Best headlights for 1999 Explorer XLT?

[kittenofd00m]

My headlights suck. It's just barely better than holding a flashlight out the window while driving.

What are the best (brightest with best even coverage) headlights that I can get for it?

I was going to put a light bar on it, but it is illegal to use them on paved roads in Georgia (not that some people don't - I just don't need to give my insurance company any more reasons to raise my rates).

 

[masospaghetti]

Light bars and flood lights are illegal for good reason - because they don't have carefully aimed beams, and therefore they blind other drivers. In my opinion your best bet are new stock housings with high efficiency, stock wattage bulbs. Try this first and see if it's good enough.

 

[kittenofd00m]

I did that. They still suck. Thinking about connecting a light bar to the high beam switch.

 

[donalds]

1999 FORD EXPLORER 4.0L V6 SOHC Headlamp Assembly | RockAuto

 

[masospaghetti]

I did that. They still suck. Thinking about connecting a light bar to the high beam switch.

Two additional possibilities:

1 - worn headlamp switch contacts causing a voltage drop (fix: replace the switch or wire in a relay to take the load off of the switch)
2 - Headlamps are aimed poorly

In my opinion #2 is more likely. The stock system was never amazing but it worked well enough for millions of buyers, so if they "still suck" then something is wrong with it.

I've been blinded by too many inconsiderate drivers with light bars to recommend them.

 

[toypaseo]

New OEM assemblies with new Philips X-Treme Power bulbs worked great for me.

I mounted a 4” Rigid Industries LED bar in the bracket that holds the OEM rectangular foglight. Took some trimming of the valence to make it fit. It’s wired directly to the factory wiring. I did the wiring mod that allows the foglights to be on as long as the car is on. I only did the driver side for now. I just wanted to add some decent light for my 2am or 3am drive to work. I could actually drive with just that on, it’s that bright. Another one on my passenger side would be even better. Not much traffic at that time of morning, but I turn it off as soon as I see another vehicle.

 

[J_C]

"Any more reasons" to raise your rates?

One possibility is drive slower which kills two birds with one stone. 4 birds if you count better fuel economy and less wear.

Not only are light bars illegal, they can even make it harder to see in some situations like fog, creating a glaring wall of light reflected back at you. It's partly due to their (typical) poor focus and partly due to their typically colder/bluer color temperature. Unfortunately LED retrofit bulbs have the same problems, but worse for concealment or disabling when passing other vehicles because you can't just turn your main headlights off at night.

The curious thing is that you've waited till now. Have they gotten worse? If so there is hope to fix that. How long ago did you get the new housings? Some of the aftermarket have poor reflector designs, worse focus and less reflective so they are more lossy than the motorcraft housings. If you combine that with some UV degradation, it would be no surprise that they have sub-par output eventually.

Similarly, bulbs get dimmer as they age too, and the brightest ones do that much faster than the stock bulbs.

You can use a multimeter at the bulb with the lights on to see how much voltage drop you're getting and if it would be worth the bother to rewire or probe further for switch losses. Keep in mind that if you do a super-great rewiring job so the bulb gets more voltage, the short lived super-bright incandescent bulbs will be even shorter lived, but that's your best option and in that case I would keep a spare set of them in the glovebox or cargo bin.

 

[koda2000]

OP, Just a thought... Have you had an eye exam recently? IDK how old you are, but a couple of years ago I found out that I needed cataract surgery. My God-given eye lenses were so yellowed and cloudy I was having trouble seeing even during the daytime (never mind at night). After my natural eye lenses were replaced I was shocked at how much of a difference it made in my eyesight and color perception, plus I no longer need to wear glasses. Typically the decline in your eyesight is so gradual you don't notice how bad your eyesight is getting.

Oh, and you don't have to be very old to develop cataracts, a friend of mine had severe cataracts in her early 40's.

 

[XLTrunner]

If you do find some bigger and brighter bulbs, please be reminded that you're not the only driver on the road. Some of the newer vehicles being driven have such bright LED bulbs that it's absolutely blinding to the rest of us. There used to be strict Fed standards for headlight illumination...but, that seems to have gone out the window.

 

[ThreeJs]

I ordered some factory style replacements off ebay.
older thead
96 EB next project. Bulb recommendation?