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i've been playing with the led headlights for the last few months (swap from HID) in my silverado and expedition and if your going to install a pair you need to know that the LED bulbs do not scatter the light like a halogen or HID bulb does and depending on the housing you might not like the results in my silverado they are great really light up the road in front of the truck but not so much on the sides witch is not a big deal unless i'm on a dark back road its kinda tough to see animals off the side of the road thats an opt7 kit, in my expedition i have an off brand kit that lights up right in front of the SUV but not so much down the road kind of useless. for the led bulb to project the light correctly it should be a 3 or 4 sided set
so if your swapping from halogen the led will please you if your swapping from HID your going to be a little disappointed hopefully in the next few years they'll get the LED bulbs worked out, another thing is american cars the headlights are aimed slightly to the right not to blind on coming traffic LED bulbs amplifies this its annoying at time
Last edited by Stroker87; Jun 2, 2017 at 03:12 PM.
What do they look like while on? and I have the same headlights lol aren't they such a pain in the *** to get the bulb to sit right???
I'll take a pic tonight with the lights against my garage.
Yes they were a pain in the *** because the 1st set the light mount on driver side broke off so I had to rig a way for them to sit in there securely. (via long bolt)
Passenger side, the mount didn't break but that side already pointed too low due to the inherent shitty design of the projector housings so I had to use a shim (lugnut) to make the beam rise evenly with the driver side.
Either way, final result is a very high light output with a sharp cutoff so I am pleased. I tried taking a head-on pic of the beam but my iPhone didn't like that and came out blurry.
I'll snap and post some in-use pics in a few hours.
I'll take a pic tonight with the lights against my garage.
Yes they were a pain in the *** because the 1st set the light mount on driver side broke off so I had to rig a way for them to sit in there securely. (via long bolt)
Passenger side, the mount didn't break but that side already pointed too low due to the inherent shitty design of the projector housings so I had to use a shim (lugnut) to make the beam rise evenly with the driver side.
Either way, final result is a very high light output with a sharp cutoff so I am pleased. I tried taking a head-on pic of the beam but my iPhone didn't like that and came out blurry.
I'll snap and post some in-use pics in a few hours.
Hey Jason, good to see you still modding the C5. I have the same projector housing headlights as you and have been procrastinating installing LED's only because I hardly ever drive the car. I've been looking at the offerings from VLEDS and may purchase some new units that will be released soon. The bulb and fan housing is a different design that look like they'll fit into lows and highs without interference or contacting the inner fender behind the headlights.
Looking forward to seeing your pics
I'll take a pic tonight with the lights against my garage.
Yes they were a pain in the *** because the 1st set the light mount on driver side broke off so I had to rig a way for them to sit in there securely. (via long bolt)
Passenger side, the mount didn't break but that side already pointed too low due to the inherent shitty design of the projector housings so I had to use a shim (lugnut) to make the beam rise evenly with the driver side.
Either way, final result is a very high light output with a sharp cutoff so I am pleased. I tried taking a head-on pic of the beam but my iPhone didn't like that and came out blurry.
I'll snap and post some in-use pics in a few hours.
I had the same problem with mine, had to use shims, to get the bulbs good and I'll be waiting on those pics haha
Hey Jason, good to see you still modding the C5. I have the same projector housing headlights as you and have been procrastinating installing LED's only because I hardly ever drive the car. I've been looking at the offerings from VLEDS and may purchase some new units that will be released soon. The bulb and fan housing is a different design that look like they'll fit into lows and highs without interference or contacting the inner fender behind the headlights.
Looking forward to seeing your pics
Hi Scotty!
Yeah the c5 is still a daily driver but I mostly hang out in PR&C now in my "old" age
Anyway I managed to snap a pic last night which can show the intensity of the low beams but there is some reflective glare from the LED fog DRLs that I have wired to turn on with the headlight/parking lights and they cannot be turned off independently from the headlights...so try not to mind the extra scatter that is above the cutoff.
Here's another pic I just took with everything on. Stock projector fogs with hid kit, secondary led white "DRLs" (are inboard), white corner switchback LEDs with led strip & of course the new LED low beams as posted above.
Again the new led low beam light output is *excellent* I just hope they last a long time with having a motorized fan and all.
There are two critical components to good headlights: Light source (output) and Optics (focusing) . I see many people going after sheer output using HID or high-output LED with poor or factory optics. The end result is a lot of light, but a horrible and/or ineffective pattern.
Optics are by far the more expensive component of any aftermarket headlight which is why they are often bypassed in favor of simply increasing output. This creates the possibility of glare to other drivers, reduced long-range vision and possible legal issues depending on your local LEOs. For that reason, I HIGHLY suggest upgrading to quality components, even if that means simply using an HIR bulb set to meet your budget.
To date, I have not used LED bulbs in the low beam applications of ANY headlight (particularly for the C5 specifically because of it's effect on headlight door operation) LED bulbs are getting VERY bright, but still have substantial clearance issues and focus challenges in headlight designed for halogen or HID optics. For this reason, I ONLY use LED bulb the high beam location where brute output is more important than precision beam pattern.
I'm hardly an expert but....have tried soooo many different bulbs and systems including HID and the LED, so far, is the best for me. Make sure you choose the latest generation of LED.
The LED throws a soft white light. I can see a distance like never before.
I used 6000k. This is perfect for my application.
PM me with any questions.
Took a chance and PM'd Runner140. He was very helpful. Thanks!
Ordered these hi beams to replace the lo beams:
Modification was very simple: cut off half of the top tab and add the O-ring from the old lo beam bulb to the new one. There are lots of pics and vids online.
After installing one I checked and the light did not come on. The instructions that came with the bulbs address this: Just flip the connector 180.
The new bulbs certainly look much brighter in daylight but I haven't driven at night yet.
One annoyance: After installing both new bulbs as lo beams the headlights would not retract! Easy workaround: Turn on the hi beams, then they work.
This is probably just temporary, until I decide to spring for the Radioflyer ACA kit.
Thanks again!
-Kent
I just tried throwing some LED headlights in my c5 and had issues with the headlights not wanting to close. The company sent me a resistor harness for free but the wiring wasnt long enough. I ended up just tossing the halogen 9006s back in
Perhaps you got the wrong bulbs.
I put led's in my car about 6 months ago, and have never had a problem with the headlight doors not working correctly.
Perhaps you got the wrong bulbs.
I put led's in my car about 6 months ago, and have never had a problem with the headlight doors not working correctly.
Bob.
Can you tell me what brand and where did you get them from?? What was the cost?? THANKS Put some in my 04 and lights won't close
I have installed the vette-lights (CF vendor) headlight LED conversion kit. I am very satisfied with the product! Complete direct plug and play. I did not use the resistors as it gets super hot to melt anything it touches. The resistors are needed to shutdown the headlight buckets. I opted to just switch on my high beams before turning off the lights which sends enough voltage to close the buckets,
The output is very nice and has a hint of blue to it just like a 6000K HID bulb would do. I like this product over HIDs because you do not have to use ballasts.
Can you tell me what brand and where did you get them from?? What was the cost?? THANKS Put some in my 04 and lights won't close
No--it has to do with the "twilight sentry" or whatever that feature is called.
Anyway, I ended up getting the ACA kit from Radioflyer (now called Sharp Light Innovations LLC). I like them but need to find the time & place to aim them better. The top of the beam cuts off sharply and if they aren't high enough you can't see far enough down the road.
