# LED headlight or better halogens



## Cutch22 (Nov 25, 2014)

I have the Sylvania zXe's. Put them in over a year ago, shortly after I got my Cruze and I'm very happy with them. Between them and the driving lights (which I haven't upgraded yet), I pretty much have no use for my High Beams.


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## LiveTrash (May 24, 2015)

You shouldn't be putting any other type of bulb (LEDs, HIDs, etc) into the factory housing. It will blind other drivers and not have proper light output to illuminate the road infront of you.


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## GlennGlenn (Nov 27, 2015)

Cutch22 said:


> I have the Sylvania zXe's. Put them in over a year ago, shortly after I got my Cruze and I'm very happy with them. Between them and the driving lights (which I haven't upgraded yet), I pretty much have no use for my High Beams.


 @Cutch22 , what's the exact part number of the Sylvania bulbs you used? Are they " whiter" or just have better output?? I've got a new 15 Cruze and am looking for better headlight output without going to a retrofit kit.


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## Cruzncannada (Nov 21, 2015)

LiveTrash said:


> You shouldn't be putting any other type of bulb (LEDs, HIDs, etc) into the factory housing. It will blind other drivers and not have proper light output to illuminate the road infront of you.


I know you're not supposed to, HIDS being the worst, guy I work with has LEDS in factory projectors (I understand the difference between those and the reflectors) was just curious if anyone aside from the one I read had done it and to what success.


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## Cutch22 (Nov 25, 2014)

GlennGlenn said:


> @*Cutch22* , what's the exact part number of the Sylvania bulbs you used? Are they " whiter" or just have better output?? I've got a new 15 Cruze and am looking for better headlight output without going to a retrofit kit.


The zXe's have a "white" output in appearance. They are definitely "whiter" than whatever bulbs I upgraded from (somebody leased Olivia prior to my ownership).

This is Sylvania's info page about the zXe's: https://www.sylvania.com/en-us/products/automotive/Pages/silverstar-zxe.aspx

As I mentioned in my previous post, I rarely use my High Beams. The low beam + the fog lights is more than adequate for night-time driving, at least in my opinion.


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## montess1 (Oct 13, 2012)

I use these,SilverStar Ultra - The brightest downroad halogen headlight from SYLVANIA
.


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## Cruzncannada (Nov 21, 2015)

Has anyone tried the Philips equivalent, the crystal vision, diamond vision or xtreme vision?


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## jmsanti (Feb 4, 2015)

If you want to upgrade your headlights, retrofit is the best. imho


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## velasquezjvp (Dec 14, 2015)

Just get a hid kit


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## txcruze26 (Jul 7, 2015)

Chevrolet Cruze LED and HID Lighting

tell them I sent you


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## Slammed2014Eco (Feb 13, 2014)

I don't fully agree with the whole "Don't get this kit it will blind other drivers" for LED headlights in the stock housing. They work with the factory reflectors low beam pointed up bouncing down on the reflector, high beam pointing down bouncing up on the reflector when you put them in properly it lines up perfectly like a factory bulb from what I've seen. Installing LED headlights I honestly don't get flashed by other drivers like I did with some higher end sylvania bulbs lol


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## Jaz (Jan 7, 2016)

I have the Philips 4300k CrystalVision lamps.
Definitely a whiter "cleaner" light than the standard, also better road vision too


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

I have tried 3 different versions of led bulbs in my car and the recent Gen 7 versions have proven to be the best so far. 

From a stock halogen vs led comparison and ONLY comparing these two sources of light, I must say I am quite pleased with performance. I have width and distance which are usually traits missing from most led pnp bulbs. There is no excessive foreground. The beam pattern is on point with the stock halogens. 

The key to these bulbs is that, for starters, they copied Philips Japan design of their H11 fog and H4 led headlight bulbs. They utilize Philips Luxeon Z ES emitters which are one of their smallest and brightest packages. When grouped together tightly in a row and in the same position as the halogen filaments, they make use of the reflectors providing a near equal beam pattern. 
The second key is that the beam angle is adjustable! The bulb collar twists around the base locking into position with a ball bearing spring. And for the Cruze headlamp design, the H13 bulb filaments do not face perfectly vertically or horizontally but rather at a 30 degree angle. Without clocking the bulb in this manner will result in a unsatisfactory beam pattern. Also these bulbs come with shields over the low beam array that must be removed to maintain proper beam pattern. Since the bulb is universal and only the bulb base is changed for each application it may be needed for other headlamp designs.

The color is a brilliant white. Don't let the 6500k color temp fool you. 

Are they better than stock halogens? The white light tends to make the eyes perceive darkness much better so there is that advantage. There is definitely a lot of light on the road (and placed where it should be). Whether or not the leds are worth the $90ish premium over an upgraded halogen I can't comment since I've never tested any other halogens.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

evo77 said:


> When grouped together tightly in a row and in the same position as the halogen filaments, they make use of the reflectors providing a near equal beam pattern.


Very nice! What bulbs are these?


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## Slammed2014Eco (Feb 13, 2014)

evo77 said:


> I have tried 3 different versions of led bulbs in my car and the recent Gen 7 versions have proven to be the best so far.
> 
> From a stock halogen vs led comparison and ONLY comparing these two sources of light, I must say I am quite pleased with performance. I have width and distance which are usually traits missing from most led pnp bulbs. There is no excessive foreground. The beam pattern is on point with the stock halogens.
> 
> ...


I've got a similar LED setup as well and I took this tonight (I was driving) but you can see that these are still aimed down but awesome visibility.


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## Blue_RS (Aug 30, 2013)

I had hids in both my headlights and foglights on my old cruze and they werent too bad. Never got highbeamed once. Around here people will highbeam you quick if your lights are blinding them or even close. I may go with hids again in my new cruze till i can afford to get retrofits.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

ChevyGuy said:


> Very nice! What bulbs are these?


They are from the Chinese company cn360. Their LED products are quite solid as their quality and craftsmanship are much better than other Chinese off brands. 

size adjustable newest DC24V 12V 4000 LM per bulb H4 h13 9004 9007 HB1 High Power Led Car Headlight G7 360 INTERNATIONAL GROUP LTD


You can buy them locally on amazon from vendors such as JDM ASTAR and Sirius.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Slammed2014Eco said:


> I've got a similar LED setup as well and I took this tonight (I was driving) but you can see that these are still aimed down but awesome visibility.
> 
> View attachment 176321


Do you have any wall shots? Even though you have them aimed low which is increasing your foreground light too much it appears there is still excessive glare which is illuminating the sign on the left and the pole on the right.

What brand/model bulbs do you have?


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## Slammed2014Eco (Feb 13, 2014)

evo77 said:


> Do you have any wall shots? Even though you have them aimed low which is increasing your foreground light too much it appears there is still excessive glare which is illuminating the sign on the left and the pole on the right.
> 
> What brand/model bulbs do you have?


I'll have to get some shots, was just trying to use that pic as reference and we can compare


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

evo77 said:


> You can buy them locally on amazon from vendors such as JDM ASTAR and Sirius.


Just did a search on Amazon and found a 8th Gen for $100. Any info on that?


