Affordable and effective headlight upgrade? (I know, I know ... but I couldn't find it in Search)

[LurkingLuke]

Having had GREAT success with the Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro LED fog light replacements, I find the actual headlights on my 2013 Denali largely useless---factory high beams are not nearly as effective as the LED fogs. On occasion, however, the fog lights don't reach quite as far down the road as I would like (which is about equal in reach to the factory high beams). Is there a replacement for the factory bulbs that project farther down the road?

FYI I'm not looking for a whole headlight assembly replacement. Ideally, I'd like to just replace the high beam bulbs, but I heard it's not quite that simple.

 

[swathdiver]

First off, you have twelve year old lenses. They don't let as much light through them today as they did when new.

Next, aftermarket bulbs are not as bright or long lasting as the originals. My new lamps came with Hitachi bulbs and my kids, who love LEDs and HIDs, are impressed by how bright they are. I constantly get flashed by oncoming traffic and my lights are pointing correctly.

We put Morimoto fogs on one of the pickups, they're many time more bright and longer distance than stock lamps and bulbs. But again, new lamps with factory bulbs are brighter than aftermarket bulbs trying to get through worn out lenses.

I have the beginnings of cataracts, so seeing at night is a challenge and I have no issues with seeing at night in mine.

 

[petethepug]

The 07-14 Denali headlamps are solely for incandescent lamps. They were subpar when new. The only way to get more light on the ground, unfortunately, is to change the assemblies.

I went to a set up on our 08 similar to this but never upgraded to HID. Didn’t use LED because the older LED technology wreaked havoc with the BCM.

Pardon Our Interruption...

The above lamps with the LED bulbs and integrated cooling fans act as resistors. They work flawlessly with no trouble codes or BCM problems.

Ursprung Upgraded H1 Light Bulbs, 100W 600% Brighter, 1:1 Size H1 Bulbs, Pack of 2

Amazon.com

The low beams run through projectors so 100% of light gets put on the road. Both hi & low beams run H1. The high beams are not projector so they may blind the ship out of oncoming traffic but they shouldn’t be on for oncoming traffic anyway.

 

[LurkingLuke]

That's a beautiful unit. I may go for it in chrome.

Edit: Rats, they're out of stock in Chrome. I'll contact them.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I've used LEDs in all of my inside and outside lighting on my 2007 Yukon XL Denali with not issues in the BCM or otherwise. I used GTR Ultra II LEDs for the headlights. They are expensive, but they are adjustable (absolutely required for proper light beam adjustment) and are warranted for life.

 

[petethepug]

Or …. buy once, cry once…

My hefty lighting investment - worth it - Alpharex and Diode Dynamics

Did a bunch of research on headlight and foglight options, and settled on the "buy once, cry once" philosophy. I cried. A lot. o_O Settled on the Alpharex NOVA series LED projector headlights. Click here And went with the Diode Dynamics SS3 Max LED fog lights. Click here I wanted quality...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

 

[LurkingLuke]

Now that's what I'm talking about! Agree that the SS3 fog lights will show you the deer in Alaska even when you're driving in the lower 48.

 

[Geoffsfas10]

Not sure how affordable these are to you, but this will hands down be the best option

GMC Yukon (07-14) XB Hybrid LED Headlights

The Retrofit Source is your source for the new 2007-2014 GMC Yukon Morimoto XB Hybrid LED Headlights! Order today!

www.theretrofitsource.com

 

[Charlie207]

Not sure how affordable these are to you, but this will hands down be the best option

GMC Yukon (07-14) XB Hybrid LED Headlights

The Retrofit Source is your source for the new 2007-2014 GMC Yukon Morimoto XB Hybrid LED Headlights! Order today!

www.theretrofitsource.com

Those are slick, and at the same time waaaay above my price-point.

As Joseph had mentioned, there are some LED bulbs that can be rotated in their plug/harness/housings to maximize the output & pattern in the Yukon housings. I have some that work OK, and am going to put some incandescent bulbs back in to see what the difference is, now that I've totally forgotten how they used to look, brightness/pattern-wise. I picked up whatever the brightest option was from Autozone last time I was there.

The impetus was that LED bulbs put out almost no heat compared to filament-burners, and during that Thanksgiving blizzard we had my headlights were constantly icing over on the highway, at night, which was not optimal at all!

 

[Charlie207]

The 07-14 Denali headlamps are solely for incandescent lamps. They were subpar when new. The only way to get more light on the ground, unfortunately, is to change the assemblies.

I went to a set up on our 08 similar to this but never upgraded to HID. Didn’t use LED because the older LED technology wreaked havoc with the BCM.

Pardon Our Interruption...

The above lamps with the LED bulbs and integrated cooling fans act as resistors. They work flawlessly with no trouble codes or BCM problems.

Ursprung Upgraded H1 Light Bulbs, 100W 600% Brighter, 1:1 Size H1 Bulbs, Pack of 2

Amazon.com

The low beams run through projectors so 100% of light gets put on the road. Both hi & low beams run H1. The high beams are not projector so they may blind the ship out of oncoming traffic but they shouldn’t be on for oncoming traffic anyway.

These are more in my budget, and don't look terrible.

 

[petethepug]

Copy on that here too

 

[Charlie207]

The 07-14 Denali headlamps are solely for incandescent lamps. They were subpar when new. The only way to get more light on the ground, unfortunately, is to change the assemblies.

