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I have a 1989 F150 2wd with a 4.9 and M5R2. The headlights suck and I feel that if I replace them with OEM I will have the same problem. Does anyone have a solution? I have seen some crappy options online but I am just trying to improve the headlight performance, not putting tuner junk on a work truck.
How badly are the lenses fogged over / cloudy?
New factory style lenses will help a ton, did on my 95. Then i did the relay setup and over wattage lights.
I totally agree, the OEM lights suck, but unfortunately there arent many good options. Easiest thing to do would be to try and "buff" your current lights. They sell light restore kits at any auto parts store. Second cheapest option to try would be better bulbs and potentially pair it with a relay kit. Sylvania, hella, PIAA, etc. all sell higher wattage/brighter bulbs. Next option is new aftermarket "OE look" lights. New lense = better output, will likely help quite a bit, but i cant comment on the quality of the reflector or general quality of the light itself having not purchased any. Most expensive and in my opinion, best option, is to convert to the Aussie style lights. OBS solutions sells the kit to convert and you supply whatever 5x7 headlight you want. The kit itself is expensive at 360 bucks, but they are the only people making them. The quality is great and super worth the money for the result. They look really cool and the light output is essentially up to you; LED's, projectors/HID's, etc. I went with Hella headlights to retain the classic look with higher wattage Hella bulbs. Overall i probably have 475-500 into the headlights (360 for the kit plus 100 for the lights, 20ish for the bulbs, sprinkle in some shipping costs), but again, it was worth it to me. https://obssolutions.net/products/au...37408065224898
How badly are the lenses fogged over / cloudy?
New factory style lenses will help a ton, did on my 95. Then i did the relay setup and over wattage lights.
I tries the resolution kit. It helped but not what I want it to be. What is the relay setup and over wattage lights? Thanks for the info!
If the lenses are frosted over polish them clean, Do not buy cheap replacement housings the reflectors are junk and the light pattern is a mess. With that done the easiest solution is quality LED bulbs, these do work when installed correctly.. don't let the LED police here tell you otherwise. The halogen bulbs can be improved with relays and upgraded wiring but they still won't be as bright as LEDs. The most labor intensive solution is retrofit LED projector lenses, these go inside the factory lenses but require some cutting to fit them in the housings. I believe at least one member here has done this conversion.
I tries the resolution kit. It helped but not what I want it to be. What is the relay setup and over wattage lights? Thanks for the info!
Everything is directly above your last post. The relay kit takes power straight from the battery and sends it to the lights through relays, instead of going through the headlight switch, thus more viltage to the bulbs. All the switch does is activate the relays. Over wattage lights are just gigher wattage. Typically lights are luke 55watts low and 65 high beam. I run the hella bulbs in the picture
I tried the restoration kit too and ended up just getting new housings.
If the lenses are frosted over polish them clean, Do not buy cheap replacement housings the reflectors are junk and the light pattern is a mess.
That is what I ended up doing. I picked up a set of good OEM housings from the junkyard and cleaned them up. I have a brand new set of those TYC headlights in the shed. The light pattern was terrible and the gears in the horizontal adjusters did not mesh correctly so it didn’t do anything. It was too late to send them back so that’s were they sit.
If I had a bricknose, I might really consider the Aussie sealed beam conversion from OBS solutions and some Hella lamps. The best headlight other than that is going to be a factory Ford or Ford replacement. The best aftermarket replacement is the TYC assembly, all others are total trash. I have TYC CAPA cert lights on my aeronose and they work nearly as good as Ford ones. I'm not sure about the comment saying that they beam pattern isn't good, but maybe that is true on the bricknose lights.
For bulbs get Philips Xtreme, Ge Nighthawk, or Sylvania Xtravision if not going with high wattage Hella ones. These are all clear non blue tinted gimmick stuff. Stay away from these garbage bulbs Sylvania Silverstar, Nighthawk Sport, Philips Crystal etc.
No matter what setup is used, relays will make a difference.
I usually agree with Conanski but not when it comes to LED headlights. The cold 5000-6000k color temperature is terrible for night vision and for inclement weather situations. I wish LED never made its way to headlight setups even the new factory ones. They do work great for tail lights brake lights and marker lights etc though. If you decide to go with LED or HID a projector is the correct way to do it, as he said, but those setups are fugly. I had at one time considered it for better lighting but just can't stomach the look of it.
Also, There are no halogen reflector retrofit LED bulbs that work correctly to mimic a halogen bulb filament and therefore the optics of the reflector do not focus the light correctly. There are also no LED or HID bulbs that are actually legal for use in this application. Some of the LEDs will work poorly and some will appear to work decently and will be brighter but will usually only illuminate the foreground and provide less throw or distance lighting.