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

ChevyGuy said:


> Just did a search on Amazon and found a 8th Gen for $100. Any info on that?


Yes. Looks like JDM Astar packages the bulbs as a "8th gen" however directly from the manufacturer (cn360) they label it as 7 gen.


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## 203-CRUZER (Dec 27, 2015)

I contemplated getting those lights, for my Cruze. I will pick them up. Thanks for the input on them!!



Cutch22 said:


> I have the Sylvania zXe's. Put them in over a year ago, shortly after I got my Cruze and I'm very happy with them. Between them and the driving lights (which I haven't upgraded yet), I pretty much have no use for my High Beams.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

evo77 said:


> Yes. Looks like JDM Astar packages the bulbs as a "8th gen" however directly from the manufacturer (cn360) they label it as 7 gen.


And recommendations for putting this "type" of bulb into the stock foglight housings? I would like to get a set of H8, to go with the headlights, so the color temp matches.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

I tore my fog lights open and retrofitted LED DRLs from another vehicle inside of them so I can't tell you how these will perform in the fog housing. 

But for what it's worth if they have an unsatisfactory beam pattern just return them. Amazon has a great return program.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

evo77 said:


> size adjustable newest DC24V 12V 4000 LM per bulb H4 h13 9004 9007 HB1 High Power Led Car Headlight G7 360 INTERNATIONAL GROUP LTD


I forgot to ask - how do they handle the Cruze's DRL mode? Do they work OK? Dim just like normal? Flicker?


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

I have never verified that the stock DRL mode actually sends a PWM signal to the low beam as it has been discussed on this forum. There was never any visual difference in light output when it switched over. 

The low beam simply turns on as the DRL. There is no impact to the LEDs.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Still either looking at these, or the opt 7 setup.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

CruzeTech said:


> Still either looking at these, or the opt 7 setup.


Please don't waste your money. Those bulbs are garbage. 

Any led headlight bulb that contains emitters with a dome top does not provide a good beam. The emitter must be flat and dome less. This is why the cn360 Gen 7 bulbs do phenomenal. The tiny Luxeon Z ES emitters do a great job at projecting light at the right angle.

Common Cree led with dome top









Also stay away from headlight bulbs with COB chips. Even though they are flat, their illuminating surface area is way too large and floods the reflector with too much light, all in the unfocused regions. 

COB led









The previous led bulbs I had installed in my headlamps were the Gen 5 that utilize Luxeon MZ emitters. And while the output was "ok" the flaw in the design was the emitters are not clocked (facing) in the proper direction as the filaments. And the shield on one side is blocking light which is not needed for an H13 application. And then I think the shape of the square MZ emitter does not closely resemble that of a filament so I think this disrupts the beam slightly.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

Ok, good to know. Good to know. So, I'm just going to get the JDM Astars from Amazon. I obviously want the beam pattern from this latest post of yours.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

I was noticing this post where you say no LED is brighter than stock halogen. I would have hoped to at least match premium halogens. So what's the advantage of the LEDs?


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

If they dont have better output, there is no use getting them. Unless you're just trying to brighten up your foreground. So, if there are no LED solutions brighter than halogens, there is no use in upgrading. Im looking for something with less yellow, and a little brighter.


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## anthonysmith93 (Jul 15, 2015)

CruzeTech said:


> If they dont have better output, there is no use getting them. Unless you're just trying to brighten up your foreground. So, if there are no LED solutions brighter than halogens, there is no use in upgrading. Im looking for something with less yellow, and a little brighter.


I put the SilverStar ZXE H8 in my fog housings, and they complement my HID projectors really well. My HIDs are 5000K so a really crisp (no blue) white, and the ZXE bulbs are the whitest halogen I've ever seen. And if you want to keep the fogs functional in bad weather I'd stick with the ZXE halogens as the "truer" white light from HIDs and LEDs gets sucked up by wet/snowy pavement.

But if you're only wanting to add overall foreground brightness and be matchy matchy, then go ahead and get whatever you end up choosing, I understand wanting to match as I'm super OCD at times haha.


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## ksimms (Jan 29, 2016)

evo77 said:


> The second key is that the beam angle is adjustable! The bulb collar twists around the base locking into position with a ball bearing spring. And for the Cruze headlamp design, the H13 bulb filaments do not face perfectly vertically or horizontally but rather at a 30 degree angle. Without clocking the bulb in this manner will result in a unsatisfactory beam pattern.


I am also considering switching to a LED H13 bulb, I was looking into the OPT7 on amazon for the past week so I am glad I stumbled on this thread. I have 2 questions regarding the CN360 if you wouldn't mind clarifying.

1. How is the angle of the beam adjusted exactly? I understand the ball bearing spring that will 'pop into' the holes in the base, however, I am more wondering how you determine which hole in the base is 30 degree? Also, 30 degrees which direction? This may be provided in the instructions, so I apologize if I am jumping in too far before purchasing, but I just couldn't seem to find any clarification on this on their website or amazon.

2. There is mention on amazon's description "NOTE: The Decoder or load resistor might be needed for some vehicle with canbus system to prevent the dashboard error code , the bulb does not light up or flickering." I am not familiar with how the canbus works on the cruze... is a load resistor needed for our application? 


Thanks very much! This is actually my first post here, I have browsed here and there over the past year, but joined this week and the FB group. I am not completely new to forums though, I was a member of GMTnation.com when I owned a chevy trailblazer.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Welcome fellow Chicago native!

1. The bulb is clocked 30° to the right. I've attached a photo of the stock halogen and it's original position to illustrate how the bulb is seated. Before installing into the headlamp just clock the bulb so that both led sides are facing the same direction in relation to the halogen locking tabs. This way when you seat the led base you simply have to clock the bulb to the right slightly without needing to completely twist it around a full turn. It's best to tweak the beam angle at night against a wall to get it just perfect.

2. There are no error messages when installing these bulbs. 


Don't forget to unscrew the shields on the front array of leds! They are not needed for the H13 application.


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## ksimms (Jan 29, 2016)

evo77 said:


> Welcome fellow Chicago native!
> 
> 1. The bulb is clocked 30° to the right. I've attached a photo of the stock halogen and it's original position to illustrate how the bulb is seated. Before installing into the headlamp just clock the bulb so that both led sides are facing the same direction in relation to the halogen locking tabs. This way when you seat the led base you simply have to clock the bulb to the right slightly without needing to completely twist it around a full turn. It's best to tweak the beam angle at night against a wall to get it just perfect.


Thanks evo77! I think I kinda get what your saying but I am having a hard time visualizing how the LED collar sits in relation to the base, and then how the base sits in the headlamp housing. But i'm sure it's one of those things that i'll just have to play around with until it's adjusted and focused how it should be. At least I know which direction to start with now and then I can fine tune it from there. 

Thanks again, I just purchased the kit from amazon a few minutes ago along with some JDM 194 led bulbs for the interior and trunk!


