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need to buy some headlights... see lots of discussion on who likes what but little on what works best... see some stuff about leds being illegal?? what's the poop... what's the best and
what do the guys that tried them say about what they use ??
need to buy some headlights... see lots of discussion on who likes what but little on what works best... see some stuff about leds being illegal?? what's the poop... what's the best and
what do the guys that tried them say about what they use ??
john
It should be noted that although it is perfectly legal to sell the aftermarket headlamps and other lighting devices, it is not always legal to use them. What "works best" is not always legal.
The rules are changing. Generally speaking, if the lamp has "DOT" on it, it's legal. Set a Course for Compliance with FMVSS 108
From FMVSS-108:
S5.8Replacement Equipment.
S5.8.1Except as provided below, each lamp, reflective device, or item of associated equipment manufactured to replace any lamp, reflective device, or item of associated equipment on any vehicle to which this standard applies, shall be designed to conform to this standard.
S5.8.2A Type C replacement headlamp designed to conform to the requirements of paragraph S7.3.2(a) through (d) of this standard may be marked “1” and “2” rather than “1C1” and “2C1” respectively. A Type D replacement headlamp designed to conform to S7.3.2(a) through (c) and S7.3.5(b) of this standard may be marked “TOP” or “2” rather than “2D1”.
S5.8.10Unless otherwise specified in this standard, each lamp, reflective device, or item of associated equipment to which paragraph S5.8.1 applies may be labeled with the symbol DOT, which shall constitute a certification that it conforms to applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards.
S7.Headlighting requirements
S7.1Each passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, and bus manufactured on or after September 1, 1994, shall be equipped with a headlighting system designed to conform to the requirements of S7.3, S7.4, S7.5, or S7.6.
S7.2(a)The lens of each original and replacement equipment headlamp, and of each original equipment and replacement equipment beam contributor shall be marked with the symbol “DOT” either horizontally or vertically which shall constitute the certification required by 49 U.S.C. 30115.
(b) The lens of each headlamp and of each beam contributor manufactured on or after December 1, 1989, to which paragraph (a) of this section applies shall be marked with the name and/or trademark registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office of the manufacturer of such headlamp or beam contributor, or its importer, or any manufacturer of a vehicle equipped with such headlamp or beam contributor. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to authorize the marking of any such name and/or trademark by one who is not the owner, unless the owner has consented to it.
(c) Each headlamp and beam contributor to which paragraph (a) of this section applies shall be marked with its voltage and with its part or trade number.
(d) Unless stated otherwise, a tolerance of ±1/4 degree is permitted during photometric performance tests for any headlamp or beam contributor, and the test points 10U-90U shall be measured from the normally exposed surface of the lens face. The term ‘aiming plane’ means ‘aiming reference plane’ or an appropriate vertical plane defined by the manufacturer as required in S7.7.1.
(e) Each replacement headlamp lens with seal, provided in accordance with S5.8.11, when installed according to the lens manufacturer's instructions on an integral beam or replaceable bulb headlamp, shall not cause the headlamp to fail to comply with any of the requirements of this standard. Each replacement headlamp lens shall be marked with the symbol “DOT”, either horizontally or vertically, to constitute certification. Each replacement headlamp lens shall also be marked with the manufacturer and the part or trade number of the headlamp for which it is intended, and with the name and/or trademark of the lens manufacturer or importer that is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to authorize the marking of any such name and/or trademark by one who is not the owner, unless the owner has consented to it.
S7.8.5When activated in a steady-burning state, headlamps shall not have any styling ornament or other feature, such as a translucent cover or grill, in front of the lens. Headlamp wipers may be used in front of the lens provided that the headlamp system is designed to conform with all applicable photometric requirements with the wiper stopped in any position in front of the lens. When a headlamp system is installed on a motor vehicle, it shall be aimable with at least one of the following: An externally applied aiming device, as specified in S7.8.5.1; an on-vehicle headlamp aiming device installed by the vehicle or lamp manufacturer, as specified in S7.8.5.2; or by visual/optical means, as specified in S7.8.5.3.
On a personal note, if someone's aftermarket headlights are blinding me, they get my high beams plus the 11,500 lumen LED light bar in their face. And I have yet to witness an aftermarket HID headlamp that was properly aimed to reduce glare.
I tried the LED headlights but they do not put out the light that the halogens do. So I went back to the custom halogens that I bought from LMC. The LEDs have a tendency to flicker unless they have a ballast attached. The high output bulbs (halogen or HID) need to be fed through a relay so as to not overheat the headlight switch.
Pete, those look good and a decent price... did you have to modify the bucket for these to fit...??? and I'm thinking about frenching them so they sit deeper in the bucket... any ideas ??
Pete, those look good and a decent price... did you have to modify the bucket for these to fit...??? and I'm thinking about frenching them so they sit deeper in the bucket... any ideas ??
No mods required for either HL bulb John. There are a lot more choices out there. There is a company called Ralu that has an LED bulb with the space between the lenses inside the bulb painted various colors. The HL bulb for our trucks is the same size as Jeep Wrangler JK and JL. If you go to a 4x4 site you will see a lot more. The current JL uses a similar LED without the halo.
Do yourself a favor and do your own research...many reviews are available on YouTube that do some fairly scientific comparisons of 7 inch LED headlamps. This is one of my favorite: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...A&&FORM=VRDGAR
I am running the Truck-Lite lamps, I followed their development for a number of years prior to their introduction to the consumer market. They were developed for the military and then the commercial trucking market...at an original cost of over $1,000 a piece. The last pair I bought were $269 and they may be less now.
There are lots of junk LED stuff on Ebay and many are worse than a stock halogen. You pretty much have to stick with the brand name stuff like Truck-Lite, JW Speaker and Grote. I plan on using the Truck-Lites once I get to that point.
I have not seen it posted if using stock or halogen type bulbs to power them thru a relay so they get a full 12 volts and let the head light switch only do the switching on / off.
This will make even the stock bulbs brighter and that is a big help if driving at night.
LMC makes a relay kit to do this but you can make up your own relay harness to do the same.
I bought 2 LMC kits years ago for other projects and have not used them yet so one will be used with halogen bulbs for my 81 F100 project when I get that far.
Dave ----
I agree with 51 dueller. The selection process is quite simple. Look and ask for the D.O.T.
That is probably correct. The LED HL bulbs that I returned from eBay say nothing about DOT approved. The Ralu lights although more expensive, have "DOT approved" as their first item. They also have a two year warranty.
08-09-2018, 02:21 PM
