Dope 3rd gen headlights under $1000?

I just think it’s funny how the new kids always show up acting like they’re experts after a few months of ownership, when these headlights have been thoroughly scientifically tested over the last 5-6 years with, basically, every kind of drop in replacement bulb possible.

Hey, new kids. Don’t worry. If you can read, then the lighting thread mentioned earlier is the only source of information that you’ll need. It’s not that difficult. It contains science and shit. There are numbers too, so be careful. Try not to hurt your brains. Just please stop thinking. Don’t talk. Just go read it.

 

that was specifically mentioned. human perception is skewed by the excess foreground lighting. what looks brighter to you is brighter, but only in the foreground, not at distance where it actually matters. you will quickly outdrive the foreground lighting. using hard data from a light meter at distance, not perception, crash has proven what is actually an effective setup.

 

And that is exactly what I did: light meter at 100 yards distance, first with the stock setup, then with the Philips H9's. VISUALLY brighter at 100 yards. LIGHT METER-verified as appreciably brighter at 100 yards. I forget the readings on the meter, but it was significant in the improvement at distance with STOCK lenses using H9's.

And I could give a rat's ass about how spider eyes look. Mine, OR YOURS.

 

Ya' know, I have dealt with that pretty much my whole life, in that various entities say bad things about popular items. Consumer Reports badmouthed the VW Beetle. I bought two of them and loved them. They bad mouthed the YUGO. I bought one of those, and put over 100,000 miles on it before I traded it. Great car. Yes, people on here badmouth these lights. But I have to say that they have been GREAT to me. I do admit though, at first, I had to get used to the way they look. It seems like the halogen OEMs didn't shine as far out or down the road as these. I actually thought there was something wrong with their adjustment, so I had them checked at my local mechanic when I was getting my oil changed, and he said they were perfectly correct. So after about a week or so, I got used to how they shined and actually think they are WAY better than OEM. It just goes to show that once again, one doesn't have to spend a lot of money to get a product that is good. I don't know how long they will last, but hey, I don't know long my OEM lights would have lasted either. But the lights work great, the sequential turn signals have actually grown on me, and I really like the DRL lights, as they are just WAY better than OEM. Hope this helps.

 

No sillier than swapping grills, wheels, lifts, etc. People like what they like. Personal preference.

 

One mod i dont understand. Maybe you all can change my mind.
Youll NEVER see this mod. Its a mod for strangers to enjoy right?

 

not really. Wheels and (some) lifts have a purpose. Smaller wheels for offroading, larger wheels for street. Suspension lifts provide clearance and better handling characteristics based on the need.

You can actually make your headlights worse by throwing LEDs in the halogen housings because they don’t project light well and can blind drivers

 

H9's are like $10. it's not even a money thing.

 

To get back on topic; under $1k you can black out and modify your own headlights. Add in either RX-350 projectors or MLEDs. If you really want sequential turn signals, Profile has amber switchback sequential LED strips you can install. If you are willing to give up the sequential function, get some 12" Diode Dynamic sequential LED strips as the quality is far superior to Profile. Below is my retrofit with RX-350 projectors, Diode Dynamics halos and sequential 12" Diode Dynamic LED strips. Under $1k for all if you do the work yourself.

If you want to stretch your budget over $1k, get the OEM LEDs.

 

This is correct.

 

I upgraded my headlights and fogs, so I could see. With the factory fogs and halogen's I could barely see 10ft in front of my truck at night. It wasn't safe for me. Now with the selective yellow ss3 max's and the oem led's I can see much farther and much wider at night. Also, the selective yellow fogs work better for inclimate weather (fog, dust, snow) when compared to the white fog versions. Plus, the ss3 max's will get hot enough to melt snow and ice. Furthermore, the light cut off of the oem led headlights and ss3 max fogs is very sharp, so they don't cast big blurs of light overspill into oncoming traffic, which is what happens when you put aftermarket bulbs in the factory halogen housings. (After all, what good is the extra light output if you can't control where it goes. You'd only benefit from it if it was cast in the direction you were headed.)

For me, the modifications were done for function and not for looks. Although, I did choose the pro oem led headlights over the standard oem led headlights for their blacked out appearance. Aside from that, both the pro oem led headlights and regular oem led headlights function the same and have the same light output.

I realize everyone has a budget to work with and that's understandable. However, these upgrades are worth their cost.

 

Looks great man nice work

 

The part about throwing LEDs into the halogen housings is a valid point, and not something I would do anyway. My sole purpose in replacing my OEM lights, was because I hated the chrome. I wanted black housings but clear lens because of legalities in various locales. The sequential turn signals were a somewhat bonus, and I do like the larger better DRL lights.

 

sure. They look cool I guess.

the shiny parts of the headlight reflect light though. Does the blackout cause less light to reflect outwards?

 

Look for OEM pro halogens. That's what I did. Easy and cheap enough, although not an upgrade in light

 

Only for those who blackout their high beam buckets lol

 

^This is the way. I did the same thing on my 2nd Gen with OEM Pro lamps. Best way to change the look if wanting to remove chrome without sacrificing performance.

The assemblies are not an upgrade in output on their own, but they are also not a downgrade like most everything out there. Then you can spend $20 on some H9s to significantly upgrade the output using the OEM quality optics. They will also be higher quality and last for far longer than anything aftermarket.

 

I think it might have, if it were the OEM Halogen bulbs. But with the LEDs, they are inherently designed to shine more outward. I do think I have more light with the LEDs than with the OEM Halogens.

 

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