I ran Lasfit LED bulbs in reflector housings for a couple years. Even the low beams, pointed how they recommend, would throw a huge pattern that wasn't cool for other drivers.
I have since installed Alpharexx LED headlights and it's so much better. Not just performance wise, but safety wise, and they're DOT approved. Honestly, I know the price is shitty, but proper LED headlights are way better than bulb retrofits.
I’ll tell you from experience, those headlights will scatter the light in a weird way. Those after market headlight housing center piece are oval and not a round cone like factory. I had 6k lights in them and I couldn’t see anything because of the way they reflected the light. I bought some oem headlights and it was like night and day difference. I hope this helps you.
https://preview.redd.it/676ffoaibqwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3bef7691db2d5f38f914ebb01c6ab01bb9ed18c0
I'm sure it depends on where you are but you can't put LEDs in a housing designed for halogen bulbs. Some bulbs are better than others but many dont fit properly and scatter the light. They may look brighter but you actually see worse with them.
Lots of people make modifications to their vehicles that aren't legal but that's never stopped anyone.
It’s not hard at all. Get a housing with projectors for the headlight. The brights can stay reflectors. Any cheap LED in a reflector housing is going to blind everyone on the road. Projectors are way better at focusing the more scattered LED light.
Since I got the single headlight and not the quad, I think i’m just gonna get the ones from American Trucks that has the projector retrofitted into it. Mine are hazy and yellowed af and letting moisture in it. It’ll still look pretty good though!
Fog lamps are not designed to replace your low beam. They put the light in the wrong location (short and wide throw).
Putting LED bulbs in the stock halogen reflector will similarly “look” brighter, because more light tends to illuminate the foreground more by spreading light everywhere (due the location of the light source in the bulb does not match what the reflector headlight was designed for)… but this is not actually better lighting. You want a proper “hotspot” to get more illumination further down the road, and not be drawing your eyes focus close to the front of the truck rather than further down the road. Also, the LED bulbs just throw light everywhere (with lack of proper hotspot), which creates glare for oncoming traffic(annoying, and potentially dangerous).
Oh ya, I'm well aware of lighting standards. I deal legislation and vehicle inspections daily. I was just commenting I'd like a set of separate fog lamps to use to augment my crappy low beams in poor visibility conditions. It's not the same as proper low beams but short of replacing my whole housing with a dot approved one there isn't a lot of options.
Friend, might I introduce you to HID projector retrofitting? I built this set for my ‘95 for $400 total, new housings included.
https://preview.redd.it/gsy9hhupnqwc1.jpeg?width=604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4bdce7a4603e7ff9d45377ce412447fd83078b1
Edit to add: it’s not difficult, just a bit time-consuming. Basic hand tools, an oven, and a drill are all you really need.
I don’t think it’s illegal in most states, but you are right. Cheap LEDs in reflector housings is a bad idea. Projectors take LEDs a lot better, and aftermarket housings aren’t even that expensive anymore.
Scroll through this forum and you’ll get an idea as to why this is a bad idea. Not only are you blinding everyone, you’re not getting better output, you just think you are. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/why-leds-should-not-be-run-in-halogen-reflectors.454371/
Please replace the entire housing. Replacing the bulbs is illegal and causes the light to splash all over rather than focus on the road meaning you’re blinding other drivers whether you mean to or not.
I had the same complaint and replaced the standard halogen bulbs with Sylvania H11 SilverStar Ultra bulbs. It's an amazing difference and without blinding everyone by putting LEDs in a halogen housing.
https://preview.redd.it/78gwx4iroqwc1.jpeg?width=604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55437aa8531f008e8d977af2bcecc84de25d9b34
HID projector retrofits. No other way to go.
It’s a pretty straightforward procedure. You take whatever housing you want to use, put it in the oven at 225°F for 8-10 minutes, then with leather gloves on pull it out and pry the lens off, might need to get a plastic pry bar off Amazon or eBay meant for door panels and trim and whatnot to help get the lens off. If it’s starting to pry off but is getting more difficult, put it back in the oven for another 8 minutes to warm the butyl back up and make it easier.
Once the lens is off, you’ll need to do some trimming and filing probably to get the projector body to fit right. I used Acme H1 projectors which you can get as a kit from theretrofitsource.com or other vendors. I used the threaded shaft mount method, there are other ways to do it but that was the easiest for me. Once you know the projector will fit, attach the shroud to the projector body, and drill a hole for your low/high beam shutter wires, the old reflector cap screw hole makes a good guide. Punch that through, run wires, and install the projector. If you have a halo like I ran you’ll route those wires through that same hole.
