LED vs Halogen Headlight

Mr. Bills said:
Being the contrarian that I am, I have to add my two cents. :wave1:

In my humble opinion LED headlights put out a lot of light but it isn't the best light in terms of color temperature or pattern.

My preference for a jeep with 7" round headlights is H4 halogen bulbs in E-Code housings. The color temperature of the H4 light is easier on the eyes for both the driver and oncoming traffic than LED headlights which are much closer to the blue end of the light spectrum. The light pattern with E-Code housings has a defined cutoff that does not force oncoming traffic to squint and puts plenty of light where it needs to be for the driver.

I am using Hella P/N 02.395-031 178mm (7") E-Code headlight housings and Philips X-treme Vision +130 60/55W H4 bulbs. No changes to the factory wiring were necessary. They replaced Wagner Britelites that appeared to be the original headlight bulbs installed in 2006. Total cost from Amazon Prime was $91.12 in November, 2018.

From a recent exchange on Jeep Forum Dot Com:
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@Mr. Bills, are these the bulbs you are using?
Philips X-treme Vision +130% Headlight Bulbs (Pack of 2) (H4 60/55W) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QJWUPC6/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Thanks
 
I have the Euro style Hella's on my rig and I do like the stock look of them, but admittedly they aren't very bright. The DOT here (called RTA) takes a dim view (pun intended) on LEDs that aren't OEM. I have 4 KC lights for off road illumination and will probably leave the headlamps stock just for police pain avoidance.
 
OK LED experts. I have the JW speaker LED headlights in my 97 TJ. Super awesome illumination, my issue is recently I have a lot of oncoming traffic flashing their lights at me and I flash back showing my brights are not on. so I am torn to put my halogen back in and use h13 XV bulbs. what are the arguments for and against. my real concern is IF the LEDs really are that bright to other oncoming traffic I may cause an accident or someone to wreck. And go....
 
Jeep9748 said:
OK LED experts. I have the JW speaker LED headlights in my 97 TJ. Super awesome illumination, my issue is recently I have a lot of oncoming traffic flashing their lights at me and I flash back showing my brights are not on. so I am torn to put my halogen back in and use h13 XV bulbs. what are the arguments for and against. my real concern is IF the LEDs really are that bright to other oncoming traffic I may cause an accident or someone to wreck. And go....
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Did you aim the new head lights?
 
yes when i put them in about nine months ago. there was never an issue. this may seem strange, but I feel like they are brighter now then when I put them in. I know that sometimes cars are lower to the ground than a jeep and will flash, but its happening at least three to four times everytime I drive.
 
Ok, stupid question here but I'll ask anyway. Are the LEDS the same as High Intensity Lights that have the ballasts? Sorry for my ignorance, but if I don't ask then I don't know.
 
Chris said:
I could have told you that. A good LED headlight is superior to a good halogen headlight in every way (unless you live somewhere where it constantly snows, and you need the heat from the headlights to melt snow). Even the Cibies my friend has (which are the best halogens you can get for the TJs as far as I know) can't come close to my LED headlights. The light output from LEDs is really fantastic.
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More Power I use these you can see .5 Mi

landing LED.png
 
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Jeep9748 said:
yes when i put them in about nine months ago. there was never an issue. this may seem strange, but I feel like they are brighter now then when I put them in. I know that sometimes cars are lower to the ground than a jeep and will flash, but its happening at least three to four times everytime I drive.
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I just aimed mine a little lower than I would using halogens. Never had a problem since. Most of the new cars, blind everyone right out of the factory, so, it is what it is. My dad has a new Wrangler, right off the lot with LED lighting and he get flashed all the time.
 
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greenliftedtj97 said:
I just aimed mine a little lower than I would using halogens. Never had a problem since. Most of the new cars, blind everyone right out of the factory, so, it is what it is. My dad has a new Wrangler, right off the lot with LED lighting and he get flashed all the time.
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With my TruckLites, I can clearly see the cut off in traffic. One thing I have paid some attention to is how my headlights shine onto the cars in front of me. When if I am close behind at a stop light, I'm not lighting up much beyond their trunk lid.
 
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greenliftedtj97 said:
I just aimed mine a little lower than I would using halogens. Never had a problem since. Most of the new cars, blind everyone right out of the factory, so, it is what it is. My dad has a new Wrangler, right off the lot with LED lighting and he get flashed all the time.
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Thanks- I think I will leave them alone then. just wasn't sure it anyone else had this issue.
 
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