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Post by deadeer on May 11, 2023 9:58:39 GMT -5
Looking for some personal experience on brighter headlights than factory standard for the new ride, 2013 F150. I drive home in rural darkness and want to see a little better.
I've had standard, halogen, and tried a set of cheap, used LED's, but never really satisfied.
I've read about the HID and LED lights, but dont have any first hand experience with what's out there. Thanks for any input.
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Post by parrothead on May 11, 2023 10:01:25 GMT -5
Last time I had to replace one for my F 150 they asked if I wanted the standard, bright or really bright ones? At auto store that is
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Post by scrub-buster on May 11, 2023 10:30:57 GMT -5
I have switched to LED bulbs ordered online. They seem to be brighter than regular bulbs but not blinding to other drivers
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Post by greghopper on May 11, 2023 10:48:03 GMT -5
Be careful with the Bright one they can melt plastic if left on accidentally!
You can try adjusting you lights that can make a difference also…. Just pull up close to a garage door and check the height and adjustment
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Post by deadeer on May 11, 2023 11:10:05 GMT -5
I know the LED's have the external cooling fan and/or fins to aid in overheating. I've never heard of a lens melting, but as said, not much experience.
I'm just afraid to buy something spendy and not care for them. Hoping for first hand experience and brand names if possible.
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Post by greghopper on May 11, 2023 11:29:54 GMT -5
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Post by scrub-buster on May 11, 2023 11:49:46 GMT -5
When my radiator blew on my old car the engine got hot enough to fry all 4 of my led headlights. I've never had any melt any plastic.
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Post by deadeer on May 11, 2023 11:56:28 GMT -5
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Post by bullseye69 on May 11, 2023 12:04:38 GMT -5
I know the LED's have the external cooling fan and/or fins to aid in overheating. I've never heard of a lens melting, but as said, not much experience. I'm just afraid to buy something spendy and not care for them. Hoping for first hand experience and brand names if possible. I've got a set of LED headlights, think they were 95 bucks. Best headlights I've ever had. Only thing is they won't melt the snow or ice off in the winter. They make no heat inside the housing.
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Post by HuntMeister on May 11, 2023 12:15:30 GMT -5
I have had aftermarket LED lamps in my last two trucks. IMO, keep the color temp at or below 5K for good color rendering and go with a lumen output about 1-1/2 times that of the halogens so as not to totally blind oncoming traffic. Make sure to adjust the lamps after installing as they will likely have a slightly different beam spread than the halogen do. Oncoming traffic will let you know if you got the adjustment right.
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Post by bullseye69 on May 11, 2023 13:03:56 GMT -5
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Post by greghopper on May 11, 2023 18:47:26 GMT -5
When my radiator blew on my old car the engine got hot enough to fry all 4 of my led headlights. I've never had any melt any plastic. The one I seen that caused damage was lights left on all day and drained battery. It didn’t melt the lens just damaged area around holder in back. Never seen that happen with normal headlights bulbs.
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Post by indianajoe on May 12, 2023 5:46:23 GMT -5
as bulseye69 said led will not generate enough heat to melt snow. you can buy new headlight assemblies that have heaters in them. highly recommend.
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Post by esshup on May 12, 2023 19:38:09 GMT -5
Here ya go. Read the links on the page that are on the left. Different type bulbs need different reflectors, so just swapping bulbs to a different style won't help much. If you swap the whole assembly, that's much better. Stay away from the cheap china crap. The lenses will yellow in a few years and you'll have to replace them. As you know, aiming is very important. www.danielsternlighting.com/IIRC, that guy is a headlight engineer for a major auto company.
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Post by deadeer on May 14, 2023 21:15:26 GMT -5
I got a set of the Hikari LED that Bullseye69 spoke of. I must say, totally impressed. Thanks for the input!
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Post by esshup on May 14, 2023 21:50:55 GMT -5
I got a set of the Hikari LED that Bullseye69 spoke of. I must say, totally impressed. Thanks for the input! Now you have to have your wife drive the truck at night and you hop in the sedan and drive towards the truck to see what they are like.
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Post by bullseye69 on May 15, 2023 7:25:51 GMT -5
I got a set of the Hikari LED that Bullseye69 spoke of. I must say, totally impressed. Thanks for the input! Now you have to have your wife drive the truck at night and you hop in the sedan and drive towards the truck to see what they are like. They'll be bright! 😁
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