Headlights "Improving?"

[Eric]

This was a problem that didn't need fixing that someone said, we need to change/fix.
The crazy oart is go price out a headlight from new vehicles. Those fancy LED parts don't come out, it is sold as one big unit and are 1500-4500.00 and up for ONE.
Those old glass sealed beams don't seem so bad , much cheaper.
I can't see this fad of the led headlight "trim" that is used as a running light lasting. not after vehicle buyers start having to get them replaced to get an inspection sticker on their dime. and have to cough up a few thousand dollars to do it.
The new headlights themselves are brighter than an old sealed beam, but I'm willing to bet, the new type can be made(designed) to go into one. and be just as bright.
I was in shock the first time I had to replace a bumb in the plastic head light housing and it was 25.00 for A bulb. as I was used to a 7-8 maybe 10 dollar for a bulb. Now you have a led strip take a dumb and pull out a few grand. ouch.

[Shep48COE]

My headlight lenses go yellow, as they all do ... just put a little tooth paste on a cloth and buff it out and rinse. Good for another couple months.

Try spraying some Off bug repellent on them, works good to.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I've spent a lot of time around lights - given my penchant for loving getting stranded miles from anything. LEDs - annoyingly bright but don't really give you useable light. Either they're too white, so wash out the details, or too blue, which is the lowest power of light - thus you get 'light' that you really can't see with. Add to that most LED people fail to aim their lights given the above facts, so not only can they not see, but neither can the on-coming traffic. The on-coming issue is the very bright light, it's not bright compared to 55 watt halogens, but it's focused bright and that plays havoc with eyesight.

I still think that for all around light, Halogen is the best. HID is decent except it depends on the reflector - so if the reflector is bad, either the light is narrow or too defuse. Spend money, though, on a good reflector HID and it is better then halogen... except for the fact it needs to warm up.

As you can see on my FJ40, I have every kind of light - including yellow lights - way too often the only way to see in the snow is a bright-white LED light bar as high as you can get it with yellow LED fog lights as low as you can get them.

and the point - one size doesn't fit all. my most copied thing is side lights. when I put them on my '40 I got a lot of grief - halfhearted for sure - but grief but in the end.... find a new build that doesn't have at least a couple quads aiming out to the side.... and yes, they are coming soon for the Colorado

[silver_bullet]

We've found that the LEDs vary greatly by manufacturer... I hate to say it, but, you often get what you pay for... the Rigid and KC quads are head and shoulders above the rest for focusing their output and having a crisp cutoff point.

[nickleone]

JRoberts,
In my past I did ProRally. 100w bulbs in aux lights. When installing bulbs I cleaned them with alcohol and did not touch the bulb with bare hands. The oils on hands cause hot spots and bulb failure.
On cold night rallys I warmed my hands in front of the aux lights LOL.

Nick

[SuperBuickGuy]

JRoberts,
In my past I did ProRally. 100w bulbs in aux lights. When installing bulbs I cleaned them with alcohol and did not touch the bulb with bare hands. The oils on hands cause hot spots and bulb failure.
On cold night rallys I warmed my hands in front of the aux lights LOL.

Nick

what's funny is seeing the guys out in snowstorms having to clean the snow off their LED lights.

[RockJustRock]

I remember when the high power off road lights first came out in the70s. The guy at the speed shop said "You can melt Corvettes with these!".

[Eric]

what's funny is seeing the guys out in snowstorms having to clean the snow off their LED lights.

If they could get the electronics to not need a heatsink, on led lighting, the snow would melt, but so would the circuit powering the leds.