OK- I hate to do this. But I gotta get better headlights in my 2009 EXP

[ExpeditionAndy]

Duh... Yeah I know that and just blew my argument.... But I'm not an optometrist... Thanks Andy! Not sire what was going on in my head when I wrote that but oh well you got the idea

I know what you were trying to say. I think you just mixed up dilated and contracted.

 

[Adieu]

There it is, the dumbest thing I'll see all day (and I work in New York City, I see a lot of dumb!)

You can't "properly aim" a beam pattern that is no longer a beam, but rather just scattered light reflections. Why does that happen? Any headlight, whether reflector or projector, halogen, HID or LED, is designed to capture light from a specific light source and direct it in a particular beam pattern. In the case of a halogen bulb, all of this is tailed to the cylindrically shaped filament of those bulbs and their specific focal distance from the bulb base. An HID bulb has a crescent shaped arc between the electrodes, again at a specific focal distance. An LED chip directs light in one direction from the diode. Lighting is designed as a holistic system - gathering and directing light from a specific source, and changing the shape and position of that source disrupts how the overall system works.

Now, I know very well what the argument is.... if the kit is built properly, the focal height is taken into consideration, etc... you can manage all this and have rebased bulb plug n play "conversion" that mitigates the impact of a different light source shape, and gives you more intensity with minimal disruption to the beam pattern.

Take a stroll with me through the world of these manufacturers...

Add to that the following consideration - HID and LED "conversions" with plug and play bulbs are illegal at the federal level. No ifs, ands or buts. Enforcement at a consumer level at individual jurisdictions may vary, but federal law is clear. No HID kit meets the standards of FMVSS No. 108.





Because of this, you will never see a real Philips, Sylvania, Osram, etc.. kit offered. No reputable or quality manufacturer will make a kit. What is out there to purchase is low quality, offshore (usually Chinese) products. How confident are you in their ability to manufacture and sell you a pair of high quality bulbs, correctly aligned, hitting the focal height properly, and usually with ballasts as well, for the price of what a real manufacturer charges for one capsule? The answer here is "not very". This is how bad it can get a cheap chinese copy of a regular HID bulb fitment, never mind adapting these capsules onto a halogen base. Keep in mind the length of the bulb required for an HID - they don't bother actually correcting focal length, if it can be made to fit in the hole, they just send it.

The unfortunate truth of the matter is that plug and play "conversions" are mostly the domain of lowest bidder offshore manufacturers not interested in bettering your night vision or helping improve your ride, but rather simply getting your hard earned cash in their pocket in exchange for as little investment on their part as possible.

Also, you should reconsider having the fogs stay on with your high beams - it has to do with foreground light making your pupils constrict, and that hurts your distance vision at night. It seem counterintuitive that less light = better vision, but that's a big part of the reason the fogs turn off with the high beams.

Except that you CAN buy a real Osram or Philips "kit", just buy 2 ballasts 2 bulbs... though yeah you might need an assembly or retrofit housing that'll accomodate the bulb

As to bulbs vs. stock bixenon, today there's even LEDs that pump more actual visible light output than an Osram bixenon D1S


And hey if you dont like off the shelf bulbs in housings they werent necessaruly specifically designed for, buy a sealed LED projector assembly for your fogs.

Besides the $200ish Morimoto unit and the $300ish JW Speaker one (both officially sold as F150 units but should fit), there's also a quite passable $50-something Chinese unit featuring a repurposed 4" Harley/Jeep assembly in a 4.5" adapter that fits F150/Ranger/Expedition fog light mounts:



The amount of light these things pump out is no joke (although some of the other Harley sets that won't mount up without extensive fabrication are even more effective)


A good LED projector switchback bulb in your front turn signal/DRL + a projector foglight assembly together can give you comparable illumination to an HID kit without ever touching your halogen headlights if you really dont wanna

 

[34Ford]

That's the company. I used the Moon Series Canbus Ballasts that have the built in cancellers so all you need is the 35 W HID kit, select the bulb temp color that you want. I went with the 5K temp because it was the closest to white light. LEDs are nice but don't project well from the stock projector headlights because the design of the parabolic reflector is designed for incandescents. HIDs are very very close to incandescent in design which is why the work so well.

https://www.xenonhids.com/35w-ac-canbus-ballast-hid-kit.html

Andy, did you also get the power relay harness, or did you stay with the oem wiring?

https://www.xenonhids.com/dual-beam-hi-lo-h13-9008-full-xenon-hid-conversion-kit.html?i=Y5159W

 

[JExpedition07]

I get “night blinded” by all these new LEDs the manufactures put out I could care less if I’m blinding them back tbh. The new Acura’s and Mercedes are absolutely ridiculous and I have to look away from the road when they are oncoming. IMO their light sucks as well, most vehicles I drive with LEDs suck night driving. My stock halogens put most of these newer vehicles with LED lights to shame, I can see way better in my truck. Drive in the rain and watch the white light disappear while the yellow halogen light still illuminates on, the LEDs are a white unfocused light that just projects everywhere.

 

[gixer2000]

I get “night blinded” by all these new LEDs the manufactures put out I could care less if I’m blinding them back tbh. The new Acura’s and Mercedes are absolutely ridiculous and I have to look away from the road when they are oncoming. IMO their light sucks as well, most vehicles I drive with LEDs suck night driving. My stock halogens put most of these newer vehicles with LED lights to shame, I can see way better in my truck.

It's pretty typical for oem lighting to suck and even a high end car always needs improvement. Leds are getting better but still a long way away

 

[limitedex]

Here's what I have. eBay.

 

[deweysmith]

I'd like to see those turned on.

 

[Allen Miller]

I get “night blinded” by all these new LEDs the manufactures put out

IMO, GM is the absolute worst out there by far, followed by Honda/Acura. Everyone else is hit-or-miss by the various models... I think Lexus/Toyota and Tesla have the best LED lights.

That's just my opinion... I'm not sure what IIHS says about them, but I know they just recently started rating headlights.

 

[JExpedition07]

IMO, GM is the absolute worst out there by far, followed by Honda/Acura. Everyone else is hit-or-miss by the various models... I think Lexus/Toyota and Tesla have the best LED lights.

That's just my opinion... I'm not sure what IIHS says about them, but I know they just recently started rating headlights.

The worst headlights I’ve ever experienced have been BMW.

 

[gixer2000]

IMO, GM is the absolute worst out there by far, followed by Honda/Acura. Everyone else is hit-or-miss by the various models... I think Lexus/Toyota and Tesla have the best LED lights.

That's just my opinion... I'm not sure what IIHS says about them, but I know they just recently started rating headlights.

Honestly the tesla is still sub par. lexus is typically where it's at as far as hid projectors goes. The 2010+ Lexus RX350 is still one of the best projectors to ever hit the market Once tuned properly with a clear lens. Unfortunately All oem led are still way behind oem hid projector but they look great