Projector Headlights and LED bulbs

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Jhollowell

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2016
Posts
668
Reaction score
617
Location
Everett, wa
Hey guys,

i'm wondering if anyone has the Xtune Projector headlights. I bought a pair and i'm not thrilled with how bright they are. I'm still using the stock bulbs and was debating getting some Cree LED's from F150leds.com. i did talk to them and they said the bulbs will work with my lights but i'm just wondering if its worth the 200 bucks.

Current Headlights
2009-2014 F150 Xtune Projector Headlight & Smoked Taillight Package S3M-0914XTUNEPAK

Proposed bulbs
https://www.f150leds.com/f150-led-cree-headlight-system-2009-2014

Wondering if anyone has any experience with this setup or knows a good way to get some brighter headlights.

thanks
 

billj214

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
Posts
49
Reaction score
39
Location
Chandler, AZ
In my experience by adding LED bulbs to a projector housing does not work, the LED's emit light differently then both HID"s and Halogens so the projector lens needs to be specifically designed for the bulbs used.

I have went thru many LED's mounted in projector lenses, first of all there are different brands and shapes, none of which would work, secondly the bulbs tended to die after a few months, likely due to heat because they get hot and need good cooling when installed inside the lens.

LED's have the problem of not being able to focus light long distance, they scatter light more then anything and annoys oncoming drivers.

IMO Save your money as I've been down this road and not worth it.

---------- Post added at 06:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:50 PM ----------

On a side note my suggestion for bulbs to use would be any H7 bulb with a blue tint at a higher wattage then 55w, there are 65w - 100w options available for cheap.

The benefit of blue bulbs is they look like LED but project light made for the projector lens and by user higher wattage offsets the problem with being dim from having blue tint.
 

downforce137

FRF Addict
Joined
Jan 5, 2016
Posts
1,840
Reaction score
2,369
Location
In Diana
the LED tech thats currently out there, hasnt surpassed HID bulbs yet.. im sure they will eventually, but for the best performance currently, you'll have to go HID.

I also dont recommend putting HID bulbs into those projectors.. your best bet is to open them up and install some HID projectors that are designed for HID bulbs.
 

waddellw

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Posts
448
Reaction score
124
Location
Mississippi
My buddy has f150 LEDs mark 3 or whatever in his regular halogen set up and I was surprised at how bright they were. F150 LEDs also offered him a lifetime warranty or some because the mark 1 set a bulb messed up so they sent him a set of mark 3s free!

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

---------- Post added at 04:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:02 PM ----------

Also I clicked the xtune link and it said "For Halogen Headlights Only:*the headlights in this kit will only fit 2009 to 2014 F150s with base model halogen reflector headlights, and they*will not fit*2013 to 2014 F150s that came from the factory with upgraded projector headlights with Bi-Xenon HID Systems." I wonder if there are halogens in your projectors lol. Another one of my buddies has halogens in his gmc projectors from the factory and they absolutely suck.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
 

M3toSVT

Full Access Member
Joined
May 27, 2015
Posts
232
Reaction score
181
Listen to what all these guys above said.
Your best bet, if you don't what to spend the money for a proper setup, is to install HIDs in the existing projector. Let it be known that they are not meant for this as the aftermarket headlights with projectors will usually always use a halogen bulb and the output is crap.
If you want better light output, you will need to do a retrofit with some quality parts. Feel free to look at my builds located in my sig below.
 
Top