LED Replacement Headlamp Bulbs
 

I have a very simple question. I would like to have brighter headlamps on my 2015 FIT EXL. I don't want to spend alot, or use a pro installer, just plug and play. Can I simply replace the headlamp bulbs with LED? Will the DRL still function as they do now? Is there a bulb that will last for a reasonable amount of time as compared to the OEM bulbs currently in the car?
TIA!

Funny you should ask. After much research and soul searching, I just installed a set of these:

https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...ink/3929/8565/

Installation was as simple as replacing a headlamp bulb, a 10 minute DIY job. The stock dust shields fit. The DRLs still work, although I can't speak to the long term effects of pulsed DC on the LEDs. I am convinced that using conventional halogen bulbs on pulsed DC as DRLs shortens the life of the high beam filament, but I've only had the LEDs installed for a few days so lifespan is unknown as of yet.

Night illumination and color temperature is good, very white light, with good beam pattern and reasonably sharp cutoff on low beams. High beams seem to lack penetration, but it's hard to tell as I've only been able to try them on dark and rainy nights so far, with wet roads. Low beam performance is excellent.

No "error" messages so far, either.

Can you go over the installation instructions? Dust shield? Seems like a bulb change might be a little involved to me.

You can download an installation manual from the superbrightled.com page. It isn't very good but it isn't pathetically awful either. It doesn't tell you how to deal with the rubber dust seal.

Basicly, most quality LED headlamps come apart in a way that makes it easy to use it with the large rubber dust seal that comes with the car, despite the LED being larger than the orig halogens. You separate the 3-pronged metal plate from the rest of the unit (which has the fan housing or heatsink housing and has the stalk containing the LEDs), and then you use the wire spring clip on the car's headlight housing to mount the metal plate, alone, onto the car's headlight housing. Then you put the rubber dust seal over the LED stalk and heat sink unit, and then you screw these back onto the metal plate. Then you can easily push the rubber dust seal into place into the headlight hoousing - you don't have to stretch it over the heat sink, because you have put it over the unit before attaching the unit to the metal plate. You don't have to alter it in any way. There is also usually a couple of set screws you can loosen, to allow you to rotate the stalk so as to tweak the beam pattern. After you tweak, you re-tighten the set screws.

Many decent quality units don't include any instructions, causing people to think they have to modify the rubber dust seal in order to get it on, or have to leave it off. Or the English instructions are written by people who don't speak English well and are incomprehensible. Superbrightleds, being a cherry-picker company, includes some instructions.

If you use any aftermarket LED bulb with the stock housing, you will be not only doing an illegal conversion, you will be reducing actual light performance and blinding oncoming drivers.

Your stock headlamp is designed to be used with the stock halogen bulb.
You have no legal, safe, and effective way of "having brighter headlights". The reason they as bright as they are is because it is the brightest you can legally have in this kind of passenger car.

Stay with the stock bulb, don't blind oncoming drivers, your don't want a minivan full of kids hitting you head on at 75 mph killing you and kids inside, do you? If not, read what I wrote above.

Thanks for that.

could try these

Putco HB2/H4 Putco Halogen Bulbs (pair) - 230004

i did the SuperBrightLED package, easy to install, just need to find a place for the resistor packs.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...967702fb8a.jpg

What was need from SuperBrightLED



https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...41b8462fca.jpg

New LED ...... Old Halogen



https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...4c5ae53b67.jpg

Did the fog lights too, no need for resistor packs on fog lights.



https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...84d388a99d.jpg

Low beam



https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...6fbe80ec84.jpg

Hi Beam

I didn't need the headlamp resistor packs for my '15 Fit. The lamps worked fine without them.

Too bad, I'm going to have to pull them out now. Can't be breaking the law.

I do not mean to be too dramatic with you, but the truth is, there is a lot about lights that people simply don't know.

Please see this video explanation if you haven't seen it yet.