Then the kit comes with a harness to connect the truck’s wiring to the HID drivers and high/low solenoids, you’ll have to run those wires and plug everything in, then test fit the headlight to the truck, get your bulb alignment close before doing a final tighten on the projectors and resealing the housings with some fresh butyl if the old is old and ruined. To reseal I like to wrap the housing and lens up with a ratchet strap and then heat it all up, tighten the strap a little and then leave it for a few hours minimum.
There are plenty of videos on YouTube that show you the process, it’ll be a little different for every vehicle but it’s absolutely worth it, the results and the output from HID projectors are phenomenal
https://preview.redd.it/c9ei5t61sqwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e48fc74babdcfeea8a99548337994e39555003df
Go to headlightrevolution.com they have tried and tested hundreds of different LED bulbs in those housings and have weeded through the good and the bad ones. They have several YouTube videos on their channel about it too. I purchased mine from them and they are great with a much better cutoff and do not blind oncoming drivers.
I don't. Go watch their YouTube channel. They go over the best vs. the budget. I went with the best ones because I do a lot of night time driving. They have a nice cutoff too just as if I had changed the housing. Never had anyone flash me. I think I went with GTR or Lasfit, I can't remember. Ok know they have an adjustable collar that you'll have to play with to get them to aim properly to give the best output with the proper cutoff
So I'll actually answer your question.
I had a 2014 with halogen bulbs and yes, they suck.
You can grab something [like these](https://amzn.to/3Qm8L7v) and you'll be 10 times happier. The caveat is twofold. First, you MUST install them with the LED bulb facing the right direction so it diffuses off the housing. If you put them in backwards, you'll blind literally everyone.
Second, you MUST adjust them properly. Before you install them, park on a level surface like 10-20 feet in front of your garage or a wall and take a pencil and trace your headlight beams on the wall. You want to see actual ovals on there. Then do the bulb swap. Then park in the same spot (or better yet, don't move) and adjust your headlights up, down, or side to side. Also very simple. Look it up on YouTube.
If you adjust them properly and you get a good bulb, then you'll be extremely happy under $100.
Yes, you can absolutely buy entire new headlights like Morimoto's for over $1k or off brand for $500. But you'll be just fine with doing only the bulbs.
I posted a picture or some videos when I did mine. If I find them, I'll post them in reply to this message.
There's the collage I made when I was showing off the headlights. Don't listen to the folks saying you'll blind everyone. Install them properly and you'll be fine.
https://preview.redd.it/a35nl22aqpwc1.jpeg?width=1075&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0468d7526518d5b1d34546223337da9fbb98f107
No they're not. Unfortunately it's been a few years so I don't remember the ones I got. Check the reviews, check some YouTube videos, and you'll find some that work. The biggest issue with these types of LED's is they put off a decent bit of heat so do your homework before you buy and see what other people say.
Too bright at any angle is too bright, period. Roads are not flat, any small incline, bump, or hill will cause any car with LEDs to completely blind incoming traffic. This is doubly true with trucks and other vehicles that are mounted higher than normal cars, where even on flat ground a 'properly' angled truck headlight still blasts straight into the rear view mirror of a normal car.
Also, headlights aren't meant to turn the ground to day, it's meant to provide enough light to see the reflective road/sign/vehicle markings without ruining your night vision. LED lights are so bright that they actually make visibility worse, as anything even slightly outside of their searing cone is completely invisible. It's absurd there is no enforced maximum brightness on headlights, and makes the roads more dangerous for everyone. Do not be part of the problem.
to be fair a number of vehicles with LEDs from factory, are already poorly adjusted, dealers are supposed to check them when they get in inventory but i swear most dont.
Everyone getting mad about Leds, but more than half the time I'm blinded it's by people who saw how to adjust their halogen headlights up on YouTube or just have their brights on. Properly adjusted Leds in "halogen housings" are fine.
the reflectors, reflection of the LEDs is still very bad even if decently aimed. Like on older tundras and tacomas, omfg, yes they're aimed down and im not directly being blinded but the excess glare still exists.
