Head light suggestions

[gjgrosser]

Hello all,

I'm looking for any suggestions to upgrading my headlamps. The ones that are there, I'd probably get more light out of a standard house candle.

Not sure if I'd need to upgrade the housing or not. If you have any suggestions as to what you've used and like, I would appreciate it.

Thank you.

[tderonne]

First, if you didn't know:

They are Ford Windstar headlights

Just search here or IRV2 and you'll find info about:

- Voltage
- Aim
- Crummy aftermarket lights

[gjgrosser]

I did not. Thank you for the info!!

[Podivin]

GJG there is a DOT number stamped into the front of the headlight housing, easily seen by looking at it from the front. If you look up that number it will tell you the exact make, model and year that headlight fits. From there you can start doing some research on the replacement bulbs and assemblies that are available - of which there will be many I expect.

Not that I'm doubting the previous poster, but if you look up that DOT number you'll know for sure.

[gjgrosser]

Good info. Thank you

[Ray,IN]

LED headlamp conversion kits are available. I weighed the pros and cons, the con of seldom driving after darkness outweighed the pros. The reason MH headlamps seem dim, IMO is because your eyes are so far above the headlamp beam the focal points are different than our normal automobile night driving.

[tkamsal]

I had mine replaced when I had to have my wife hold a flashlight out the window when we went to find our campsite after dark. (I had my brights on.)

The service center said it was the rerflecting unit behind the bulb that had deteriorated. We could have replaced with new LED light units but figured you would settle for standard lights given the age of our motorhome. It's a '97.


They said the LEDs would be almost twice the cost (or more) of the standard ones.

I agreed, though I would have liked to have been called on the decision. They lucked out by making the right one.

The new ones work great.

But I am of the opinion that if you are replacing any lights and your unit is fairly new (10-12 years or so) and you will use it sufficiently, get the LEDs regardless the cost.

Any thoughts from others?

[AFChap]

Seat height above the headlights absolutely has something to do with it. I have a friend who drives multi-million dollar tour busses and he says the headlights on them are poor also!! When my original headlight buckets became too yellowed to mess with, I had a headlight upgrade done a couple of years ago at Xtreme Paint & Graphics in Nacogdoches TX. The did fiberglass & paint work and installed Hella projection fixtures plus LED turn signals. It came to about $3,700 and I had them do more paint that increased that to $4,700. They did an awesome job! Here is a before/after pic.

[sajohnson]

The "super-bright"/"high output halogen lamps burn out very quickly. The higher the lumen output, the shorter the service life. Of course, for those that do not use their headlights much, the short life may not be an issue.

Most aftermarket LED replacements are not DOT approved. If they are designed properly (big 'if'), they may produce a focused beam such that oncoming drivers are not blinded and they do not attract the attention of the police.

One problem they have is that headlight assemblies are designed for a halogen lamp, which has one point source of light (the filament). The LED replacements I've seen use multiple LEDs arranged around a "post". They may produce a lot of lumens, but there's a good chance the beam will not be focused.

As long as they can be returned -- many cannot -- it doesn't hurt to install the LEDs and see how they perform.

[e4services]

I renovate motorhomes and have, when lucky that the manufacturer used an available housing, replaced the entire housing with an aftermarket housing that had "Projector" lens, like the Hella AFChap has now, but in a exact replacement housing.
The luck is, the RV builders use surplus housings and some are from bad selling models (like yours and one coach I did which had the housing from a Mercury Mountaineer), but most, for some reason are from Ford Trucks.
Anyway, as Ray said, sitting so far above the light beam path, like the big rig truck, you don't get the return light you are use to in a car.
I use HID replacement bulbs and ballasts, bulbs with a 6000K color, which is white (incandescent bulbs are yellowish 4000k). I spent some $$ and time finding a ballast the worked well and could actually produce 55 watts, not 35. With that you get an acceptable result that is noticeably brighter from the drivers seat.
I have tried LED replacement bulbs, but they just are not as bright and need cooling, a fan on most, but they do change the color of the light from yellow to blue-white which helps.
If you want to try HID I can point you at the stuff I use (eBay) but buy extra incase of failure , to have around

[workhorsed]

Triggered by the flashlight gig we replaced our 03 daybreak (ford Taurus) headlights; $140.00 Canadian incl bulbs & shipping from RockAuto. These are TYC OE items and fit perfectly. Next up is a pair of Princess Auto, Uni-Bond LED "spot/flood" lights mounted behind the grille for dry camping and other dimly lit locations. They are rectangular,low profile, 12-30 volt, 1260 lumen, quite bright and should be used judiciously! Princess # 8546038. I believe both Nat tool & Harbor Frt also carry them.

[sajohnson]

Originally Posted by e4services

I renovate motorhomes and have, when lucky that the manufacturer used an available housing, replaced the entire housing with an aftermarket housing that had "Projector" lens, like the Hella AFChap has now, but in a exact replacement housing.
The luck is, the RV builders use surplus housings and some are from bad selling models (like yours and one coach I did which had the housing from a Mercury Mountaineer), but most, for some reason are from Ford Trucks.
Anyway, as Ray said, sitting so far above the light beam path, like the big rig truck, you don't get the return light you are use to in a car.
I use HID replacement bulbs and ballasts, bulbs with a 6000K color, which is white (incandescent bulbs are yellowish 4000k). I spent some $$ and time finding a ballast the worked well and could actually produce 55 watts, not 35. With that you get an acceptable result that is noticeably brighter from the drivers seat.
I have tried LED replacement bulbs, but they just are not as bright and need cooling, a fan on most, but they do change the color of the light from yellow to blue-white which helps.
If you want to try HID I can point you at the stuff I use (eBay) but buy extra incase of failure , to have around

Goog suggestion! If the entire housing/assembly can be replaced, that potentially opens up many possibilities.