I went to a set up on our 08 similar to this but never upgraded to HID. Didn’t use LED because the older LED technology wreaked havoc with the BCM.

Pardon Our Interruption...

The above lamps with the LED bulbs and integrated cooling fans act as resistors. They work flawlessly with no trouble codes or BCM problems.

Ursprung Upgraded H1 Light Bulbs, 100W 600% Brighter, 1:1 Size H1 Bulbs, Pack of 2

Amazon.com

The low beams run through projectors so 100% of light gets put on the road. Both hi & low beams run H1. The high beams are not projector so they may blind the ship out of oncoming traffic but they shouldn’t be on for oncoming traffic anyway.

Do you have any before/after pics of those ebay housings w/your H1 bulbs?

I just reinstalled new SilverStars into my stock housings to create heat to melt snow/ice, but that just meant that it won't snow for the rest of the decade. The light output compared to the LED bulbs that were previously in there is trash, and I'm really looking for decent upgrades that aren't $1000 (or like 1/10th the value of the vehicle).

 

[petethepug]

No before or after pics unfortunately. I can tell you that those particular LED bulbs are also identical in size to regular incandescent bulbs so they’re plug n play without needing to rotate the bulb for adjustment.

 

[Charlie207]

No before or after pics unfortunately. I can tell you that those particular LED bulbs are also identical in size to regular incandescent bulbs so they’re plug n play without needing to rotate the bulb for adjustment.

And you like the lighting upgrade from those eBay housings vs. the OEM housings?

 

[Noggles]

The 07-14 Denali headlamps are solely for incandescent lamps. They were subpar when new. The only way to get more light on the ground, unfortunately, is to change the assemblies.

I went to a set up on our 08 similar to this but never upgraded to HID. Didn’t use LED because the older LED technology wreaked havoc with the BCM.

Pardon Our Interruption...

The above lamps with the LED bulbs and integrated cooling fans act as resistors. They work flawlessly with no trouble codes or BCM problems.

Ursprung Upgraded H1 Light Bulbs, 100W 600% Brighter, 1:1 Size H1 Bulbs, Pack of 2

Amazon.com

The low beams run through projectors so 100% of light gets put on the road. Both hi & low beams run H1. The high beams are not projector so they may blind the ship out of oncoming traffic but they shouldn’t be on for oncoming traffic anyway.

Do the C shaped LED bars light up as DRL's during the day? I bought a similar set for my dad for his 13 Denali and the C bar on them light up when the headlights come on but they still use the low beams as the DRL otherwise. I have tried finding a way to change this so only the C bar lights up but I can't seem to find anything.

 

[Doubeleive]

Having had GREAT success with the Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro LED fog light replacements, I find the actual headlights on my 2013 Denali largely useless---factory high beams are not nearly as effective as the LED fogs. On occasion, however, the fog lights don't reach quite as far down the road as I would like (which is about equal in reach to the factory high beams). Is there a replacement for the factory bulbs that project farther down the road?

FYI I'm not looking for a whole headlight assembly replacement. Ideally, I'd like to just replace the high beam bulbs, but I heard it's not quite that simple.

if you are still in the market the best bang for your buck is a nice set of ballast's and HID's
just takes a little DIY wiring and you are good to go
HID's work well in the stock gmc housings
the only catch is you loose high/low beam and you just have 1 good beam, reason being they do not make a "true" HID bi-xenon bulb
it's either a HID/composite or a magnetic actuated HID (moves from high-to-low position) or just straight HID (best option)
ballast's

2pcs Hylux 50W 2A50 Canbus Ballast HID Xenon Kit for Headlight Replacement Bulb | eBay

2 x Hylux 50W 2A50 ballast. Output Power: 50W. Car Xenon Headlight. Car LED Headlight. Automatic protection for output open circuit/short circuit in 0.5seconds. Anti-electromagnetic interference: S95/54/EC.

www.ebay.com

bulbs

Two 35W 55W Xenon Light HID Kit 's Replacement Bulbs H1 H3 H7 H10 H11 96 9012 | eBay

H1, H3, H4(low), 9003(low) ,HB2(low), H6, H7, H8, H9, H10, 9145, H11, H13(low), 9008 (Low), 880/881 (All 800 series), 9004(low), HB1(Low), 9005, HB3, 9006, HB4, 9007(low), HB5 (Low). This hid kit will last 10x longer than your halogen and use 1/2 the power!

www.ebay.com

wiring harness

HID Kit Relay Wire Harness 9006 Head Light Low Beam Bulb Plug Replace Repair Fit | eBay

HID Relay Wire Harness 30A 12V DC ( Connect to the battery and power the HID ballasts ). If you DO NOT see your vehicle in the Compatibility list, the bulb(s) will also fit ! We have the website links below !

www.ebay.com

total cost is a pinch over $100 and a 3 week wait for the ballast's to arrive from china, those are fantastic ballast's btw I have used for them years and years

 

[homesick]

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried a coating on new lights to slow or prevent the fogging- a clear coat or something?

I still think someone should be making a lense cover of glass.

joe

 

[Fless]

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried a coating on new lights to slow or prevent the fogging- a clear coat or something?

I still think someone should be making a lense cover of glass.

joe

My DD came with clear bra on the headlights. So far so good.

 

[homesick]

My DD came with clear bra on the headlights. So far so good.

Thanks. What is that? Vinyl?

joe

 

[Fless]

Thanks. What is that? Vinyl?

joe

I don't know; the car was third hand and I've never put the stuff on any of my cars.