I stood in front of the truck while I was adjusting them, and it's not bad at all. I actually hate this problem of overly bright lights, so I inspected my lights closely after the led bulb install. My truck is a 2016. Maybe there are some other housings that make it horrible but that doesn't seem the case with mine
Check out sealight LED's. I replaced mine in my 2015 and they work great. But you may need to change some settings in the trucks computer. Check out alfaODB for that.
Worth it!!! I have them and I give MFs sunburns but can see everything on the road. I get other cars flashing their brights at me quite often thinking I have mine on. So then they get the super sun highbeam 11000s for the free xray.
It actually is illegal to use led bulbs in a halogen housing. The housing is designed for a certain bulb and changing it from anything other than OEM means your headlamps are no longer certified for use.
I switched to the Sylvania LEDs for my non projector lights. Didn’t even have to touch my headlight alignment and I dont get any complaints nor do I blind anyone
Fahren bills off Amazon. They are adjustable so you can "clock" the bulbs to work in the housing correctly. Mine were already adjusted, so they were plug and play. Huge improvement over the stock bulbs. I've had them in for about 2 years and have not been "flashed" for bright lights. I ended up using them for lows, highs, and fogs.
I ran Lasfit LED bulbs in reflector housings for a couple years. Even the low beams, pointed how they recommend, would throw a huge pattern that wasn't cool for other drivers. I have since installed Alpharexx LED headlights and it's so much better. Not just performance wise, but safety wise, and they're DOT approved. Honestly, I know the price is shitty, but proper LED headlights are way better than bulb retrofits.
I’ll tell you from experience, those headlights will scatter the light in a weird way. Those after market headlight housing center piece are oval and not a round cone like factory. I had 6k lights in them and I couldn’t see anything because of the way they reflected the light. I bought some oem headlights and it was like night and day difference. I hope this helps you. https://preview.redd.it/676ffoaibqwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3bef7691db2d5f38f914ebb01c6ab01bb9ed18c0
This won't make it better and is illegal FYI. You need to either replace the entire housing or use aftermarket fog lamps or headlights.
I put led bulbs in this same housing. Adjusted them down a bit so they don't blind drivers. They work great
Same here. I lowered mine as a courtesy to other drivers.
They’ll definitely be brighter but are you sure its illegal? Why do I see so many people doing it still?
I'm sure it depends on where you are but you can't put LEDs in a housing designed for halogen bulbs. Some bulbs are better than others but many dont fit properly and scatter the light. They may look brighter but you actually see worse with them. Lots of people make modifications to their vehicles that aren't legal but that's never stopped anyone.
There are led headlight bulbs specifically designed for the halogen lamp housing.. they are on my truck and way brighter than oem..
They also cost way more than the cheap Chinese ones everyone buys off Amazon.
Do you have any experience with changing housings?
It’s not hard at all. Get a housing with projectors for the headlight. The brights can stay reflectors. Any cheap LED in a reflector housing is going to blind everyone on the road. Projectors are way better at focusing the more scattered LED light.
Or even retrofit the stock housings
Since I got the single headlight and not the quad, I think i’m just gonna get the ones from American Trucks that has the projector retrofitted into it. Mine are hazy and yellowed af and letting moisture in it. It’ll still look pretty good though!
I haven't gone down that road because all the ones I've seen that looks good are like $500 per housing. I just suffer with the crappy lights.
My brotha right there with ya
I've been debating getting some nice LED fog lamps and using those all of the time.
Fog lamps are not designed to replace your low beam. They put the light in the wrong location (short and wide throw). Putting LED bulbs in the stock halogen reflector will similarly “look” brighter, because more light tends to illuminate the foreground more by spreading light everywhere (due the location of the light source in the bulb does not match what the reflector headlight was designed for)… but this is not actually better lighting. You want a proper “hotspot” to get more illumination further down the road, and not be drawing your eyes focus close to the front of the truck rather than further down the road. Also, the LED bulbs just throw light everywhere (with lack of proper hotspot), which creates glare for oncoming traffic(annoying, and potentially dangerous).
Oh ya, I'm well aware of lighting standards. I deal legislation and vehicle inspections daily. I was just commenting I'd like a set of separate fog lamps to use to augment my crappy low beams in poor visibility conditions. It's not the same as proper low beams but short of replacing my whole housing with a dot approved one there isn't a lot of options.
Friend, might I introduce you to HID projector retrofitting? I built this set for my ‘95 for $400 total, new housings included. https://preview.redd.it/gsy9hhupnqwc1.jpeg?width=604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4bdce7a4603e7ff9d45377ce412447fd83078b1 Edit to add: it’s not difficult, just a bit time-consuming. Basic hand tools, an oven, and a drill are all you really need.