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

ksimms said:


> Thanks evo77! I think I kinda get what your saying but I am having a hard time visualizing how the LED collar sits in relation to the base, and then how the base sits in the headlamp housing. But i'm sure it's one of those things that i'll just have to play around with until it's adjusted and focused how it should be. At least I know which direction to start with now and then I can fine tune it from there.
> 
> Thanks again, I just purchased the kit from amazon a few minutes ago along with some JDM 194 led bulbs for the interior and trunk!


Hope this photo helps more. You can see the position of the top locking tab in relation to where the filament and leds are facing. Note that this isn't the same led bulb (6th Gen) but it's the same concept.


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## ksimms (Jan 29, 2016)

evo77 said:


> Hope this photo helps more. You can see the position of the top locking tab in relation to where the filament and leds are facing. Note that this isn't the same led bulb (6th Gen) but it's the same concept.


Yes, Yes, Yes! I get it now, that's really helpful! Thanks for sharing!


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Cool. Be sure to report back with before and after wall shots.


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## ksimms (Jan 29, 2016)

evo77 said:


> Cool. Be sure to report back with before and after wall shots.


Yes I will, the kit wasn't Amazon prime so it will probably take a week to get here. But if there's one thing I remember from GMTnation, its the phrase 'pics or it didn't happen'! :biglaugha:


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## ksimms (Jan 29, 2016)

So I have installed the new LED bulbs and have them adjusted. I am pretty happy with the performance of them, the beam is focused so that I am not blinding other drivers with glare, and they provide much better illumination compared to stock halogen bulbs. Amidst my excitement I forgot to take before pictures, however I snapped some after shots on my way home from work this evening.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

ksimms said:


> they provide much better illumination compared to stock halogen bulbs.


Can you elaborate? Better in what way? My understanding is that they are not brighter than stock. Does the color make a difference in visibility?


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## ksimms (Jan 29, 2016)

ChevyGuy said:


> Can you elaborate? Better in what way? My understanding is that they are not brighter than stock. Does the color make a difference in visibility?


I don't really know how to elaborate any more, they just illuminate much better than my stock halogen bulbs. The color tone is obviously more white compared to the halogens yellowish tone. There is more illumination all around, width, distance, and even right in front of the car. I think they perform much better than stock halogen bulbs in practically every measurable way except the price tag.


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## sparkman (Oct 15, 2015)

Ok, I'm confused right now. I've read pretty much all the posts in this thread and have a couple questions.

1. All this bickering about putting LED's in factory housings, I don't know what to do. Do these bulbs basically settle that argument? 

2. These bulbs do not throw codes I'm assuming?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ksimms (Jan 29, 2016)

sparkman said:


> Ok, I'm confused right now. I've read pretty much all the posts in this thread and have a couple questions.
> 
> 1. All this bickering about putting LED's in factory housings, I don't know what to do. Do these bulbs basically settle that argument?
> 
> ...


1. There isn't going to be one answer here ever, there will always be people that are against putting anything besides stock halogens in the stock housings. I was one of these people until I gave these bulbs a try. They are different in that you can adjust the angle the LEDs sit and therefore adjust the way the beam is focused when it reflects in the stock housings. When I first installed them they were horrible and would shine all over the place including the roof of the 3 story apartment I live in. Then once I adjusted them how it was recommended earlier in this thread it was perfectly focused. I would go so far as to say these LEDs are more focused than my stock halogens were (no I'm not kidding). The light output is amazing, and the spread side to side is great, and the distance is great too. I like the pure white tone over the yellowish halogens produced too. Like I said, in my opinion they are far better in every measurable way besides the price tag.

2. No codes/errors of any kind. It also doesn't effect drls, they just stay on all the time. Not a huge deal for LEDs since their lifetime is so long.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

sparkman said:


> All this bickering about putting LED's in factory housings, I don't know what to do. Do these bulbs basically settle that argument?


The problem has been that the retrofit lights have the light source in a different place than the stock bulbs. That upsets the focusing of the reflectors that were designed for filaments. Light ends up going where it shouldn't.

But these bulbs appear to solve that problems by doing a good job of mimicking the way the the stock bulbs give off light. 

Do these lights solve it? The proof is in the results.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

They definitely appear to have quite the sharp cutoff.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Having actually compared the cutoff of the factory lights, these do not. These amplify glare. Remember the quality of the camera being used to take the pictures. The wall picture shows it best. The projected beam is very different from that of the halogen housing. I've compared these side by side on a number of occasions and it simply doesn't do a good enough job. Furthermore, even the best XML2 LED bulbs will still only produce around 1200 lumens after you consider the effects of heat. That is ACTUAL lumens, not "this theoretical max plus that theoretical max = what we advertise." Factory halogens will be at around 1400 lumens, while higher output bulbs like the Philips Xtreme Vision, which are +80 or +90 efficiency bulbs will come at close to 1800 lumens. 

LED technology, due to heat dissipation problems, simply isn't mature enough to even MATCH factory housings, let alone higher efficiency Halogens. 

Note I am not referring to the blue tinted bulbs like the Sylvania ZXE or Silverstars. Those are usually higher efficiency halogens, masked with a tint, which *reduces their actual output at or below* factory halogens. Halogens produce light due to the heat of a filament. Masking that light in any way reduces its output significantly. 

Any deviation from the light shape and location of the factory halogen bulbs will, *as a fact*, change the reflected beam that was carefully calibrated from the factory. This will affect lateral visibility and long distance visibility. 

Note that I am using the word *visibility*, not output. Many people will slap in some bulbs, adjust them, and think they are getting brighter output when in reality they are just heavily illuminating the immediate foreground while making it more difficult to perceive lighting changes in the background. That does not improve visibility; it does exactly the opposite. The best headlight design does not produce any "bright spots" or "bright areas" on the road. If I can see a very brightly lit road in your picture, your headlights suck. If it is significantly brighter directly in front of your car, you have compromised your actual visibility. This is the primary reason why we are able to dim interior lighting. 

Lastly is the color temperature. There is a reason why factory HID bulbs are typically 4300K or 5000K. This is because a blue hue does not reflect well off of wet surfaces, or any surface for that matter, and is especially harsh to oncoming drivers who suffer from the effects of photostress. 

The combination I have come across that provides the best actual visibility for this car to date is the Philips Xtreme Vision bulb with the wiring harness upgrade. Nothing short of a high end HID retrofit has come remotely close. It maintains the factory housing calibration while improving lateral and long term visibility, and increasing total output from OEM halogen bulbs. It does this without producing blinding amounts of glare and costs under $100 for the entire upgrade. The only area where I would attempt LEDs in this car would be the fog light housings.


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## sparkman (Oct 15, 2015)

Thanks @XtremeRevolution

Any ideas where I can find this wiring harness upgrade?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

sparkman said:


> Thanks @*XtremeRevolution*
> 
> Any ideas where I can find this wiring harness upgrade?
> 
> ...


http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/137-...ow-upgrade-your-headlight-wiring-harness.html


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

in the next few months im doing the harness upgrade. i love that its all factory reversible for warranty issues.


