Headlights….the solution August 04, 2022, 07:54:54 pm Econoline headlights leave much to be desired, the sealed beam setup can be upgraded but the composite headlights truly lack a good aftermarket upgrade. Late night driving is often a reality of weekend trips and driving the rig at night has always been a struggle due to the lack of visibility.The solution is a pair of projector HID’s from vantage optics. They are not cheap. They require some wrenching to install. They take 10 seconds to warm up. They are designed around aftermarket composite assemblies, so they do not mount secure without jiggling unless you painstakingly remove the OEM headlight mounting adjusters and swap them over to the new assemblies. They really do require aiming, or they will easily blind oncoming traffic. Despite these realities, these are without a doubt the upgrade worth doing if you can’t see when your driving at night. The visibility is incredible, they can be aimed accurately to account for oncoming traffic while providing maximum visibility. The high beam function is incredible, massive visibility. Honestly I was concerned the reflector would look too “new” for this well used ole girl, but truthfully they just look clean and driving at night will never be the same. 9 Likes
Re: Headlights….the solution Reply #1 – August 04, 2022, 08:16:15 pm Have link to the headlights you purchased?
Re: Headlights….the solution Reply #4 – August 05, 2022, 05:14:27 pm Vehicle headlights are subject to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS 108 requirement. It usually takes a lot of effort in the lighting tunnel to develop the OEM lamps to meet the FMVSS 108. Many of the aftermarket lamps are not even close to meet the standard, therefore their night vision qualities are really questionable. I would rather be very careful with these replacement lamps who may or maynot meet the federal regulations. Many of us LD owners are retirees/senior citizens. Our night visions are not very good to begin with. Please be extra careful.https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2004-title49-vol5/xml/CFR-2004-title49-vol5-sec571-108.xml 1 Likes
Re: Headlights….the solution Reply #5 – August 05, 2022, 08:19:15 pm Quote from: cli288 - August 05, 2022, 05:14:27 pmVehicle headlights are subject to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS 108 requirement. It usually takes a lot of effort in the lighting tunnel to develop the OEM lamps to meet the FMVSS 108. Many of the aftermarket lamps are not even close to meet the standard, therefore their night vision qualities are really questionable. I would rather be very careful with these replacement lamps who may or maynot meet the federal regulations. Many of us LD owners are retirees/senior citizens. Our night visions are not very good to begin with. Please be extra careful.https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2004-title49-vol5/xml/CFR-2004-title49-vol5-sec571-108.xmlThe whole purpose of this post is to provide an option for those that are concerned about the lack of output/visibility provided by the stock ford e450 headlights. Headlight technology has come a long way in the last 100 years, modern cars has vastly superior headlights compared to older vehicles…all passing federal safety standards. Quality, powerful, correctly aimed projector headlights provide the maximum amount of driving visibility without compromising the visibility or oncoming traffic, there is no doubt this is a safer option. 2 Likes
Re: Headlights….the solution Reply #6 – August 05, 2022, 08:28:06 pm "Many of the aftermarket lamps are not even close to meet the standard, therefore their night vision qualities are really questionable."Yes, I experienced that when I replaced the original sealed-beam lamps on my 2003 midbath with low-priced ones. They weren't especially bright, and they cast rainbows to the sides. I learned my lesson: if swapping sealed-beam incandescents, stick to well-known brands."Many of us LD owners are retirees/senior citizens. Our night visions are not very good to begin with."Which is exactly why I switched to projector headlamps. While the installation was somewhat complicated, the results were well worth it--much better visibility when driving at night. Yes, you do have to aim them correctly in order not to blind other drivers, but that isn't hard. 6 Likes
Re: Headlights….the solution Reply #7 – August 06, 2022, 12:00:04 pm Honestly, with so many caveats this doesn’t seem like an ideal solution. There are LED plug and play bulbs that increase output and clarity. I bought a set of Beamtech H13 LED bulbs for my 2008 LD. Plug and play and look great. BEAMTECH H13 LED Bulb, S1 Series 10000LM 50W Quiet No Fa... Amazon.com: BEAMTECH H13 LED Bulb, S1 Series 10000LM 50W Quiet No Fan CSP... As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Headlights….the solution Reply #8 – August 06, 2022, 06:33:00 pm With a newer rig with the updated larger composite headlight assemblies the situation is much better to begin with, the older model composite econoline headlights are vastly inferior. Led bulbs are an option, but not the best option for the older chassis.
Re: Headlights….the solution Reply #9 – August 07, 2022, 05:41:01 pm Quote from: cli288 - August 05, 2022, 05:14:27 pmVehicle headlights are subject to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS 108 requirement. It usually takes a lot of effort in the lighting tunnel to develop the OEM lamps to meet the FMVSS 108. The projector lamps used are the off-the-shelf units that smaller companies, like Vantage Optics can mold into custom housings.The specialized optical engineering has already been done.As someone with older eyes, I appreciate having a lot of light as long as the aiming and patterns are correct. After one long night drive to Death Valley, passing only four cars in 120 miles, two 100-watt driving lights were added to the front bumper, it gets dark out there! Nowadays, I try not to drive long distances at night anymore.LED conversion to factory headlights has been tried with mixed success. Our Jeep's Factory LED headlights are the best of the cars we have owned, including HID headlights.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Headlights….the solution Reply #10 – December 25, 2022, 08:37:33 pm this whole thread has been quite interesting but I am now confused as how to proceed with fixing my most likely original forward light housing units. Is it as simple as replacing with an LED bulb like I have inside my RV ? On my "next project list" is replacing my head lights....scratching head very loudly...MB 2003
Re: Headlights….the solution Reply #11 – December 26, 2022, 05:36:39 am I was looking for a Bar light for off road use. 40" Super Series Off-Road LED Light Bar - 120W - 15,000 Lumens - Flood Light... . Sometimes when entering a campground after dark, I would prefer something 'not headlights' to see where the roads and spaces are without illuminating other RV's extremely. I suspect this light bar could be dimmed successfully using the Rio Rand PWM control. For headlights, a cooling fan type of 9007 headlight bulb could work. Upgraded 9007 LED Bulb 20000LM 100W Dual Hi/Lo HB5 Bulbs with 400% Brightness... I hear that the ones with cooling fans get plugged up with dirt, or the fans quit. My headlight housings are relatively new, but a 100 watt bulb could cause heat problems if the fan quit. The Beamtech fixtures might bypass this problem with no fans, and only 60W Amazon.com: BEAMTECH 9007 LED Bulb, HB5 Halogen Replacement,12000LM 60W... I'll start with this. RonB As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
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