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2017 Projector Low Beams - Dim and Inadequate


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Does anyone know of a fix (preferably from Ford) for the dim and inadequate low beams in this vehicle. Between the projector cutoff line and lack of roadside illumination, this vehicle is difficult and potentially unsafe to drive at night. We live in a rural area and unlit two lane roads are a problem. The vehicle was purchased new two months ago. So far Ford has instructed my dealer to aim the headlamps and replace the original factory bulbs with another set of OE spec bulbs. Not much has changed and Ford has now told my dealer to cease working to solve this problem. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

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I just ordered a set of HID lights from Dan @ Drivebright.com to hopefully solve the same issue.

 

The light output is unacceptable for any modern vehicle, let alone one that costs this much. I should have test driven at night but I didnt know any better.

 

I truly believe this is done intentionally by auto manufacturers in order to sell more of the upgraded lighting packages. With what they charge for them, there is probably a large profit margin. With all of the safety features that go into a car today, there is not another reason I can come up with for why these lights are so bad.

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OEM spec is Long Life Bulbs. If you just change the buld to a regular bulb, you would notice a difference. The best bang for you buck is going to be a conversion from H11 to the H9. Main reasoning is for the coated tip on the H11's, the H9's don't have this. You get more usable light & don't effect your wiring or blind people with a HID conversion (or yourself with reflections in a projector housing). I've ran this setup for over 2 years without an issue. It just takes a slight modification on 1 of the tabs to complete & you're good to go.

 

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/150621-how-headlight-bulb-conversion-h11-h9-9005-9011-a.html

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OEM spec is Long Life Bulbs. If you just change the buld to a regular bulb, you would notice a difference. The best bang for you buck is going to be a conversion from H11 to the H9. Main reasoning is for the coated tip on the H11's, the H9's don't have this. You get more usable light & don't effect your wiring or blind people with a HID conversion (or yourself with reflections in a projector housing). I've ran this setup for over 2 years without an issue. It just takes a slight modification on 1 of the tabs to complete & you're good to go.

 

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/150621-how-headlight-bulb-conversion-h11-h9-9005-9011-a.html

 

 

If the projectors are designed for a bulb with a coated tip, changing to one without seems just as likely to cause the issues you describe albeit with less overall light output than HIDs.

 

Also, since H9 bulbs run at a higher wattage than the H11s do and the voltage is fixed, they will cause a higher amp draw than stock. Personally, I'd rather run the extra wiring (all of which is removable) and not place a load on the electrical system that it wasn't designed for.

 

 

I figured with the return policy it was worth taking a chance. If they end up blinding people, I'll send them back because I'm not an asshole.

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The projectors are designed for a halogen bulb with a similar connector to the H9. You're not going to melt your wiring or have any issues with the dealer. If you're concerned & have done the swap, simply swap out the bulbs before any dealer visit.

 

I've driven many consecutive hours at night with the lights on & have never smelled any burning electronic smell or melted the projector. This mod will give you more usable light & cost under $30.

 

If you wanted to 'play it safe' you can buy something similar to Silver Stars that would give you more light over stock as the stock ones are Long Life.

 

Some of your concerns were brought up in this thread:

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/21618-2016-edge-sel-dim-headlights/?fromsearch=1

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If the projectors are designed for a bulb with a coated tip, changing to one without seems just as likely to cause the issues you describe albeit with less overall light output than HIDs.

 

Also, since H9 bulbs run at a higher wattage than the H11s do and the voltage is fixed, they will cause a higher amp draw than stock. Personally, I'd rather run the extra wiring (all of which is removable) and not place a load on the electrical system that it wasn't designed for.

 

 

I figured with the return policy it was worth taking a chance. If they end up blinding people, I'll send them back because I'm not an asshole.

a plug n play HID kit is more likely to cause a fire before a H9 bulb is

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If the projectors are designed for a bulb with a coated tip, changing to one without seems just as likely to cause the issues you describe albeit with less overall light output than HIDs.