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## pL2014 (Dec 29, 2013)

So I just posted in another thread that I'm dissatisfied with the lifespan of my Phillips Xtra (Xtreme?) Visions that were recommended in the headlight wiring harness upgrade thread. I'm getting 8-10 months (about 8-10k miles) out these lights. One of the downsides to that harness upgrade is that you give the bulbs a bit more current (along with full power to the DRLs) which decreases lifespan. My previous car (2002 Intrigue) went 200k miles. I ran the stock bulbs a little less than 100k and then ran a set of silverstars about the same. I replaced those at maybe 180k and sold the car at 225k with that 2nd set of silverstars. I will admit that the DRLs were the parking lights on the intrigue, so the headlights didn't get used as much. Sylvania's website says 1 year is about all you can expect out of the bulbs, so maybe with the upgraded harness, what I'm getting is reasonable.

Anyway, I'm guessing with LED bulbs you probably wouldn't even need the upgraded harness anymore as they probably draw less current anyway.

Are these the leds you've been discussing in this thread? I'm considering going that route if so.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

pL2014 said:


> (along with full power to the DRLs)


Just thinking. If you change the harness so that the relay turns on with the parking lights, you can skip the DRLs. That might give you some more life. Of course, you wouldn't have a "parking light only" function. You'd need a second relay to bring that back.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Having actually compared the cutoff of the factory lights, these do not. These amplify glare. Remember the quality of the camera being used to take the pictures. The wall picture shows it best. The projected beam is very different from that of the halogen housing. I've compared these side by side on a number of occasions and it simply doesn't do a good enough job. Furthermore, even the best XML2 LED bulbs will still only produce around 1200 lumens after you consider the effects of heat. That is ACTUAL lumens, not "this theoretical max plus that theoretical max = what we advertise." Factory halogens will be at around 1400 lumens, while higher output bulbs like the Philips Xtreme Vision, which are +80 or +90 efficiency bulbs will come at close to 1800 lumens.


My photos were taken with my S5 phone but I tried locking in exposure to help illustrate what I was seeing in real life. Still the phones camera has a mind of its own so it may over expose. There will always be some form of glare above the cutoff line for all halogen housings even WITH halogen bulbs. I believe DOT requires some for overhead signs. What you see in my photo is just that - s_ome _glare. Same as halogens in fact. But make no mistake it is by no means "amplified" over stock. And definitely not a distraction to other drivers. You can see the same faint halogen glare in this photo:











I've tried 3 other pairs of LED h13 bulbs in my car in the past. They all eventually came right back out and the halogens back in. None of them compare to these Gen 7s. I've had the Gen 7 bulbs for almost 2 months now and I will definitely concur that these are a slight improvement over the stock halogens. Now mind you, my bulbs are the originals that came with the vehicle new in 2012 so they've got a lot of hours. Here is why I feel these LEDs are a really good alternative:



One noticeable characteristic right off the bat is the side illumination. Although I cannot confirm the beam width has increased over halogens but there is most definitely a lot more light on the right and left shoulders.
Distance is fantastic. I truly believe there is a brighter hot spot over the halogens. I will be ordering a lux meter to verify this. My route home from work takes me through a few flat farm lands and I can see my beam shoot all the way down that land. Pretty cool.
Beam pattern is very close to stock halogens. You can pick apart the photo comparisons in detail if you want. And we can all agree that its not _exactly _like stock but in real life on the street, you'd never know the minuscule difference. On back roads with no street illumination, you can see the cutoff of the entire beam sway up and down on hilly and uneven surfaces. The entire road in front of me is illuminated exactly as it should with no exaggerated or odd shapes of light bouncing off the housing.




> Lastly is the color temperature. There is a reason why factory HID bulbs are typically 4300K or 5000K. This is because a blue hue does not reflect well off of wet surfaces, or any surface for that matter, and is especially harsh to oncoming drivers who suffer from the effects of photostress.


OEs that utilize LED forward lighting has standardized the color temperature of 5500k for all white emitters. I read that somewhere and also saw a video where Audi's head of lighting tech claimed that 5500k is much better for the human eye because it better resembles clear blue sky daylight. I have no idea why the automotive lighting industry has adapted this color temperate for LED applications versus what is normally seen in HID applications but apparently there has been a shift in the industry.

And while the binning for LEDs could give a range of color temps of 5200-6000k I'm not sure the naked eye could truly see a _noticeable _difference.

These Gen 7s utilize 6000k Luxeon Z ES emitters according to the manufactuer. Bin unknown.


In conclusion, these specific Gen 7 bulbs do NOT work as well in other applications. It all comes down to headlamp design. And fortunately our Cruze headlamps take kindly to these bulbs.

Here are some good videos of a Russian lighting guru comparing H4 & H7 in reflector and projector headlamps. *Interesting results from his kLux meter*. Beam pattern is another story.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)




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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)




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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

pL2014 said:


> So I just posted in another thread that I'm dissatisfied with the lifespan of my Phillips Xtra (Xtreme?) Visions that were recommended in the headlight wiring harness upgrade thread. I'm getting 8-10 months (about 8-10k miles) out these lights. One of the downsides to that harness upgrade is that you give the bulbs a bit more current (along with full power to the DRLs) which decreases lifespan. My previous car (2002 Intrigue) went 200k miles. I ran the stock bulbs a little less than 100k and then ran a set of silverstars about the same. I replaced those at maybe 180k and sold the car at 225k with that 2nd set of silverstars. I will admit that the DRLs were the parking lights on the intrigue, so the headlights didn't get used as much. Sylvania's website says 1 year is about all you can expect out of the bulbs, so maybe with the upgraded harness, what I'm getting is reasonable.
> 
> Anyway, I'm guessing with LED bulbs you probably wouldn't even need the upgraded harness anymore as they probably draw less current anyway.
> 
> Are these the leds you've been discussing in this thread? I'm considering going that route if so.


It is a high efficiency bulb that will burn out faster in any application. I'm on my 2nd set now at 58k miles. You could just use the harness upgrade and stick with OE bulbs. The bulb here is the biggest factor, not the harness. It's a tradeoff.


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## pL2014 (Dec 29, 2013)

You don't think the harness giving full power to the DRLs is a significant factor? 

As an aside, I just went back to stock completely while I ponder my next move (although I left the harness in place in case I change my mind, I just disconnected the power, ground, and obviously all the bulb connectors). I'm curious to see if I notice a difference. I thought I did when I installed the harness/bulbs, so it will be interesting to see if I notice going back the other way.


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## Cruzncannada (Nov 21, 2015)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Having actually compared the cutoff of the factory lights, these do not. These amplify glare. Remember the quality of the camera being used to take the pictures. The wall picture shows it best. The projected beam is very different from that of the halogen housing. I've compared these side by side on a number of occasions and it simply doesn't do a good enough job. Furthermore, even the best XML2 LED bulbs will still only produce around 1200 lumens after you consider the effects of heat. That is ACTUAL lumens, not "this theoretical max plus that theoretical max = what we advertise." Factory halogens will be at around 1400 lumens, while higher output bulbs like the Philips Xtreme Vision, which are +80 or +90 efficiency bulbs will come at close to 1800 lumens.
> 
> LED technology, due to heat dissipation problems, simply isn't mature enough to even MATCH factory housings, let alone higher efficiency Halogens.
> 
> ...


