H6054 HID, LED, or High Wattage Halogen?

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

Just like the title says. I have a pair of H6054 headlights and as great as it is to drive blindly at night(exaggerating) I'd really like to see what I'm doing. I'm mostly leaning to conversion metal housing and running 80/100 halogens with proper relays. Cheap, easy, and well proven method. Downside is the massive amps drawn compared to the other options. HID I'm on the fence about because the extra wiring that I'd have to hide and snake around. Otherwise seems a good proven choice as well. Lastly there is LED, which I would likely do if cost wasn't an issue. Seems that quality conversion run about $170 per side before tax. Seems a pretty penny to spend on lighting when I could really use those funds towards other things. Anyone else gone through the same dilemma or want to chip in with opinions?

 

[NevadaLover]

I use Hella 6054 conversions with 55w digital ballast HID's in my '91 V30 and my '94 G20 and they are awesome, the difference between the HID's and the 55w incandescent's is amazing, being able to see at highway speeds is important and living in an open range state like Nevada makes good headlights a necessity!

Don't let the extra wiring worry you, it's a very simple job and tying the wires out of sight is just a small inconvenience, most new HID systems are foolproof and user friendly!

 

[Texoma]

I changed my stock headlights out in my Jeep for ProComp leds and after 6 months changed those out for Hella lens and Phillips bulbs. The leds are nice and bright but the glare you get off of road signs and the lack of any light above the cut off line just wasn't to my liking.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I changed my stock headlights out in my Jeep for ProComp leds and after 6 months changed those out for Hella lens and Phillips bulbs. The leds are nice and bright but the glare you get off of road signs and the lack of any light above the cut off line just wasn't to my liking.

I have a nice cutoff with mine but LED doesn't contrast enough with some road surfaces. Fresher blacktop is great, limestone gravel seems to really cut down on what you can see.

 

[lugueto]

What vehicle are you running them on?

 

[FlipperFla]

I upgraded to LEDs about 6 months ago. The prices have really started to drop on the led and new models do not have fans. Bought a 4 bulb set on Amazon for around $75 on special deal, no fan, w/ 2 yr warranty. Took about 20 min to install all 4. I marked where my high and low beams hit my garage wall before I changed them out so I could see their pattern and focus location. They were the same so no adjustment was needed. WOW! A whole new world of night driving. Excellent distance, super bright white. Made the old lights look like dim yellow flashlights. Extremely happy with the upgrade and would have paid 2X the price for the results. Even as bright as they now are I have had no oncoming drivers flip their highs at me on low.

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

There is a whole forum based on lighting with an Automotive subsection. Rule is there are no housing engineered or made to retrofit LED Module into. There are no retrofit LEDs that work correctly with housings designed for halogen bulbs.
Hella makes the best H6054 housing currently as others have discontinued because of low demand. I also highly recommend the Philips Rallye or the X-TremeVision. The Silverstars have lots favor due to false claims that have been proven.
Best source for top of the line bulbs, housing, and knowledge:

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

Cibie, Hella, Marchal, Carello stockists. E-code headlamps, fog lamps, driving lamp, bulbs, and full technical support and assistance

www.danielsternlighting.com

Don't believe me just ask in this forum:

Transportation Lighting

www.candlepowerforums.com

If you are still set on going with LED headlights then I suggest you look into a complete headlight conversion which has a housing with LEDS built in. Something that was properly engineered and design for LEDS.
Top Dog of the bunch is J.W. Speaker. No chinese junk there.

Headlights – Product Categories – J.W. Speaker

Choose the best LED headlights for capturing attention, delivering premium performance and showcasing your vehicle — and feel safe and confident on the road.

www.jwspeaker.com

Next in line is Grote and Truck-Lite who also own Rigid Industries

Here is a whole discussion on the matter. Pay attention to Virgil and Aleric they are the experts in the field of automotive lighting.

