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I need brighter headlights.

19K views 26 replies 9 participants last post by  badyellowvette 
#1 ·
Driving at dark in the morning the 2017 EX lights are just not cutting it. I have read a few threads on swapping out the Halogens for LED or HID. So what works better with my headlight housings? I have had bad luck with LED before, never seem to cast enough light down the road. What kind of setup do I need for HID's? Also what about a 4 high-beam setup I have on my truck where low and high beam come on together, would that work with LED or HID?
 
#2 ·
Honestly, I would never install HIDs in a housing that wasn't designed for them. The housing is designed to minimize the potential for glare in the eyes of an oncoming driver, and have a sharp cutoff of the upper edge of the beam. I know they make LED bulbs that can be used to replace a halogen light, but again I would hesitate unless the light itself has some sort of beam shaping. Not only can it be annoying and dangerous for an oncoming driver, but it quite possibly could be illegal as well.

My car has LED headlights, and they're quite impressive, although the LEDs in my Subaru would turn with the steering wheel. What would be involved to install them on a model that came with halogen, I can't say. But it probably wouldn't be cheap.
 
#3 ·
HID conversion is usually not practical. You can fairly easily switch over to LEDs but there can be a number of issues (housing adaptors, heat, lifespan, CANBUS compatibility) and the results are not always better than the OEM halogens. Some like the color difference even if the total lumens are the same (warning: white light causes glare reducing actual benefit to real eyes). Lots of people have done this and Ioniq forums may be a better resource for you (identical hardware). Here is one such thread:
https://www.ioniqforum.com/threads/diy-change-low-beam-headlight-to-led.30630

A YouTube search may also be helpful for general help even if not Niro/Ioniq specific.
 
#5 ·
HIDs will work with PROJECTOR style headlights... not sure why some people would say they wouldn't work or be practical.
SOME LED bulbs will be brighter then stock halogen but lack a hot spot needed for best vision down road.
I have not found a documented source yet for brighter/better LED bulbs yet.

I would upgrade your fog light bulbs with led if your car has the fog lights and I would just get sylvania ultras halogen bulbs if you didn't want to mess around with HIDs or LEDs.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Halogen projector housings are not designed for HIDs, both for temperature control and light projection control. HIDs and LEDs throw an extremely sharp beam of light. The projector housing does nothing to shape that light, so HIDs and LEDs can end up being dazzling to oncoming drivers. Light housings designed for HIDs and LEDs shape the light beam, in particular by creating a sharp cutoff of the upper edge that keeps the light beam below the eye level of the oncoming driver. It makes a significant difference in the dazzling effect. I had a Passat with halogen projectors, and it would have been terrible to put HIDs in them.

Another thing that most (but not all) cars with HIDs or LEDs are leveling lights. If the rear of the car is loaded down, the lights adjust to keep that sharp upper edge where it belongs. Cars with standard projectors do not have that function.
 
#7 ·
Projector housings are not designed for HIDs, both for temperature control and light projection control. HIDs and LEDs throw an extremely sharp beam of light. The projector housing does nothing to shape that light, so HIDs and LEDs can end up being dazzling to oncoming drivers. Light housings designed for HIDs and LEDs shape the light beam, in particular by creating a sharp cutoff of the upper edge that keeps the light beam below the eye level of the oncoming driver. It makes a significant difference in the dazzling effect. I had a Passat with halogen projectors, and it would have been terrible to put HIDs in them.

Another thing that most (but not all) cars with HIDs or LEDs are leveling lights. If the rear of the car is loaded down, the lights adjust to keep that sharp upper edge where it belongs. Cars with standard projectors do not have that function.
I think this is incorrect, most if not all factory HID / LED systems are projector type. Certainly the LED headlights on my EX Premium PHEV Niro are projectors. Putting HID or LED bulbs in a conventional reflector housing will give poor results, either blinding oncoming drivers or providing a seriously degraded light pattern. Here are the LED lights from the EX Premium, clearly projector type. Otherwise, you are correct, putting HIDs or LEDs in any housing designed for a halogen bulb is a bad idea.
 

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#8 ·
Yes, projectors are used with factory HIDs, but the housing is different from halogen based projectors. I should have been more specific that I was referring to adding HIDs to halogen projector housings, not a blanket statement about projectors. I'll edit my post. :)
 
#10 ·
I have not seen or heard of ANY situation where adding HID bulbs to a car with projectors ended up producing a bad/worse light output...
Not saying it couldn't happen, just that I have never seen or heard of that happening and I have literally watched hundreds of videos on headlights/bulbs.
 
#11 ·
I would imagine almost none of these reviews mentioned glare. Nor that very white lights (which certainly appear brighter) can hurt your own night vision and worse than no upgrade. Take a look at dealer options to get better lights - they are very expensive. It would seem a fool's game to beat an engineered total system with a few parts not designed for.

Not opposed to upgrades in general, I updated my backup lights to compensate for the ludicrously bad sensitive of the backup camera. That was a safety upgrade, but one that was not part of a total system, nor interfered with my vision or that of other drivers.
 
#12 ·
I did the LED conversion soon after the purchase and current set was based on user feedback on Amazon. My LED bulb set is fan-less and only draws 20 watts compare to up to 65watt halogen bulb 9005 it replaced. It runs much cooler “touch” and outputs little more than halogen. I am planning to do another replacement with 35-40 watt LED set to get little more output than current set. When niro stand next to the newer Audi/BMW with LED lamps. Its noticeable dimmer. Light distribution and right on so I would not worry too much about losing the focus distribution. Review other users when selecting and you will be ok.
 
#20 ·
Sharp cutoffs help, but glare also results just from the way the human eye processes whiter light. Google yellow lights and French law. Yellow lights provide the best actual view without harming night vision of driver or oncoming traffic. They do look dimmer compared to whiter lights though, again a brain effect.
 
#19 ·
If you want the best lighting combination, go with HID conversion headlights, and LED fogs. HID is very good for projecting, and the LED in the fog housing delivers a wide, even light. Together, you get a great view down the road, and improved perspective directly in front of and to the sides of the car.

I leased a Soul EV for 3 years, and went with a Morimoto HID conversion kit with 5500k bulbs. That car required a relay harness, and was a little tricky to install. But the beam pattern was fantastic, and the cutoff was sharp. When I returned the Soul, I swapped the kit over to my wife’s Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, which also has a nice projector lens with a sharp cutoff.

When I bought the base Niro EV, I knew I had to do something with the lights. So I picked up some Morimoto bulbs, generic ballasts, and a relay harness. Unfortunately, the Niro’s pulsed headlight voltage freaked out the harness. So I switched over to Morimoto canbus cancellers, which work perfectly, with the added benefit that their very easy to install.
 
#27 ·
I have just been thinking the same thing. Because last week going to work in the dark I spotted some black in the road and the lights didn't shine far enough up the road to show what looked a big wet spot on the road. Turns out it was a Mother bear and three cubs standing in the middle of the road. Lucky I drive slow in the dark and the truck behind me slowed down fast enough.
If I can figure out how to have the low and high beams stay on at the same time like I have on rigged up on other car and truck I think I would be golden.
 
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