LED Headlight Lamps?

DR1

Joined
Aug 17, 2014
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Location
Florida
I have a 2008 Nissan Titan. I am interested in buying new headlight lamps. Visually I prefer the "black lamps" as opposed to the "clear lamps".
The seller tells me that the black lamps should def. put out just as my light as the clear lamps.

Thoughts,Opinion,Experiences,Etc ??
 

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What's wrong with the headlamps you have?

I've never known an aftermarket, non-OEM design to work as well as the original ones equipped on the vehicle. More importantly, in 5-6 months time, you'll look like all the other vehicles with cheap-Chinese aftermarket wanna-be HID/projector assemblies I see everywhere I drive-- burnt out LEDs / halos (usually one side works, the other doesn't), sometimes they flicker, but all-in-all poor lightning that often blinds other drivers regardless of manufacturer claims.
 
The color of the lense backs won't matter, since the reflector housings are the same.

My bet is the beam pattern will be very poor, and the quality awful. Expect them to have issues filling with moisture on humid/rainy days.

Your money would be better spent polishing/cleaning your current headlights if they are foggy, and using some brighter bulbs like Philips XTreme, or purchasing some auxiliary off-road lights that come on only with your high beams if you need more light on dark roads.
 
Walmart TLE and Sam's Club have a good headlight refinishing service for $30. They use the 3M kit and it does a nice job. Although I'd apply a sealant or some clear coat for protection. Preferably the 2k clear.
 
Why get black housings or bulbs at all? You can't see that black at night anyway LOL. Can't see down the road either. :giggle:
 
What can make a difference is having projector headlights or not - recently changed $60 Silverstar out for $35 LED - and it’s hands down better … Further - and much whiter. Not one car has flashed us.
Well, now my wife asked me to put some in the high beams - but I explained they will scatter and the halogens work just fine there. (our low beams really sucked before) …
I might research a better halogen for highs …
 
What can make a difference is having projector headlights or not - recently changed $60 Silverstar out for $35 LED - and it’s hands down better … Further - and much whiter. Not one car has flashed us.
I've given up flashing people with eye sizzling aftermarket LEDs.

No sense blinding both of us, and I'd surely have carpel tunnel by now with all the high beam switch flicking I'd be doing (never be able to keep my hands on the wheel), given how popular the Chinese LED retrofits have become around here.

IMO the projector headlights with aftermarket LEDs are the worst offenders.

Nearly all modern vehicles have trims that have DOT approved HID/LED lighting from the factory. I don't know why more people don't buy them.
 
I've given up flashing people with eye sizzling aftermarket LEDs.

No sense blinding both of us, and I'd surely have carpel tunnel by now with all the high beam switch flicking I'd be doing (never be able to keep my hands on the wheel), given how popular the Chinese LED retrofits have become around here.

IMO the projector headlights with aftermarket LEDs are the worst offenders.

Nearly all modern vehicles have trims that have DOT approved HID/LED lighting from the factory. I don't know why more people don't buy them.
How can a focused beam be the worst offender … Mine are aimed at the shoulder … You may be some self proclaimed expert in your little world - but you don’t have clue what I have vs those you judge me by …

As for OEM - you must not live in an area full of Ford Super Duty trucks with Friday Night Lights - shine everywhere but down the road …

BTW: my Jeep has factory LED’s that are brighter than these - I do get flashed at …
 
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How can a focused beam be the worst offender … Mine are aimed at the shoulder … You may be some self proclaimed expert in your little world - but you don’t have clue what I have vs those you judge me by …
Wasn't criticizing you, apologize if it came across that way. I'm just saying, at night it's easy to tell projectors from halogens-- The projector lens come from a small circle while blinding me, and in my experience, they're the worst. Perhaps they're just not aimed properly, I don't know, but the color of the light (usually a bright blue hue) is telling-- that they're Chinese aftermarket in a lens designed for a halogen bulb. No OEM HID/LED light I'm aware of has that color temperature. I don't know many people switching out OEM HID/LED bulbs for Chinese stuff.

The reflector lenses w/ aftermarket LEDs are still blinding, but light tends to go all different angles, so much so that you can see the entire shape of the headlight (I can often tell what type of truck it is by the headlight shape [for a split second before I have to squint my eyes], trucks are the usual suspects here), not just the small circle as is the case with a projector lens. But blinding is blinding no matter what lens it comes from.

You might have the best DOT rated bulb on the market, made in America, cost a gazillion dollars, or aimed just perfect. I wasn't trying to point fingers at you. But the statement that "nobody flashes me" isn't a good indicator that you have good lighting on your vehicle that doesn't blind people. If yours are perfect, congrats.
 
Wasn't criticizing you, apologize if it came across that way. I'm just saying, at night it's easy to tell projectors from halogens-- The projector lens come from a small circle while blinding me, and in my experience, they're the worst. Perhaps they're just not aimed properly, I don't know, but the color of the light (usually a bright blue hue) is telling-- that they're Chinese aftermarket in a lens designed for a halogen bulb. No OEM HID/LED light I'm aware of has that color temperature. I don't know many people switching out OEM HID/LED bulbs for Chinese stuff.

The reflector lenses w/ aftermarket LEDs are still blinding, but light tends to go all different angles, so much so that you can see the entire shape of the headlight (I can often tell what type of truck it is by the headlight shape [for a split second before I have to squint my eyes], trucks are the usual suspects here), not just the small circle as is the case with a projector lens. But blinding is blinding no matter what lens it comes from.

You might have the best DOT rated bulb on the market, made in America, cost a gazillion dollars, or aimed just perfect. I wasn't trying to point fingers at you. But the statement that "nobody flashes me" isn't a good indicator that you have good lighting on your vehicle that doesn't blind people. If yours are perfect, congrats.
No worries - I do not like to blind or be blinded - but a large SUV with poor lights is not safe and we pass woods with deer too. My wife and I keep night glasses because the road is full of idiots who don’t care. I don’t think they get aimed - one of the main reasons I aim towards the ditch is because of the idiots with flame throwers - I look slightly away and hold my lane if I can’t see the center stripe …
I found many reviews/articles before I did this - and they are not extreme.
 
No worries - I do not like to blind or be blinded - but a large SUV with poor lights is not safe and we pass woods with deer too. My wife and I keep night glasses because the road is full of idiots who don’t care. I don’t think they get aimed - one of the main reasons I aim towards the ditch is because of the idiots with flame throwers - I look slightly away and hold my lane if I can’t see the center stripe …
I found many reviews/articles before I did this - and they are not extreme.
I'm all for customizing vehicles the way you want them, and nothing wrong with people improving lighting. The folks that just slap any fancy Ebay LED bulb into their ride with no due diligence are probably 90% of the problem. There's some OEM lighting that is a bit harsh too, not to mention the auto-high beam equipped vehicles that don't detect soon enough (usually on hills or non-perfect roads).

That's pretty much what I do when I encounter the flame throwers, follow the white line to the right of me, ditch (on rural roads), whatever will keep me going straight and hope for the best. The problem is worse on country roads; in the city, there's enough light around that my eyes are semi-adjusted.
 
We use one FM road that has lots of big rigs - some of the older KW’s have aftermarket rectangular lights that make a train look like a night light - not sure how they get away with those …
 
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