The skinny on HID headlights

[dieseltech09]

"DOT Approved" does not mean street legal. All it means is that it has been tested and is safe for use on your vehicle. There are plenty of aftermarket lighting add ons that are DOT Approved but do not comply with section 108 of the FMVSS. Which is the section that deals with vehicle lighting. Then there are also state and local laws that can be stricter than what the feds have outlined. So basicly a "DOT Approved" stamp means jack by itself.

Here is a link to Section 108 of the FMVSS if you care to read it.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2011-title49-vol6/pdf/CFR-2011-title49-vol6-sec571-108.pdf

 

[AKguy1985]

Kinda off subject but the new RCSO tauriceptors and explorers have factory HID's. Easy to spot

I run sylvania silverstarts on my car. Much better than factory halogens.

 

[Danny Tanner]

Do you have those? How white are they? Last LED replacement lamps I saw were still noticeably on the blue side, which makes my eyes more tire much more quickly than a slightly warmer hue.

I do not, but several people in my Jeep club have them. They're something like 6,000k, which they say is slightly bluer than daylight. They don't appear to be too blue in videos and pictures, but sometimes that's hard to capture on film.

 

[mons meg]

The 9007 bulbs from that LED link say they are rated at 2000 lumens on low beam?? That sounds....excessive. "regular" Sylvania silver stars are 1300-ish from what I read. Has anyone actually tried out the LED replacements? $150 for a pair is a lot, but I would do it if it meant no retrofitting housings, etc etc.

 

[Danny Tanner]

The 9007 bulbs from that LED link say they are rated at 2000 lumens on low beam?? That sounds....excessive. "regular" Sylvania silver stars are 1300-ish from what I read. Has anyone actually tried out the LED replacements? $150 for a pair is a lot, but I would do it if it meant no retrofitting housings, etc etc.

Several people in my Jeep club use these. These include a relay, but are otherwise direct drop-in replacements for halogens.

Here's high and low beam shots from a Jeep Wrangler to get an idea of the color:

View on the road:

Before/after:

 

[bettingpython]

Several people in my Jeep club use these. These include a relay, but are otherwise direct drop-in replacements for halogens.

And L.E.D. bulb's in halogen reflectors suck ass almost as bad as H.I.D. bulbs for oncoming traffic. Truck lights and JW speaker both make L.E.D. headlamps designed as drop in replacements for the round headlamps that provide better throw, reduced back scatter, less glare to oncoming traffic, wider beam spread, and beam cutoff than just slapping a bunch of super bright CREE's on a heat sink and shoving them in a regular reflector.

The Trucklight 27270c's can be found as low as $380 a pair the JW speaker 8700's will run around $750 a pair.

I'm going to get one of the 27270's for my streetglide.

 

[Danny Tanner]

And L.E.D. bulb's in halogen reflectors suck ass almost as bad as H.I.D. bulbs for oncoming traffic. Truck lights and JW speaker both make L.E.D. headlamps designed as drop in replacements for the round headlamps that provide better throw, reduced back scatter, less glare to oncoming traffic, wider beam spread, and beam cutoff than just slapping a bunch of super bright CREE's on a heat sink and shoving them in a regular reflector.

The Trucklight 27270c's can be found as low as $380 a pair the JW speaker 8700's will run around $750 a pair.

I'm going to get one of the 27270's for my streetglide.

My parents run JW Speakers on their Harleys and they look fantastic.

I've love a pair for my Jeep, but that cash would could pay for a lot more useful mods.

 

[bettingpython]

My parents run JW Speakers on their Harleys and they look fantastic.

I've love a pair for my Jeep, but that cash would could pay for a lot more useful mods.

A good friend of mine has the OEM daymaker on his '13 screaming eagle ultra and it is amazing, (JW speaker makes it for them), but I have some vision issues and he can't be behind me at night if I catch his headlight in the rear view mirror it's bad for me.

You really should look at the truck lights they are an OEM for HD as well offering a lower priced LED option.

 

[Danny Tanner]

A good friend of mine has the OEM daymaker on his '13 screaming eagle ultra and it is amazing, (JW speaker makes it for them), but I have some vision issues and he can't be behind me at night if I catch his headlight in the rear view mirror it's bad for me.

You really should look at the truck lights they are an OEM for HD as well offering a lower priced LED option.

I'm looked at the Trucklights as well as the JW Speakers. The only reason I wanted the JW Speakers is because they have matching OEM fog replacements.

Though, I keep forgetting that Poison Spyder makes a mounting plate to install Rigid Dually's in the OEM spot, on stock and after market bumpers with an OEM fog opening.

 

[mons meg]

I think for that money I would be better off buying Ultra Stars every other year or however long they last.