I actually like halogen light the best, but the best light color may actually be the 4000k white non blue of most factory HID setups.
The cold 5000-6000k color temperature is terrible for night vision and for inclement weather situations.
Yeah I don't agree on that, I prefer the cold white light produced by LEDs over halogens. Every time I drive our Sante Fe after dark now I'm missing my LED headlights, this car used to have the best headlights of all our vehicles but now it's the worst.
Originally Posted by TexasGuy001
Also, There are no halogen reflector retrofit LED bulbs that work correctly to mimic a halogen bulb filament and therefore the optics of the reflector do not focus the light correctly.
That is simply not true. I now have LED bulbs in the factory housings of both our Ranger and my E250 and both produce the same light pattern as stock but are considerably brighter. The high beams on my van are now comparable the 100w halogen KC offroad lights(pinspots) I had on the last van, which were the best long distange lighting solution I have ever owned up to that point.
If the lenses are frosted over polish them clean, Do not buy cheap replacement housings the reflectors are junk and the light pattern is a mess. With that done the easiest solution is quality LED bulbs, these do work when installed correctly.. don't let the LED police here tell you otherwise. The halogen bulbs can be improved with relays and upgraded wiring but they still won't be as bright as LEDs. The most labor intensive solution is retrofit LED projector lenses, these go inside the factory lenses but require some cutting to fit them in the housings. I believe at least one member here has done this conversion.
Originally Posted by My4Fordtrucks
That is what I ended up doing. I picked up a set of good OEM housings from the junkyard and cleaned them up. I have a brand new set of those TYC headlights in the shed. The light pattern was terrible and the gears in the horizontal adjusters did not mesh correctly so it didn’t do anything. It was too late to send them back so that’s were they sit.
Sorry to highjack.. but on topic.
Do you guys have a link for that thread? Is it just the projector that is fitted in? Or is the reflector changed too? Did you do the wiring mod for relays instead of powering through the switch as well - or leave that part stock?
Yeah I don't agree on that, I prefer the cold white light produced by LEDs over halogens. Every time I drive our Sante Fe after dark now I'm missing my LED headlights, this car used to have the best headlights of all our vehicles but now it's the worst.
That is simply not true. I now have LED bulbs in the factory housings of both our Ranger and my E250 and both produce the same light pattern as stock but are considerably brighter. The high beams on my van are now comparable the 100w halogen KC offroad lights(pinspots) I had on the last van, which were the best long distange lighting solution I have ever owned up to that point.
The blue light scatters in the rain and is terrible. Secondly our eyes are a poor judge usable light. Having a bright foreground actually makes it harder to see farther down the road. I have driven new cars with LED lights and hate them, and I also hate driving towards most of them at night. I wish the LED headlight makers would at least warm up the light color to 4000 or 4500.
It is true. An LED drop in in a halogen reflector may give a similar beam pattern but it isn't the same. I have researched this extensively and spoken to actual headlight designers about this subject. I have also tried several different bulbs as an experiment. None worked well in rain at all. They were returned or tossed in the trash. They also created excessive glare to other drivers. I asked people driving in front of me etc and even aimed them down more. For a reflector lamp its all junk.
The only way LED headlights are close to acceptable are in a projector assembly.
I think some of the best headlights ever made were factory HID setups and think automakers need to revisit those units.
LED in the 6000k color temperature makes actual colors of things on the road difficult to distinguish since it alters the colors. Try using a modern blueish white flashlight to identify old faded wiring colors. It doesn't work for the same reason.
Do you guys have a link for that thread? Is it just the projector that is fitted in? Or is the reflector changed too? Did you do the wiring mod for relays instead of powering through the switch as well - or leave that part stock?
These are Tony Rojo's headlights with projectors. You have to get projectors and find halfway decent clear lights. Projectors won't work behind the factory fluted lens.
An LED drop in in a halogen reflector may give a similar beam pattern but it isn't the same.
Yes.. true... it's can't be exactly the same simply because we haven't figured out how to make an LED diode that produces 360deg of output the way a heated element does. But almost all of the LED headlight bulbs on the market are designed for and intended to replace halogen bulbs, some do it much better than others and the good versions are an overall improvement over halogens.. IMO. I guess we're just going to have to agree to disagree.. which is fine.
The worst offenders for blinding oncomming drivers on the road these days are all the new vehicle with factory HID and LED headlight, here where DRLs are manditory we get all kinds of SUV drivers running around after dark with just the DRLs on high beam, or all those new pickups with levelling kits that haven't had the head lights re-aimed.
These are Tony Rojo's headlights with projectors. You have to get projectors and find halfway decent clear lights. Projectors won't work behind the factory fluted lens.
Thank you, never thought about the lens. I’ll have to look into it more. I looked up Tony Rojo, but I couldn’t find any type of web site etc.
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