LED Headlights
 

My factory headlamps have always left much to be desired. Now that the lenses are beginning to haze up, I'm thinking it is time for an upgrade. I see that Maxxima has come out with a line of led replacement headlights that fit semi-trucks, has anyone had any experience with them?

Oops! I also see that GE has a product called Nighthawks that gets good reviews. Anyone tried those?

I am trying a 5x7 led from rigid industries. It's been around awhile and gets good reviews....good price poInt also
https://www.rigidindustries.com/led-lighting?f[0]=field_product_family%3a5003

Petrel

I did an upgrade and I am super happy! Here is where we talked about lights.
https://www.truckconversion.net/forum...67/index2.html

Anybody ever put an led light bar in between the tow hooks? Looking to add one for some auxiliary night lighting.

I'm running Rigid dulley (6 LED per cube) - i use a relay and wired 'em to the factory driving lamps (really would like them to be on a sep switch).

calling them BRIGHT (and a good addition) would be a serious understatement.

I added a nice 13" bar on the new pickup truck too (really bright, and much cheaper than the Rigid's

Yea I want to add a light bar like on your truck.

Check with David Dixon from Deep Space Lighting. He is the headlight expert as far as I can tell. I don't see anything on his web site for the Coronado. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to help you. He is very accommodating. He goes by NukeE here I think? Great guy. He full times in a Showhauler Truck Conversion. Classic Shop - Deep Space Lighting

David has been working on Coronado headlights for over a year. No success yet, I assume.

you cold always try LED "bulbs" as replacements for the OEM Halogen's

These GTR's are highly rated - https://headlightrevolution.com/led-...adlight-bulbs/

I would, but the housings are starting to haze a bit. In truth, David started this whole LED quest/obsession. He sold me an excellent set of LED fog lights to replace my factory lights. Now, I don't think I'll be content until all lights on the front end are replaced with bright white leds.

The coup de gras occurred last week when I drove my wife's new car in the dark. The stark clear white lights sure made the roadway ahead a whole lot easier to see than the warm yellow glow of my freightliner's headlights!

the headlight hazing can be polished out.
and i certainly get it - the LED lighting & headlights on our 2017 super duty are nothing short of amazing

Ok, so I have a new pair of JW Speaker 8700 Evolution 2 Dual burn lights, wiring adapters and complete new headlight bezels and light assemblies laying on my work bench. Since my existing headlight housings are hazed and the bezels are a bit worn, I figured I would swap them for the new ones and experiment on the old ones to see if I can get the JW Speakers to work. Worst case scenario, I will have all new factory headlights - Best case scenario i have all new led headlights...wish me luck!

Man I hope those 8700 Evolution 2s work for you! I didn't realize the Coronado headlights were the same (7") size as Jeep Wranglers...thats nice you have a "standard" size headlight.

Ive been thinking about using LED "bulbs" in my Columbia - but they have a weather seal/hatch on the back that doesn't leave enough room for the heatsinks/fans - I have a friend that has mentioned he'd be willing to try and 3D Print me a larger cover.

I did some reading on replacing the bulbs alone with LEDs. What I found was that in some instances the LED bulb may be DOT approved, but the LED bulb coupled with the old school housing may create a non-compliant output. Having been on the receiving end of what I believed to be non-compliant LED headlights (from oncoming vehicles), I figured I would go for complete housings to ensure compliance. I don't want to cause any discomfort to others or create an unsafe situation. In addition, my state inspection station cautioned me about being sure about compliance. It seems they are on the lookout for non-compliant lights.

Unfortunately, although JW Speakers are 7" housings, that is where the similarity ends. I will have to do some significant modifications (cut, fasten, and maybe epoxy) to the old housings to fit these new lights, and retain adjustment capability. I have already made arrangements with my local Freightliner dealer to have them properly aligned once installed.

Im familiar w/ that problem - especially w/ HID bulb & ballast modifications - the beam or hot spot of the bulb is not in correct position for the reflector and so you get poor light placement and pattern.

The LED "bulbs" have better positioning (theyre not as long as a HID) and some better LEDs have adjustable (set screw) beam positioning.

Petrel,

I have been looking at these too, https://www.ebay.com/itm/Plank-Style...LH_TitleDesc=0

What does everyone think of these?
Thanks
Sam

Daniel & I have discussed these (and others) - I dont know anyone thats using 'em (yet). I did see a pair on a truck the other day (during the day & the led tube/lines were on) - they looked strange but ok IMO, caught my eye cause they were unusual.

You can buy them cheaper (google) - I think Iowa 80 or someone had 'em for 200 bucks a pair.

I'll be going w/ something other than OEM once my repairs are complete.

in the details it indicates that only the halos are LED. The main light source is still halogen?

They certainly are nice looking!

Believe it or not, I'm still monkeying with these *^% headlights! Thought I could tear down one of the stock Grote headlight assemblies and install the JW speaker light into it, but the Grote assembly is all plastic, and the JW speaker light is all heavy cast aluminum. I don't believe there is any way to bond one to the other reliably.

I can't help but think that there are other Coronado owners who have encountered this problem. I even tried the truckers forum to no avail.

Apparently, older Coronados used sealed beam headlights, for which the JW speaker lights should be a direct replacement. Unfortunately, I cannot find any of the older sealed beam light housings.

I thought the stock Grote headlights were flimsy, until I started cutting on them! I destroyed every bit in a new Dremel set to get these things cut apart and fitted! I don't know what type of plastic those things are, but they easily stand up to hammer blows and cut off wheels!

