Stock to LED Headlights

banditgrrr · Jan 5, 2016

I have a 1999 Ranger that I just purchased and noticed the headlights were really dim. I ended up buying a new set of housings and hologen bulbs on Ebay. I installed them and there was really no difference. My other vehicle is new has LED lighting and it lights up the road perfectly. I'm thinking if I replace the stock Ranger headlights with LED I would get the same results as my new car.

Can someone please tell me if this is as easy as replacing the stock bulbs with LED bulbs or is there a lot more to it? If it's just a bulb replacement, I'd appreciate any recommendations on what I should purchase.

twfmvm · Jan 6, 2016

What i did was get bi-xenon HIDS https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B2A27Y4/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_kOyJwb2ME1BR3
with a ballast https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OZELM54/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_kPyJwb9RVRCE7 and wiring harness (included with bulbs). Its increased my nighttime visibility by double.
Next i plan to fix the condensation issue in the headlight refractors by cleaning them and re-sealing them.
Make sure you get the headlights adjusted properly. And be careful not to set the headlight adjusted screw too far out. it will probably not go back in and you will have to replace it or fix it with a zip tie and some duct tape like i did...(lol!)

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IRKillroy · Jan 6, 2016

I got xenon bulbs. A set comes with the ballasts but know that not all sets are equal. My dad bought a $30 set on ebay and one ballast failed. $80 will get you a decent set. My '88 glass lenses were used since they are halogen headlight. They work perfect.

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tinman_72 · Jan 7, 2016

Putting larger gauge wire and a relay to avoid high current through the light switch will make a huge difference on an older vehicle.

IRKillroy · Jan 7, 2016

Making sure there is no resistance in the wires will make the difference.

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banditgrrr · Jan 7, 2016

Is there a voltage level that should be at the headlamp so I can test?

adsm08 · Jan 7, 2016

Voltage at the headlight plug should be equal to batery voltage, within .2-.3V, so if the battery reads 12.5 the plug should have no less than 12.2.

truckfan · Jan 18, 2016

It may cost a little more but doing retroft will produce better visibility at night.

IRKillroy · Jan 18, 2016

What retrofit are you talking about? Xenons have a ballast as part of the kit. Just wire it up and use the stock headlight plug and you're good. You do need to make sure your headlight harness isn't corroded (one headlight brighter than the other is a good indicator) and has a good ground.

Most headlights will be able to work as long as you have a system that allows for a replaceable bulb. LMC has a nice clear lens set for about $30.

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85_Ranger4x4 · Jan 18, 2016

May "technically" work but they will splatter light in a lot more places if not designed correctly.

And IMHO many OEM applications are not designed correctly so I doubt many "upgraded" halogen housings are either.

IRKillroy · Jan 19, 2016

... Technically they will work since mechanical engineering isn't a guessing game based on experience and intuition. I think you should start your own business and become rich and famous if you feel that those MEs fail so badly they can't make headlights point forward.

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85_Ranger4x4 · Jan 19, 2016

It isn't really the engineers fault, if anything they did their job of designing the housing too good.

They have them right at the line of being ok. Like literally if you ride in one you can see the lights end at crisp sharp line at what I would assume is the legal limit. Then they completely ignore the fact that the vehicle can have a load in the back or bounce going over bumps. But the DOT standard doesn't care about that so neither do they. The DOT needs to step up IMO.

In the old days they didn't have so much control of the beam and I think had to have them aimed lower somewhat to keep it under the limit because there was so much splatter. Now that they have them dialed down to perfect in an imperfect world it isn't so perfect.

And that is on low beam, good golly if some dink doesn't dim them. :scare:

IRKillroy · Jan 19, 2016

The max speed limit was 55 MPH too so they didn't need to aim so far down the road...

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86isuzu · Feb 13, 2016

Back to the OP question.
http://www.autolumination.com/headlights.htm
Grab some 9007 LED units, they drop right in. While I haven't made the switch to LED headlights myself (yet). I have replaced most of my exterior lights with LEDs from them and other vendors. I would imagine the LEDs would work best in a clear lens.

IRKillroy · Feb 14, 2016

That is a lot of options

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Stock to LED Headlights

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