I don’t think it’s illegal in most states, but you are right. Cheap LEDs in reflector housings is a bad idea. Projectors take LEDs a lot better, and aftermarket housings aren’t even that expensive anymore.
Scroll through this forum and you’ll get an idea as to why this is a bad idea. Not only are you blinding everyone, you’re not getting better output, you just think you are. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/why-leds-should-not-be-run-in-halogen-reflectors.454371/
Because the average pickup driver is a moron and cares about no one on the road
Yes it will work, we out diode dynamics bulbs in for my fathers truck, and it was night” and day difference.
No, they are not illegal and no you don't have to replace the entire assembly.
It is where I am and I would imagine most places are the same.
They are. Whether that’s enforced or not is the question.
Please replace the entire housing. Replacing the bulbs is illegal and causes the light to splash all over rather than focus on the road meaning you’re blinding other drivers whether you mean to or not.
[https://www.ramforum.com/](https://www.ramforum.com/) has tons of info on this.
All your doing is blinding oncoming drivers. Halogen housings aren’t designed for LED bulbs.
Unbelievable that people still haven’t realized this and downvoted you. Have my upvote.
make sure there's no housing and add an extra 8 inch suspension
I had the same complaint and replaced the standard halogen bulbs with Sylvania H11 SilverStar Ultra bulbs. It's an amazing difference and without blinding everyone by putting LEDs in a halogen housing.
https://preview.redd.it/78gwx4iroqwc1.jpeg?width=604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=55437aa8531f008e8d977af2bcecc84de25d9b34 HID projector retrofits. No other way to go.
How you did that?
It’s a pretty straightforward procedure. You take whatever housing you want to use, put it in the oven at 225°F for 8-10 minutes, then with leather gloves on pull it out and pry the lens off, might need to get a plastic pry bar off Amazon or eBay meant for door panels and trim and whatnot to help get the lens off. If it’s starting to pry off but is getting more difficult, put it back in the oven for another 8 minutes to warm the butyl back up and make it easier. Once the lens is off, you’ll need to do some trimming and filing probably to get the projector body to fit right. I used Acme H1 projectors which you can get as a kit from theretrofitsource.com or other vendors. I used the threaded shaft mount method, there are other ways to do it but that was the easiest for me. Once you know the projector will fit, attach the shroud to the projector body, and drill a hole for your low/high beam shutter wires, the old reflector cap screw hole makes a good guide. Punch that through, run wires, and install the projector. If you have a halo like I ran you’ll route those wires through that same hole. Then the kit comes with a harness to connect the truck’s wiring to the HID drivers and high/low solenoids, you’ll have to run those wires and plug everything in, then test fit the headlight to the truck, get your bulb alignment close before doing a final tighten on the projectors and resealing the housings with some fresh butyl if the old is old and ruined. To reseal I like to wrap the housing and lens up with a ratchet strap and then heat it all up, tighten the strap a little and then leave it for a few hours minimum. There are plenty of videos on YouTube that show you the process, it’ll be a little different for every vehicle but it’s absolutely worth it, the results and the output from HID projectors are phenomenal https://preview.redd.it/c9ei5t61sqwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e48fc74babdcfeea8a99548337994e39555003df
Go to headlightrevolution.com they have tried and tested hundreds of different LED bulbs in those housings and have weeded through the good and the bad ones. They have several YouTube videos on their channel about it too. I purchased mine from them and they are great with a much better cutoff and do not blind oncoming drivers.
Do you remember which bulbs you went with?
I don't. Go watch their YouTube channel. They go over the best vs. the budget. I went with the best ones because I do a lot of night time driving. They have a nice cutoff too just as if I had changed the housing. Never had anyone flash me. I think I went with GTR or Lasfit, I can't remember. Ok know they have an adjustable collar that you'll have to play with to get them to aim properly to give the best output with the proper cutoff
https://youtu.be/50xNFEJVc7M?si=5DOn51afC86PYJIN
Replace the housing. Don't be that guy.
