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LED Bulbs
- Thread starter Hadit55
- Start date
Yes, there are downsides (crazy glare, illegal - even if people do it all the time). There are aftermarket units and/or OEM LED lights that might be affordable if you can find them used. Search for existing threads on this topic.
Legal Brief
Active Member
You can’t just switch to LED you have to enable LED via AlphaOBD or TazerDT. There are different setting to enable LED depending on bulb location.
Darksteel165
Legendary member
There are no downsides but also sometimes not upsides.
You will get a betters color light but it might be angled incorrect or not throw as far despite being a clearer light.
You can adjust the volt reading to LED so it doesn't throw an error if you just put in an LED not designed to be in-place of a halogen bulb.
Please provide proof that simply replacing halogen headlights with LED break the law
You will get a betters color light but it might be angled incorrect or not throw as far despite being a clearer light.
Only if the LED isn't created properly. I have dropped in LED bulbs in tons of cars\trucks with no problems. Sometimes there is a second module you need (should be included) but most of the time there isn't.
You can adjust the volt reading to LED so it doesn't throw an error if you just put in an LED not designed to be in-place of a halogen bulb.
Illegal?
Please provide proof that simply replacing halogen headlights with LED break the law
Geddyflea
Well-Known Member
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This is from Virginia but references a national standard (under the notes section):
I wouldn't worry about running LEDs in halogen housings. I have done it with other trucks as well. You can see so much more and I know some say they are illegal but so many people have them cops hardly pull you over for it. I have always had HIDs or leds in halogen housings, does it make some people mad maybe, can it be blinding if not aimed right yes, do I care if others care? No not at all. I say run em you will be much happier with your headlights. You may also need a Canbus encoder unless its built into them.
WXman
Ram Guru
These threads are always a hornet nest.
Truth is LED bulbs are AMAZING upgrades IF and ONLY IF you buy quality from a vendor like Headlight Revolution. If you buy cheap junk off Amazon or fleaBay you will have glare, poor beam patterns, insufficient heatsinks, diodes that aren't located correctly within the housing, and generally poor results.
I have several videos on YouTube about the GTR Lighting Ultra 2 and Supernova V.4 bulbs in halogen housings on new Ram and Jeep vehicles. The improvement in light output, beam pattern, and general visibility is truly amazing. The lights that saw the biggest improvement overall were the halogen fog lights. When I put Supernova bulbs in those... W O W.
Truth is LED bulbs are AMAZING upgrades IF and ONLY IF you buy quality from a vendor like Headlight Revolution. If you buy cheap junk off Amazon or fleaBay you will have glare, poor beam patterns, insufficient heatsinks, diodes that aren't located correctly within the housing, and generally poor results.
I have several videos on YouTube about the GTR Lighting Ultra 2 and Supernova V.4 bulbs in halogen housings on new Ram and Jeep vehicles. The improvement in light output, beam pattern, and general visibility is truly amazing. The lights that saw the biggest improvement overall were the halogen fog lights. When I put Supernova bulbs in those... W O W.
Darksteel165
Legendary member
That's insane.
What could the reasoning even be?
Section 6 says
Approved headlamp bulbs: HB1, HB2, HB3, HB3A, HB4, HB4A, HB5, H1, H3, H7, H8, H8B, H9, H9B, H9C, H11, H11B, H11C, H13, H13C, H15, HIR1, HIR2, H18, H19
You can buy an LED bulb that is marked as "H7" so therefore it's an approved bulb imo.
#notlegaladvise
H7 refers to mounting socket of the bulb to fit the reflector. Sure, H7 LED bulb will fit in a H7 reflector, the only thing will be the focal point will be off. Look at the pic.
If you move the red rectangle, Filament or LED forward or backward, you change your focal point. Light pattern will be different.
Dangerous glare to oncoming drivers resulting from the use of bulbs not specifically designed and tested for the contours of a given housing. Brighter isn’t better if light isn’t focused correctly, so small variations matter, especially when LEDs have very different light spread from halogen bulbs.
Don’t get me wrong…I appreciate the LED projectors in my Longhorn! But I’ve also been in many “I can’t see the road” situations with oncoming light glare. It’s much worse with a crazy bright LED bulb than with a misaligned halogen bulb.
Darksteel165
Legendary member
I know H7 is the fit.
And not all LEDs are like you listed.
I had\have reverse light LEDs that are project housings and go directly out, not to the sides.
Also depends on your headlight housing with halogen, LED, or any kind of lighting.
For example Laramie LED housings are reflector housings and Limited\Longhorn\TRX are projectors.
Even people with halogen bulbs can easily blind oncoming traffic if using the wrong style\size\not aligned properly.
The problem isn't the LED, it's the person putting it in and not actually checking if it needs to be adjusted.
Misaligned halogens are as bad as mis aligned LED's but technically on an LED bulb depending on where the chips are it can change the beam pattern in a reflector housing. LED's seem worse because we are more sensitive to blueish light than soft yellow light. Regardless I say run what you want no one is going to stop you and people will do it anyway. I have run HIDs/LEDs in refelctor housings in every older truck I had I liked them much better than the halogens. I never cared what others thought. Technically LEDs or HIDs in halogen housings are illegal, but so many people have them and thats the least of a cops worries now a days.
Darksteel165
Legendary member
Agree with all of that.
I don't think a cop can even do anything, would need to be on your states inspection.
A cop has no way to know what kind of light a housing should or shouldn't have and they know it would never hold up in court.
Maybe if you got like purple LEDs and threw them in sure, but anything whiteish
I agree it wouldn't be worth the time to prove. Blueish white or white is good but like you said, green or purple or red yes. Like the Ford super dutys for example they have LED's and the housings for them, are they still bright? Absolutley lol
MikeyHo808
Ram Guru
I ran LASFIT LED bulbs in my halogen housings for months with no issues, no adjustments with AlphaOBD, etc.
Bright AF! But because the dealer does my state’s yearly inspection, I would not have passed with the bulbs in my stock fixtures.
I’m still running the LED bulbs in my fogs, but went with VLand LED fixtures. No issues with them and almost a year since installed.
Had it not been for my state inspection, I would still be running the LED bulbs for sure. The Vlands are great, but the bulbs were brighter.
Bright AF! But because the dealer does my state’s yearly inspection, I would not have passed with the bulbs in my stock fixtures.
I’m still running the LED bulbs in my fogs, but went with VLand LED fixtures. No issues with them and almost a year since installed.
Had it not been for my state inspection, I would still be running the LED bulbs for sure. The Vlands are great, but the bulbs were brighter.
