GOT IT!!!

[brianblue]

Decided to  buy the  Gen 1 Connect  XLT  I was looking at!   ( 2012, RED, with 39k on the clock, super well maintained) .  thank you all  for feedback on my earlier questions.  so far its all good,  i have a short list of things I want to do... soundproofing and 'rattle chasing'  being pretty high on the list.   also want to remove and replace bulbs with Cree LEDS... pics when i get a chance...

Edited March 9, 2019 by brianblue
spelling

[mrtn]

Osram Nightbreakers work very, very good in the headlights. No need to mess with LEDs.

[Fifty150]

Transit Connect headlamp housings are engineered for halogen lamps.  

 

Halogen lamps, although more yellow and less bright, will throw a beam farther.

 

LED will be whiter, brighter, and allow you to see more.  However, the beam will not cover the same distance, since LED wavelength in a headlamp housing designed to reflect halogen lighting will not throw as far.  

 

Your real problem with LED, is that there are tons of them on the open market, and a lot of them do not work very well.  Flickering.  Overheating.  Failing.  Improper fitment.  Stated lumen output which is nowhere near realistic.  Then you have sellers offering a warranty, which they will not honor, nor be able to honor if their "company" disappears.

 

But there are good LED sellers.  Some have been in business for a decade now.  They do have quality control, research & development, offer product support, and will be around in case you need warranty service.  

 

My personal experience was buying different sets of LED lights on Amazon.com.  Some of the sellers responded, and offered refunds or exchanges.  Some of the sellers did not respond, and I was able to obtain a refund from Amazon.com since they offer an A-To-Z Guarantee on everything sold on Amazon.  The lights I am currently using, which are working well, are from sellers who no longer exist.  So that should warn you.  Even if you get a good set, by taking chances, those fly-by-night sellers won't be around later if something goes wrong.  

[herb]

3 hours ago, Fifty150 said:

Transit Connect headlamp housings are engineered for halogen lamps.  

 

Halogen lamps, although more yellow and less bright, will throw a beam farther.

 

LED will be whiter, brighter, and allow you to see more.  However, the beam will not cover the same distance, since LED wavelength in a headlamp housing designed to reflect halogen lighting will not throw as far.  

 

Your real problem with LED, is that there are tons of them on the open market, and a lot of them do not work very well.  Flickering.  Overheating.  Failing.  Improper fitment.  Stated lumen output which is nowhere near realistic.  Then you have sellers offering a warranty, which they will not honor, nor be able to honor if their "company" disappears.

 

But there are good LED sellers.  Some have been in business for a decade now.  They do have quality control, research & development, offer product support, and will be around in case you need warranty service.  

 

My personal experience was buying different sets of LED lights on Amazon.com.  Some of the sellers responded, and offered refunds or exchanges.  Some of the sellers did not respond, and I was able to obtain a refund from Amazon.com since they offer an A-To-Z Guarantee on everything sold on Amazon.  The lights I am currently using, which are working well, are from sellers who no longer exist.  So that should warn you.  Even if you get a good set, by taking chances, those fly-by-night sellers won't be around later if something goes wrong.  

I thought you had a generation II TC , anyways i find the headlights plenty bright , i have no idea what the TC comes standard with .  Some headlights are so ridiculously bright that other cars are convinced you're driving with your high beams on .

[Fifty150]

I do have a 2nd Generation.  Same issue with LED headlights.  Brighter, but you don't see as far.

 

On well lit streets and highways, your OEM lights should be fine.  It's just that a lot of people like brighter lights.  Then you start with the headlights, and next thing you know, you're adding light bars.

[mrtn]

4 hours ago, herb said:

I thought you had a generation II TC , anyways i find the headlights plenty bright , i have no idea what the TC comes standard with .  Some headlights are so ridiculously bright that other cars are convinced you're driving with your high beams on .

 

Gen1 headlights are much better than Gen2.

[Beta Don]

I'll second 150's take on LED headlights  -  Brighter, but you can't see as far is exactly how I would describe  my experience with them too.  I don't drive at night all that often, but I'm going back to halogen headlights so I can see where I'm going

 

IMO, it all comes down to what works best with the reflectors in the stock headlights.  Ideally, you want a pinpoint light source, positioned exactly at the focal point of the reflector.  Halogen filaments aren't exactly a pinpoint source, but they are a smaller source than the LED chips on the aftermarket replacements and they are positioned much closer to the ideal focal point of the reflector.  So, even though the LED chips put out plenty of light, the light doesn't get put where you need it, well down the road . . . . plus, they're a real nuisance to the other drivers coming at you in the other lane  -  Some of what misdirected light ends up in their eyes

 

I'm all for what works best and I've yet to see a set of LED's which can match a set of Osram Nightbreakers

 

Don 

[brianblue]

Thanks everyone!  i will try the Osram Nightbreakers!!  

[Fifty150]

When I used halogen headlights, I tended to favor the Hella brand.  Just a little more wattage.  Just a little brighter.

[WillMartin]

On 3/10/2019 at 3:10 AM, mrtn said:

 

Gen1 headlights are much better than Gen2.

They are?  I don't think the headlights on my Gen 1 are all that great.

[mrtn]

In the world of halogens they are. Complete crap compared to my Toyota or Honda with factory HID which light up the moon if needed but better than Gen2 with halogens.

[Fifty150]

Factory HID are great!  Drop in HID kits, not so great.  Same with LED.  Some cars now have factory LED, which are awesome.  Drop in LED kits, not so awesome.

[Tom899]

I swapped my headlight bulbs with HIKARI LED Headlight Bulb Conversion Kit -H11 back in May 2018. I still like them, although they are not perfect. I had to re-aim the lights down, not a big deal. They are much brighter and are white instead of the dim yellow stock bulbs. There's no distinct cutoff line like HID's, but I still like them much more than stock bulbs. I think they were about $69. on Amazon.

Edited March 29, 2019 by Tom899

[Project bike truck]

8 hours ago, Tom899 said:

I swapped my headlight bulbs with HIKARI LED Headlight Bulb Conversion Kit -H11 back in May 2018. I still like them, although they are not perfect. I had to re-aim the lights down, not a big deal. They are much brighter and are white instead of the dim yellow stock bulbs. There's no distinct cutoff line like HID's, but I still like them much more than stock bulbs. I think they were about $69. on Amazon.

I second this, I have these same ones, they do not flicker, fit poorly or any of the above-stated issues and they do allow me to see better at night and on the highway.