There's a big difference between putting purple HID bulbs into a 90's Civic and putting good quality LED bulbs designed to mimic the light pattern of the halogen bulbs. Some of them actually give a very good upper cutoff, which is the most important part of not blinding oncoming traffic. You may also find that new bulbs even with a good pattern may need to be adjusted up or down- mine were something like 10 degrees high, enough that it would certainly blind people.

Yes, it's technically illegal. So is driving even 1mph over the speed limit, or riding the vast majority of Harley motorcycles at any speed at all, since so many of the owners embrace straight pipes as part of the lifestyle. If you find some LED bulbs that help you see without blinding people, very few people will care.

Edit- john, I was typing while you were posting that video. I'm not trying to say you're entirely wrong, just that it's possible to put aftermarket lights in that blind people, aftermarket lights that don't blind people, and to aim lights correctly to avoid blinding people. As long as it's done in a way that doesn't harm other drivers, I don't see this as a problem. The HID in a halogen housing is probably the worst possible combination.

Actually, the way the laws are written in some places, it may even be illegal to use factory lights and housings from other models in a retrofit, no matter how good the quality.

I'm fully aware of illegal HID kits. There's a few guys around here who run them. They're easy to spot. It's usually a Chevy pickup, jacked up so the headlamps are already at eye level, then they add those sickly blue/green HIDs aimed right out as far as they'll go (they HAVE to do that, because there's no high/low beams on them).

NorthcoastFit15

If you don't mind. Which superbright led did you use for the fog lights?

The upper cutoff with the stock headlamps was so low on my Fit and it drove me crazy. I jacked the angle up a bit and was real happy with it. I did a few drivebys with the other car to see how blind I'd make the other guy but it really wasn't a problem.

I used these,

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...b92a03f20f.jpg

That is the original one on the left. Static bag with part number on right.

When in stalling the Head lights LED be aware that there is a correct way to install them, otherwise they can be installed upside down causing the other driver to be blinded. There is a little screw on the LED that registers the correct way to install them, the instruction sheet makes note of it.

NorthcoastFit15, Thanks!

lots of useful LED info here!

can you show a few photos of the "proper" way to install the LED?

Can't speak to LEDs, sorry. I chose the SilverStar Ultras to stay legit and the output is great on high and low beam. I know some folks here had some concerns about longevity on those, but I think that was the ZXE. Plug and play - no mods. Just an alternative if you just want better output and a little whiter light. As I am getting older, I don't enjoy the bright LEDs from other folks.

Superbrightleds now has two H4 LEDs that I think are suitable, product # H4-HLV4, and product H4-HLV5 which is $10 US more, and brighter, and has a lower color temperature, 6500 Kelvin as compared to 7800 for the HLV4's. It also comes with filters to make the temperature bluish or amberish - can't find the color temperature with the filters on. Halogens vary from about 2400 to 5000 Kelvin. Unless the beam adjustment of your headlights is very very far from the proper adjustment, my guess is that cops aren't likely to notice it; I think they are more likely to notice color temperature. If your LEDs are closer to 5000K, such as the very expensive VLEDs are, I think cops are less likely to wonder if you have illegal headlights, and stop you. That is why, personally, I would stay away from the HLV4 from superbright LEDs and prefer the HLV5. As far as annual safety inspection goes - if the inspector doesn't like your LEDs you can always put the halogens back in, and then take them out after you pass inspection. While LEDs may be illegal, as long as they are the type with LEDs that are positioned to mimic halogen filaments, and as long as they aren't terribly badly adjusted and getting into oncoming driver's eyes and blinding them, I think that they should be safe - safer than the original halogens. I personally am not interested in having headlight that "look cool." I am interested in headlights that help me see better, don't cause oncoming drivers to see worse, and thus help to reduce the chance of collisions. I could be wrong but think about 5000 K is the best temperature for being able to see the most, and at the same time is the least likely to get cops to notice you and wonder if maybe they can't give you a ticket.

