LED headlights question(s)

I know there are a few Jeep people on here, and everyone loves to see at night while driving so here goes. Thanks in advance due to long post.

Backstory- I purchased my 2000 Jeep Wrangler in the past couple months. I couldn't stand how dim the stock headlights were, and didn't want to drop serious coin right away on JW Speaker lights, or a Truck-lite setup, these are $400-700+ headlight setups. I went with the cheap truck-lite knockoffs(style seen below on ebay link for 85 bucks) and have had no complaints with night time driving on my end when weather is dry and clear, or blinding oncoming traffic as well. I had my girl drive the Wrangler, and I drove our Grand Cherokee, and small Honda to see how the glare was, and surprisingly had no issue's there.

Come to last night, and first time with them in the rain. It was basically like having no headlights at all on the road. They were great for signs, and seeing the rears of cars still though. Just basically zero actual pavement visibility.

Is this common on LED, or HID styled lights due to the light color, and just something that has to be lived with and get nice fog lights? I should say the vehicle has no fog lights yet, PO took them off and can not find them for me when called. Waiting on a BF sale hopefully to snag some. I ordered a better than stock halogen setup for the meantime, but want to keep the LED for the output and color due to driving back roads each night for work. They really are awesome on clear, and dry nights.

I have spent less than 150 total on both sets of lights currently, and can reuse my knockoff lights on an offroad toy if I have to get rid of them. These JW lights(linked below) are what I am leaning to next, but if the light will drown out in inclement weather as a byproduct of the light color then I am not shelling out over 700 for them.

http://www.quadratec.com/products/97009_806X_PG.htm

Here is what I currently have, the "real" version is 400 bucks.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-7-inch-8...ash=item3d1d68430b:g:uJsAAOSwbYZXYpFE&vxp=mtr

you cant buy knockoff, and expect the same performance.

that being said, LED tech is still relatively new, and higher color temps will be harder in inclement weather. rally cars and the like use "yellow" lights because its easier to see in rain, fog, etc.

having 5000k or 6000k hid or led is going to be quite different. a 3000-4300 will be much easier to see in the rain, but not as "pretty" at other times, as well as sacrificing some actual output.

with a single light source, you cant have your cake and eat it to. you have to choose between the cool white/blue look that lends itself to dry driving, or the ugly old yellow that has great visibility in poor conditions. sadly.

although being LED isnt helping. HID is still better.

Saleen4971 said:

you cant buy knockoff, and expect the same performance.

that being said, LED tech is still relatively new, and higher color temps will be harder in inclement weather. rally cars and the like use "yellow" lights because its easier to see in rain, fog, etc.

having 5000k or 6000k hid or led is going to be quite different. a 3000-4300 will be much easier to see in the rain, but not as "pretty" at other times, as well as sacrificing some actual output.

with a single light source, you cant have your cake and eat it to. you have to choose between the cool white/blue look that lends itself to dry driving, or the ugly old yellow that has great visibility in poor conditions. sadly.

although being LED isnt helping. HID is still better.

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First sentence I understand completely. The knockoffs are more a testing the waters to see if I like the color, and light output before spending a lot on something that is not what I care for. Again I like the light output and pattern in dry weather, and was hoping I got lucky.

I found a guy locally that has the JW set I am looking at, and I am going to meet up with them and see how I like those. They are again an LED setup though. I just would hate to drop the 400-700 depending where you buy on those and then not care for them.

I will snag a set of fog lights too this black friday and cyber monday that use a more yellow light source too, and give me multiple lighting options for rain. I don't care what color the light(LED color is preferred though) is going to be as long as it works, and lights up the road properly.

For HID I am not ruling it out, but would need to buy the housing and projector's and go the custom route since I don't believe anyone makes a decent projector setup from reading around for this vehicle.

Led's dont cast light as far as halogens and they generate more heat. For headlights, as stated above, they are new technology and not very good in this application yet. Hids are still the best when in a proper housing. I have white hids in my 02 gt's stock housings (no flaming it was the po who installed it and he cut all the wiring...) and it is better than the stock 9007 bulbs. I have yet to be flashed in that car but Im doing a prejector retrofit so I can actually use all the light the hids produce.

In short, do a retrofit and run hids.

I bought a pair of 39 dollar LED lights for my XJ, they kick the living daylights out of the tired sealed beam halogens.

Yes, the JW Speaker or Trucklites would be leaps and bounds above these, but for 39 dollars it's a huge improvement.

Hope you find some round ones for the Wrangler...

07gts197 said:

Led's dont cast light as far as halogens and they generate more heat. For headlights, as stated above, they are new technology and not very good in this application yet. Hids are still the best when in a proper housing. I have white hids in my 02 gt's stock housings (no flaming it was the po who installed it and he cut all the wiring...) and it is better than the stock 9007 bulbs. I have yet to be flashed in that car but Im doing a prejector retrofit so I can actually use all the light the hids produce.

In short, do a retrofit and run hids.

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HID is what I am leaning towards doing.

Fosters said:

I bought a pair of 39 dollar LED lights for my XJ, they kick the living daylights out of the tired sealed beam halogens.

Yes, the JW Speaker or Trucklites would be leaps and bounds above these, but for 39 dollars it's a huge improvement.

Hope you find some round ones for the Wrangler...

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Sealed beams are stupid dim. That's what the Wrangler had on it. I feel you on the XJ lights. I had one before and they were just as bad as the Wrangler's sealed beams.



My Hella setup came in on Saturday and went on shortly after. It is a halogen housing, with H4 bulbs. They give me just as much usable light straight ahead as the knock off truck-lites, and will be a great setup for the time being. The reviews I am finding for JW and truck-lites are so one side or the other you can't make an accurate choice. Si I am again really leaning to HID retrofit down the road.

definitely stay below 6000K color if you want to see in the rain.

Thenorm said:

definitely stay below 6000K color if you want to see in the rain.

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I am going to go with something around the 4300-5000k range. I am digging around the retrofit source right now, and I see some at 4500k I like.

AR Stang said:

Sealed beams are stupid dim. That's what the Wrangler had on it. I feel you on the XJ lights. I had one before and they were just as bad as the Wrangler's sealed beams.



My Hella setup came in on Saturday and went on shortly after. It is a halogen housing, with H4 bulbs. They give me just as much usable light straight ahead as the knock off truck-lites, and will be a great setup for the time being. The reviews I am finding for JW and truck-lites are so one side or the other you can't make an accurate choice. Si I am again really leaning to HID retrofit down the road.

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Yep... someone on the heep forums once described the sealed beams lighting as "candle in the wind"... You seriously could put 2 mini maglites in there and they'd be better... lol.