Youre thread about the upgrade is a big reason I have yet to buy any aftermarket headlights, I've seen some done not to blind but they look pathetic for there output.

Do you know if the harness upgrade or lack there of follows through to 2015 models with drls in LEDS, and it would require no relay correct? 

Its to a give and take White lights to match the LED or actual driving ability, unfortunately it's a obvious choice.


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## F1Fan4Evr (Jan 29, 2016)

I put Opt7 led bulbs in my 2012 ltz rs, and I love 'em!!! I did adjust the headlights up after I lowered it bc the headlights were just pointing at the ground.


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## sparkman (Oct 15, 2015)

I think I'm gonna give the LED bulbs a shot. Heck, like you said, Amazon has a great return program. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## pL2014 (Dec 29, 2013)

sparkman said:


> I think I'm gonna give the LED bulbs a shot. Heck, like you said, Amazon has a great return program.


I think I might do the same thing. Those OPT-7 bulbs get decent reviews on Amazon.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

F1Fan4Evr said:


> I put Opt7 led bulbs in my 2012 ltz rs, and I love 'em!!! I did adjust the headlights up after I lowered it bc the headlights were just pointing at the ground.


Please take photos of the lights shining up against a wall at 10 ft and 20 ft. I would like to see the beam pattern.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Cruzncannada said:


> Youre thread about the upgrade is a big reason I have yet to buy any aftermarket headlights, I've seen some done not to blind but they look pathetic for there output.
> 
> Do you know if the harness upgrade or lack there of follows through to 2015 models with drls in LEDS, and it would require no relay correct?
> 
> Its to a give and take White lights to match the LED or actual driving ability, unfortunately it's a obvious choice.


I should update that thread, since you don't have DRLs. For you, I would still use the relay harness, but you won't need the capacitor. You will still notice a voltage drop at the end of the OEM harness, which is what the upgraded harness addresses. Voltage fluctuations make a very big difference in output.


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## Cruzncannada (Nov 21, 2015)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I should update that thread, since you don't have DRLs. For you, I would still use the relay harness, but you won't need the capacitor. You will still notice a voltage drop at the end of the OEM harness, which is what the upgraded harness addresses. Voltage fluctuations make a very big difference in output.


With that in mind, would the capacitor stop the headlights from dimming when driving and you stop relatively fast, it's brief but it's there. Or should direct power solve that?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Cruzncannada said:


> With that in mind, would the capacitor stop the headlights from dimming when driving and you stop relatively fast, it's brief but it's there. Or should direct power solve that?


That would probably be caused by the engine slowing down and the alternator output decreasing. Not sure if it would change that.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Cruzncannada said:


> With that in mind, would the capacitor stop the headlights from dimming when driving and you stop relatively fast, it's brief but it's there. Or should direct power solve that?


The capacitor doesn't store enough power to affect that. It's there to store enough energy to keep the relay on between PWM pulses. (Far less energy for a much shorter period of time.)


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## Interloper07 (Feb 25, 2016)

ksimms said:


> So I have installed the new LED bulbs and have them adjusted. I am pretty happy with the performance of them, the beam is focused so that I am not blinding other drivers with glare, and they provide much better illumination compared to stock halogen bulbs. Amidst my excitement I forgot to take before pictures, however I snapped some after shots on my way home from work this evening.
> View attachment 180361
> View attachment 180369
> View attachment 180377
> View attachment 180385


Are you still liking the JDM H13 LEDs? What did you do with the circuitry box that hangs off the back of the bulbs?


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

The driver module is so small and weight less that you can just leave it hanging.


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## MINI 3NI (Sep 11, 2011)

they are awesome, i have them for a year now.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

MINI 3NI said:


> they are awesome, i have them for a year now.


Which ones?


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## ksimms (Jan 29, 2016)

Interloper07 said:


> Are you still liking the JDM H13 LEDs? What did you do with the circuitry box that hangs off the back of the bulbs?


I like them, I adjusted them more over the first few days until they were just right. The driver box is small and weighs practically nothing, that said, I still zip tied them to the factory wiring just so they don't bang around.


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## starspangled6.0 (Apr 16, 2016)

Picked up some JDM Gen 7 H13s off Amazon after reading through several threads. The seller was great (fast shipping and quick response to a question I had). So far they look good, matching my 6000K fogs. I'm excited to see how they perform at night.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

starspangled6.0 said:


> Picked up some JDM Gen 7 H13s off Amazon after reading through several threads. The seller was great (fast shipping and quick response to a question I had). So far they look good, matching my 6000K fogs. I'm excited to see how they perform at night.


Curious to see how they work. Wouldn't mind the upgrade to the fogs, and the headlights, seeing how some bulbs perform far better than halogen - while maintaining a sharp cutoff.


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## starspangled6.0 (Apr 16, 2016)

Here's a night time shot. After some city driving, I'm quite pleased. They seem to project A LOT farther, and the light is wider as well. I haven't adjusted them yet, but they don't seem too far out of line. The color matches the fogs perfectly.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

starspangled6.0 said:


> Here's a night time shot. After some city driving, I'm quite pleased. They seem to project A LOT farther, and the light is wider as well. I haven't adjusted them yet, but they don't seem too far out of line. The color matches the fogs perfectly.


Can you take wall shots of just the low beams? And then just the fogs?

Also, you are talking about these, right?


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## Mack (Nov 8, 2016)

starspangled6.0 said:


> Picked up some JDM Gen 7 H13s off Amazon after reading through several threads. The seller was great (fast shipping and quick response to a question I had). So far they look good, matching my 6000K fogs. I'm excited to see how they perform at night.


Those look nice, but I just want to know what kind of motorcycle that is behind your car....


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

So to update my earlier post above, after using these Gen 7 LED bulbs in my car for almost a year, while the beam is decent I feel that it could be better. And I believe this is due in part to the LED array. 3 emitters is better suited to match the filament than 4. Even though there is minimal glare with these bulbs, there is just a hint too much over halogen that I feel can be improved on. Also I have always felt that the high beam on the Gen 7 is pretty terrible. This is mainly because of the placement of the bottom LED array. It’s not centered in accordance with the high beam filament on the halogen.

Since then there has been another adaptation to this design that matches nearly identical. And while I myself have not yet tested these out I do believe they will do quite well.

As you can see there are two different designed bulbs but both have the correct LED array placement. The one on the far left uses Philips Luxeon Z-ES emitters while the middle one uses Seoul CSP chips. And when you compare the arrangement to the filaments versus the Gen 7 bulbs you will quickly notice the difference.

I preferably like the far left design more than the middle one mainly because of the cover surrounding the emitters. The LEDs sit slightly below that cover and may help keep stray light and any glare from bouncing around in the reflector. This is just my opinion and it may or may not have any effect on the beam so feel free to conduct your own testing.


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## starspangled6.0 (Apr 16, 2016)

These are the bulbs I got. Not sure when I'll be able to get some wall shots, but I will definitely try.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Those single domed bulbs will most definitely NOT produce a correct beam pattern. Although seeing wall shots will settle that assumption.