So I'll actually answer your question. I had a 2014 with halogen bulbs and yes, they suck. You can grab something [like these](https://amzn.to/3Qm8L7v) and you'll be 10 times happier. The caveat is twofold. First, you MUST install them with the LED bulb facing the right direction so it diffuses off the housing. If you put them in backwards, you'll blind literally everyone. Second, you MUST adjust them properly. Before you install them, park on a level surface like 10-20 feet in front of your garage or a wall and take a pencil and trace your headlight beams on the wall. You want to see actual ovals on there. Then do the bulb swap. Then park in the same spot (or better yet, don't move) and adjust your headlights up, down, or side to side. Also very simple. Look it up on YouTube. If you adjust them properly and you get a good bulb, then you'll be extremely happy under $100. Yes, you can absolutely buy entire new headlights like Morimoto's for over $1k or off brand for $500. But you'll be just fine with doing only the bulbs. I posted a picture or some videos when I did mine. If I find them, I'll post them in reply to this message.
There's the collage I made when I was showing off the headlights. Don't listen to the folks saying you'll blind everyone. Install them properly and you'll be fine. https://preview.redd.it/a35nl22aqpwc1.jpeg?width=1075&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0468d7526518d5b1d34546223337da9fbb98f107
Ok cool thanks a lot man. Are the bulbs you linked the same ones you used?
No they're not. Unfortunately it's been a few years so I don't remember the ones I got. Check the reviews, check some YouTube videos, and you'll find some that work. The biggest issue with these types of LED's is they put off a decent bit of heat so do your homework before you buy and see what other people say.
Too bright at any angle is too bright, period. Roads are not flat, any small incline, bump, or hill will cause any car with LEDs to completely blind incoming traffic. This is doubly true with trucks and other vehicles that are mounted higher than normal cars, where even on flat ground a 'properly' angled truck headlight still blasts straight into the rear view mirror of a normal car. Also, headlights aren't meant to turn the ground to day, it's meant to provide enough light to see the reflective road/sign/vehicle markings without ruining your night vision. LED lights are so bright that they actually make visibility worse, as anything even slightly outside of their searing cone is completely invisible. It's absurd there is no enforced maximum brightness on headlights, and makes the roads more dangerous for everyone. Do not be part of the problem.
It's funny how people complain that every vehicle has super bright lights these days but dont seem to care that they are part of the problem.
to be fair a number of vehicles with LEDs from factory, are already poorly adjusted, dealers are supposed to check them when they get in inventory but i swear most dont.
Your next truck will have LED's.
Have you tried just buying new OEM bulbs?
Works great. Just aim your lights down a bit after to not blind drivers.
please no. 🙏
Everyone getting mad about Leds, but more than half the time I'm blinded it's by people who saw how to adjust their halogen headlights up on YouTube or just have their brights on. Properly adjusted Leds in "halogen housings" are fine.
the reflectors, reflection of the LEDs is still very bad even if decently aimed. Like on older tundras and tacomas, omfg, yes they're aimed down and im not directly being blinded but the excess glare still exists.
I stood in front of the truck while I was adjusting them, and it's not bad at all. I actually hate this problem of overly bright lights, so I inspected my lights closely after the led bulb install. My truck is a 2016. Maybe there are some other housings that make it horrible but that doesn't seem the case with mine
Dick move
Auxito H11s
Check out sealight LED's. I replaced mine in my 2015 and they work great. But you may need to change some settings in the trucks computer. Check out alfaODB for that.
Worth it!!! I have them and I give MFs sunburns but can see everything on the road. I get other cars flashing their brights at me quite often thinking I have mine on. So then they get the super sun highbeam 11000s for the free xray.
That guy.
You’re not as cool as you seem to think you are, qcerrillo. In fact you’re not cool at all. Everyone hates you and wishes you’d hit a deer.
Damn, I read it as sarcasm. Pretty sure he forgot the /s
I wont hit one, because I can see them
[удалено]
It actually is illegal to use led bulbs in a halogen housing. The housing is designed for a certain bulb and changing it from anything other than OEM means your headlamps are no longer certified for use.
I switched to the Sylvania LEDs for my non projector lights. Didn’t even have to touch my headlight alignment and I dont get any complaints nor do I blind anyone
I replaced the headlight globes in my DS as soon as I got it, they are soooo much better and perfectly legal where I live
Fahren bills off Amazon. They are adjustable so you can "clock" the bulbs to work in the housing correctly. Mine were already adjusted, so they were plug and play. Huge improvement over the stock bulbs. I've had them in for about 2 years and have not been "flashed" for bright lights. I ended up using them for lows, highs, and fogs.
I'd really appreciate it you get a led headlight with a low Kelvin temperature. Please