Headlight recommendations

[Yeret]

Well, it's about that time for new lights. Passenger-side light done gone kapoot sometime between yesterday and today. The lights in question are Wagner Ultrabrite and ever since installing them several years ago, I have been satisfied with their performance.

I'm thinking of just sticking with what works and ordering the same set, but as the old saying goes, "technology marches on." As I said, I installed these lights several years ago and have no idea if there have been any advances on these old...whatever type of bulb our old second-gens use since then.

I'm just wondering what everyone here likes for headlights. Mine are the "one bulb does low/high beam" type and I currently have no inclination to swap to a two-bulb setup, just wanna keep things simple and straightforward.

95% of my driving is out in the sticks, and you never know when a deer or the occasional cow's gonna pop up. The sooner you can see them, the sooner you can respond, right? Hence why I prefer "high output" lights.

 

[Johnny_B-Good]

You could stick with what works. I mean, it's proven, right? Or, like many others do, make the jump to LED's. There are a ton of them for sale on amazon. But pay attention, they list the LED bulbs at "total lumen output" and do not disclose low beam lumens, and/or high beam lumens. You don't want anything less than 2000 lumens (per bulb) for low beam. Otherwise, you're in the cheapest halogen bulb outputs. Low beam lumens between 2000 and 4000 (per bulb) should not offend any oncoming traffic. But face it, you'll eventually get someone who has a real dirty windshield who will flash you thinking you have your high beams on. It happens. Another factor to pay attention with, kelvin. 5000K is a crisp white. 6500K is a slight bluish tint. Most LED's are 6000K to 6500K output. Other option, with a little more additional cost? Headlight assemblies. There are some projector style headlight assemblies out there. They come with a price tag though.
In your best interest, do a little reading and research before deciding on a bulb. And make sure you read reviews. Oh, and stay away from LED bulbs that require you to go through any additional steps to align the bulb (some LED's make you adjust a collar to align the bulb, it's a pain in the butt).

Good luck, you got this...

 

[Jdemp]

You could stick with what works. I mean, it's proven, right? Or, like many others do, make the jump to LED's. There are a ton of them for sale on amazon. But pay attention, they list the LED bulbs at "total lumen output" and do not disclose low beam lumens, and/or high beam lumens. You don't want anything less than 2000 lumens (per bulb) for low beam. Otherwise, you're in the cheapest halogen bulb outputs. Low beam lumens between 2000 and 4000 (per bulb) should not offend any oncoming traffic. But face it, you'll eventually get someone who has a real dirty windshield who will flash you thinking you have your high beams on. It happens. Another factor to pay attention with, kelvin. 5000K is a crisp white. 6500K is a slight bluish tint. Most LED's are 6000K to 6500K output. Other option, with a little more additional cost? Headlight assemblies. There are some projector style headlight assemblies out there. They come with a price tag though.
In your best interest, do a little reading and research before deciding on a bulb. And make sure you read reviews. Oh, and stay away from LED bulbs that require you to go through any additional steps to align the bulb (some LED's make you adjust a collar to align the bulb, it's a pain in the butt).

Good luck, you got this...

This may be the most educated post on LEDs I’ve seen…I truly hate the blue ones.

I’ll give you another small bit of info.

I too live in the sticks…but I work in the city…my assigned work vehicle is a 2019 explorer and has factory LED lights.

They work great in the city very bright up close….but when I drive home..

Out in the county they are pretty terrible…they do not project out as far as standard headlights (you don’t notice until your in an area with zero lights). I believe it’s because they are so bright they limited their distance..it’s like at a certain distance there’s a line they just disappear. It makes seeing deer very tough. I use my high beams twice as much as my old take home car. Oh and the factory high beams are old incandescent bulbs for some reason.

I would say (if you can) drive someone’s vehicle with LEDs before you spend the money.

Just my observation.

 

[Johnny_B-Good]

This may be the most educated post on LEDs I’ve seen…I truly hate the blue ones.

I’ll give you another small bit of info.

I too live in the sticks…but I work in the city…my assigned work vehicle is a 2019 explorer and has factory LED lights.

