LED Lighting Conversion

Alright I'll see if I can get a hold of a set for a review.

 

Nice!! If you can also get a set of these to review along with those and the HID's that would be badass.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077BT6M6Z

 

Yea, you know lighting is different on the East Coast than on the West Coast so you should send some over here so I can test them too. Just sayin'

 

I've been shopping around for a few weeks on HID and LED lighting upgrades, and I'm still not sure I understand the pros/cons of each. On paper LED seems to be the way to go, but it's the driving experience that I'm afraid will be a disappointment. When do you need your lights the most? When it's raining or foggy (low visibility), and during these conditions LEDs seem to be inferior to HID. Can anyone with first hand experience with both ease my mind about LED being used in adverse conditions? I'm all but sold on the new HIKARI bulbs, but I still have my reservations. I'm also planning to try the Auxbeams for HB and LASFITs for the fogs.

 

I'd love to see these tested against the HIDs too!

 

Well, @rlx02 showed me a pretty good comparison between the new Hikaris and a set of HIDs he has. Not the most fairest of comparisons but not the most unfair either.

 

Link?

 

As I said, the distances of the throw between these two pics are hard to measure because the distance to the end of each road is not the same. The device used to take the photos are not the same either. All these factors play an important role in comparing them fairly.

We'll know more once @rlx02 gets those new Hikari's or @Parker315 gets the HIDs. LOL

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/inferno-thread.391466/page-211#post-17063152

 

Thanks! I'd love a side by side comparison as well. I disagree that a quality HID system is cheaper than LED though, but I basically know nothing. The Morimoto system is $155 vs $90 for the HIKARIs.

 

I have a hylux kit. It was cheaper when I purchased it, but you can still get it for 80 dollars. You're paying a lot for a name with the morimotos, plus they have an issue with bouncing.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hylux-35W-...m58e799eb75:m:mX-Dli9X0nriYqcVTlA7LIg&vxp=mtr

 

Jk

 

These look nice

 

Damnit @RobP62 & @ToyoDrew these guys are going to make me get these HID’s that @rlx02 posted lol

I’m gonna jump on this HID train hahaha

Not gonna lie though, it would make for a good comparison and honestly would solve all the back and fourth. Hmmmm..... but then @crashnburn80 could say “told you so”

 

LOL

I currently have HIDs in my LBs (Innotived HIDs for $40), but I eventually want to go up to LEDs.

The HIDs are very nice and I love their overall light output, but they take over 20 seconds to warm up, so they can never be used in the HBs. Plus, after I turn off the headlights to go through the base gates, I have to wait for the LBs to warm up again after they have cleared me to proceed...which means I'm driving by the light from my DRLs and fog lights for a few hundred feet.

Not only that, I will need to replace the HID bulbs every year or 2 whereas the LEDs should last the life of the truck (in theory...assuming the fans done crap out first).

My final issue with HIDs was the install of the ballasts...it was easy to connect everything (plug n play), but it was another thing to secure it and all of the wiring. And Lord help you if you touch the bulbs!!! LOL LEDs are super easy to install.

 

Yes, good additional info!

What's wrong with HIDs in HB? It'll clear the road of any oncoming traffic as they veer off into the surrounding trees! LOL I bet they are still dimmer than some of the LED light bars everyone is putting onto every nook and cranny of their trucks! (I know I know, it's for off-road use only...just sayin)

 

It seems that it all comes down to personal preference regarding the LB projectors. HB and fog, LED is absolutely the way to go, but I don’t think anyone is disputing that other than diehard halogen people. I’d still like to see a side by side, in the rain, with some various targets. I think HID is going to win, but when you flick on the fogs I doubt most people can tell the difference.

 

My post was intended to help a brand new member of the site who posted in here, to which I responded, I very much doubt they read all 70+ pages of the thread. I know many in here do not care about the engineering optics of lighting.

It doesn't matter how you want to look at it, side lighting your reflector (or projector) with directional LED lights in a housing made to reflect/project an omni-directional light source providing uniform illumination will result in loss of distance projection. Unfortunately the increased short foreground illumination usually confuses people to thinking things are brighter. Look it up. And I'm not talking marketing BS material from a vendor trying to sell you an LED retrofit product.

I assure you, I've done my homework.

Lighting is deceptively hard to photograph. I've had plenty of experience. Those photographs are in no way remotely comparable for output comparison.

Look at these photos:





Which light is brighter?

They are the exact same lights, photographed from the same position, seconds apart, with the same camera but the point of focus was slightly different. They are identical. This is why I do all my light comparison testing side-by-side at the same time. If 2 separate pictures of the same lights, at the same point, at nearly the same time, with the same camera can vary that extensively, then different lights in different locations, taken at different times with different cameras has so little meaning it is worthless for output comparison.

 

So my takeaway tonight is this.

HIDs can be harder to install than LEDs because of the ballasts. Obviously not a deal breaker unless zip ties or double face tape confuse you. Or you have catchers mitt sized hands and sausages for fingers like me. Of course I could remove the grill and headlight housings. Fun fun fun.

Some HIDs might not last as long as others and as long as your willing to keep replacing the same bulb component to keep from dealing with installing those damn ballasts again, just more costly. You could start out by trying a more expensive version to avoid this though. Lose win situation?

Then there's my favorite part of the whole prospect. I can hardly say it without laughing. Non-instant on lighting. There's a F'n delay?! Seriously? Or are you guys just messin' with me cause I'm the newb? Ha Ha if so. If not look, and I seriously don't mean to insult anyone or sound like an ass but I'm way too freaking old to wait for lights to warm up before reaching full lumen output. Sorry, I will deal with the OEM hallogens first before investing that kind of money on any light that doesn't come on instantly.

Here's the thing. The OEM lights are not that bad to begin with. Honestly, except for a little less throw and a little less luminosity and a yellowish color, they work. It just sucks knowing things could be better. I definitely want better.

Bottom line, I'm not sold on HIDs yet. Not with all the facts I have at this time. For me, my usage, my time, my money, LEDs still are my best choice.

 

Whooo that was a close one @ToyoDrew and @RobP62. I almost considered buying lights that were a pain to install, take 5 minutes to achieve full brightness, and don’t last as long as LED.

What the hell was I thinking lol

 

Earning stripes!!