Ford E350 Headlight Bulbs
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 194
Likes: 11
Ford E350 Headlight Bulbs
Hello everyone I have halogens headlight bulbs and they work fine but was just wondering is there any advantage to brightness switching to LED bulbs only downside I can see if not melting snow. If it's worth it does anyone have any good recommendations for a brand. Lots of bright LED cheap ones on Amazon but way too bright for other drivers and don't last long because of heat. So any good reliable brand maybe like sylvania or other brands? Thanks
FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 31,930
Likes: 1,499
From: Ottawa, Ontario
What year is your truck?
I have Beamtech LEDs in my 11 E250, they are much brighter than the halogens and have been going strong for 3 yrs now which I partially attribute to the fact they are fan cooled The light pattern from these is almost exactly the same as the halogens, the main difference is that they actually produce less spill outside the intended pattern... which is a good thing. I did need to adjust the aim of the headlights some after the swap.
I have Beamtech LEDs in my 11 E250, they are much brighter than the halogens and have been going strong for 3 yrs now which I partially attribute to the fact they are fan cooled The light pattern from these is almost exactly the same as the halogens, the main difference is that they actually produce less spill outside the intended pattern... which is a good thing. I did need to adjust the aim of the headlights some after the swap.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 1,337
Likes: 454
LED headlamp retrofits are notorious for poor performance. First, the halogen lens is not designed for the LED light bulb pattern. Second, heat kills LEDS and the sealed halogen housings are problematic in this respect. However, nothing beats a real word recommendation and it may be worth trying something that has worked for others on this forum.
I went the route of Sylvania Silver Star halogen bulbs. They have decreased lifetime compared to standard halogen bulbs but are brighter and whiter. They still pale in comparison to real LED headlights on newer cars. My van is not a daily driver so short lived halogens work for me.
My biggest caution is buying aftermarket headlight housings. They are all substandard compared the OEM headlight housings.
I went the route of Sylvania Silver Star halogen bulbs. They have decreased lifetime compared to standard halogen bulbs but are brighter and whiter. They still pale in comparison to real LED headlights on newer cars. My van is not a daily driver so short lived halogens work for me.
My biggest caution is buying aftermarket headlight housings. They are all substandard compared the OEM headlight housings.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 194
Likes: 11
2008 E350
Yes not replacing headlight assembly going to keep original reflector and just plug and use new bulbs might try the LED sylvania also does anyone know and recommend a good place to buy oem or aftermarket Headlight reflector assembly old ones are faded from heat and all scratched and cloudy? Thanks
FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 31,930
Likes: 1,499
From: Ottawa, Ontario
Do not buy aftermarket headlight housings they are notorious for poor beam focusing.. in other words the reflectors are junk. You need a housing with DOT certification which means OEM is the only option in some cases.
I'd suggest polishing the lens of the factory housings to remove the oxidation layer and scratches, this doesn't take very long and no special tools necessary just some polishing compound and a buffer pad of some type. I have done this by hand and got good results but a power tool makes it go faster, how much improvement can be achieved depends on how bad the lenses are but in general it's always posible to restore most of the transparency of the lens.
I'd suggest polishing the lens of the factory housings to remove the oxidation layer and scratches, this doesn't take very long and no special tools necessary just some polishing compound and a buffer pad of some type. I have done this by hand and got good results but a power tool makes it go faster, how much improvement can be achieved depends on how bad the lenses are but in general it's always posible to restore most of the transparency of the lens.
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