New LED vs HID headlights?

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89 8lughd

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has anyone ran these new LED headlight bulbs and if so how do you like them? how do the compare to the HIDs?
 

Joeyk94

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I like the leds so far. Even for cheap eBay light they are still brighter then my buddies expensive hids in his tahoe.
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SLmateo

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I just got 25 buck 4300k hids off e bay with a 6 buck relay (waterproofed relay with plastidip for good measure)... might be cheap overseas stuff but no one can tell. One month and no problems and 100x more light than stock... leds are interesting but not as tried and true for me yet.. ^^ look good but can't go wrong with hids for the price though.. believe I've read hids but out more light but I'm sure they tested higher quality products in comparison to what the coin flip QC most of us use.


^^I like your light bar placement :)
 
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skylark

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I believe that Richard (someotherguy) did a write up with install, thoughts and opinions.
 

MDR-97-Z71

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honestly I'd just go for the newer 9012 bulbs, Had I waited another month I would've learned about them and gone that route.

then you get the better output you're looking for and keep the older look of the truck using halogens. also no need for all the extra wiring mods for HID's (4 high, HD headlight harness)
 

someotherguy

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I haven't seen any LED headlights yet that can rival the light output of HID's. So if you have some you think are brighter or at least equal, please post the exact brand and model # you got, because that would be good info.

I tried HIR's (9012's) and was less than impressed for all the hype. One thing I can say is if you decide to go HIR then be sure to do a headlight relay harness too, so that you send full voltage to the bulbs instead of relying on the stock headlight circuit. You won't get the best performance out of them unless you do the relay harness.

So far in my experience LED headlights are just "OK" and there are a lot of them out there that aren't worth owning. Most aren't bright enough at all, and the brightest ones available still aren't extremely bright. I have some Torchstar that are claimed to be 2400 lumens and who knows, maybe they are. Maybe that means each one is 1200 and they're combining them in some marketing trickery.

And just like with HID's, it's difficult to get a good cutoff and pattern unless you do a projector retrofit. Glare out of the front of the bulb is there too, just like HID's.

Richard
 

99'Subourbon

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I run dual HIR1s (Hi-Beams), which are rated at 2350 per bulb from multiple sources, along with a 4-HI HD Relay Harness. I can say with 99% certainty, outside of a retrofit projector HID setup using top of the line (morimoto, d2s, etc) HID Bulbs/projectors, no other bulb holds a candle to HIRs in terms of output, and reliability.

I am sure LEDs will catch up to where they can be found decently, for decent prices, but the top of the line stuff is just to out of range atm (like HIDs were first, back in the day).

HIDs are great in theory, but damn it if I don't HAAAATE ballasts. I've used pretty much every 'cheap' HID solution out there, all the ebay options, all the amazon options, DDM multiple times, small shop people off other forums... Every single one of them, the ballasts burn out, and quickly/frequently. I am sure if you go with the projector retrofit guys, or some other top end business/kits, that is a different story - but expect to pay a pretty penny.
 

someotherguy

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I seriously doubt that 9000 lumen rating, by a very very very long stretch, no way. Not without a much larger heat sink, fan, etc. But I don't doubt you that they're bright. The ones I got are decent, and there's always room for improvement.

Don't really care for the external ballast design like HID's, just because on some vehicles it's a real pain to find somewhere to mount them close enough to hook up. I ended up using 3M body molding tape to hold them in my '06 SS, on the sides of the core support.

One thing's for sure, on a GMT400 you'll have to open up the headlight bracket and core support to clear those heat sinks, like I did with the Torchstar LED's I used. Not a big deal, but some may not want to do it.

Richard
 

slowburb

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There are now 9011 high beam bulbs in both my low and high beams. Swapped from whatever the silverstar bulbs or something 9005/9006. I have Anzo low brow halo housings with glare caps. The stock housings had a better throw pattern than the Anzos.

I can finally see. They are way brighter than the other bulbs. I mean way brighter.
 
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