Safe aftermarket LED headlight bulb info, finds and discussion

[KKaWing]

Just ordered a pair of these and the Morimoto X.DRL 5.

I'll post my impressions once they've arrived.

Peter

Mhmm these are on my short list of stuff to get with my credit card cash back in Dec. Looking forward to your impressions.

 

[Peter H]

...Edit: how and where are you going to install those? Like a retrofit into the headlight housings?

I'll try mounting the Morimoto X.DRL 5's in the IC grill. I recently returned a pair of Philips Daylight 8 DRLs that I installed down there - they worked great for two days then mysteriously quit.

 

[danbfree]

I'll try mounting the Morimoto X.DRL 5's in the IC grill. I recently returned a pair of Philips Daylight 8 DRLs that I installed down there - they worked great for two days then mysteriously quit.

Right on, I wish we had more aftermarket headlight housing options other than the OEM Euro ones and the occasionally mysterious aftermarket European ones you can sometimes track down but both are $600-800... Anyway, definitely am looking forward to your results on both... since you are in Oregon have you heard about the local forum on here and the Facebook groups? We have some cool meetups and whatnot sometimes, some cool dudes in the WORST group! (Western ORegon ST)

 

[Peter H]

...since you are in Oregon have you heard about the local forum on here and the Facebook groups? We have some cool meetups and whatnot sometimes, some cool dudes in the WORST group! (Western ORegon ST)

Funny you should mention WORST! I joined last month after meeting another member at the PDX Cars & Coffee and went on the Banks-to-Astoria drive last Sunday. That was f-ing amazing and the most fun I've had in a car in decades! I also learned how brilliant my car is when really pushed - I definitely made the right choice!

 

[danbfree]

Funny you should mention WORST! I joined last month after meeting another member at the PDX Cars & Coffee and went on the Banks-to-Astoria drive last Sunday. That was f-ing amazing and the most fun I've had in a car in decades! I also learned how brilliant my car is when really pushed - I definitely made the right choice!

Nice man! I was totally supposed to go last Saturday but just couldn't pull it off with last minute crap to do... I originally found them on FB and went to one C&C in Wilsonville with them a few months ago, but yeah, thought I saw your white car in the photos, right on man, hope to meet you sometime at one of the events!

 

[danbfree]

OK, so I have a little cash to get some GOOD headlights and probably some cheap LED's for the high beams where obviously glare and cutoff, etc. doesn't matter... I'm torn between the DeAuto HID's for reflectors HERE where they are $112.50 after coupon, come in a nice white 5000k OR the Mishimoto 2 stroke 2.0 that are $120, OR the DeAuto LED's that are $135, or even the good ol' Hikari that are about $81 after coupon (missed the flash sale) so I can be DONE worrying about having good lights... Decisions, decisions...

 

[danbfree]

OK, after starting this thread for LED's, I've just gone and went with HID's instead, but it was a tough choice... First, I ordered the ONLY HID actually designed for reflector housings HERE in 5000k version for best visibility and stock look, although I did consider 6000k, I wanted the whitest and least likely to get me pulled over option. The actually tested out at 5080k, which is great! Great video review is HERE and proves how good and clean this HID works. The DeAuto LED was over $20 more and also are 32mm wide so would be cutting it REALLY close. I'll be sure to update with some pics and a review once they arrive and are installed!

 

[THE COOP]

OK, after starting this thread for LED's, I've just gone and went with HID's instead, but it was a tough choice... First, I ordered the ONLY HID actually designed for reflector housings HERE in 5000k version for best visibility and stock look, although I did consider 6000k, I wanted the whitest and least likely to get me pulled over option. The actually tested out at 5080k, which is great! Great video review is HERE and proves how good and clean this HID works. The DeAuto LED was over $20 more and also are 32mm wide so would be cutting it REALLY close. I'll be sure to update with some pics and a review once they arrive and are installed!

Now I'm going to have to buy a HID kit too? Just great!!! COOP

 

[danbfree]

Now I'm going to have to buy a HID kit too? Just great!!! COOP

So you ordered the MAXGTRS from China already? What dual mode ones did you get you mentioned in Ron's thread?

