Halo Headlights -- Yea or Nay?

[JoeIsuzu]

I've been researching headlight upgrades, and I have some hard and fast criteria for mine:

1. Better light than OEM sealed beams
2. Original or at least semi-original look. By that, I mean I don't want my 1983 truck to look like a 1950s sci-fi spaceship. One bulb, not a cluster of them.
3. DOT certified
4. Glass lenses, not polycarbonate

But in spite of item 2 above, I'm actually considering "halo" style headlights. The reasons:

• I like the added safety of Daytime Running Lights
• They would also double as front turn signals, making them more visible

I'm not looking at cheap $50/set junk. Possibly something from Octane Lighting, or IPF.

Has anybody done halos? Any strong opinions either way?

Jack

[Halden]

I've toyed around with getting some "JW Speaker" brand LED headlights.... I'm of the opinion you have to pay to play for LED headlights. And these are not cheap... All the reviews on them seem pretty good.

[JoeIsuzu]

I've toyed around with getting some "JW Speaker" brand LED headlights.... I'm of the opinion you have to pay to play for LED headlights. And these are not cheap... All the reviews on them seem pretty good.

If those are what I think they are, it sounds like they're very effective, but very ugly.

And yes, LED technology is not yet mature enough to be economical. Good ones cost money. But since they appeared on the market, quality has gone up, and cost has gone down.

Jack

[JoeIsuzu]

I just pulled the trigger on these:
Housings with "switchback" halo LEDs. They're supposed to be glass, not plastic/polycarbonate. And since these came with halogen bulbs, I ordered these:
G5 LED Pair. They had a few different options, varying in output lumens. These were their brightest ones. I'll have to make sure they're aimed properly.

I'm of the opinion you have to pay to play for LED headlights.

Given what I paid -- what should I expect?

I'll post some pics once I get them installed.

Jack

[JoeIsuzu]

I'm still tinkering with installation -- they rattle a bit in the housings. But I'm excited to report that the LED halos, and the "switchback" feature work better than I imagined.

I

Sorry this one is blurry. It's a screenshot of the .mov file.

Here's a video of the turn signal. When I have time, I'll get a video of exactly how the "switchback" feature works.

I've installed the driver's side, but I need to fix the rattle before I move to the passenger's side. I do plan to post a comparison of the output - halogen sealed beam, halogen in this housing, and finally LED in this housing.

Jack

[Paul]

Jack - -

Looking forward to your results. But, please explain to me what a 'switch back' feature is?

Paul

[gruff54]

Went back and looked. So headlights, running lights , and turn signals in one light. Wow! And here all I want is a light bright enough to see better at night!

Mike

[gruff54]

Looked at the link. Here's an explanation of the switchback feature.
"This is a switchback halo meaning it automatically switches to amber when the turn signal is activated and then goes back to white when the turn signal switches off." Another Wow!

Mike

[JoeIsuzu]

Looking forward to your results. But, please explain to me what a 'switch back' feature is?

Mike's replies are spot-on:

Went back and looked. So headlights, running lights , and turn signals in one light. Wow! And here all I want is a light bright enough to see better at night!

Looked at the link. Here's an explanation of the switchback feature.
"This is a switchback halo meaning it automatically switches to amber when the turn signal is activated and then goes back to white when the turn signal switches off." Another Wow!

What's completely surprising to me is that it seems to work perfectly as designed, with 1981 technology! There's one bit I'm not 100% happy with -- the white halo is of course an unfocused light -- not a directed beam. I'm concerned that this may be irritating to oncoming drivers at night (not an issue in the daylight). In fact, the headlight lens has "DOT" on it, but there is a sticker that warns that the halos are not street-legal at night. So I may eventually wire in a relay or relays to disable the white halo whenever the headlights themselves are on. That doesn't seem difficult.

As for the headlight brightness and beam quality:

I haven't tried the LED yet, but the halogen is a bit underwhelming.

The new headlight low beam is a bit high, and has a stray beam toward the upper right. I'm hoping I can adjust the aim to manage that. And I think the stray light may even be from the halo, rather than the main element. So I'm thinking of disabling the halo when the headlight is on. I'll test that, later.

Halogen with halo (left), sealed beam (low beams)

The new headlight's high beam looks more as I'd expect.

Halogen with halo (left), sealed beam (high beams)

I think I like the color, compared to the original. I'm not sure how effective it really is compared to the stock color.

I hope to give the LED a try soon.

Jack

[Red Truck]

In regard to this post's title: 'Yea or Nay'
"Not street legal at night"? Hmmm...I think we can all agree that few things are more obnoxious than being blinded by someone's glaring new-tech headlights, from both behind and oncoming. I'll be curious to hear how they honestly appear from another driver's perspective. I've never been a fan of these types of headlights; they may provide better light for the driver, but clobber the vision of other drivers. That's safety? I give it a 'Nay'/R

[JoeIsuzu]

In regard to this post's title: 'Yea or Nay'
"Not street legal at night"? Hmmm...I think we can all agree that few things are more obnoxious than being blinded by someone's glaring new-tech headlights, from both behind and oncoming. I'll be curious to hear how they honestly appear from another driver's perspective. I've never been a fan of these types of headlights; they may provide better light for the driver, but clobber the vision of other drivers. That's safety? I give it a 'Nay'/R

If there's any chance of the halos causing trouble for oncoming drivers, I plan to disable them whenever headlights are on. That's a given. So don't let that affect your vote. The question was about halos in general. As Daytime Running Lights and turn signals, they seem "brilliant".

Jack

[JoeIsuzu]

Finally, here's a comparison between the halogen and the LED. Low beams. Halogen on the left, LED on the right.

Low beams

High beams

Of course, a garage door isn't very much like real use. I just wanted to compare beam patterns.

Jack

[JoeIsuzu]

More...

Here's a video of how the halos work -- demonstrating the "switchback" feature.

Low beams, on the road -- still just a bit of daylight.

Jack

[gruff54]

No one could claim they didn't see your turn signals with those!

Mike

[octopus]

Jack, are you still happy with the halo lights? This made me start thinking about them and how it'd be nice to have some more visibility to other drivers in the Oregon rain.
-Jeff