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I'm really liking the look of the LED headlights on the higher models. Does anyone know if they can be plug & play in the lower end models and function properly?
Will LED headlights fit on LX/ Touring models?
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43 Posts
Cheers - I'm new here too, looking forward to delivery on a Pacifica that I just ordered last week - may be a while...
But, unless I've read the specs very badly, all the headlights EXCEPT the Limited are halogen; the Limited went with HID rather than LED headlights. The driving lights and fog lights, as well as tail lights, are LED. If anyone can explain to me why they'd used HID rather than LED, I'd love to know...
But, unless I've read the specs very badly, all the headlights EXCEPT the Limited are halogen; the Limited went with HID rather than LED headlights. The driving lights and fog lights, as well as tail lights, are LED. If anyone can explain to me why they'd used HID rather than LED, I'd love to know...
HID have better range (reach) of lights and generally better depth perception than LED lights do. led may appear brighter in the immediate foreground due to the color of the light emitted but does not mean they are producing more usable light by which to see. They are close and this is from what I have experienced first hand with led vs hid headlights.
I would like to see more manufactures offer LEDs with their vehicles especially since they would have tested them as part of their vehicle design and safety vs the aftermarket that just offers up led kits without too much concern about the housing or beam pattern/projector etc from various vehicles.
I would like to see more manufactures offer LEDs with their vehicles especially since they would have tested them as part of their vehicle design and safety vs the aftermarket that just offers up led kits without too much concern about the housing or beam pattern/projector etc from various vehicles.
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151 Posts
It likely wouldn't be plug n play. At a minimum, I don't think there is support (igniter/ballast) for a HID set up in the lower trims.
You could easily do aftermarket LED's, but, as has been said above, the lumen output in some kits doesn't approach that of HID's. I also agree with above sentiment regarding auto manufacturers and LED design, safety, and beam patterns. That being said, I did purchase a LED kit for the 9005 high beams. What I liked about the design was that the "bulb" was clockable, allowing for optimal light output and pattern.
You could easily do aftermarket LED's, but, as has been said above, the lumen output in some kits doesn't approach that of HID's. I also agree with above sentiment regarding auto manufacturers and LED design, safety, and beam patterns. That being said, I did purchase a LED kit for the 9005 high beams. What I liked about the design was that the "bulb" was clockable, allowing for optimal light output and pattern.
Edit: never mind. I see you were planning to move the entire headlight assembly, not just replacing the halogen bulb with a HID conversion setup.
Original:
Aftermarket HID kits <for off-road use> are pretty cheap and are reported to work based on the amazon.com reviews. Use your bulb size plus "hid conversion kit " on amazon to find kits.
But think it through before you install them. My s2000 has HID lowbeams and a very sharp beam cutoff with the left side lower than the right, and I still worry about blinding drivers as I drive over the lip of a hill and start down. Most halogen reflectors spray a bit of light including my minivan's. Putting an LED setup in the same reflector body sharply increases the amount of light that gets sprayed, potentially blinding other drivers even on a straight. Net: I could likely deal with the "illegal on road" but the constant flashes from other drivers who think I am on high beam would kill me.
A compromise might be the XEON replacement bulbs avail. (e.g. SYLVANIA SilverStar zXe) They plug in compatibly, are DOT legal and deliver about 2x the light vs OEM, but less than HID. The downside is very short bulb life (200 hours typical vs. 1000 hours for halogen). The industry quotes 100 hours of headlight use per year as typical, I think I do more than that, so xeon is a 2 year or less bulb for me. I use halogen.
Original:
Aftermarket HID kits <for off-road use> are pretty cheap and are reported to work based on the amazon.com reviews. Use your bulb size plus "hid conversion kit " on amazon to find kits.
But think it through before you install them. My s2000 has HID lowbeams and a very sharp beam cutoff with the left side lower than the right, and I still worry about blinding drivers as I drive over the lip of a hill and start down. Most halogen reflectors spray a bit of light including my minivan's. Putting an LED setup in the same reflector body sharply increases the amount of light that gets sprayed, potentially blinding other drivers even on a straight. Net: I could likely deal with the "illegal on road" but the constant flashes from other drivers who think I am on high beam would kill me.
A compromise might be the XEON replacement bulbs avail. (e.g. SYLVANIA SilverStar zXe) They plug in compatibly, are DOT legal and deliver about 2x the light vs OEM, but less than HID. The downside is very short bulb life (200 hours typical vs. 1000 hours for halogen). The industry quotes 100 hours of headlight use per year as typical, I think I do more than that, so xeon is a 2 year or less bulb for me. I use halogen.
2019 Pacifica Hybrid LTD, "Concrete Pearl White"; Added Custom Roof Racks & OEM Hitch Receiver
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72 Posts
I'm wondering if any of you folks who are juicing up your headlights ever get annoyed by other people coming toward YOU with extra-bright headlights.
Please be careful with aftermarket lights vis-a-vis beam pattern and legal limits, and considerate of the thousands of other drivers that see the other side of your mods.
I'd LOVE to have super-bright headlights, but boy do they piss me off when they're done wrong and they're coming the other way!
Consider Kant's(?) "Categorical Imperative"; If it's not okay for everybody to do it, then it's not okay for anybody to do it.
Please be careful with aftermarket lights vis-a-vis beam pattern and legal limits, and considerate of the thousands of other drivers that see the other side of your mods.
I'd LOVE to have super-bright headlights, but boy do they piss me off when they're done wrong and they're coming the other way!
Consider Kant's(?) "Categorical Imperative"; If it's not okay for everybody to do it, then it's not okay for anybody to do it.
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17 Posts
That's very admirable of you to live by that standard. Unfortunately there are many people who wouldn't even give that a second thought. I'm of the opinion that putting in brighter lighting solutions is okay*.
*being that you must check your aiming to be considerate to other drivers.
The reason why we all hate the insert explicitive here is because they put in HIDs and just shine them in everyone's face. Properly aimed and they're not much of an issue.
2019 Pacifica Hybrid LTD, "Concrete Pearl White"; Added Custom Roof Racks & OEM Hitch Receiver
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72 Posts
I expect you're right about that in most cases, MNorton. So long as the aim is right and the brightness is within reason, they should be OK.
By the way, I read in the car issue of Consumer Reports a while back that Europeans are starting to use LASER headlights, with an incredible visibility range. I'm very curious about that; with lasers they should have really tight control over beam shape.
By the way, I read in the car issue of Consumer Reports a while back that Europeans are starting to use LASER headlights, with an incredible visibility range. I'm very curious about that; with lasers they should have really tight control over beam shape.
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