 

[Peter H]

OK, so I have a little cash to get some GOOD headlights and probably some cheap LED's for the high beams where obviously glare and cutoff, etc. doesn't matter... I'm torn between the DeAuto HID's for reflectors HERE where they are $112.50 after coupon, come in a nice white 5000k OR the Mishimoto 2 stroke 2.0 that are $120, OR the DeAuto LED's that are $135, or even the good ol' Hikari that are about $81 after coupon (missed the flash sale) so I can be DONE worrying about having good lights... Decisions, decisions...

I ordered a set of open-box Mishimoto 2-Stroke 2.0 H1 LEDs from The Retrofit Source that were marked down to $75. I've been running the 2-Stroke 2.0 H11 LEDs as my low beams for the last couple days and am very happy with the results. They seem to have very good output and coverage and a good cutoff (no one has flashed me yet). Besides the obvious goal of more light on the road, a big factor for me going LED was not having to worry about bulbs burning out, definitely a concern when your commute is all forest and rural highways!

 

[danbfree]

I ordered a set of open-box Mishimoto 2-Stroke 2.0 H1 LEDs from The Retrofit Source that were marked down to $75. I've been running the 2-Stroke 2.0 H11 LEDs as my low beams for the last couple days and am very happy with the results. They seem to have very good output and coverage and a good cutoff (no one has flashed me yet). Besides the obvious goal of more light on the road, a big factor for me going LED was not having to worry about bulbs burning out, definitely a concern when your commute is all forest and rural highways!

Oh man, I'm sure the 2 stroke 2.0 are really nice and great deal on your set of open box H11, if I could have found that deal I would have gotten those but instead got the H11RC Reflector HID's from DeAuto... but for high beams I could use those H1's too, it's just that I so rarely use high beams but maybe if I had some good ones I would use them more often too... thanks for the feedback!

 

[THE COOP]

So you ordered the MAXGTRS from China already? What dual mode ones did you get you mentioned in Ron's thread?

I bought the MAXGTRS from AliExpress and the 2 color Fog Lights you have listed from Amazon, where I live in Tennessee I deal with fog in the mornings and some times at night and my old eyes don't see as good as they once did. That was sarcasm in my post about buying the HID kit!!!! I'm anxiously awaiting the slow boat from China to deliver the headlights and already have the fog lights. Great thread by the way!! COOP

 

[THE COOP]

So you ordered the MAXGTRS from China already? What dual mode ones did you get you mentioned in Ron's thread?

I've liked those circles LED Halo rings on Ron,s car ever since I saw them and now that (brbauer) sent me a link on them I might order a pair of them and set them up to blink amber with my turn signals and run white full time. I just thought they looked cool very similar to all the Dodge Chargers headlights I see around town. COOP

 

[danbfree]

I bought the MAXGTRS from AliExpress and the 2 color Fog Lights you have listed from Amazon, where I live in Tennessee I deal with fog in the mornings and some times at night and my old eyes don't see as good as they once did. That was sarcasm in my post about buying the HID kit!!!! I'm anxiously awaiting the slow boat from China to deliver the headlights and already have the fog lights. Great thread by the way!! COOP

So you got the DWVO or whatever dual color fogs? Mine went out of sync constantly, it has those 4 different modes and they would never stay the same between the pair so the seller just refunded me and mine are sitting... But now I have the yellow Lamin-X and don't want neon green fogs so I have to order 4300k LEDs from Aliexpress, can only find the expensive ones on eBay.. If you like the halos, Aliexpress has fogs with them built in and also some $500 full headlights too.

 

[THE COOP]

So you got the DWVO or whatever dual color fogs? Mine went out of sync constantly, it has those 4 different modes and they would never stay the same between the pair so the seller just refunded me and mine are sitting... But now I have the yellow Lamin-X and don't want neon green fogs so I have to order 4300k LEDs from Aliexpress, can only find the expensive ones on eBay.. If you like the halos, Aliexpress has fogs with them built in and also some $500 full headlights too.