That said, if you get into an accident and the other drivers insurance company somehow notices that your headlights have been change, I don't know if that will get in the way of finding the other driver liable. Nor do I know if your own insurance company, if you have collision insurance, may be less likely to pay for collision damage to your car. I certainly wouldn't volunteer to either insurance company that I changed the lamps. If they noticed the lamps were changed I would say I put them in because I thought they would be safer, and had no reason to think they were illegal. Certainly the seller did not tell me they were illegal. Whether that would help or not, I don't know but I'm pretty sure it is better than saying, yes I changed the headlights and it occurred to me they might be illegal and I put them in anyway. I think if you discuss all this beforehand on fitfreak, it is unlikely any insurance company will find the discussion and use that to claim you knew they were illegal. Esp if you are using a pseudonym here.

^^^^FWIW, the HLV4 lamps are rated on Superbright LEDs site at 7200K, NOT 7800K. The package however says "6500K," so I'm not sure exactly what the color temperature measures, I can only report that they look white to my eyes.

I'm pretty sure that the local constabulary has better things to do than measure the color temperature of headlamps, so long as they're "white" and correctly aimed.

Charming, superbrightleds can't get their information straight. You do not have to "measure" the color temperature to notice that someone's car has a distinctly different looking headlight, with a readily noticeable color difference, than most of the other cars, and that is the kind of thing is what draws the attention of the local constabulary.

Here are part of the instructions that come with the LED:
Note the screw position when installing, and check, both right and left
should be in same position. There is a hood on the LED that does something
that makes it for low beam.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...ab10fa545e.jpg

What was the consensus on superbrightlights needing resisters installed. Also I didnt see it mentioned, DRL comparable ?

Another gotcha might be the time needed to replace a non-standard setup if you have a failure.

OEM and things like Silverstars are available in most Walmart and auto parts stores.

I bought Sylvania Silverstar ULTRA 9003/H4 Pair Set from eBay for $26.39. I checked autozone and walmart, both were selling them for over $45/pair plus tax.

Same here on the spare bulbs. Makes sense to be prepared.

I agree with this, and also have a philosophical opinion.
IMO..there are two things Americans like to do.
Tinker...and make things "more".

We tend to default to "more" is always better. Or from a tinkering standpoint, that different is automatically better.

My feeling with the halogen bulbs is, what's wrong with them?
There is enough light to safely drive. There's comparative light capability to most vehicles on the road.

I don't feel I need to do conversions, or plug and play, to change for changes sake, and/or create more light. I just don't need to.

IMO, halogen bulbs do lose brightness with time. If they seem too dark to you? Just replace them...with similar product. There are aftermarket halogen bulbs that report to be "brighter" but are legal replacements.

back 20yrs ago such post may have made sense.. fortunately for the rest of us, it is 2018 and happy to try new things to improve parts of the car honda thought it could cut corners on. and headlights on the car is seriously lacking.

Hey, I'm not knocking anyone who wants to "tinker" and make those changes.
But two things....most cars being produced and sold in 2018...still have Halogen Bulbs. So I'm not saying let's embrace a unused or outdated technology here. It's still the majority used system.

And we are talking about "Light"...I find Halogen output to be perfectly adequate.

When we get to, and we may, the point where vehicles are produced from the factory with LED headlights (Yes, I know some are)...but when that becomes the majority.
People will have to find other things to tinker with.

For me, personally, the "upgrade" is simply not worth the work. And as noted by others...can even be illegal. And I also don't embrace the rather North American approach that "more" or "brighter"- is necessarily better. Not to mention, the blinding light to oncoming cars can be dangerous, illegal. Plus some videos I have watched show that the light isn't even really brighter, just more scattered because you are adapting the wrong technology to a halogen bulb desinged housing.

But by all means, if you've got the money to spend, the time to apply, the desire to light up like a Casino on a Vegas strip, my personal philosophy isn't going to stop you.

