Finally went LED on the headlights and foglights

21529 Views 64 Replies 10 Participants Last post by DanteALG, Mar 11, 2021

WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · May 28, 2019

2

So, after much reading and debate, I decided to go LED instead of HID for front lighting. The icing on the cake was seeing a coworker's Toyota pickup with full LED lighting and it looked awesome. I guess it was no coincidence that Superbrightleds was running a 10% discount for this Memorial Day weekend. And since I pass right by their building when I go to our hub in Earth City, I finally got the itch to order...

https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...it-with-internal-drivers-4000-lumensset/5315/

And here they are...

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WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #2 · May 28, 2019

They feel solid and not cheap like. The USPS delivered them today, on a holiday. So I installed them today. Really straightforward... pull the headlamp assemblies, out with the old and in with the new. They fit perfectly in the stock headlamp housings, no drama. You can faintly hear them with power on, engine not running, standing at the front of the car. With the headlamps out of the car, the fog lights are right there, so no getting on the ground. If you plug these in and they don't work, unplug them and flip the socket around... LEDs are polarity sensitive.

Night pics to follow shortly as it is only 7:58 CT here in Missouri.

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WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 28, 2019

3

Best I can get for now... first night time ride won't be until either tomorrow night or Wednesday night on the way home from work, so first driving impressions will have to wait. My initial thoughts are the car looks a lot better and those lights are bright.

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HOTLAP

· #4 · May 29, 2019

I'm very interested to see how these work for you, is this just for low beams or low and high beam?
In Canada we have daytime running lights that use the headlight at a reduced power, do you have that as well and if so does that part work properly with these?

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TeeRev

· #5 · May 29, 2019

HOTLAP said:
I'm very interested to see how these work for you, is this just for low beams or low and high beam?
In Canada we have daytime running lights that use the headlight at a reduced power, do you have that as well and if so does that part work properly with these?

I have LED headlights as well, and I absolutely, absolutely love them. The 8th Gen Impalas here in the States also use the same DRL system as Canada. What I've noticed is that since the LEDs only use a small amount of power vs. regular incandescent bulbs, the lower power for the DRLs is sufficient to power the LEDs at full strength.

That's what I've noticed on my set anyway. I've had them for over a year and absolutely love them.

WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #6 · May 29, 2019

HOTLAP said:
I'm very interested to see how these work for you, is this just for low beams or low and high beam?
In Canada we have daytime running lights that use the headlight at a reduced power, do you have that as well and if so does that part work properly with these?

Low beams and fogs only...I need to check on the DRLs and get back to you on that.

WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #7 · May 29, 2019

TeeRev said:
I have LED headlights as well, and I absolutely, absolutely love them. The 8th Gen Impalas here in the States also use the same DRL system as Canada. What I've noticed is that since the LEDs only use a small amount of power vs. regular incandescent bulbs, the lower power for the DRLs is sufficient to power the LEDs at full strength.

That's what I've noticed on my set anyway. I've had them for over a year and absolutely love them.

TeeRev... do you have any issues with the wiring and fitting everything behind the dust cap on the lamp? I decided to check my work this morning and noticed that the LED wires were contacting the heatsinks and got a little melty. These bulbs I got fit perfectly in the lamps and the covers go back on with no issue but I noticed this with the wire and felt inclined to ask you about yours.

In the meantime, I wrapped 2 inches of the bulb wire in a layer of electrical tape, then some Nitto fabric tape that is supposed to be heat resistant. I will check the bulbs sometime late tomorrow as I won't get done work until 4:00 in the morning. This will also be my first full dark test drive with these since last night was dusk. From what I saw last night, I will be happy, especially when I get the wire secured better.

WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #8 · May 29, 2019

@HOTLAP... confirmed the DRLs work as they should. Since my wife and daughter left before I left for work, I chocked the wheels, set the E-brake, started the car and put in drive... low beams came on as they should for DRLs. I don't know how bright they are, but the function remains.

TeeRev

· #9 · May 30, 2019

WickedGoat said:
TeeRev... do you have any issues with the wiring and fitting everything behind the dust cap on the lamp? I decided to check my work this morning and noticed that the LED wires were contacting the heatsinks and got a little melty. These bulbs I got fit perfectly in the lamps and the covers go back on with no issue but I noticed this with the wire and felt inclined to ask you about yours.

In the meantime, I wrapped 2 inches of the bulb wire in a layer of electrical tape, then some Nitto fabric tape that is supposed to be heat resistant. I will check the bulbs sometime late tomorrow as I won't get done work until 4:00 in the morning. This will also be my first full dark test drive with these since last night was dusk. From what I saw last night, I will be happy, especially when I get the wire secured better.

I did have a slight issue with the dust cover for my low beams. The stock dust covers *almost* fit, but if I secured them they would push on the bulb, and it would force the reflector out of the adjuster. It was easy to fix though, just needed popped back in.

As a result, I purchased some 85mm universal aftermarket dust covers. They give plenty of room, but didn't fit very well. I had to use a little electrical tape to make sure it was on there right. They also give more room for the wires I guess, so they haven't melted off yet, as far as I can tell, anyway.

WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #10 · May 30, 2019

TeeRev said:
I did have a slight issue with the dust cover for my low beams. The stock dust covers *almost* fit, but if I secured them they would push on the bulb, and it would force the reflector out of the adjuster. It was easy to fix though, just needed popped back in.

As a result, I purchased some 85mm universal aftermarket dust covers. They give plenty of room, but didn't fit very well. I had to use a little electrical tape to make sure it was on there right. They also give more room for the wires I guess, so they haven't melted off yet, as far as I can tell, anyway.

