* My stock headlights are dimmer than $#!+ (so dim, I can't believe they are DOT approved)

* Over and over I've read that cheap HID kits (the ones I can afford) suck.

* LED / Halo projectors look lame to me.
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Is their such a thing as good, dependable, reasonably priced (say under $200)headlights for an 08' F150 ?

Has anybody yet produced a simple replacement bulb, that actually makes an improvement worth the time and $ ?

Thank you,
Fish

PS, Come to think about it, I can't find a decently bright, low energy / heat producing "home light bulb" either CFL's suck. LED's are not bright / strong enough yet...... Urgggg.....

Lighting seems to be a dark subject for me lately

 

I really like these bulbs Chris Philips Extreme I bought them from that site and I have to admit, they are a great bulb. The SilverStars are horrible imo and I had trouble seeing in the rain at night with the blue filter. These have pretty good output and I noticed a bit of an improvement. The high beams are strong. I'd replace headlight bulbs once a year

 

Thank you Truck Guy. That is so straight forward, simple, and cheap, I might just have to try a set.

I wish they listed the color temp. 5000 would be okay Probably what these are, since they say they are 'bright white')..... but I'd prefer just a slightly blue tint.... like 5500.....

Peace,
Fish

 

4300k is optimal......there's the h13 silverstar ultras also but the drawback is their bulb life....

 

If you looking at $200,
Why not Bi-xenon Morimoto Mini Stage III Kit (H1) kit from TRS?

I know its 270, but If you can wait for the next group buy, it may be worth it. Last group buy, these were going to be like 210...

 

2nd dumb question of the day from me.

What are you comparing them to when you say they are dim ?

Is this a subjective opinion, based upon not illuminating a road ?

Took a quick look at your profile, and it makes note of Bilstein 5100 shocks with 2" front lift. Did you have the lamps re aimed after this install by a professional, or did you DIY with the tape on the door when compared to another vehicle or did you do none of the above.

Just asking if you are having an issue which could be caused by the lamps being rotated up, due to the 2" lift, and you are now closer to lamp aim into the trees versus on the road.

 

My '09 lights were also very dim. There was also a fairly sharp cutoff on high beam that further limited distance on hilly roads. I used the Philips bulbs recommended above and they do help. I also tried the PIAA bulbs. I was disappointed to see that they had blue tinted glass to make the light more white - meaning less output.

Ultimately I went with the TRS FX-R 50Watt 5000K setup in my main lights and matchbox HIDs for my fogs. The difference is simply staggering. I know I have posted these pictures before, but here is a comparison between the FX-R and Silverstars in a Nissan Titan - same film speed, shutter speed and aperture.

Titan Silverstar low beam:


F150 w/ FX-R's low beam:


Nissan Titan on High Beam (all 4 bulbs lit, unlike the F150's 2-bulb high beam system)


FX-R's on High Beam:


Driving with these lights is absolutely amazing. I light up the two lanes to the left and right of me brighter than the car in those lanes most of the time. The only issue I had was that the light above the cutoff was so dramatically dimmer than the light below that I was concerned about seeing pedestrians. Adding the matchbox lights in my fogs (wired to go quad-high as well) solved this issue.

 

Who did your retrofit? Did you do it yourself?

 

Hey SCC, I have a buddy / certified mechanic / electrical / mechanical guru, who does all of this stuff for me... and yes, he readjusted my head lights after the leveling.

2009KR, yea', I would totally expect awesome, bright, clear lighting, if I were to spend $200+ on it.... and then the install....

Unfortunately, with Christmas and all, I don't have that much extra cash.
So for now, I just ordered a set of the Philip's Extremes. Of course I totally do not expect them to be anywhere near as bright as an HID kit.... but hopefully, they will be brighter than stock....

Peace,
Fish

 

Halogens cannot get that up in the Kelvin scale. Philips EP bulbs are around ~3800K. Silverstars are around 4100K but less output compared to the Philips.

Chris, if you still have factory bulbs, these will be brighter. Ford puts the longest-lasting bulbs in all its vehicles, so they are on the bare minimum when it comes to meeting DOT requirements for H13 output levels to acheive this. The bulbs you ordered are the exact opposite. Highest allowed output, but life is going to be dramatically reduced (still not as bad as Sylvania SS's though).

-Alex

 

This is exactly what I will do Did you do it your self? Any pictures of what headlight you used and fogs? Would like to see a pictures of the fogs on also.

 

I did the job myself. It is a pain. I had to design a relay/latch circuit to make the "bambi" type mod work on my '09. I did make a mistake on my foglights. I used "goop" to seal them (same as I put on the outside of my headlights after using the butyl seal). The Goop vapors left a haze on the bottom 1/4" of my lens on the inside. Only cosmetic as the haze is below where my projectors shine through. When I get a chance, I'll take output pictures with the fogs only (low and high) and all four on (low and high). The fogs do make quite a difference, especially on high beam. The high is much higher (height, not intensity) than the FX-Rs, so it helps on windy hilly roads. The FX-R highs are quite high in the center, but not very wide at the top. I suspect my shield doesn't drop quite enough. The shield wasn't dropping enough on my matchbox projectors as well, so I adjusted them before installing. It's too late to adjust the shields on my FX-Rs since they are installed.

As far as mods go, this is by far the first mod I would do.

 

They will be noticeably brighter than stock, but will have the same poor beam pattern. If the lows are adjusted correctly, the highs just aren't very high. In addition, the stock lights have a very narrow beam and a sharp cutoff on high. I had considered adding driving lights behind my grill. I am SO glad that I went with the retro instead.

Thanks to Raptor05121 for the inspiration and pfb2 for setting up the group buy!

 

What GOOP did you use to cause the HAZE?

 

I used "Plumbing Goop," but I think all of the Goops are about the same. I had a slight haze over the entire inside of my headlights a few days after completing the job. I just poured distilled water in my turn signal bulb hole, swished around the inside of the lens, poured out and it is now crystal clear. I thought about drilling a small hole in the foglight to do this, but probably won't bother. I would have to do an experiment on another piece of clear plastic to make sure the haze would wash off.

By the way, I tried to use goop to glue the shroud on as some have suggested. Once the light got hot, the goop released. I'm glad I didn't have the light glued back together yet! I used epoxy just like I used on my FX-R shrouds.