Since they are so damned tough I decided to use them as brackets for the new lights. They seem to have worked out, and the mounts are rock solid.

I have made arrangements with my local Freightliner dealer to check the headlight alignment with the alignment device in their inspection bay. Hopefully the stock brackets will adjust to aim the LEDs properly, otherwise it will be back to the drawing board! I don't want to be the guy blinding everyone!

I've attached the before and after photo for one side. I've also attached a photo of the completed(hopefully) project. Parts: Freightliner headlight bezels, Grote DRL/turn fixtures , JDM Led Switchback DRL/turn bulbs, JW Speaker 8700 headlights with no halo and "all on" high beam feature.

Nice! I havent' had time to do more research on the lights I posted. I need to get back on that!


Sam

man I SO wanted a cascadia when we were looking!
hope this lighting issue works out for you.

I got in a hurry - trying to wrap up the body work, paint etc from our blow out so I could make it out to Barber Vintage Fest a couple of weeks ago.....so I just went back to the shitty OEM lights...im gonna give some LED inserts a try.

Thanks. I can't wait to get them on the road.

Now I have discovered that one of the Deep Space Lighting Morimoto Fog lights has broken! It appears that the adjustment mechanism broke off. Oh well. If it is mechanical, it breaks.

David is a member here (and on the truck conversion FB page)....im sure he'll make it right.

I've tried to contact David on his site and by phone, no luck. Any suggestions?

The Freightliner dealer blessed the alignment of my new headlights last week. If you are going down the road and someone's leds are shining in your eyes, it ain't me:D

JW Speaker 6045 fog lights and brackets have arrived. I hope I can get them installed with minimal modifications.

FWIW, Headlightrevolution.com has a very informative video on their youtube channel about led bulb upgrades. They cover quite a few options, pros and cons, etc. May be worth a watch if you have time.

Fog lights are in!
 

The JW Speaker fog lights are in now and should complete my light show for some time.

I am not crazy about the way the speakers install. I actually called them and sent them dry fit photos to be sure I was going about it the right way. However, they are in. They really do a nice job, in spite of their bug eyed look.

Can't wait for a night run to really test everything out. Unfortunately, we are in the heat of the deer rut here and the roads are the worst deer killing fields I've ever seen. I already had one put my f450 in the shop for 3 weeks, before the rut!

Petrel do you have any pictures of the modifications you had to make to the stock buckets to mount the Evolution 2's? I plan on(and have been planning for several years now) doing something similar to my Haulmark/Coronado soon, the stock stuff sucks. I don't do much night driving when I am RV'ing but for those few hours a year it sure would be nice to be able to see where I am going.

I posted a few pics and a description over here for another gentleman who was interested:

https://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr....526900/page-1

Let me know if I may be of any other help.

I am not a member on that site so I can't see the pictures but thats ok, I have a pretty good mental image of what you did.

I apologize. I did not know that the photos on that site were not public. I also do not know why this site suddenly turns all of my photos landscape:confused:

Thanks for posting. Pretty much what I had envisioned.

So to hold the new LED lights into your custom buckets you used the just the retaining ring from the JW Speaker mounting kits?

What you did addressed one of my concerns quite effectively, having a mount that allows for aiming properly. I was looking at the manufacturers mounting kit and was was wondering if it could be mounted under the bezel in a manner that wouldn't require a bunch of trial and error to get it close enough to allow for fine tuning.

Now I just need to save up for a whole bunch of LED's (headlights, fog lights and DRL/signal lights)and convince my wife that it is truly worth it for the little night driving we do.

Yes. I figured that ring is all that holds any sealed beam bulb in place, so long as the fixture is fitted properly. With regard to adjustment, I never touched the adjustment knob on the mounts. When I took the truck in for inspection, the guy said they were right on the money.

Like you, I typically plan to avoid night driving (unless going through the NE). One dark, rainy night was the tipping point for me making the new lights a priority.

Drove to Charleston and back last week. Got a chance to try out the new lights for a couple hours. I was very pleased to see that my field of view was much better illuminated on low beam, and the high beams just create a white lit corridor, highway width and over 125yds long! The best news was that the low beams are so focused that not once was I "flashed" by oncoming drivers, and I did not see anyone in front of me adjusting their mirrors when I approached them or they overtook me from behind.

I chalk this up as a win win. I can see much better and further, and I am not "that guy" going down the road blinding my fellow motorists!

Very nice.Looks like OEM lights. Maybe you would consider sharing the workup with other Coronado owners.

This is the write up I posted on the truck forum:

i bought two new freight liner headlight assemblies and a set of Jeep headlight retaining rings and set them aside. Then I removed the factory headlights from the truck , carefully cut away the lenses, right in the seam between the clear lense and the black housing.

Then I removed the bulb mounting hardware from the back of the headlight and retained the screws. I then cut away the back of the headlight as pictured in my thread.

Once the housing has been trimmed up and cleaned up, you must very carefully mark it for the replacement headlight positioning tabs. Once you are satisfied with the alignment you can notch the housing to receive the new light alignment tabs. Do this in stages, the tighter the fit the better.

Once the new light housing is fitted to the custom cut light bucket, you can fit the retaining rings. The tabs on them must be bent flat, so you can use the screws you saved from the bulb mounts to secure the rings. It really helps to have someone press the retaining ring down onto the housing, while you mark the holes. That way, the new light will be held in the bucket very snugly.

Once assembled, they go right back in the truck as before. Remember to use blue loctite on the bezel screws, and don’t overtighten them. Then install your custom wiring harness.