....in that they light up signs a way-Way-WAY down the road!   I can see road signs over a mile a way at night, and the headlights even lit up the reflectors on the fully-up railroad crossbars through an intersection and at least a 1/2 mile away when I was waiting at a light.   It's WILD!    

I have gotten compliments on how they look when on at the car meets.   They do LOOK neat.

So that's my thoughts so far!

-Texas Mike

I've been dragging my feet getting a pair for my sedan. Love them in my wagon though. I really REALLY like the LED back-up bulbs. I have 200ft of driveway to back in and out of and they really do a great job. I see now there are LED bulbs with 'projector' LED's that direct more light right in front of the bulb. Think I'll try those in the sedan for the back-up lights.

If you get a link to the projector style LEDs don't forgot to post it..

iBrightstar Newest 9-30V Super Bright Low Power 1157 2057 2357 7528 BAY15D LED Bulbs with Projector Replacement for Back Up Reverse Lights or Tail Brake Lights,Xenon White(6500K) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071DCC7XL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_WwVbAbDSJTCDP

My wagon with led back ups.  Not the projectors I linked above but still...

Dang I’m technically challenged...trust me they’re bright.

Those LED lights are on sale on eBay right now. $8.99... to hell with it. I got a set for the wagon and looking at one for the daily Buick.

Sale link:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/122640489037

As it is with everything...find a good price, and someone will find the same thing for almost half.

So true.

I got a set for my daily driver Buick Century (9006/9005, so 4 bulbs) for $23. Not bad.

Well DANG I paid too much!

Do you still like them? Night vision is a huge problem for me (I'm pretty blind, honestly).

Buy one get the second one for an additional 15% off,sweet. Sold.

Damn. They already arrived. That's pretty good shipping, too.


Wagon ones won't go in for awhile, but the daily Buick's will be replaced tonight.

I ordered the back up bulbs for my sedan Thurs and they're slated to be delivered today. We'll see.

I LOVE these things in my little Buick. Really good upgrade over stock... and no one's flashed me yet. Here's a pic (I know, it's not a wagon, but hey). They modernize the appearance of the car a good bit, too.

Impala wheels make any car look better too!!

81X11 wrote:

Impala wheels make any car look better too!!

You are so right !

They’re kinda bright. Pics show up on my phone but not on here. The 'projector' style LEDs for back up lights rock.

Just a update on my LED headlights: We've had a fair bit of winter weather here in Michigan this week. I've noticed that any road grime, salt build-up, etc on the lenses really, REALLY inhibits the performance of these bulbs. It really gets cloudy. I've mad a habit of clearing them off before I get in the car. When they are clean the snow is almost blinding. I still prefer these over the regular 9004 halogen bulbs. For me it's worth it to clear the headlight lenses.
BTW...took delivery of a pair of LASFIT 9004 LEDs for my '91 sedan. Install should be tonight.

My two cents on these bulbs. Ordered these when they went on sale,got two sets. Went to install on the Roady. Had to mix and match out of both sets to get working lights. First couple of days were great. No real difference between lows and highs. Slightly wider beam with high beams. Now the lights blink with a regular pattern. Sigh... Back to the old style for now.

Silverstar Ultra works fine for me. I think I'll wait a year or two before trying LED replacements. If they are anything like the LEDs for other applications, the inexpensive units will not perform to their stated specs for long, and the units that are not extremely heat sensitive will be physically large and expensive. The stated longevity specs are largely fiction at present, as there is no accepted industry standard that is enforced on sellers...certainly not in the "Retail Wild West" of eBay. Retrofitting LEDs into a 1990s lamp housing and lens is unlikely to produce a result equivalent to an integrated package in a new model car.

The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”
– Benjamin Franklin

3TONFUN wrote:

When they are clean the snow is almost blinding.

If you bought the same bulbs as in this post, I'm pretty sure that's mainly caused by the colour (white) of your new bulb, not its brightness. I'm not a fan of "cool" temperature range bulbs for driving. They're fine for summer, but pretty bad in the snow/mist/fog.

I tried a set of silverstar ultras (they were on clearance for 5$ at walmart) last year in the caprice and did not like them for this exact reason. I gave them to the guy who bought my Innovative Wiring harness. Pretty sure he shouldn't get snow in California. In the T84s I ran 80/100W halogen bulbs.

OK my Chinese Ebay LED headlight bulbs are coming out tonight. Installed in October, and I hardly drive this car, and two of the three LEDs just burned out on the driver's side. Back to conventional Sylvania halogens. I felt like I was blinding oncoming traffic anyway with the LEDs...

phantom 309 wrote:

The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”
– Benjamin Franklin

THIS!

Bummer.

Still haven't installed the 9004 set but the 9005/9006 ones I put in the Century are going strong.

You felt like you were blinding folks because you were blinding folks.

I hate when these lights are behind me. Always a jacked up truck and you are being blinded in every mirror. But darn it, they can spot the birds in the trees.

I'm planning on trying out the PIAA Xtreme White Plus. I'll let you know how they go. I heard the last 2 years or so... Which is longer than the Silverstar ZXE. I know this thread is about LEDs but after hearing how short they last, I figured I'd try out the PIAAs and let you know what I think!

Still rocking mine in the little daily Buick. No issues; good output; and don't seem to be blinding people with them.

Quetzalcoatl wrote:

Fred Kiehl wrote:

Some have better beam patterns, so check a couple more LED units.

Of course... but i also want a clean headlight, like the aftermarket ones... and I live in Italy, where it's difficult to find HB1/HB2 bulbs... so i've thought to try the BMW E36 customisation that I suppose uses the H4.
The question is... i MUST buy a clean aftermarket "Caprice/Impala" set AND the E36 headlights if I want a good beam pattern, H4 AND the clean headlight cover? Or the E36 will fit decently without the need of a Caprice clean transparent?

You can use the BMW headlights, and whatever bulbs you find to your satisfaction. Like everything else, there may be slight differences you either do not like, or you get used to.

So what plug and play bulbs are making light out of the stock housings? The oem lights feel like they are meant for a city driving where there's a streetlight every other step. My car rarely sees those conditions.

What makes light, isn't annoying, doesn't break the bank and actually lasts?

Almost any LED 80 watts or more (total) will make sufficient light for any situation. I am running 80s in one car, and 90s in the other. They are both bright. Get a restoration kit for your lenses, or a good clear set to get the best results.

I got my LEDs on ebay for less than $30.

I didn't go with Silverstars, but went to the "step-up" halogen bulbs from Sylvania. I have no complaints...I am no-longer blinding other drivers, and have the ability to aim my headlights again. Those LED's really just created a big "light cloud" in front of the car, with little change between high and low beams. I know LEDs work a lot better with aftermarket headlight assemblies, but since mine are stock, it was just not worth the effort.

I'm happy with Silverstars paired with an upgraded wiring harness from Innovative Wiring. It also helps if the reflector surfaces and lenses are in "new" condition. Most of my night driving is long distances (400+ miles a pop) on a mix of Interstate and rural roads; sometimes in lake-effect snow. A flat low-beam is helpful to avoid being dazzle blinded in snow.

I guess the moral is to not cheap out when it comes to headlights. I bought a $60 set from Auxbeam and haven't had any problems for several months. No body has flashed me yet luckily. My friend thinks they are dumb but thats about it, his idea of perfect headlights are worn out hallogens behind oxidized lens for that extra dull yellow look.

Ended up going with silverstar ultras. They looked noticibly brighter in the garage during the day than the Philips they replaced. Had a whiter cleaner look as well.
If I had aftermarket housings that were designed with led bulbs in mind I would have gone led.