OEM Lights Longevity / Brightness

[Idaho]

This is my first vehicle with LED headlights. I have only had HID's in the past to compare it to but know that overtime, HID's will dim in their brightness. With that line of thought, I have turned off the DRL's as to keep the OEM lights brighter for longer.

Is that not a concern with the OEM LED's? Perhaps my google skills aren't the best but I have yet to be able to find a reliable source of information on this as every article only talks about how long of a life LED's have over conventional bulbs. I do have the lighting covered as part of my ESP but I am not concerned about one fully going out, just losing brightness overtime due to excess run time as DRL's.

Appreciate thoughts / discussion on this.

 

[smurfslayer]

Baja Designs quotes ~ 50k hours for their non laser chip LEDs and the OEM isn’t pushing anywhere NEAR what B/D does. 50k hours is ~ 5.7 years, and presumably that’s constantly on. That doesn’t mean all the lights will turn into pumpkins in 5.7 years, just that it’s the mean expected lifespan. Some will be shorter and some will be longer.

How long did your incandescent lights last?
My wife’s ‘roo keeps popping the passenger side headlight every 3 years. Inexpensive to fix, but it’s not an easy fix.

The good news is, in some places, off road lights are customary. Like Texas, for example. I’m sure they’re probably not favored by those in law enforcement, but the big thing here is a lift, level and cheap chinese light pods. Strangely enough, I don’t think it’s customary to flash your B/D lights back at these folks. Silly me, I thought if you liked your lights so much you might like my much more powerful lights better. Perhaps it’s lesson learned that you shouldn’t drive around with your lifted, leveled truck with cheap chinese lights and get your face melted off by someone just saying “hi” with much more powerful, reliable and focused USA made lights.

So you can just run your bumper cut out lights when the headlights give up the ghost, unless you’re living in some puritanical state where traffic stops are the most fun a cop can have.

Of course, if the headlights, runners or whatever go out, you’ll have an excuse to modify because chances are they’ll last well beyond the ESP.

 

[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

Don't even worry about it. Your headlights will last longer then your old halogen and HID bulbs. LEDs are built to last longer as it's a diode that is lighting up instead of a filament that can burn out. Circuit boards CAN fail over time, but you'll probably never have an issue.

I've actually yet to hear of a single F150 owner with OEM LED that had an issue with the lights going out. So I wouldn't worry at all. Enjoy your truck, don't turn any features off.

 

[Zeusmotorworks]

What about upgrading the dismal output?

 

[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

You can't. It's a closed system. Your best option are the new Morimoto XB Headlights. They are a lot brighter then stock:

Morimoto XB LED Headlights for 2017-2020 Ford F150 Raptor & 2015-2017 F150

N

www.4x4truckleds.com

 

[Zeusmotorworks]

Well ok then...

 

[melvimbe]

The good news is, in some places, off road lights are customary. Like Texas, for example. I’m sure they’re probably not favored by those in law enforcement, but the big thing here is a lift, level and cheap chinese light pods.

My neighbor, who's a cop, has a lifted F150 with about 20 lights inside and out on that thing...and no front license plate. Actually, he just quit the force, as he got tired of dealing with drug addicts. Now, he just makes and sells stuff out of his garage, like gun safes made from used vending machines.

Point is, I don't think cops care too much in Texas, except maybe in small towns, about stuff like that. They would have to give themselves and half their friends tickets, and they have more pressing things to deal with.

 

[Idaho]

Don't even worry about it. Your headlights will last longer then your old halogen and HID bulbs. LEDs are built to last longer as it's a diode that is lighting up instead of a filament that can burn out. Circuit boards CAN fail over time, but you'll probably never have an issue.

I've actually yet to hear of a single F150 owner with OEM LED that had an issue with the lights going out. So I wouldn't worry at all. Enjoy your truck, don't turn any features off.

I fully realize that the LED's will outlast a halogen bulb. The question is, does running the LED's all the time as DRL's dim their output over time like HID bulbs do. I am not worried about them going out.

 

[4x4TruckLEDs.com]

It's an LED. LED's don't dim

 

[nikhsub1]

I fully realize that the LED's will outlast a halogen bulb. The question is, does running the LED's all the time as DRL's dim their output over time like HID bulbs do. I am not worried about them going out.

Pretty sure LED's are either all on or all off.