led headlight bulb on 94 ranger

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

wanting a nicer light output from my headlights.... thought about led? good? bad?
i dont see leds working as a high/low function... am i gonna be that asshole with my high beams on at all times?
is hid a better option?

any input is appreciated!

 

[Jim Oaks]

I put them in my F150 and old Jaguar, and bought the replacement light assemblies for my girlfriends Wrangler. I love them. Since the F150 and Jag have seperate bulbs for high beams I got much brighter bulbs for the high beams.

 

[oldgeek]

Everything I've read is that they are not legal for use in headlights not designed for them. And that they can cause issues for oncoming traffic.

I'm thinking of getting these. A halogen that's supposed to be brighter.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00480N122/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=A3JPNLB1OG9XDT&psc=1

 

[sgtsandman]

You need a housing designed for LEDs for them to work correctly and not cause issues. The reflectors in the headlight housing are designed for the output and focal point of halogen bulbs. LEDs often aren’t at the right focal point and cause glare issues for oncoming traffic.

You can get away with using the OEM housings for marker, turn signal, and running lights but usually not for head lights.

Also, people who tried the conversion housings have had mixed results. At least in the older trucks. Some have said they are worse than the OEM halogens for light output.

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

i wonder if hids will work better since theyre more like a halogen

 

[sgtsandman]

i wonder if hids will work better since theyre more like a halogen

If you do the full conversion, yes. You have to modify the original housings with projectors for them to focus correctly or get HID housings. Retrofit kits that don’t offer one or the other are garbage. It was, and probably still is, a big thing with the Honda crowd and they debated the death out of the pros and cons to the different upgrades out there. Some of the work done right looked pretty good if you are into that kind of look.

 

[55trucker]

i wonder if hids will work better since theyre more like a halogen

Not advised, hid's in a regualr headlamp will thro the light everywhere, there's no casper shield around the filament to direct the light. The lumens output is so bright they will blind oncoming traffic.

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

so ugly yellow halogens it is! lol

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Yellow is sooo much better on my old eyes. I hate the blue that all the newer vehicles have.

 

[rubydist]

9007 HB5 CREE LED Headlight Bulbs Conversion Kit High Low Beam 6000K Xenon White

^^ I bought those on ebay after a lot of comparison and they work great. Actually have high and low beam (most LED conversions only have 1) and they fit the Ford housings and they provide significantly more light but not so much that you blind the oncoming traffic. The only problem I have with them is that they do not put enough heat into the housing to melt off the snow/ice that accumulates when driving in a snow storm. Of course that is generally not an issue in CA.

 

[sgtsandman]

You could always install the bulbs that put out mostly white light with a hint of blue.

I think they cause glare problems for the driver on wet roads but they would avoid the blinding oncoming traffic issue.

 

[55trucker]

Well, I have led headlamps installed....I can say truthfully that they do provide more illumination on the road directly in front of the truck. The light they cast down the road lights up signs significantly better than the lowly 9007 halogens, they are 6000k, but they are too white for my liking.
If you do decide to get some get the 3 sided filament board style, they can be aimed as only 2 of the 3 boards light up on low.

check these out.......they are a 4300k bulb set, that is a white light whiter than the halogens but not that white white one gets with 6000k led's.

I can't get the dealer to ship these outside the lower 48 states & I want a set of them (2 to be exact)

FANTELI 9007 HB5 LED Headlight Kit Hi/Lo 315000LM Car Light Bulbs 4300K Daylight | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for FANTELI 9007 HB5 LED Headlight Kit Hi/Lo 315000LM Car Light Bulbs 4300K Daylight at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[oldgeek]

I have wished I had time to make a mounting plate out of aluminum, stainless or plastic in the shape of the headlights, with the mounting/adjusting screws, to put a round or rectangular led headlight. The ones that you see on older Semi tractors as replacements.

https://www.amazon.com/Headlights-Rectangular-Replacement-Freightinger-Oldsmobile/dp/B09D3BMVVK/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=rectangular+led+headlights&qid=1662657703&sr=8-2-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzTUxGWTRPSThLN1pYJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODk0MTQ3MU8xSzJEQ001WUw0OCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTU3NDY4M0JVR0xJTTdFSU1ESyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

[JOLENE_THE_RANGER]

9007 HB5 CREE LED Headlight Bulbs Conversion Kit High Low Beam 6000K Xenon White

^^ I bought those on ebay after a lot of comparison and they work great. Actually have high and low beam (most LED conversions only have 1) and they fit the Ford housings and they provide significantly more light but not so much that you blind the oncoming traffic. The only problem I have with them is that they do not put enough heat into the housing to melt off the snow/ice that accumulates when driving in a snow storm. Of course that is generally not an issue in CA.

the link doesnt work

 

[4x4junkie]

I too don't care for the bluish-white light of most LED offerings. I'm glad to see those 4300K ones (hoping such color temperatures will finally start making their way over to the better-quality brands of lights).

so ugly yellow halogens it is! lol

Are your factory lenses yellowed? Cleaning them up can make a huge difference, if so...
Another option is to rewire the headlight circuits with relays so that you'll have a shorter (lower-resistance) path from the battery to the bulbs (the OEM wiring has the current going through the multifunction switch on the steering column, then out to the bulbs, which creates a fair amount of resistance in the wiring). This will also allow you to run higher-wattage bulbs with less risk to the factory wiring.
Best option though is to add a pair of auxiliary driving lights, this will put far more light further down the road than anything you can do with your headlights. Using a relay, you can have them come on with your high-beams too, if desired.

Stay away from HID if you have 2-way radio equipment or if you value good FM radio reception (HID usually puts out a lot of radio static).