After market LED headlights

Then leave the factory set alone.

 

I have a 1994 379 Pete. I still replace the burn out headlights with the original . Yes, sometimes it’s hard to see at night in certain areas, but that’s why they created “High Beams”. LEDS/HIDs are full time high beams causing to blind others.

 

The SAE and here - Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

The problem is this.

The US DOT does not test lights, they do not approve lights nor do they have anything to do with their design. The SAE has been the governance group for a while, they are the ones who seem to write the specs and do the testing.

If I wanted to sell lights on the market for replacing bulbs with say LEDs, I can stick on the package "DOT approved" if it meets the replacement requirements to have the same lighting as the OEM lights. AND this is what others have done, they import branded (that is packaged with their own logos and info) and passed them off as 'replacement lights' for legit uses but then tell the distributors it can fit X or Y vehicle, and that is what is handed to the drop shippers and other vendors to sell.

The lamps themselves are a bit different, LED and HID have different departure angles for the light rays against that of a Halogen and plain old IC lamp.

The reflector type headlight (actually anything with a reflector) is made only for the latter group, because the light rays have a completely different angle than the former group.

When you put in an LED or HID bulb into a reflector unit, the light can't be focused because it can combine against the reflector to be focused so it scatters all over the place - hence blinding people.

However there is something called a projection headlamp, it has become more common now. It focuses the light rays (no matter what bulb is used) to go through a lens and consolidated and focused without the scatter to project the light. LED/HID lamps can be used without an issue with these units.

So research is easy, it has been done and what I posted is what the truth is.

To me, I have issues with anyone wanting to have as much light as possible without concern for others. To me that is a liability and the cops should deal with it on an inspection or pull someone over.

As for trucks themselves, Volvo and I think KW have memos stating that if you replace your halogen bulbs with HID/LED, they are legal because the same headlight unit is used for both types of lamps.

 

The cheap ones are bad. I run the JW Speaker heated 4X6 bulbs and have asked when running with someone, they all have said no problem.

 

buy some sylvania zxe, they are the halogen type of bulb but bright as heck, almost like hid

 

In my experience, I learned something about cars & trucks which make use of excessive after-market lighting: They don't move very fast. Whenever they approach me and creep toward tailgating range, they start moving real slow back there. If they show up immediately behind me while I am stopped at an intersection, they don't budge an inch. at all.

Decent drivers stay safe in the dark by only moving toward what they can see, and not by charging into what they can't.

 

hella rallye 3000 make a dam good spotlight