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## Al3e925 (Jul 27, 2016)

I've got the opt7 for my headlights, they are great, no flickering, no codes, just one clear bright road in front of me. Yeah a bit bright to where road signs two miles ahead (sarcasm) are lit up as well, but no body blinks me and i drive over a 100 miles a day for work bwfore sun is up then after sundown

Sent from my SM-G530P using Tapatalk


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## cruzerrr (Dec 2, 2016)

retrofit


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Al3e925 said:


> I've got the opt7 for my headlights, they are great, no flickering, no codes, just one clear bright road in front of me. Yeah a bit bright to where road signs two miles ahead (sarcasm) are lit up as well,* but no body blinks me *and i drive over a 100 miles a day for work bwfore sun is up then after sundown


You realize that is a horrible way to gauge whether or not your headlights are properly aimed and have the correct beam pattern, right?

If I don't even bother flashing other cars on the road with horribly glaring HID/LED kits or blue halogen bulbs then you know many other people don't bother either.

Street signs that glow miles away is a clear indication of excessive glare.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Bi led projector. :thumbsup:

This may be my next upgrade...


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## Cruze567 (Dec 3, 2016)

Hey al3e925 did those opt-7 led headlights work with your drls


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## Al3e925 (Jul 27, 2016)

Cruze567 said:


> Hey al3e925 did those opt-7 led headlights work with your drls


Yes, not one issues with them, from dlr to auto on off or low to hi beam. Nice sharp and clean!!!

Sent from my SM-G530P using Tapatalk


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## XYdadX3 (Dec 8, 2016)

This is my first post on here, but I've been reading for a little while now (weeks). I just wanted to thank everyone for posting on this topic (some sarcasm but mostly serious). After all this reading, I'm about to spend $200-250 between a bluetooth compatible pdim and I think I'm going to try those gen7 LED's. Before reading I would've bought a bluetooth adapter for the line input and I don't really NEED headlights yet. My wallet hurts a little but my car will enjoy it!


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

I wanted to share my results today after testing out these H13 LED bulbs below. In previous posts of mine I sort of endorsed these particular bulbs because its emitter array mimics the halogen filament better than most other LED bulbs on the market. They also utilize Luxeon Z ES chips which are currently the best performing LED chip for replacement headlight bulbs.











And below are the results versus a Sylvania H13 halogen.
*12ft from wall*










Upon first glance it appears that the beam pattern is quite good. Besides some obvious differences (which we will get into in a minute) the beam closely resembles that of the stock halogen. Hot spot and cut off look on point.

Lux measurement of the hot spot:
Halogen = 122 lx
LED = 352 lx

Yes that is correct. The hot spot is nearly 3X brighter! What does that translate to? Farther distance vision. This will definitely help with those unlit back roads. Random measurements taken across the beam all resulted in higher lux readings. Although the difference was only 2X brighter in the center and mid section and only a few lux greater at the farther edges.

Above the cutoff you will notice a pair of "angel wings" as I like to call them. This is noticable with the halogen and LED. Apparently this was a part of the headlamp design to allow for illumination of street signs while also not exceeding the allowable glare in accordance with the FMVSS 108 regulation.

Lets take some readings above the cutoff.

I took measurements of 14 points above the light cutoff. 6 points a few inches above the cutoff and 6 points at twelve inches above. And finally 2 more points - one directly inside of each angel wing.

Lux measurements ranged from 1X to 5.25X greater than halogen! The combined average was 3X greater. This is pretty shocking. This goes to show that even though from the image (and even to my naked eye) it did not appear that there was excessive glare.* But the lux meter does not lie*. So what does this mean? Will you be blinding people with crazy glare? Not at all. Can this potentially be distracting to other drivers? Absolutely!

Lets continue on...

Now that we've taken our lux readings lets talk a little more about what we see in the images. If we take a look at the hot spot again we see that the LED bulb does focus the intensity in the same location but that focus isn't quite 100%. It flares down some and to the right. This may translate into a smidge more of foreground light. Typically you'd want the hot spot to remain centered but flare out to the sides and up tight against the cutoff to keep the intensity where its wanted most - for distance vision.









You'll also notice streaks in the LED beam. This is due to the small gaps in between each emitter in the array. This may or may not be an annoyance as you'll notice them on the road. My eyes are finicky and it will most likely distract me although I can't really say unless I drive them on the road a few nights. And lastly you'll see that the width didn't really change much with the LED despite its higher luminosity. This is a disappointment as you'd expect some of that light to be brighter at the edges but it really started to fall short the farther out you got.

One other thing I failed to mention initially was that the LED lux hotspot measurement was taken after 1 minute of warm up. This gradually decreased after 15 minutes dropping to 323 lux. This is because the LEDs began to get really hot and as they get hot they lose luminosity. This particular bulb uses an aluminum body with copper mesh straps in the back to radiate heat away. I'm not so sure that this design thermally works best but its up for debate if 8% loss of light in the first 15 minutes is considered a huge loss. I'm going to assume that none of us will notice this on the street. I usually measure lux for a continuous 60 minutes however I didn't care to do so this time. But I will say that after 10 minutes the drop off started to level off so I'm not sure if there would have been that much more light loss. This of course is in a temperature controlled bedroom. Imagine them sitting in front of a hot engine on a summer night.

So in the end, are these bulbs considered an improvement over stock? There certainly are some positives and negatives. But ask yourself, do you see better at night? Are your headlights a hazard to other drivers? And is the improvement worth the price you paid for them?

Food for thought.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

evo77 said:


> I wanted to share my results today after testing out these H13 LED bulbs below. In previous posts of mine I sort of endorsed these particular bulbs because its emitter array mimics the halogen filament better than most other LED bulbs on the market. They also utilize Luxeon Z ES chips which are currently the best performing LED chip for replacement headlight bulbs.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How are those cooling fins working out? For my setup I went with the built in fans and at times they are super loud in cabin when you turn the car off or when walking up to the car.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Merc6 said:


> How are those cooling fins working out? For my setup I went with the built in fans and at times they are super loud in cabin when you turn the car off or when walking up to the car.


Cooling fans are only a benefit when the heatsink design is a good design. Simply creating an aluminum assembly and bolting a fan to the back of it doesn't always mean it's better. And this is what most Chinese companies do. 

The only way you'll be able to tell if your particular bulb set up can draw heat away effectively is to measure the lux over a duration of 60 mins or until the light output levels off.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

I ended up testing another pair of LED bulbs today.










This bulb may be using Seoul Semiconductor WICOP chips (not Lumileds CSP chips as the description says) although there is no sure way to tell if their genuine with most Chinese aftermarket companies.

Testing methods were the same as the last one except this time the headlamp was about 7.5 feet from the wall. From the photos below you will see that the low beam pattern is quite good. In fact of the few other LED bulbs I’ve tested I want to say that this is the best of the bunch so far. However let me point out that this was NOT achieved straight out of the box. This bulb has an adjustable collar which allows you to rotate the bulb to fine tune your beam. There are holes around the collar. When you twist the collar to each hole (every 9mm or so) you can tighten the collar with the provided small screw. But here is the problem – none of those holes corresponded to a position that created a beam pattern just like halogen. The closest hole gave just an “ok” beam but it wasn’t until I rotated the bulb counter clockwise about 11mm the beam was at its best. In fact despite the stock halogen locked in a 1 o’clock position the LED performs best at the 12 o’clock position (when facing the rear of the reflector). Unfortunately a new hole will have to be drilled in the collar to align with the screw hole in order for this position to stay in place otherwise engine and road vibration will move it.




