Ok cool... I was wondering if aftermarket dust covers would be in order, but I did something else... I have a supply of fabric tape from a company called Nitto Denko. It is like electrical tape, but fabric like, and it is supposed to be heat resistant. So I pulled the lamps and wrapped 2" of wire with the tape and put it all back together.

Last night was my first ride in the dark and let me say, these things are great. Signs are much brighter and pop more, I can see deer standing off to the highway and have more reaction time, and overall, the road is well lit. This should be on the top of everyone's mod list. No flashes from other drivers either.

Went out a little bit ago and checked the wiring... all is good. So the only advice I would give on buying LED bulbs for 2006-13 and 14-16 Impala limiteds, with stock headlamp assemblies, would be to find a bulb where the power wire comes out at the bottom of the bulb, 90° to the heatsink, and not directly at the back, right in the middle of the heat sink. If you can't avoid that, then be prepared to wrap the wire in heat resistant material to protect it from the heatsink.

These superbrightleds bulbs do a good job otherwise. I may indulge in high beams down the road, but I never really used them that much to begin with, so it would be mostly for aesthetics.

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metalmike187

· #11 · May 31, 2019

I'm looking into these based on your post. I have a 2008 LT. Did you have to buy the add-on optional anti-flicker resistor kits for these to work properly, or is it plug and play?

And where did you get the aftermarket headlight dust covers?

Thank you.

TeeRev

· #12 · May 31, 2019

metalmike187 said:
I'm looking into these based on your post. I have a 2008 LT. Did you have to buy the add-on optional anti-flicker resistor kits for these to work properly, or is it plug and play?

And where did you get the aftermarket headlight dust covers?

Thank you.

It is plug-n-play. No need to add on a resistor or anything, everything works as it should.

These are my bulbs: Sorry! Something went wrong!

If you'll notice, these are essentially exactly the same bulbs as the SuperBrightLED ones. I have a feeling they're all made at the same factory, simply with different brands stamped on them. They even came in an identical box with identical packaging.

These are the universal dust covers I bought: [ame]https://www.amazon.com/Auxbeam-Housing-Headlight-Conversion-Retrofit/dp/B073QPGZ92/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2O0V98H4D5HB3&keywords=85mm+dust+cover+headlight&qid=1559313578&s=gateway&sprefix=85+mm+dust+%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-4[/ame]

You may not actually NEED these dust covers. I've read posts where people have no issues putting the stock dust covers back on, and I've read posts where the stock dust covers don't actually fit (like mine). So your mileage may vary. I do not know what could possibly cause this discrepancy, since I believe 2006 thru 2016 Limited Impalas all have the same headlight assembly.

Hope this helps!

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metalmike187

· #13 · May 31, 2019

Thank you so much for the quick reply and the information.

I see the LED bulbs you purchased are a little different than the ones the OP has.

How do they work for you? Is the light spread nice? Is the visibility at night much improved?

Thank you.

WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jun 1, 2019

metalmike187 said:
I'm looking into these based on your post. I have a 2008 LT. Did you have to buy the add-on optional anti-flicker resistor kits for these to work properly, or is it plug and play?

And where did you get the aftermarket headlight dust covers?

Thank you.

Yeah, no additional anti flickering or other ad ons needed, plug and play... Just pay the wire some mind like I described earlier and you will be fine.

WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jun 3, 2019

Well, I am going to be returning one pair of these bulbs this week. On the one bulb used in the low beam, the base cracked where the mounting tabs are that lock the bulb into the lamp housing. That, combined with the tight fit, has made me say screw it, return them, and get a better fitting H11 bulb. I did find what looks to be a better fitting set with nearly identical specs to these, but they are also $70 for the pair. I will update the thread when I return these and get replacements. The bulbs are working well in the foglamp housings, no issues at all.

TeeRev

· #16 · Jun 3, 2019

metalmike187 said:
Thank you so much for the quick reply and the information.

I see the LED bulbs you purchased are a little different than the ones the OP has.

How do they work for you? Is the light spread nice? Is the visibility at night much improved?

Thank you.

I really like them. I absolutely love the bright white color, and the spread of light. Just make sure they are aimed correctly so you don't blind any oncoming drivers.

Here's a picture of my headlights from about a year ago on a dark-ish road at night. Please note, my fog lamps (LEDs) are also turned on in this picture.

Hope this helps!

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WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jun 11, 2019 (Edited)

LED low beams, take two...

I pulled the low beam set and sent them back to Superbrightleds, who promptly refunded me on them. So they get an A+ for effort and good customer service.

I have ordered a set from a different company, BPS Lighting in Canada. They make a Perfect Fit series that mimic the size and shape of halogens, which looks like a winner to me, given the tight confines of our headlamps. I just ordered them today, so they won't be here until next week. Screenshot teaser pic in the meantime..

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WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jun 13, 2019

Hopefully I am not jumping the gun on this... BPS emailed me this morning to confirm vehicle information to be sure I was getting the correct bulb. Shipping/delivery was originally anticipated for around next Friday or so. BPS shipped the bulbs today and DHL is indicating I will have them on this Friday, the 14th, by end of day. Two days from Canada, shipped free no less, is awesome. I don't need them this quickly, but hell yeah! Hopefully I will have some real pics and impressions this weekend. Stay tuned. I am hoping I found a good fitting bulb that is as bright as claimed and lights up the road well while not being a distraction.

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WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #19 · Jun 14, 2019

The bulbs arrived yesterday afternoon. I can't believe they came overnight from Canada to Missouri for free. Hat's off to the shipper and DHL. Install and review this weekend for sure.

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WickedGoat

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jun 15, 2019

2

Here we go...

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