Headlight Replacement - bulb only vs full assembly

Has nothing to do with justifing money. If that were the case a beat up truck would work just like a brand new $50k truck, wouldn't it? I use to think like you 30 years ago when HIDs were the go to for halogen replacements, till I got informed over on Hidplanet. Just like I mentioned before, people will spend 3-4k on Fox or King coilers just to drive it to the store. To them that's what they want and dont want a cheap spacer kit.

 

LOL, they have to make money and they probably sell lots of HIDs and LEDs for halogen housings. You think they would say or go against what makes them money? Also just look at the scattered light on the halogen housing on that video. The hot spot on a halogen bulb can not be duplicated with a LED or HID bulb. And since halogen housing are made to work with that hot spot, LEDs or HIDs are not suitable for such use. Can you and will it shine more, yes but interms of light overall quality, beam pattern, hot spot, etc, no.

 

Sure if you want to spend the money for the look and maybe a slight increase in performance over a good set of LED bulbs but there are those that just want a better lighting option than the stock halogen and can achieve it for under $80. Let's be honest, most are not wanting to spend $500 plus $$ on improved headlights when you can "almost" achieve the same result with a set of good quality bulbs.

 

The videos purpose was to show some very bad beam patterns and some good beam pattern. The set I have installed work much better than the halogen bulbs on both high and low beams for around $80. I'm not saying they will work as well as complete set of headlight replacements but I also didn't pay out $500 plus dollars.

 

Yeah by a company who is in business selling bulbs. Not to mention there was no use of a meter measuring output. The links I referenced earlier that particular gentleman was able to show where manufacturers were over stating output claims.

 

Again, it's just to show the difference in the light pattern based on poor choices of bulbs. Some had a good pattern with a sharp cut off and others not so much.

 

Imagine Headlight Revolution says they have a good product on their YouTube page..
I wouldn't buy anything from HR.
Tried 2 sets of bulbs and both failed within 4 months.
It's cheap shit marked up to make one think it's a good product..

Tell me you don't have 2018+ OEM LED headlights on your 2016, without telling me you don't have OEM LED headlights.
There is no almost in comparison.
I tried an LED bulb in my 2014 with big disappointment and then went for the OEM headlights.
The difference is night and day.
For you to say there is isn't much difference, is a false statement you can't back up.
The simple fact is the halogen headlight reflector doesn't work well with LED bulbs.
Several threads on that subject on this forum.
Also the difference in the look of the headlight itself is worth the money spent on the upgrade.
That big ugly chrome halogen housing looks terrible even with the lights off.






If someone doesn't want to spend the money on the OEM LED headlight upgrade with an @iHacker harness, I get it.
But for you to say 'it's almost the same' is utter bullshit..

 

This was ( and is) my exact experience albeit on 2 different tundras. Philips in my 2014, OEM led in my 2019. Not even a close comparison between the 2.

 

Once again, I use to think like you 30 years ago. Go to Hidplanet and read up on light technology. Words like "Slight increase in performance" or "almost achieve the same results" shouldn't be and can't be use when comparing OEM LEDs to a cheap $80 bulb.

 

Only good beam patterns I saw was on the projector headlights. All the halogen housings ones had scattered light and no uniformity. HR shouldn't even have use a halogen housings to begin with. Those that know, know those are crap output lights.

 

I give up. Your right. All LED bulbs are sh!t and the only alternative is to buy a $500 replacement and nothing else can be a improvement over the crap stock halogen bulbs.

I'm done.

 

LOL, Im done.

 

Lots of good info right there. Illustrates what I've said above. I've seen many of the same data driven tests on other forums, like CandlePower forums IIRC, for LED and HID retrofits and they all reach the same conclusion: use appropriately designed housings for the correct bulbs.

On a side note, an old man neighbor friend of mine growing up was an optical engineer for his career which, I believe, started around WWII. He was one of the original designers of modern optical reflectors and has his name on several patents; he showed me some of the original design paperwork for those reflectors. He started work when the bulb itself was the main driver for light output - meaning if you want more light, you just ran a hotter bulb - and the housing simply kept the light at the back fo the bulb from blinding the driver. They were able to design a reflector that was over 90% effective when lights were some 30 or 40% or worse, IIRC. In wartime efforts, that is huge to be able to use a colder burning filament which is more robust and lasts longer, and produce more light than hotter burning, more expensive, lower life bulbs and filaments requiring heavier gauge wiring. For the daily driver, this also translates to better, safer driving at a lower cost. Add to that, the reflector design was able to put light where it was needed and reduce glare to other drivers and we enter the modern age of headlight design. For more understanding on the subject, look at automotive headlight design and regulation changes from the 20's through the 50's in particular; this is the industry in which he worked and the changes he was partially responsibly for implementing, all of which are almost unarguably for the betterment vehicle operators. So while I'm not expert, that was the understanding of lighting and reflectors the I was brought up with - that the reflector is more important than the bulb and intentionally mismatching the two makes no sense at all.