I’ve noticed that WCCC has an LED replacement for every bulb except for the headlights. I’ve noticed that they have a halogen conversion kit, which requires a relay and extra wiring because halogens user more power.
I presume that LED headlights would use less power then their traditional counter parts like the others do. Using less power means that they should just be plug and play provided your stock wiring is good.
There is nothing wrong with halogens of course but the omission of these LEDs is still a little puzzling. Are LEDs horrible as headlights or is it some other reason?
+1 for halogen headlight conversions. I have Hella H1 and H4 lamps in my Cougar, run off a relay. They light up the night. I don’t care about “power consumption”. I want to see at night.
I have the same halogens as Don with a two-relay plug and play setup. Works like a champ and makes me wonder every time how I stayed on those dark upstate NY two-lane roads at night.
I agree that the Halogen lights are certainly brighter and probably safer than the original Headlights. But Back in the day we didn’t know any better and seem to still get around perfectly fine at night. It is nice to have a choice, but honestly I have a hard time driving at night with all the truck and SUV headlights that are so bright they are blinding. Bob
In the nearly two years iv had the car, i am yet to drive it at night,
i put in Halogen , will fitting the plug n play relays brighten it up even more …
A budget way to get halogens is use a sealed beam halogen bulb and use a relay to power them. Not quite as good as the projector version don posted but also not 400bucks either.
I did a little research back when on LED Headlights. while I have not “seen” any of these, LED’s are pretty popular from the Factory nowadays. I did have the HID’s on my 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII ( loved that Car!) they were top notch for visibility and I really liked the white light they cast, almost bluish, reminded me of a Camera electronic Flash.
Any way, on the LED Front for the Cougar, I only really found a Low beam and High beam Bulb Conversion Kits.
Basically a Form Factor Glass Housing for a LED Bulb. at $200 a set (on sale!). I haven’t won the lottery yet, and I don’t think I’m gonna do a lot of night driving in the Cougar, so I really can’t justify $400 for something I will rarely use.
your mileage may vary, Tax, Title, and dealer prep extra, no returns unless in original packaging, I am not an expert, but I play one on the Internet.
They do also have the high beams. I put in 1968 model year.
If you did both high and low beams, it’s basically $400, which is $35 under WCCC. Either way it’s pretty close.
They claim to be 6000k and put out 4000 lumens, & that’s just the low beams. The high beams are similar & the claim that they are 5x more efficient then halogens is impressive.
If they only use 20% of what halogens use, there is no need for a relay if your wiring is good and you have a decent output alternator.
My only concern would be temperature of the bulbs, might be cooler or warmer, not sure.
Of course, what I really need to get is those electric headlight conversion doors. I got the stock ones to go a little bit faster but the inspector might still complain. He complains about them closing slowly BTW.
Despite being sealed beam lights, the visibility is still slightly better then on my 2012 Suzuki SX4, especially on the sides!!
It’s 4 lights versus 2 lights.
Thanks for the LED light link. I can go and look at reviews for them, YouTube videos etc.
If I ever drove the car at night I’d be all over these LED sealed beam bulbs. I’ve been doing headlight conversions on cars and bikes for years and have tried just about everything. There’s no substitute for LEDs when properly reflected and aimed. HIDs can be very good too but are challenging to make work optimally in a housing not designed for them.
Unless you’ve done a charging system upgrade, every fraction of an amp draw is a national treasure. Halogens do a great job of lighting but don’t help with that. LEDs can buy you a lot in terms of extra power for something else.