7x6 H6054 Conversion Housings

Is this the best option for a 7x6 conversion housing? http://www.myhellalights.com/index.php/products/auxiliary-lamps/sealed-beam-conversion-headlamps/vision-plus-conversion-headlamp/

www.candlepowerforums.com

 

[NevadaLover]

There is a whole forum based on lighting with an Automotive subsection. Rule is there are no housing engineered or made to retrofit LED Module into. There are no retrofit LEDs that work correctly with housings designed for halogen bulbs.
Hella makes the best H6054 housing currently as others have discontinued because of low demand. I also highly recommend the Philips Rallye or the X-TremeVision. The Silverstars have lots favor due to false claims that have been proven.
Best source for top of the line bulbs, housing, and knowledge:

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

Cibie, Hella, Marchal, Carello stockists. E-code headlamps, fog lamps, driving lamp, bulbs, and full technical support and assistance

www.danielsternlighting.com

Don't believe me just ask in this forum:

Transportation Lighting

www.candlepowerforums.com

If you are still set on going with LED headlights then I suggest you look into a complete headlight conversion which has a housing with LEDS built in. Something that was properly engineered and design for LEDS.
Top Dog of the bunch is J.W. Speaker. No chinese junk there.

Headlights – Product Categories – J.W. Speaker

Choose the best LED headlights for capturing attention, delivering premium performance and showcasing your vehicle — and feel safe and confident on the road.

www.jwspeaker.com

Next in line is Grote and Truck-Lite who also own Rigid Industries

Here is a whole discussion on the matter. Pay attention to Virgil and Aleric they are the experts in the field of automotive lighting.

7x6 H6054 Conversion Housings

Is this the best option for a 7x6 conversion housing? http://www.myhellalights.com/index.php/products/auxiliary-lamps/sealed-beam-conversion-headlamps/vision-plus-conversion-headlamp/

www.candlepowerforums.com

That was the rule a few years ago, manufacturers have made great improvements in LED and HID bulbs since then, the location of the hot spot in the new bulbs is the same as incandescents and the resulting light distribution is the same but with more useable light broadcast in the same area, when I replaced the halogen bulbs in my hellas with HID's I didn't have to re-aim the bulbs and the difference in light output and quality of vision was amazing!
Good thing about technology is it always changes, most often for the better.

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

That was the rule a few years ago, manufacturers have made great improvements in LED and HID bulbs since then, the location of the hot spot in the new bulbs is the same as incandescents and the resulting light distribution is the same but with more useable light broadcast in the same area, when I replaced the halogen bulbs in my hellas with HID's I didn't have to re-aim the bulbs and the difference in light output and quality of vision was amazing!
Good thing about technology is it always changes, most often for the better.

I dare you to say that on candlepower. You can not replicate the light emitted from an incandescent filament with an LED. No way no how regardless of what the marketing hype says. There are NO good drop in LED assemblies for incandescent housings.

 

[NevadaLover]

I don't like LED as the light is a different spectrum than incandescent and HID, that said one of my traveling buddies has an '81 F150 with hella 6054s like mine and has bulbs from superbrightled.com, they are definitely a step up from the halogen bulbs he used first and the distribution is on par yet brighter, the biggest problem I have with LEDs is they don't reflect eyes like other types and living in Nevada with open range cattle and horses not to mention the pronghorn and mule deer makes LEDs a no go for me.

 

[Ari3sgr3gg0]

I ended up going with Hella E code housings, and a few different bulb options from Hella. I have the relays and wiring needed on order as well. I'll update this thread with stock H6054, GE Nighthawk H6054, Hella 55/65, Hella 80/100, and Hella 90/100. I imagine I'll use 55/100 Hella as the everyday use option unless I'm floored by the light difference in the higher wattage options. I'll be a guinea pig for other people so that they can have a better idea of what these halogen bulbs are offering since I didn't find many direct picture comparisons.

 

[Texoma]

I have a nice cutoff with mine but LED doesn't contrast enough with some road surfaces. Fresher blacktop is great, limestone gravel seems to really cut down on what you can see.

I noticed that my LEDs emitted no light above the cutoff line which is great for not blinding oncoming traffic but it also means that the reflectors a 1/2 mile or more up the road that halogens light up the LEDs don't. So too me it was like driving into pitch black on low beam because there are no reference points provided by reflection.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I noticed that my LEDs emitted no light above the cutoff line which is great for not blinding oncoming traffic but it also means that the reflectors a 1/2 mile or more up the road that halogens light up the LEDs don't. So too me it was like driving into pitch black on low beam because there are no reference points provided by reflection.

The high beams though...

While not ideal they beat the tar out of my sealed beams. They were like two half dead Maglites.

 

[Texoma]

Yep the high beams are awesome. I bought some headlight buckets from speedway motors and put my leds in them and mounted them on the windshield for off road lights.