k3000

Does anyone know why companies like GE, Sylvania, Phillips, and other recognized US brands don't seem to make these LED headlight, fog light, and other LED bulbs?

67_ls1

Profits. No other reason.
If they could make them in the US for less, they would. It’s why a lot of companies are leaving China for even less expensive labor in Vietnam, Malaysia, etc.

k3000

Seems like many are made to be too bright.

Why don't GE, Sylvania, Phillips, and other recognized US brands have them made overseas but sold here?

VIP1

Regulations. None of these meet US headlight regulations. The offerings from major brands like GE, Sylvania, Philips, etc are listed as fog or off-road. Plus they can't compete on price. Philips did make some drop-in replacements and marketed them as fog and off-road. Then people copied them and made brighter versions for cheaper. Quality varied greatly though.

k3000

Thanks for the good info VIP.

I thought that was what it was.

Most of them are too bright, and a lot of issues with failures and/or flickering.

I got some 168/194's that don't seem too bad so far, but that's for markers of course.

k3000

But the bulbs made out of the country apparently can be sold in the US, at least so far!

Rich-L79

Sylvania/Osram does make LED bulbs, quite a lot of them. Not headlights, but just about everything else. Their standard LEDs are okay, not as bright as regular bulbs but their Zevo series are very bright and very reliable.

VIP1

My comments above were for headlight bulbs.

Regarding other LED bulbs, Sylvania and Philips do make LED bulbs for the markers and tails that you can find at an auto parts store and online. I have some Philips 3157 LED in my tails. They aren't the brightest option but they focus the light in the housing better than some other options to better use the available optics. With that said, Sylvania and Philips bulbs are more expensive than off-brand alternatives. I've tried a few of the other brands and have them in the turn signals, dome light, etc in my cars. I wanted brighter reverse lights and dome lights so these aftermarket brands had some good options.

k3000

Totally understand VIP1! Thank you!

k3000

Rich -- so far I like the Zevo series.

Rich-L79

I've experimented with cheapo ebay LEDs for interior lighting and such and found that they are really hit or miss. Many of the dome light/map light LEDs start to flicker or fail inside a year. And just because an LED bulb has a billion individual LEDs on it doesn't mean it will actually make a lot of light or fill the reflector properly with light. They are much more directional than an incandescent and some just don't work well in some applications even if they do make a lot of light. Also, some of the bigger ones with a billion LEDs on them are simply too large to fit in some housings.

The Sylvania/Osram Zevo bulbs are really the best all around I've found. I've been told some of the really expensive ones are great, but I'm not going to spend $40-$50 on a single bulb. Also, if you register your Zevo bulbs they have a lifetime guarantee. I've never had one fail so I don't know how hard it is to get satisfaction with that guarantee.

I don't know how it works on other cars but on the GTOs if you install LEDs in the brake lights the cruise control will no longer work unless you also install resistors in line with the brake light circuit. One easy solution for hyperflashing is to put in a solid state flasher, but in cars like the GTO there is no stand alone flasher, it is a function of the BCM itself so sometimes inline resistors are required which kind of defeats one of the pros of LEDs which is a lower electrical load on the wiring.

wannafbody

iTrader: (2)

Because every president since Nixon sold us out for cheap labor

k3000

Thanks Rich! All of that information is very helpful.


I’m just looking at this in a slightly different way now. The biggest issue is when you try to replace a headlight (expensive, too bright, flickering), the second biggest issue is when you try to replace anything that flashes with an LED, or anything that dims down, like a halogen DRL.

And again the theory is that they draw less current, run cooler, and last longer. If you find out the bulbs go bad in about a year, then it’s not really worth getting them! So far I really like the Zevo’s. I’m finding the Zevo's extremely helpful in our front parking lights that were prone to so many problems when we used to have to use halogen bulbs.


Also testing some 9006 leds for my low beams. Time will tell with them on life span, brightness (will they be too bright), and beam pattern...

Rich-L79

There ARE LEDs that can be dimmed but they are typically pretty expensive compared to the standard LEDs. I found some relatively inexpensive ones for dome lights and such and so far they've worked pretty well. SUPER bright as well which is good for dome lights.

VIP1

Which ones are you looking to try or did you get them already? Make sure its the kind that the LED are a thin strip in the same share / position / alignment as the original halogen filament. Quality varies greatly. Alignment and orientation is more important than inflated lumen claims. You can find videos on youtube comparing different brands and styles.

SAPPER

iTrader: (10)

Mainly because Slick Willie sold us out in the 90's. Called NAFTA.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

This is so very true. With signals, markers, and tail light bulbs, some designs will work great in some housings and yet the same bulb will be terrible in other housings. That is actually more important than the manufacturer, the cost, or where they came from. I have tried dozens of different amber 3157 bulbs. For my wife's Sorento (while she had it), the Philips bulbs were far and away the best at brightness and filling the lens with light. Yet on my Mustang, a relative no-name from Amazon (iBrightstar) have been the best for the front. I am hard on LED bulbs because I modified the wiring to make them DRLs (I always liked the amber DRLs on my T/A) and I also wired them up for use as strobes when supporting charity events. These $17/pair bulbs have outlasted everything else I've tried including some much more expensive "name brands".

When talking headlight bulbs, $40 - $50 is really quite cheap. V-LEDs is one of the most recognized brands in LED headlight bulbs and their Micro Extreme bulbs cost $180 per pair. I have them and they are excellent! They are somewhat brighter than stock halogens - comparable to HID - and they generate a good pattern, at least when used in projector lamps like I have. The LED chips are mounted in the same position and orientation as the filament of a halogen bulb and the base can be "clocked" to position the LEDs so they point to the sides as recommended for best output. They also come in 5000K which is a better choice if you're looking for effectiveness rather than the slightly bluer appearance of 6000K.

Rich-L79

Wasn't talking headlight bulbs, just turns and marker bulbs.

k3000

Thanks for the GREAT info WhiteBird!

SO hit and miss these LED bulbs!

Trying an Amazon brand "Sealight" bulb (9006) right now...

scfbodytx

We sell Diode Dynamics led bulbs for fog lights, tail lights, side markers and interior lighting. Diode Dynamics is located in St. Louis, MO. and they manufacture some of their products in the USA. Most of the bulbs are designed here and assembled in China. Regardless of where they are manufactured they have a great warranty compared to most other brands, 3 years on bulbs and 8 years on their fog lights. The majority of products on Ebay or Amazon come from China so that is the same for LEDs, some companies have US based warehouses but products are 100% from China. On headlights, the US has some laws that make no sense so headlight bulbs will not be manufactured here until laws change.