Hello FTE-er's,

I have a 99' F250 SD that I bought in 01'. It has the same headlamps today as it did when I bought the truck. It seems with the truck getting older and Me getting older, the headlights don't seem very bright. (insert joke here:"kinda like you!!" )

Will it make a significant difference replacing the lamps?
If yes, Which brand/type would recommend?

I searched the forum as usual, but find an answer.

Thanks for you help!!

SteveO.

 

Have the headlight lenses gone cloudy?

 

Looks for some used OEM 2002-2004 headlights. They will bolt in and be the best you can get for your truck.

 

The lights will dim with age. You will be surprised at the difference
a new set of lamps will make. Also if the lens have fogged up or yellowed.

Sean

 

I changed out my XL headlights for the 2006 XLT headlights with silverstar bulbs and it was like night and day. no pun intended.

 

Thank you very much for the feedback! You guys are the best....... as usual.

I'll swap out the lamps soon. Headlight lenses are maybe a touch cloudy, but really not bad. What's the best product out there to clear them up??

Thanks again.

PS - It's not a daily driver, so I don't want to upgrade to a different model light or put extra money into it...........yet!!

 

Well you will have to look at cost of everything here.

Like:

1 How much will a headlight restoration kit cost and new bulbs to try and make your old lights brighten up? Will it help enough?

2 if you took that $40 from the restoration kit and new bulbs and put it toward the $80 set of 02-04 OEM headlights would the extra $40 for the best headlights you can have for your truck worth it to you?

 

didn't realize replacement was that cheap.

Found 2002 replacement lights with turn signals for $95.00 with 3 year warranty. They have good reviews as well.

2002 - 2003 Ford F250 Truck Ford F250 Truck Super Duty Headlight & Parking Light Set of 4 at 1AAuto.com


So these 2002 lamps will bolt right into a 99' without modification??

 

this. did it on my '99, big improvement. looks better too, especially with some clear blinker lenses.

 

Personally I would look for a set of used OEM lights. You never know how the light pattern will be with after market lights. Even though they look exactly the same the light output may be way off. Bright spots off in the ditch or at oncoming traffic, bright right on the road in front of the truck but not out 50feet in front of the tuck, and so on. Sometimes the aftermarket housings leak as well fogging up with condensation. But also at the same time some people mention having good luck with aftermarket.

 

I installed some 04 or 06 [cant remember] headlight assemblies in my 2000. I had to trim the plastic panel for them to fit. I also had to cut and splice the new terminals onto my light harness. Not a simple bolt on, but easy. Great improvement.

 

Also aftermarket fog light kits can usually be found for dirt cheap.
I've run them on a lot of vehicles, 20$ for the kit of 2 lights that includes a switch and relay, and they have glass lenses. Usually they last 2 years or so before a rock takes one out, but whatever, just buy another set.

A while back, I had 4 on the front; 2 pointing dead ahead, and 2 pointing in the ditches, on seperate switches. I loved this setup, cause you could really illuminate the ditches to see any animals.
Plus, you can choose from many different types of lights, such as projector lights that go super far, or flood lights. The glass lenses are a must, they just let the light through easier it seems. And you can take a hand full of snow and rub them clean, without worrying about scratches.

 

^That as well. I have always installed "driving lights" on all my trucks that come on with the high beams so I can see stuff down the road. Real driving lights are pencil beam lights that direct light strait out in the direction they are aimed. Fog lights scatter the light mainly just in front of the vehicle.

 

If you had to cut and rewire you got the 06 headlights.

 

Yes, and it's nice to have a choice depending on the circumstances. On a clear night down back roads, fog / flood lights are great, but they will **** off oncoming traffic. In blowing snow conditions, I find that projector pencil beams are better cause they don't illuminate the blowing snow in front of your eyes as much. It really all depends, but options are better than no options.
The factory fog lights on my truck now have yellow LED bulbs in them, and in fog, you can see the yellow glow before the headlight white glow, so I see that as sort of a safety feature.

An interesting observation too, I have HID's on one of my cars, and it seems like as light gets "whiter" and "bluer", the pavement shows up less, and stuff in the air shows up more, like snowflakes. Normal headlights seem to illuminate pavement better, HID's seem to illuminate stuff around the road better, but it also depends on the pavement color, some is black, some is light grey.