Well that's a bummer about them getting out of sync and I hope I don't that problem but we'll see. Update the first page with your findings on other fog lights and I might try some of the fog lights with built in Halo rings from AliExpress. We'll see as there are other mods I'm wanting to do to the car and it's a long lists!!! COOP

 

[danbfree]

Well that's a bummer about them getting out of sync and I hope I don't that problem but we'll see. Update the first page with your findings on other fog lights and I might try some of the fog lights with built in Halo rings from AliExpress. We'll see as there are other mods I'm wanting to do to the car and it's a long lists!!! COOP

There are some Car Rover brand mentioned on the first page for dual mode fog lights, and have gotten some good recent feedback on those as well! I'm now struggling to find a decent price 4 sided LED H1 for the high beams, you need 4 side for proper 360 projection on high beams, but for low beams it's not important with cutoff anyway...

 

[KKaWing]

Just an update, these guys fit into the housing no problem. It doesn't touch anything but, it does come really close to the lip for the dust cover and will not let it seal. As it did not let the dust cover back on properly, no further testing was done. If you can get the dimensions of the heatsink to be shorter by a few mm or narrower so the dust cover's inner lip can slip on this size would work. Aftermarket dust caps are an option too.

 

[danbfree]

Just an update, these guys fit into the housing no problem. It doesn't touch anything but, it does come really close to the lip for the dust cover and will not let it seal. As it did not let the dust cover back on properly, no further testing was done. If you can get the dimensions of the heatsink to be shorter by a few mm or narrower so the dust cover's inner lip can slip on this size would work. Aftermarket dust caps are an option too.

View attachment 18826

Weird, 79mm is 3.11 in. and I thought 2.9 in. was max length unless the base was 32mm/1.22 in. max in width so I honestly have no idea how you fit them... and again, I'll keep saying this, our reflector housing are designed for halogen bulbs, which are not really affected by heat, but LED's ARE affected by heat and will run very close to it's max temperature temperature, dimming before that point too so rear covers are definitely not recommended, they simply trap too much heat. If you feel rear covers are important, which they are not, then stick with halogen or HID or try to fit those pass-through rear covers...

Speaking of HID, there is the ONE kit designed for reflector housing and I spent good money on them ordering them a few days ago. Well, I went to install them today, driver side no problem, then couldn't get passenger side to work. I pulled the bulb out of the housing and got it to work sitting out in the car, put them back, not working again, Swapped harnesses around, bulbs around and everything both sides stopped working. I'm working with the DeAutoKey e-mail tech support but they have not been helpful. First, they didn't even come with instructions, just some paper warnings, etc and they didn't even have instructions or a wiring diagram. I had to find a picture online for another brand, then hook mine up out on the table, take a picture and send it to them to confirm I did the wiring properly. Now, I'm asking to be credited towards their LED, which are literally the best you could buy, but thought I'd try the HID with it's perfect halogen like filament section. But they are giving me a hard time when it's poor quality product that was so complex and fragile that it couldn't even withstand me installing and troubleshooting before failing. If they don't take care of me I'm going to dispute the charges with my bank, this is horseshit, frankly, for spending $112.50 on a top of the line product when I could have spent half as much and got the DDM Premium that other FiST owners say they don't glare even though they aren't designed for reflector housings, apparently our glare cap works well enough but I STILL spent the good money on the one designed for reflectors and am getting the run-around on their poor product!

 

[danbfree]

Quick update: It appears THESE TECHMAX on Amazon Prime for $35 are identical or nearly identical to the MAXGTRS, probably for sure the same manufacturer if not exactly the same. Highly recommended budget set!

 

[KKaWing]

Dust covers are important where I am. The constant construction and road salt makes for a very dirty engine bay. The H11 socket is open on the bottom, dust will make it to the inside of the reflector area. That place is a bitch to clean, you can slosh soapy water but that's it. The DEAuto kit has been tried before, wish you better luck with them. https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/14556-deAutoLED-H11-Anti-glare-HID-bulbs