But my bottom line is the unanswered question. What's wrong with the Halogen Bulb? It's what the vehicle has been safely designed to use. Replacement is relatively easy, and inexpensive, and IMO the light produced is perfectly adequate.

Wanting to "keep up" with other vehicles designed from blue print to have LED's IMO is not reason enough to make your vehicle dangerous on the road.

OK..maybe I am knocking people who want to make these changes.

Despite the different opinions here, I hope we can all agree that blinding oncoming traffic is a bad thing, whether that comes from bulbs producing a bad pattern, having the stock bulbs adjusted too high, suspension lifted so high that headlights are at everyone else's eye level, or even driving with the high beams on all the time- which I see in my area at least as often as obnoxiously bad bulbs.

That being said, everyone's driving conditions are different. The amount and quality of street lights, average weather, the time of day when you do most of your driving, the type of road you commonly use, all make a difference. And none of those make as much difference as the eyes of the individual driver.

I'm trying to walk the middle line between blinding everyone around, and being able to see with eyes that aren't the best. If my eyes get bad enough that I have to blind everyone else to see normally, that will be the time to stop driving.

My previous car, a 2010 Toyota Matrix, had noticeably better lighting, brighter, and better on the sides, when turning off one road onto another, to see where the sides of the new road are. It also had halogens, but it had 2 separate beams with 2 separate bulbs. I felt I had enough light in the Matrix; I feel that I don't have enough light, when driving the Fit. In my compinion, they have less light than cars with 2 separate beams, and I don't think the Fit has enough light to drive safely.

The aftermarket halogens cost almost as much as the LEDs. They are not really substantially brighter than the standard halogens. They have a slightly whiter light is the most of what's different. Also, they last a very short time, they are engineered to get slightly brighter light but last much shorter time, as to produce a little more light with the same wattage, the filament has to burn out a lot sooner.

LEDs, if you get the right ones, are a much better value. However you have to be careful as many of them have poor beams, since the LEDs aren't located so as to mimic the filaments. This is esp a problem in replacing dual-filament bulbs as the Fit's bulbs are. also, many of them aren't much brighter than the OEM halogens. And worse, many of them are labeled incorrectly as to how much light they actually produce. Some of them vastly exaggerate the amount of lumens, some of them are fairly truthful. So you have to be careful. Company's which sell you their cherry-picked LEDs like VLEDs, and are accurate about the number of lumens, often charge a lot more than similarly rated LEDs cost on amazon or ebay - some of which are rated truthfully and some of which are not. with name brand halogens, they are correctly labeled - but I don't think there are any that are substantially brighter than the OEMs, which I find to be quite inadequate and unsafe.

I figure I'll wait a little longer to see which brands stay on the market and which don't last, and hope that the prices go down. But meanwhile I don't like driving at night. When driving on main road and turning on to side road I have to go very slow on the main road, in order to see where the sides are of the side road, and thereby turn onto them without going into the ditch that is usually on each side, in my geographical area (there are no shoulders, and often the edge of the road is broken down, having eroded and fallen into the ditch) and I keep worrying that someone is going to come up behind me and rear-end me while I'm slowing down to see where the pavement on the side road actually ends.

Precisely! I watched some of the videos on YouTube where they take a whole bunch of LEDs and comparison test them in a test car that they have. I was really surprised how many were not any where near as bright as claimed when measured and how many had poor beam patterns, capable of blinding oncoming traffic. The poor beam patterns also meant that they failed to deliver on promises of improving needed visibility for you even if they were overall brighter than the test car's original headlights.

Did the interior lights to LED, and now I just cant stand the headlights / fog lights. Just bought the headlight kit uncle gary did, and the fogs northcoast did. I hope you guys still like the bulbs and have zero issues

Still running the LED headlamp bulbs. No issues so far. Not one car has flashed me for being too bright or badly aimed. I also put LEDs in the interior and the license plate lights. I'm running yellow halogen H8 bulbs in the fog lamps.

what is the real benefit of LED. I thought just for look cool (being white color).

