Got led bulbs...not really seeing a cutoff.???

[RonBang]

Ok so my ram didnt come with leds...I have 2020 big horn with the normal I guess reflector housings. I got some low beam bulbs from Lasfit...the LA Plus bulb install, super bright. I pulled into a lot an advanced auto with a side wall at like three feet away I don’t see a beam pattern cutoff. I pulled back like ten feet didn’t see a clear cutoff either. I kinda see some kinda hotspot but it kinda just lights up the entire wall. Does everyone who has the headlight housings have to adjust the light up and or down to fix this...or are these led bulbs just might not be that great...I paid like $79 or something like that for them. Truck is blocked by work truck right now I’ll take pics tomorrow evening. Any info would be great...i get in my wife’s car and her car came with leds and the cutoff is clear...
thank you
Ron

 

[MannymanX]

Ok so my ram didnt come with leds...I have 2020 big horn with the normal I guess reflector housings. I got some low beam bulbs from Lasfit...the LA Plus bulb install, super bright. I pulled into a lot an advanced auto with a side wall at like three feet away I don’t see a beam pattern cutoff. I pulled back like ten feet didn’t see a clear cutoff either. I kinda see some kinda hotspot but it kinda just lights up the entire wall. Does everyone who has the headlight housings have to adjust the light up and or down to fix this...or are these led bulbs just might not be that great...I paid like $79 or something like that for them. Truck is blocked by work truck right now I’ll take pics tomorrow evening. Any info would be great...i get in my wife’s car and her car came with leds and the cutoff is clear...
thank you
Ron

I'd say they're installed incorrectly. I looked them up, They look like they did a good job making the main board very thin to replicate the incandescent bulb filament.

 

[RonBang]

I'd say they're installed incorrectly. I looked them up, They look like they did a good job making the main board very thin to replicate the incandescent bulb filament.

I seen one video of them installing them and they said the bulb goes vertical...where the little led lights are facing side to side. But maybe that was for a different headlight housing. Maybe the bulb goes horizontally where the leds are facing up and down? It has the adjustable 360° socket where I can spin it. i doubt it goes on an angle it has to be where the leds are facing up and down cause now they are facing side to side...

 

[MannymanX]

I seen one video of them installing them and they said the bulb goes vertical...where the little led lights are facing side to side. But maybe that was for a different headlight housing. Maybe the bulb goes horizontally where the leds are facing up and down? It has the adjustable 360° socket where I can spin it. i doubt it goes on an angle it has to be where the leds are facing up and down cause now they are facing side to side...

They are supposed to "face" side to side, This is the right way(a Filament is 360° anyway). What I'm more worried about is how deep they go inside the reflector, This is what makes the biggest difference. Can you take a picture of the way they are mounted inside the light assembly?

 

[RonBang]

They are supposed to "face" side to side, This is the right way(a Filament is 360° anyway). What I'm more worried about is how deep they go inside the reflector, This is what makes the biggest difference. Can you take a picture of the way they are mounted inside the light assembly?

Yeah idk how good your gonna see them with them being so bright. They’re for the truck...I mean there’s videos of people with same bulb and same truck and works fine.

 

[RonBang]

They are supposed to "face" side to side, This is the right way(a Filament is 360° anyway). What I'm more worried about is how deep they go inside the reflector, This is what makes the biggest difference. Can you take a picture of the way they are mounted inside the light assembly?

 

[MannymanX]

Yeah.. I can't really tell if it's mounted correctly from those pictures...

Is there a way to take a picture of the mounting bracket? From the back, where you insert the bulb.

 

[jimchi]

Unfortunately, with current technology, LED replacement bulbs are physically unable to reproduce the exact light output pattern that you get from a halogen bulb. Halogen reflector housings are designed with computer modeling specifically for a halogen filament. LED chips are flatter and wider than a glowing halogen filament, and therefore output a slightly different pattern. With the slightly different pattern coming from the LED chip, a reflector housing designed for halogen bulbs will not throw the light properly, and you'll get effects such as excess glare and the lack of a cutoff as you have experienced.

Jalopnik has a good article about the subject here:

Why Most LED Headlight Upgrades Don't Really Work: An Expert Explains

I got a stern talking-to from an actual lighting expert about LED retrofits.

jalopnik.com

The author of the Jalopnik article interviews an automotive lighting engineer, who published a whitepaper about a decade ago regarding the installation of HID bulbs into halogen housings. The problems that arise are similar to LED bulbs in halogen housings. The whitepaper is here:

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

If you want brighter light output in a halogen housing, it's best to go with a brighter bulb. The tradeoff is shorter life. I personally have used both Sylvania Silverstars and Philips Xtremevision bulbs, and I prefer the Philips.

 

[NorthStar]

I have Lasfits in my 2020 Ram 1500 Lone Star (exact same reflector housing as your Big Horn) and have zero issues. There is clearly a cutoff...depending upon how far back you are from the wall...25 feet?

The Truth: How Bad Is The Glare From LED Bulbs? (lasfit.com) You may need to lower the aim...

5 Key Tips Before Going LED Bulb Shopping (lasfit.com)

Go to the 4 minute mark of this video: How to Install 2019 2020 Ram 1500(Reflector BigHorn) Headlight High Beam LED Bulbs - YouTube

 

[RonBang]

I have Lasfits in my 2020 Ram 1500 Lone Star (exact same reflector housing as your Big Horn) and have zero issues. There is clearly a cutoff...depending upon how far back you are from the wall...25 feet?

The Truth: How Bad Is The Glare From LED Bulbs? (lasfit.com) You may need to lower the aim...

5 Key Tips Before Going LED Bulb Shopping (lasfit.com)

Go to the 4 minute mark of this video: How to Install 2019 2020 Ram 1500(Reflector BigHorn) Headlight High Beam LED Bulbs - YouTube

I was like 3feet than moved back to about 20feet

 

[NorthStar]

Recommendation is 25 feet.

Give Lasfit a call and explain what you are doing and seeing. Give exact measurements of the distance utilized and they will walk you through it. Lasfit’s customer service is top notch.