The high beam pattern did not appear to be as close to halogen as the low beam was but the end result is a much greater hotspot with some shaded areas in parts of the beam.











I measured the lux in the center of the hotspot for both halogen and LED. The LED registered an increase of about 52% MORE lux than halogen. The images also show a slighter wider overall beam. I also measured light above the cutoff to test for any excessive glare. Taking measurements at various locations resulted in an average of 42% extra glare. How that will translate to on the road is another test. Overall the performance increase in light output was good but unfortunately that number isn’t entirely accurate. There is a problem with this LED bulb and its common with most other high power LED headlights and that is – HEAT.

The heatsink on this bulb while appearing to be adequate is its downfall. The LED chips just create too much heat and the aluminum body is not able to effectively draw the heat away to maintain full luminosity. So what does that mean? It means that after 15 minutes of being powered on the light output drops a staggering 29.5%! Amp draw falls from 1.5A to 1.04A. After 30 minutes it drops a tiny bit more for a total light output loss of 31.7%. At this point it levels off at 1.0 amp and remains like this the rest of the way. I tested it for 60 minutes in a temperature controlled bedroom. The heatsink is so HOT that I cannot touch it for more than a second because I would surely burn myself. Imagine what it will have to endure inside of a hot engine bay on a hot summer night.

So what initially appeared to be a 52% increase in light output really turns out to be about a 20% increase. And while technically that is still better than halogen these gains may be at the cost of its longevity. Any high power LED chip that is subjected to heat greater than its maximum levels as determined by the LED manufacturer will surely not live a long life. And I’m afraid that it’s only a matter of time that they will eventually die from heat. How long will it take? That has yet to be determined.


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## Steelmesh (Jan 16, 2016)

evo77 said:


> I ended up testing another pair of LED bulbs today.


Looking at Cree XML2 data sheets, they use 85C (168F) to rate the hot lumens, which would burn a human for sure. A rule of thumb I came across regarding Temp vs. Life is keep the temps below 100C (212F) AT THE LED CHIP and it will last a long time.

A quick check would be to get a temp off the heatsink, if it is below 100C you're doing pretty good and if it is at 100C or above the LED chip is most certainly hotter.


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## BlakeCary (Jan 11, 2017)

#evo77 I have those exact lights in your final post. Great write up on the angle of the bulb. Are both bulbs orientated that way? Also, did you have any play between the bulb and that socket? It looks as if that shcs for clocking doesn't secure the bulb it only stops the rotation.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

evo77 said:


> I ended up testing another pair of LED bulbs today.


If you haven't already, I think it might be very beneficial if you were to create a thread to consolidate all of your testing results, as it it very thorough and well laid out. Perhaps the first post could be edited based on what you deem to be the "best" LED bulb out there at the time. 

Lots of great info.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

BlakeCary said:


> #evo77 I have those exact lights in your final post. Great write up on the angle of the bulb. Are both bulbs orientated that way? Also, did you have any play between the bulb and that socket? It looks as if that shcs for clocking doesn't secure the bulb it only stops the rotation.


Thanks.

Yes both bulbs are oriented the same way. There is no play when the bulb is properly secured. The base adapter with the "wing" tabs should twist clockwise until it stops. If this has play or movement then the rubber o-ring is too thin and you may need to add a round shim of some sort underneath the o-ring so that it locks nice and tight. This does happen occasionally with bulb to bulb. Some o-rings are even slightly too big.

Those "wing" tabs on the base adapter are horribly small, thin and pointy compared to a halogen bulb. Its difficult to get a good grip with your finger tips to twist and lock in place. Especially if the bulb has a tight seal.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

MP81 said:


> If you haven't already, I think it might be very beneficial if you were to create a thread to consolidate all of your testing results, as it it very thorough and well laid out. Perhaps the first post could be edited based on what you deem to be the "best" LED bulb out there at the time.
> 
> Lots of great info.


Thank you!

I will consider making a new thread for some of the bulbs I've reviewed.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Now that I've had a few weeks to road test those LED bulbs I can truly say that I'm *not*happy with them.

Despite them having the best beam pattern they just aren't bright enough. The lux meter tells me their slightly brighter than halogen but it does not translate to real world. Their just about equal to halogen in my eyes. Perhaps engine heat may further affect its output.

The G7 LED bulbs while having a little less desirable beam pattern are more noticeable on the road. And have a wider beam pattern.


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## Tmiller39 (Oct 18, 2016)

Hey I've tried 13 different leds h13 bulbs on my 2013 chevy and I just received the genssi elite leds that look like your bulbs.so you're saying to take off the little shield above the low beam and I'll get a better light output


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## BDRiskey (Feb 28, 2017)

Anybody try LED bulbs from headlight experts? They have a lifetime warranty and the bulbs will clock in the housing for proper alignment.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

BDRiskey said:


> Anybody try LED bulbs from headlight experts? They have a lifetime warranty and the bulbs will clock in the housing for proper alignment.


Do not waste $100 on those crap bulbs. Just by the fact that they are using large COB emitters is a clear indication that the beam pattern will be horrendous.


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## BDRiskey (Feb 28, 2017)

Thanks for the heads up. Don't know much about these new LED bulbs or have the time and money to experiment with multiple ones to find one that works well.


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## Etec225 (Apr 6, 2015)

Go with these https://www.ebay.com/itm/NINEO-H13-...ble/142504675654?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144 they can be found being sold under different names but they all all made by the same company CN360. I have tested bulbs made by them here http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/11-g...817-led-vs-stock-halogen-headlight-bulbs.html. These are the new model that have the CREE xhp50 chip which is one of the best on the market.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Etec225 said:


> Go with these https://www.ebay.com/itm/NINEO-H13-...ble/142504675654?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144 they can be found being sold under different names but they all all made by the same company CN360. I have tested bulbs made by them here http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/11-g...817-led-vs-stock-halogen-headlight-bulbs.html. These are the new model that have the CREE xhp50 chip which is one of the best on the market.


Those are just as horrible as the other ones. They should never be installed in a Cruze headlamp. You don't want to see what kind of beam pattern it gives off.

I have them. Their collecting dust on my work bench shelf. They have a slightly different body but it's the same Cree XHP50 for the low beam. 










I'll post these images again to help out those who are looking to switch to LED.


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## Etec225 (Apr 6, 2015)

evo77 said:


> Those are just as horrible as the other ones. They should never be installed in a Cruze headlamp. You don't want to see what kind of beam pattern it gives off.
> 
> I have them. Their collecting dust on my work bench shelf. They have a slightly different body but it's the same Cree XHP50 for the low beam.


No evo I do want to see the the pattern you should post pictures.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Etec225 said:


> No evo I do want to see the the pattern you should post pictures.


For your viewing pleasure...


