Don't waste your money on these LED bulbs!

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jseabolt
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Don't waste your money on these LED bulbs!

Post by jseabolt »

I bought some of these LED high beam bulbs off Ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2x20-2828-SMD- ... 2749.l2649

When I tested them in my garage, they seemed to work great. Nice and bright. I thought these would really give me some extra light so I can see those early morning deer standing next to the road.

But when tested in the real world on the road, I couldn't tell they were even working! I thought the low beams went out when the high beams were on but apparently they don't. When I flip the high beams on, I cannot tell any different between low and high. Further investigation shows that when parked near a tree, the beam illuminates the top of the tree! About 15 feet above the car!

So if your thinking about putting these particular LED HIGH beams in your Baja, don't waste your money on these particular bulbs. I'm putting the Silverstars back in once I get a chance.
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/turbofiat/

2003 Subaru Baja
1968 Ford Fairlane 500
1980 Fiat 124 Spider (turbocharged)
1987 Yugo GV (1500 turbocharged)
1981 Trabant 601 S
1987 Citroen 2CV
1977 MGB
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kamesama980
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Re: Don't waste your money on these LED bulbs!

Post by kamesama980 »

That's why it's best to stick with what the housing's designed for. The age old problem with retrofitting HIDs and LEDs is that the source of light is neither the same shape or in the same position as the optics are designed for so the reflected pattern is off. (that goes for reflector or projector style)

Usually not that far off though. If the beam pattern's that far off I suspect major manufacturer issues or installation error. That's why I avoid Chinese junk and ebay in general.
-Russell
"You don't get to judge me for how I fix what you break"
03 sport 5mt
05 turbo 5mt vf39 and other STI bits, 3" turbo-back
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jseabolt
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Posts: 102
Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 2:56 pm
Location: Kingsport, Tennessee
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Re: Don't waste your money on these LED bulbs!

Post by jseabolt »

I've got them installed correctly. There's only one way the can go in.

The Silverstars I had been using would cast at least 50 feet or more.

I don't use Silverstar low beams. The only last about 3 months at the most. At $20 a pop they are not worth it.
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/turbofiat/

2003 Subaru Baja
1968 Ford Fairlane 500
1980 Fiat 124 Spider (turbocharged)
1987 Yugo GV (1500 turbocharged)
1981 Trabant 601 S
1987 Citroen 2CV
1977 MGB
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kamesama980
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Posts: 369
Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 6:54 am

Re: Don't waste your money on these LED bulbs!

Post by kamesama980 »

jseabolt wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 4:44 pm I've got them installed correctly. There's only one way the can go in.

The Silverstars I had been using would cast at least 50 feet or more.

I don't use Silverstar low beams. The only last about 3 months at the most. At $20 a pop they are not worth it.
Don't take it as a deliberate knock on you, just a generality because I don't know you or your skill. Like IT asking if it's plugged in.
-Russell
"You don't get to judge me for how I fix what you break"
03 sport 5mt
05 turbo 5mt vf39 and other STI bits, 3" turbo-back
User avatar
jseabolt
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Posts: 102
Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 2:56 pm
Location: Kingsport, Tennessee
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Re: Don't waste your money on these LED bulbs!

Post by jseabolt »

None taken. I once tried using H4 to R2 bulb adapters in my Trabant. So I could use H4 bulbs in my R2 housings.

The 7" H4 replacement lenses that would replace US spec sealed beam headlights won't fit the buckets. The alignment slots are different. And they dont use the same method of holding the lenses in the buckets . The Trabant uses a clamp instead of a ring with three screws.

I tried some adapter but because the R2 housings were made for an incandescent bulb, they lacked the cover that goes over the bulb that reflects the light back against the reflector. The worked but not that well .

I ended up ordering some from The UK instead of Germany to save on shipping.
http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/turbofiat/

2003 Subaru Baja
1968 Ford Fairlane 500
1980 Fiat 124 Spider (turbocharged)
1987 Yugo GV (1500 turbocharged)
1981 Trabant 601 S
1987 Citroen 2CV
1977 MGB
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