No you can get LEDs that are just slightly whiter than halogen lamps, you can get yellowish looking LEDs, as well as "cool"-looking slightly bluish LEDs. Many people buy LEDs so that they see the road better. That is the only reason I would want them - other than to say to my friends, look, I can see the road better in my car than you can in your car. That is why I already have LEDs in my passenger cabin and cargo area - so I can see better inside the car. I choose 5000K color temperature from vleds.com. They also offer 6500K LEDs, bluer-looking, but I choose the "plain white." They are whiter than the original incandescents. Much like "daylight" fluorescents. Just plain white. I believe this color and the increased brightness improves how well I can see what is inside my car at night. If I stop to read a map, I can hardly see a thing with the original incandescents. If I want to find something in the cargo area - much easier with the LED. If my pen falls out of my pocket and lands between my seat and the center hump, I can find it more easily. I just turn on the map lights; I don't have to go searching for my flashlight in the center storage or glove storage area. I also tell everyone I know what I just said here, show them how bright my cabin is, and offer to put LEDs in their car for a very reasonable fee if they wish. I would expect folks with aging eyes to be more interested than youngsters. I have no doubt that at 25 I was sort of ok, but not happy, with croppy incandescents, but at 70 yo I find LEDs indespinsible. Actually, I remember even at about age 30 I added a 12 volt spot, about 2 inches in diameter, to my map light area, because I found the original incandescent map lights inadequate.

Also, being so much more efficient than incandescents, they take less ampere-hours out of your battery. Means I can leave the interior lights on for hours, without worrying about having trouble starting the car. Same thing would be true for headlight but not to the same degree. My interior lights are about 4 times as bright as the original incandescents, but they use only abuot 1/3 the amps, 1/3 the watts. Typical LED headlamps are about the same to about 2 twice as bright as original halogens, and according to published specs they use about 1/2 to 3/4 the amps.

Not sure why the LED headlamps don't seem as efficient as the interior lamps but I suspect the reason is that because they don't shine in a 360 degree cylinder as a filament does, not as much of the light they produce gets refected by the headlamp reflector, or focused by the lens. More light gets wasted. The ratio of lumens of output to the number of lux shining on the road, is greater for the halogens. So to compensate, to get the same number of lux on the road, with LEDs they make the amps used by the LEDs, and the lumens produced by the LEDs, greater. Anyway that is my hypothesis.

Just installed a $36 LED from Amazon.. looks amazing.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...8ce8ef3ed6.jpg

But how do the function? Can you see better at night with the low beams? With the high beams?

Better than you could see with the oem incandescents? When turning from a main road onto a side road, I could not see the sides of the side road with the oem incandescents, unless I almost completely stopped in the main road and turned very very slowly. Since the roads where I live don't have white lines along the edges, and since there are no shoulders either, and instead there is just a kind of ditch that begins where the pavement ends, which I do not want to drive onto, the original incandescents are making it hard for me to drive at night. If I slow down on the main road, I keep on worrying that someone is going to rear-end me. Yes she would be liable for damages, but I still don't want it to happen; I don't want the disruption it would cause.

The Amazon ad describes the Beamtech lamps as being 32 volt! My Fit has a 12 volt battery and the regulated voltage from the alternator is around 14 volts. A 32 volt lamp would not be suitable. If they have the wrong number here, why should I trust them to have the correct lumens posted? Or the correct color temperature?

By the way 2000 lumens for low beam of each lamp and 2000 for high beam, is not a lot more light than the original incandescents, which are about 1200 high beams, 900 low beams. https://www.brandsport.com/sylv-9003su.html And I do not think that 2000 lumens is twice as bright as 1000 lumens. And I think that the lumens are measured at the source, the at the filament or LED, and that that doesn't necessarily correspond to the amount of light that the reflectors reflect onto the road.