 

Also, since H9 bulbs run at a higher wattage than the H11s do and the voltage is fixed, they will cause a higher amp draw than stock. Personally, I'd rather run the extra wiring (all of which is removable) and not place a load on the electrical system that it wasn't designed for.

 

 

I figured with the return policy it was worth taking a chance. If they end up blinding people, I'll send them back because I'm not an asshole.

 

The coated tip is generally added to bulbs for use in reflector housings. It has no real impact on a projector housing because the optics are designed around the size, orientation and position of the bulb filament as the light source rather than the capsule (globe) of the bulb. The lack of a coated tip will allow somewhat more unreflected light but the beam focus is provided by the front lens and the cutoff shutter so the extra light is part of the beam and not at all blinding for other drivers.

 

As for the difference in wattage, both the 55W H11 and the 65W H9 bulb draw less than 5 amps at operating voltage (13.7V - 14.7V) so your wiring will be fine. Even a small 16 gauge wire can handle 5A for up to about 50 feet without being a hazard (although at that length there could be as much as a 10% voltage drop). The 14 gauge wire commonly used for headlights would not be affected at all by the 10W increase in the bulb.

 

Going from an H11 to an H9 in a projector lamp is by far the easiest and most productive way to increase light output without changing to HID.

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Why would that be? HID bulbs run cooler than halogen and, other than initial startup, the ballasts draw less current.

Because when people buy HID kits, they buy the cheapest thing on the market thinking they are all built the same, one simply should not buy HIDs from Ebay or amazon. Also adds more user error, putting ballast near something that may melt...etc.

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That's true - installing inferior components of any type is never a good idea. But a quality HID kit (such as Diode Dynamics), properly installed, is no more hazardous than any other electrical accessory. It is unfortunate that there are so many low quality kits on the market, not to mention unqualified installers (whether driveway mechanics or even some so-called "professionals" - I've seen some pretty horrific electrical work in cars).

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That's true - installing inferior components of any type is never a good idea. But a quality HID kit (such as Diode Dynamics), properly installed, is no more hazardous than any other electrical accessory. It is unfortunate that there are so many low quality kits on the market, not to mention unqualified installers (whether driveway mechanics or even some so-called "professionals" - I've seen some pretty horrific electrical work in cars).

I agree, Hylux, Diode Dynamics or a Morimoto kit. But HID buyers who are uninformed, see $39.99 on ebay and expect $150. results. Shit isn't gonna happen and when you tell them their shit sucks, they stick up for the cheap ebay kensun brand etc...We can only try to inform, but that only works if people are willing to listen and understand the subject instead of taking offense to criticism. fact is, nobody likes to be told they wasted money.

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  • 1 month later...

I just ordered a set of HID lights from Dan @ Drivebright.com to hopefully solve the same issue.

The light output is unacceptable for any modern vehicle, let alone one that costs this much. I should have test driven at night but I didnt know any better.

I truly believe this is done intentionally by auto manufacturers in order to sell more of the upgraded lighting packages. With what they charge for them, there is probably a large profit margin. With all of the safety features that go into a car today, there is not another reason I can come up with for why these lights are so bad.

How did this turn out. I was looking at theses also.
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Well lets see the proof for beautiful then.... words dont show any cutoffs or hotspots

 

Very good point and I think you'll find that he is a shill for that website (or at least works for them) considering his signature. There has been no response to my comment that they advertise LED headlight bulbs that are supposedly 4-5 times as powerful as name brand ones yet are less than $60 per pair. They belong in the same category as the Magnetic Fuel Savers or Electric Superchargers sold on ebay.

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  • 3 years later...
On 1/10/2018 at 4:15 AM, Nick Halstead said:

 

 

Well lets see the proof for beautiful then.... words dont show any cutoffs or hotspots

 

4 years later but here's some proof... Bulbfacts.com a non-biased third party comparison of current LEDs and how they stack up... cutoffs, hotspots, color temps, even the complete beam patterns.  Hope this sheds some light (pun intended ?) on this issue. 

 

 

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