Headlight issue

[Oman]

From what I can see at the best LED manufactures spec pages, 8000 lumens would be absolutely impossible in anything near an H11 style package. The problem is heat. You can build a forward facing LED array with enough surface area (as the Prius LED option does) and heat sinks out the back. You can not put 8000 lumens worth of the best LED elements available today on the surface area needed to replace an H11 bulb. If you have a link to a manufacturer that claims (and can in any way back up) 8000 lumens in an H11 package I'll personally buy one and test it using actual lighting test equipment. Maybe you meant 3500 bulb lumens. That would be about the same as a 35 watt Xenon plasma discharge lamp (HID). Even that would be impossible from what I know about current LED technology in an H11 compatible package.

 

A note on Silverstar or any other aftermarket bulb... Read the manufacturers site and compare the numbers. Here are some numbers and quotes direct from the Sylvania site:

 

"Standard Halogen H7 bulb - 1350lumens +-12% 55Watt"

"Silverstar H7 Headlight - 1350lumens +-12% 55Watt"

 

Imagine that - a 55watt halogen is the same as a 55watt halogen. Silverstar uses a filtered glass that actually reduces the total light output spectrum emission.

 

Here is their claim - "Brighter and whiter. up to 35% brighter*"

 

Now for the * in their clam - "Replacing worn standard bulb"

 

Gee, replacing a worn bulb (all halogen bulbs dim over time) will result in a brighter light.

 

An new incandescent 55 watt bulb is going to emit the same light energy within say 15% no matter what gas and glass composition is used. You either change the technology (plasma discharge, LED, phosphor excite) or you change the wattage.

 

Some people think that bluer gives better vision, whiter gives better vision, more yellow gives better vision. All may be true or none. I won't go there because that is perceptive and personal and can't really be measured in the lab. I work with computer vision and the physics of lighting I understand.

 

 

Jon

 

 

 

 

I decided to just use the Silverstar H11 for now. It is expected to be an improvment over the stock bulbs and not cost arm/leg/right/eye. I'm basing thison the use of them in the 06 Odyssey I traded in for the FFH.

 

After overcoming the intimidation factor I mentioned in another post here......I found the replacement to be faily easy. Just wish the hands worked a little better because it would have been even easier.

 

Let me add that I can't see how Ford has 2.5 labor hours to make the change unless they are removing the entire light housing to do so. I did try to remove them at an Advance Auto store last night and found you have to remove the entire bumper cover to get that out. What a joke. Basically my point is with a 9mm and 10mm deep well socket a screw driver and a soft surface like a large packing blanket over the engine to store tools and parts.......you can save yourself the $90.00 per Ford would have charged to replace the bulb.

 

On the passanger side, all I ended up doing was removing removing the nut and bolts that held the coolant resevoire and filler neck for the washer fluid in place. Didn't have to unhook any hoses and make that mess under the hood. The driver side all I did was remove the extra chamber on the intake ductwork.

 

The wires are rathe short so that's where having the hand coordination of my younger years would have mde the job easier but as always, try hard enough and the will creates a way.

 

I have to look at the hight adjustment since I got a better impression last night while dring the DD (Dear Daughter) home from swim practice. I found the lights to be aimed a bit lower than what I would consider proper.

 

I'm still looking into the H11 LED. I found one that has 8000 lumens and that's even higher than the Silverstar. It also has 9 highpower LEDS on the post so it should provide the proper light spectrum for the night driving conditions we have here.

 

Thnaks again for all who posted. Hope the info I provided helps someone else with the issue.

[oldschool1962]

After driving the car tonight there will be no need to change to LED bulbs. The projector lens does a very nice job of directing the light right where I need it. I appreciaate the info about lights and some of the technical stuff. Being a former Chef I can appreciate the attanetion to detail in providing info.

 

As far as what I wrote in my posts about the lumens......I can only post what I read. I know absolutely nothing about the specs of the light.

 

As far as using the Silverstar........I never really put much stock in the crap they spew on the back yet they do a pretty god job when compared to even a new halogen bulb. The buls I just removed from the FFH have only been in serice since the 26thof last month so there's not much wear and tear that could have occured. As far as the Silverstar's, I have used them with success in other vehicles whether they came as the original bulb or I upgraded to it.

 

For what it's worth.......They did provide a very noticeable difference in the performance of the headlights on the FFH. I wouldn't say otherwise to just be arguementative.

 

As far as the LED I was going to try and post a link on the bulb I found....not to prove a point but to show the bulb. Unfortunately, when I went back to the page.......it was now unavailable. Go figure.

[VonoreTn]

I ended up rotating both left and right vertical adjustment screws 3 turns counterclockwise. (See my post above for instructions). I am very happy with the resulting improved range on the low beams, and the high beams are better also. Thanks for bringing up the issue.

[lamarred]

 

 

 

Here is a simple less than 1 minute action you might want to take before you buy new lights etc. Open the hood, and turn both of your headlight vertical adjuster screws two turns counterclockwise. That will raise them 2 inches at 12 feet. All you need is a Phillips screwdriver, the screws are lubricated and turn easily. See attached photos.

 

Thanks for the tip! Nice photo's, those helped. I just got a 2010 hybrid and I use it as a driver ed vehicle and the lights stink. I just made your suggested adjustment and will see how it worked tonight.