With the variety of LED conversion kits available on the market, it is crucial to know, what features are a must-have for quality lighting.
LED bulbs produce excessive heat, so a quality kit has to feature a powerful cooling unit (in both fan and fanless bulb configurations).
Modern trucks come equipped with CAN-bus modules. It is a sort of automotive computer software that monitors systems of your truck. LED bulbs may be not recognized by the system and you will keep getting that ‘bulb out’ error, unless the LED kit you get comes equipped with a built-in CAN-bus module.
LED bulbs focus well in both projector and reflector headlights. Yet, if your truck has got factory HIDs, it is not recommended to upgrade such lights to LEDs. Yes, there are LED upgrades for such vehicles as well. but your headlights will remain unfocused due to the fact, that HID bulbs are longer, than LEDs.
Quality LED bulbs feature a built-in load resistor. In general, LEDs feature lower resistance, than halogen bulbs. A resistor is required for adequate chain operation. If the resistor is not there, you will have to wire one into the chain manually, which means you will have to cut the wires to get 1 load resistor per 1 wire. This means extra expenses and extra work, so it’s better to buy bulbs that feature resistors in them.
Make sure the LED kit you are about to buy says it is ‘plug-and-play’ installation. This will help you avoid extra installation hassle.
It is always better to choose LEDs with slim housing, as these bulbs will definitely fit the headlight with no modifications required. Also, the slimmer bulbs are, the more space they leave for cooling, which is also important.
And now, here is a bonus tip. Check, what is the warranty term for the bulbs. If the term is short (up to 6 months), we recommend picking something different. Reliable LEDs are always backed up with 1+ year of warranty.
