Has anyone tried those LED headlight conversion assemblies. If so, are they brighter? Stable? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Has anyone tried those LED headlight conversion assemblies. If so, are they brighter? Stable?

Sager

Member
Joined
January 10, 2018
Messages
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City, State
Rochester NY
Year, Model & Trim Level
1998 Explorer XLT
Looking at those LED headlight conversion kits. Wondering if they are brighter than oem headlights , do they last? Any input welcome!
 



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not sure how well they would work in a stock housing. probably better in a projector retro housing. i could be wrong however
 












I got a set & put them in the stock housing , they are really bright but not much difference on high beams . I like them .9007 HB5 CREE LED Headlight Conversion Kit Bulbs 1000W 150000LM Lamp Hi/Lo 6000K. 30 bucks
 


















those aren't led , in the side pictures it shows the bulbs, you could put in leds they make them to convert, but by the time you buy the lights and then the led conversion stuff you're into headlights that are worth more than the rest of the Explorer,, be over $600 for everything,, can buy an Explorer for that,, lol,,
 






As stated above, the headlights you posted are not LED. They are however projector housings, you could install LEDs in the projectors, that would be pretty sweet!

I have a set of eBay HIDs in my Explorer. I paid around $40 or so for the whole kit, but the ballasts were junk and I ended up buying a set of canbus ballasts for around $30. So for around $70 I have a set of super bright headlights.
T
hey are in stock housings as well. Also, other motorists hate them, and the beam pattern is awful, but that can all be fixed by adjusting the headlights, I just haven't taken the time to do it yet. It's also pretty hard to distinguish between low and high beam, they look pretty similar.

A few things to think about if buying a set of 9007 HIDs:
1. The harnesses are made to work for 9007 and 9003, but they come wired for 9003, so you have to de-pin and re-pin the wiring harness to work for our cars.
2. These lights need a good, clean, chassis ground to work reliably. My driver side headlight is grounded to the same spot the negative battery cable is grounded, but the passanger ground is sandwiched between a washer and a bolt on the radiator. As a result sometimes the passanager light doesn't "launch". To fix it all I have to do is turn the switch off and back on and it works fine, I just need to find a better ground to fix the issue.

A lot of people have serious reservations about HIDs but I really like them, I've owned them for over a year (ran them in my Subaru before putting them in Explorer) and I've had very little issue, other than the original ballasts being junk!

This probably doesn't help at all. Enjoy!
 






Just look at the bulbs, those are halogen. You found led replacements, which I can't comment on.
 






I will definitely find one that has the led bulbs included if I get a set. Glad I asked LOL!
 






I will definitely find one that has the led bulbs included if I get a set. Glad I asked LOL!

if you are really dead set on those housings, i will have a pair of those for sale shortly, but they are chrome, not black and have hid bulbs in them, but no ballasts
 






I will definitely find one that has the led bulbs included if I get a set. Glad I asked LOL!
My opinion on LEDs here..
They're great, they really are. They convert most of the electricity they receive into light, where as traditional bulbs generate a ton of heat. Ever notice how incandescent bulbs look like a heating coil? This is great for most applications, low electric bills, work forever. However they don't warm up, and that'll cause issues for driving in ice storms (headlights will just ice over) and you aren't paying an electric bill from the truck. Sure a higher electric load will decrease gas mileage, but the difference between halogen and led isn't enough that you'd notice a difference in gas mileage.
So anyways, I wouldn't be so dead set on led. Good halogen is better than cheap led. Btw you can use heaters so led headlights don't ice over.
 






Very good point. As a resident of Rochester NY, we go a LOT of snow and ice! I hadn't considered the heat factor on the lens!
 






My opinion on LEDs here..
They're great, they really are. They convert most of the electricity they receive into light, where as traditional bulbs generate a ton of heat. Ever notice how incandescent bulbs look like a heating coil? This is great for most applications, low electric bills, work forever. However they don't warm up, and that'll cause issues for driving in ice storms (headlights will just ice over) and you aren't paying an electric bill from the truck. Sure a higher electric load will decrease gas mileage, but the difference between halogen and led isn't enough that you'd notice a difference in gas mileage.
So anyways, I wouldn't be so dead set on led. Good halogen is better than cheap led. Btw you can use heaters so led headlights don't ice over.

Funny, what's the heater amount to, a little halogen bulb up inside next to the LED's? Interesting ideas.
 






Funny, what's the heater amount to, a little halogen bulb up inside next to the LED's? Interesting ideas.
Only one I know of is grid stuff, but yeah they could use a halogen bulb. Maybe halogen turn signal/marker with led headlight. The good lights only turn the heater on when it's cold.
 






Good ideas, now it makes me think, how to melt the snow/ice around the wipers? That's a bigger deal for me, the plastic trim where the air inlet is builds up during a lot of driving in snow etc.
 












If your old housings are old and yellowed out, then replace those too.
I bought some "stock replacements" made in Taiwan. They are a great copy
but, the adjusters are JUNK but can be fixed quick.

Replace the new adjusters with the originals from old lights.
Now your lights will really work right...
 



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Just to update, I ended up getting these Glowtecks,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KHUYL5C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I couldn't be happier, they even light up over the highway signs and side of the road signs on cloudy but bright days.
Sure, because the beam is too wide so now you're blinding other drivers too. LED retrofit bulbs should not exist, rather LED bulbs should use a new standard so they only work with new housings specific to the individual bulb design.

Note how the major brand headlight manufacturers, like Philips and Sylvania, who do make LED bulbs for several locations, do not make LED retrofit bulbs for incan housings. It's mostly the fly by night Chinese generic brands that thumb their noses at US regulations and safety.
 






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