as a bit bored so i decided to finally change the regular boring halogens for some whiter LED headlights (h11 bulb).


these were on sale with a 10 dollar off coupon so final price was 39.99 for 2!!!!
Directly plug and play. The hardest part was removing all the annoying clips without breaking them for the plastic covers. The whole install took like 10 minutes.

very bright, considerably brighter than stock halogens (although my stock bulbs have lasted over 11 years now). Im a bit concerned that they wont last very long but at 39 dollars for 2, who cares.




i popped in a 194 LED bulb for the trunk too, that stock halogen was dim as hell.

 

looks great! My only worry is the range of the LED headlamps vs HID and halogen. Another concern is the beam pattern, LED light pattern tends to be more diffused as opposed to focused - what you want headlamps to have.

Also keep in mind that your headlights have a total of two LEDs for low beams (one on each end). Compare to this to modern vehicles that have 5, 10, 15, 20 - sometimes more - individual LEDs within each housing to counter any light pattern and range issue.

My ES has the standard halogen, and I'm looking to upgrade to HIDs. The work involved in installing HID is a bit more involved and so I may go to a professional.

I'd really like to hear how you find the LED headlights. Do you have any of the complaints/downsides I mentioned above?

 

I drove it yesterday evening and the beam pattern looks about the same as the halogen. I didn’t get high beamed by anyone so they seem to be aimed correctly. in darker areas, I feel the light is significantly more than the previous halogens. I’ll try and take some pictures tonight to show the beam pattern and range. The most noticeable thing is the light cutoff as it’s quite apparent now.

I would say HIDs are just as easy to install. You just need to find a place to mount the ballasts. Nothing special required for installation. The only reason i shy away from HID is their tendency to burn out or ballasts failing. Most LEDs bulbs usually have a small fan on the bottom of the bulb for cooling but the ones I picked do not have it (passive cooling) as the ones with the small fans make noise or burn out quickly when the fan breaks.

id say give these cheapie LEDs a shot and if you don’t like it, go back to halogens or try HIDs. At the price I got them for, they seem to be doing great.

 

Ballasts (Blasters?), those are the bits I'm not entirely confident mounting. LEDs are a much newer technology and si they are expected to perform better. I'll try these out too...the factory bulbs are less than adequate.

Looking forward to the pictures though I understand it may not be immediately evident as opposed to witnessing them in person.

 

So those grey pieces are "ballast" and you just use some double sided tape or zip ties to mount them somewhere if you're going the HID / XENON route the rest is the same.

The LED bulbs that i bought dont have these additional hardware so its much easier to install.

Just be careful when you install it, make sure the LED bulb is in its socket vertically not horizontally, otherwise it'll shine all over the place and not aimed properly. Its easy enough to fix if you get it wrong, just pull it out, and reinsert it until you clearly see that the bulb is aimed the right way.




ohh and p.s., keep those "red" rings from your old halogen bulbs and put them on your new LED bulbs (just swap them). They fit better and makes it easier to install. The ones that came with the LED bulbs are a bit too big and you need to push quite hard to make them fit.

 

Very helpful, thanks a bunch!

I'll order both LEDs an HIDs. I was under the impression the ballasts had to be wired (no pre existing plug), I guess they just plug into the light socket? I will do more research.

 

Both are pretty easy, HID's used to be popular but now all manufacturers have gone to LEDs too, so that says something. also, HID's have an uhh delay? like a warm-up time before they become fully bright whereas LED's are instant. Especially important if you decide to put in HID's for high beams because when you flash them, they might delay.

Stock
bullb --> connector

HID
Bulb ---> ballast (this one you gotta mount somewhere)---> connector

LED
bulb --> connector

 

correct, HIDs have to warm up. My previous car 2013 Jaguar XF supercharged had factory bi-xenon lights. Sort of an off-white color, very bright and focused though they pale into comparison of my current two cars, a 2019 XJ and 2020 745e. The XJ has 6 LEDs in each housing, the 745 has laser lights. The LEDs seem crisper.

Every time I get into the Lexus, it feels like the lights are not even on.

LEDs ordered.

 

I ordered different sets:


Based on my understanding, a 2010 ES (With Halogens) requires 9005 type bulb. I will compare both offerings from Sealight aswell as ones from Philips. Can you confirm thats the the three bulbs are suitable for low beam headlights (1, 3 and 4 from the list). The second one is for the fog lights.

 

I got the same exact bulbs and I’ve been pleased. I wouldn’t say they are significantly brighter than the halogens I replaced, just slightly brighter. I also think they look better. Cutoff/beam pattern for the LED bulbs are the same as the halogens I had. I also got LED bulbs for the fog lights. Can’t speak to how well they illuminate as I haven’t driven with them in the dark but they do look nice.

 

Here's the beam pattern. Its very much like the stock setup before, but just significantly brighter


W/ high beams

 

I popped in some LED 921 backup lights today too. Got sick of it being so dark when i back up into the driveway.