Aftermarket (budget friendly) Forward Lighting Options for an '04 F150?
05-21-2016, 01:39 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Aftermarket (budget friendly) Forward Lighting Options for an '04 F150?
I've seen the write up's on the variety of headlight replacement options for the stock headlight housings... retrofits, LED's/HID's, brighter halogen lighting, different housings, etc. I don't want to drop a ton of money on a retrofit, so I'm looking at an aftermarket front stock bumper/grille mount driving light/s. <br>
In my opinion after owning a 2013 and now my 2004 Ford F150 I don't feel Ford made a very good headlight housing for those of us who do a lot of dark road driving. Some of you might have better night vision than I do, but for me the housing wasn't well designed (unless you had a factory projector housing--like on the 2010-2014 F150's). <br>
I am curious what kind of aftermarket budget friendly (under $100) some of you girls/guys are running, and if you've been happy with the output and longevity results?<br>
Any information or direction would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!
In my opinion after owning a 2013 and now my 2004 Ford F150 I don't feel Ford made a very good headlight housing for those of us who do a lot of dark road driving. Some of you might have better night vision than I do, but for me the housing wasn't well designed (unless you had a factory projector housing--like on the 2010-2014 F150's). <br>
I am curious what kind of aftermarket budget friendly (under $100) some of you girls/guys are running, and if you've been happy with the output and longevity results?<br>
Any information or direction would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!
05-21-2016, 02:04 PM
#2
Under $100... not a lot to be honest.
On a 2014 and earlier truck with H13 bulbs, you get an LED Headlight system for $150.
On the 2015/2016, it's $140 ($280 total) for the headlights
If you kept the stock lights and wanted aftermarket lights like light bars/etc... you CAN get a decent bar for that price range but you may not be street legal now with the light bar.
A 22" light bar will cost you $105... but again will that be legal?
If it were my money, I'd go for the LED headlights. It's where I started and the difference is AMAZING.
Light bars are great, that 22" bar I mentioned I have on my truck and it gives me ABOUT as much light as my headlights (the LED headlights are amazing like i said)... and it's $105..
but can you run the light bar where you are is the thing? Maybe wire the light bar into your brights somehow? But at that point for $45 more you get LED lights (if you run H13)
There are also fog lights but again, they are about as pricey as the head lights.
There are smaller cube lights, but it's all about legality. These were all designed for off-road use except for the headlights.
There are some options for you.
Don't let the projection requirement scared you, it's not needed.
There is a write up over at F150online.com in their lighting area where a guy was REALLY against LED lights, bought one of my kits and loves them. He was against them saying there is no cut-off and would battle me all the time. I finally got him to agree to buy a set (offering his money back if he didnt like them) and he's had nothing but good things to say, even posting phtos of the cut-off.
Older LED lights would blind people. The new kits I sell, no blinding.
So there are some options for you within that $100 budget range.
On a 2014 and earlier truck with H13 bulbs, you get an LED Headlight system for $150.
On the 2015/2016, it's $140 ($280 total) for the headlights
If you kept the stock lights and wanted aftermarket lights like light bars/etc... you CAN get a decent bar for that price range but you may not be street legal now with the light bar.
A 22" light bar will cost you $105... but again will that be legal?
If it were my money, I'd go for the LED headlights. It's where I started and the difference is AMAZING.
Light bars are great, that 22" bar I mentioned I have on my truck and it gives me ABOUT as much light as my headlights (the LED headlights are amazing like i said)... and it's $105..
but can you run the light bar where you are is the thing? Maybe wire the light bar into your brights somehow? But at that point for $45 more you get LED lights (if you run H13)
There are also fog lights but again, they are about as pricey as the head lights.
There are smaller cube lights, but it's all about legality. These were all designed for off-road use except for the headlights.
There are some options for you.
Don't let the projection requirement scared you, it's not needed.
There is a write up over at F150online.com in their lighting area where a guy was REALLY against LED lights, bought one of my kits and loves them. He was against them saying there is no cut-off and would battle me all the time. I finally got him to agree to buy a set (offering his money back if he didnt like them) and he's had nothing but good things to say, even posting phtos of the cut-off.
Older LED lights would blind people. The new kits I sell, no blinding.
So there are some options for you within that $100 budget range.
05-22-2016, 02:59 PM
#3
Senior Member
First off, don't let the sales pitch of salespeople sway you.
Second, there are many options to improve lighting under the $100 mark you just have to do your research. Keep in mind the LED bulbs he's selling are also most likely illegal and are most likely labeled for off-road use. That is the legal catch all for many companies unless they want to get their products approved for DOT compliance such as Sylvania and a couple others that make replacement bulbs for autos.
Are the police going to bother you over some led drop ins? Probably not. Same goes for bars and cubes unless it's blatant use in the city.
I run a 22" LED bar from Amazon. It was like $50 shipped two day, search Eyeyourlife and many will pop up. Many of these products are produced by the same manufactures overseas and use the same parts but mark up is higher from some vendors.
Now there are superior brands out there that command a huge price but that's way overkill unless you're Baja racing. Lol
What are you looking to do mostly? City or country driving? I have projected LEDs for fogs and they provide a great deal of light and with a wider beam than the stock halogens. I also run my bar on country back roads and it's amazing for spotting wildlife and hazards.
Second, there are many options to improve lighting under the $100 mark you just have to do your research. Keep in mind the LED bulbs he's selling are also most likely illegal and are most likely labeled for off-road use. That is the legal catch all for many companies unless they want to get their products approved for DOT compliance such as Sylvania and a couple others that make replacement bulbs for autos.
Are the police going to bother you over some led drop ins? Probably not. Same goes for bars and cubes unless it's blatant use in the city.
I run a 22" LED bar from Amazon. It was like $50 shipped two day, search Eyeyourlife and many will pop up. Many of these products are produced by the same manufactures overseas and use the same parts but mark up is higher from some vendors.
Now there are superior brands out there that command a huge price but that's way overkill unless you're Baja racing. Lol
What are you looking to do mostly? City or country driving? I have projected LEDs for fogs and they provide a great deal of light and with a wider beam than the stock halogens. I also run my bar on country back roads and it's amazing for spotting wildlife and hazards.