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Notes on my attached photos:

The OE halogen bulb was ran at 12.8v for a power draw of 56w. I know that the Cruze alternator can generate between 13-14v however for the purposes of this test I decided to keep the wattage close to advertised 55w as a control.

The focus and exposure were locked for all images however I did play with the white balance to represent the color closest in real life.

The last image shown with me holding my lux meter has the LED for both. The top photo is with the sensor in the exact position as it was for the halogen. I had to LOWER the meter a few inches to find the brightest point of the light which is why I took that second photo.

And as you can see despite the horrible beam pattern, the hot spot for the LED is not as focused or as bright as the halogen. And since I only ran the halogen at 55w, it would be slightly brighter on the road when input voltages are higher.


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## Etec225 (Apr 6, 2015)

Well alright then. Are the xhp50 bulbs at least brighter than the ZES ones?


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

Etec225 said:


> Well alright then. Are the xhp50 bulbs at least brighter than the ZES ones?


No.

The Z ES bulbs are brighter. More than double! 

This is because the light is much more focused like halogen. You simply cannot achieve a good beam pattern using emitters that contain a domed lens (like all Cree LEDs). The light emitting surface area must mimic that of a tungsten filament which is why CSP LEDs like the Luxeon Z ES and the Seoul Semiconductor Z8Y19 work so well. They are tiny, compact and most importantly have a superior beam angle. Because these chips are FLAT they can provide a better beam inside a reflector housing.

And while these older versions of the Z ES were the better bulbs on the market for the time, they do have flaws. Glare and streaky light under the beam, primarily on the foreground. 

Glare is 2-3x more than halogen.

The exposure is at my cameras lowest setting so it may not appear to have light above the cutoff but it's there. Level of added glare is also validated by my lux meter.


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## Taxman (Aug 10, 2017)

Is anybody else having trouble seeing the attached pics?


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## InsideMan (Sep 23, 2017)

So EVO77, what would you say is worth buying if we wanted to go with LED's?
Ive been following but haven't been able to filter out what your favorite or worthwhile ones to purchase are. Luxeon Z ES?


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## Etec225 (Apr 6, 2015)

These are a worthwhile purchase. http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/11-g...817-led-vs-stock-halogen-headlight-bulbs.html You can find them under verious names they are typlicly called 7G or 7 gen. The same manufacturer is making them. My set has been going strong for 3 years and they have a acceptable pattern. you can supposedly remove the low beam shield for better output the h13 housing doesn't need the shield the "cutoff" is built into the housing.

I found them here for $24 https://www.ebay.com/itm/H13-160W-1...ash=item4afd332923:g:N4UAAOSwUgNXPTUQ&vxp=mtr
The seller is a bit optimistic on the light output but the bulb in the picture is the same bulb. If nothing else that gives you a picture to go off.


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## Etec225 (Apr 6, 2015)

evo77 said:


> No.
> 
> The Z ES bulbs are brighter. More than double!
> 
> ...


We should put together a thread on the different LED's that have been tested. It would save time explaining all this all the time.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

InsideMan said:


> So EVO77, what would you say is worth buying if we wanted to go with LED's?
> Ive been following but haven't been able to filter out what your favorite or worthwhile ones to purchase are. Luxeon Z ES?


Honestly I don't really have a favorite. Currently in my vehicle now I have the Seoul Semiconductor CSP version. You will find my review further back in this thread. And while it has the best beam pattern that i have tested to date, it also is the least brightest (when compared to other LEDs). This is because the heatsink is not able to keep the chips thermally stable so the driver lowers the current feed to keep them from burning up. They are only slightly brighter than halogen. 

For some people, they want a more dramatic difference in light output so this may not appease. 

If you want a beautiful 6000k white light (I prefer this color rendering over the current market Z ES chips) , great beam pattern and are ok with only a marginal gain in illumination, then it's worth the money. 

I can no longer recommend the Z ES bulbs in my previous post due to the glare they produce. Just because the beam pattern is "ok" does not mean this bulb is good enough to settle with in my opinion. 

I no longer am testing other bulbs since I'm currently in the process of retrofitting bi-led projectors.

But I do still watch for new H13 bulbs that hit the market to see which ones look like potential winners based on chip layout design. There are a few interesting models out there but of course without physical testing I'm just speculating based on looks. 

I will say this, Diode Dynamics just announced at SEMA 2017 that their SL (Street Legal) LED headlight bulbs are finally ready to be shipped. The dual filament version dubbed SL2 is coming soon and they have a H13 application. When I spoke to Paul McCain @DD he stated that they have physically tested their bulbs in multiple different headlamps for optical accuracy. When I volunteered an extra Cruze headlamp he said they already had one. So I would hold off on any purchases until these bulbs come out.


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## InsideMan (Sep 23, 2017)

Copy that. Thanks for all the effort and input you've done for us over here. Good stuff.


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## Drividor (Nov 1, 2012)

Do you think those will be good in my oem housing?
https://www.amazon.ca/LumiLEDS-Z-ES...=UTF8&qid=1514902878&sr=8-1&keywords=Z+ES+h13


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## starspangled6.0 (Apr 16, 2016)

One of my JDM Gen 7 bulbs just took a crap, or at least the diodes are emitting such weak light that they appear to not be working at all. Before I drop $100 on another pair (I might switch brands at this point, since the warranty expired), is there anything to test to make sure it's actually a broken light? I'll try swapping them around, but I don't think that will fix it.


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## carid (Jul 20, 2011)

starspangled6.0 said:


> One of my JDM Gen 7 bulbs just took a crap, or at least the diodes are emitting such weak light that they appear to not be working at all. Before I drop $100 on another pair (I might switch brands at this point, since the warranty expired), is there anything to test to make sure it's actually a broken light? I'll try swapping them around, but I don't think that will fix it.


Hi there, sorry to hear that you're having this problem. If the bulb still works yet emits poor light, it souds like a load resistor failed. So you can swap the bulbs around, yet to determine whether that's a resistor or no, you may want to wire a new LED resistor into the chain. Here's an example of the resistor that you need, you can order one online or buy locally. Its price way lower, than a new LED conversion kit (our price is around $7.90 for a pair plus some shipping), and even if this does not help, at least there is a chance to fix the problem. At least that's what I would have done if I were you. 
Now, here's what I think of it. LEDs feature lower resistance, than halogens, hence they normally feature a built-in resistor to make them work. When a resistor fails, the LED bulb still keeps working, yet you get poor output. If a CAN-bus module fails, most probably you will not notice any differences in light output, but you'll get that 'bulb out' error. The same happens when the bulb fails. However, normally the lifespan of LEDs is around 50.000 hours, and the symptoms you describe do not look like the bulb problem. 
Hope this helps. Feel free to contact us directly if you need any help!


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## starspangled6.0 (Apr 16, 2016)

Interesting! I wish I would have learned that sooner. I opted for some Opt7 bulbs (10th gen, I think)... bright as frig! 8400 lumens and 6000k brightness. But the build quality is sub par at best, so who knows how long they will last.


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## BPala (7 mo ago)

For those using 2012 LT VCDi models, is it safe to replace the halogens with LED or HID? will it not cause electrical or BCM or ECU problems?


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