They work great in the city very bright up close….but when I drive home..

Out in the county they are pretty terrible…they do not project out as far as standard headlights (you don’t notice until your in an area with zero lights). I believe it’s because they are so bright they limited their distance..it’s like at a certain distance there’s a line they just disappear. It makes seeing deer very tough. I use my high beams twice as much as my old take home car. Oh and the factory high beams are old incandescent bulbs for some reason.

I would say (if you can) drive someone’s vehicle with LEDs before you spend the money.

Just my observation.

I've noticed a lot of the factory LED's are real bright up close and personal. Down the road, not so much. A lot plays into this illumination game. Housings are just one aspect of it (reflector versus projector). The rest are beam pattern, kelvin, lumens, and design. And with the Asian market flooding places like amazon and ebay, people are buying off road lighting, and using it for on road lighting. And the sad part is, they don't even know they are. Or they simply don't care.

Anyone jumping on the LED upgrade train should take the time to read. It's free. And you can learn a thing or two about a thing or two. A little common sense and courtesy go a long way...

 

[Spike95]

I use Sylvania Silverstars in all my vehicles. They are a cooler white than a standard halogen, but not anywhere near as blue looking as the LEDs. People seem to equate the really blue color with being brighter, but in my experience that doesn’t really seem to help me see any better. The throw of the light makes a lot more difference than how bright blue it is, and the Silverstars throw it well. They do seem to burn hotter, and tend to go out a little sooner than factory bulbs, so I keep a spare old bulb in my truck (always a good idea anyway).

Also, this will make me sound like an old man, but I don’t care how clean my windshield is, LED headlights in oncoming traffic blind me at night; especially on dark roads. It’s like looking into the bead of a weld… and I’m in my 30s.

 

[Yeret]

Thanks for the input, guys. Turns out, there's a fair bit of science to headlights, same as most stuff.

So, after doing some reading and looking at some tests, I'm gonna take a shot at Bosch Optic Edge. Compared to other options, I went with them because they have high lumens with moderately high lux. I think this will translate to a fairly intense light with moderately fast dispersion which should translate to improved peripheral lighting if at a slight cost to depth. Should be helpful in spotting those deer standing on the shoulders or heaven forbid running up from a ditch further back. The color temperature is average, maybe a bit below average, which should result in a less white light, but it seems that yellow-er lights ********* better through fog and precipitation, which is obviously good, especially since the deer around here really like to roam about in the fog. White and blue lights look cooler, but I generally try to put function in front of form. Hell, I'd run lights with an icky green color if they actually worked better, LOL.

Hopefully my thinking is correct. Guess I'll find out in a week or so when I get 'em and put 'em in!

 

[Johnny_B-Good]

I use Sylvania Silverstars in all my vehicles. They are a cooler white than a standard halogen, but not anywhere near as blue looking as the LEDs. People seem to equate the really blue color with being brighter, but in my experience that doesn’t really seem to help me see any better. The throw of the light makes a lot more difference than how bright blue it is, and the Silverstars throw it well. They do seem to burn hotter, and tend to go out a little sooner than factory bulbs, so I keep a spare old bulb in my truck (always a good idea anyway).

Also, this will make me sound like an old man, but I don’t care how clean my windshield is, LED headlights in oncoming traffic blind me at night; especially on dark roads. It’s like looking into the bead of a weld… and I’m in my 30s.

My last non LED's were silverstars. I loved them, didn't like how quickly they petered out though.

There are so many facets of these LED's that have to be taken into consideration. 4500K to 5500K are an absolute white, yet create the most noted shadows cast. 6000 to 6500K have a slight blue tint to them, and emit less shadow. How? I dunno, guy tells me it's design and application. Something about actual diodes improperly placed in the overall design and the light emitted overlap and create shadows. Sounds logical, I guess. But why does a slightly higher kelvin rating emit less of a shadow? See, proof I ain't a know it all... lol

See how you are with the LED's coming at you? That's me with those HID's. Those things are horrific...

 

[Johnny_B-Good]

Thanks for the input, guys. Turns out, there's a fair bit of science to headlights, same as most stuff.

So, after doing some reading and looking at some tests, I'm gonna take a shot at Bosch Optic Edge. Compared to other options, I went with them because they have high lumens with moderately high lux. I think this will translate to a fairly intense light with moderately fast dispersion which should translate to improved peripheral lighting if at a slight cost to depth. Should be helpful in spotting those deer standing on the shoulders or heaven forbid running up from a ditch further back. The color temperature is average, maybe a bit below average, which should result in a less white light, but it seems that yellow-er lights ********* better through fog and precipitation, which is obviously good, especially since the deer around here really like to roam about in the fog. White and blue lights look cooler, but I generally try to put function in front of form. Hell, I'd run lights with an icky green color if they actually worked better, LOL.

Hopefully my thinking is correct. Guess I'll find out in a week or so when I get 'em and put 'em in!

If you don't have a friend who has added LED's, the only way to know, for sure, beyond the shadow of a doubt, do it yourself. Good luck, I hope this has a happy ending with this upgrade. Remember to keep us posted...

 

[Spike95]

My last non LED's were silverstars. I loved them, didn't like how quickly they petered out though.

There are so many facets of these LED's that have to be taken into consideration. 4500K to 5500K are an absolute white, yet create the most noted shadows cast. 6000 to 6500K have a slight blue tint to them, and emit less shadow. How? I dunno, guy tells me it's design and application. Something about actual diodes improperly placed in the overall design and the light emitted overlap and create shadows. Sounds logical, I guess. But why does a slightly higher kelvin rating emit less of a shadow? See, proof I ain't a know it all... lol

See how you are with the LED's coming at you? That's me with those HID's. Those things are horrific...

I agree HIDs are the very worst.

 

[Yeret]

Headlights are still in transit. Was hoping they'd arrive by yesterday as it was actually somewhat warm (relatively speaking), but not to be.

They should be in the mailbox tomorrow, but I probably won't have them in until the weekend. I'll be sure to post the results however!

 

[AquaJeff]

Don't leave us hanging dude?
how were the Bosh bulbs?

 

[Yeret]

Okay, a combination of weather and issues with the other vehicles delayed my install. However, I did manage to just get them installed (got a lucky break for the first time this weekend, LOL) and verified that they work. Too light right now to determine how well they work, and I'll likely be too drunk by nightfall to go driving about, so I'm gonna take the ole girl to work tomorrow and I'll get all the info I'll need.

As a note, the Wagners that I pulled out had blue-tinted bulbs with blue caps whereas the Boschs have clear bulbs and black caps. We shall see what the difference is!

 

[BWL]

Something to note if you live in cold climates is the led bulbs will not melt the snow off the headlights or tail lights. Big sticking point for me with the factory led tails is they get snow covered and disappear. My factory projectors put out enough heat to clear the lenses and at least part of my turn signals, but with led bulbs in there I'm driving blind pretty quick in a snowstorm. Manufacturers are starting to come out with heated led light for this reason.

 

[Yeret]

Oops, forgot to post!

So, overall, I don't think these are as bright as the Wagners that I was using. I wouldn't say it's a huge difference, but I think it's noticeable.

That being said, the beam travel is a bit low, something that didn't seem as noticeable with the Wagners. My front suspension's been going going for a while, so I should tilt the lamps up.

Overall, they're certainly not worse than anything else I've ever had. Actually, I have had worse! Also as a note, the Wagners did glare a bit in snow and fog, and as I've yet to encounter either with the new lights, I can't say how they compare in that regard.

$15 including shipping from Amazon. They arrived intact and they work well, so I'd say they're a good bang for the buck. One of these days, I'll rig up some auxiliary lights on my brush guard to handle "extra" lighting!

Errm, speaking of which, does anyone have any recommendations for auxiliary lights? The price is pretty much all over the place. I'm seeing more and more of those LED strips (ESPECIALLY on Jeeps), and they get expensive in a hurry! Maybe some old school halogens would work well?