Hummer H2 HID Headlights
 

Hey, I was wondering if anyone out there has done an HID install on their H2. I've been looking at the 7" HID headlights on Automotive LED and HID lighting upgrades, wondering if anyone had any experience with them, or any other HID manufacture.

I'm also looking to replace the front turn signals with LED's, and get blacked out lenses for the cab lights, if anyone has done this and know of any good products to take a look at please let me know.

Thanks

There's a ton of threads regarding headlights. Many of us, including myself have ran retrofit HID's and various LED setups. Honestly, most LED lights have gotten so cheap they are the way most are leaning. I love my Phillips 7" LED lights and would never go back to HID's.

I had Hid for many years always cheap brands. Current is a kensun from amazon at $65 very good https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004Z...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
...If you are only looking to get better light output in my opinion those cheap kits are great amd last 3-4 years see not reason to spend big $$$ with expensive brands unless you looking to replace the whole headlamp for a different look ..
In fact I got a pair of morimoto bulbs which cost same as the whole amazon kit but there is not difference that you can tell compared with the cheap
Now I'm installing LED on the roof and fog lamps so a conversion to Led headlight will be a good idea
Lojac Could you post the main benefit with the Led . Why to choose over HID

How much better light quality & pattern over the stock bulbs?
Also, did you get 6000k or what?
I might go this route. It looks the most economical.

I can't really remember how was the perform with the H2 Oem bulbs .
It is more than 4 years since I had HID
However I can tell after a month renting 4 diferentes cars including a Jeep wrangle all with oem lights I missed the Hid so much
The only that almost match was a Suv Cadillac which comes with High perform lights
Few months ago while planning a road trip I spent $60 in a supposed white Sylvania halogen bulbs which were supposedly a match to the bright and Hid perform
Tested for 30 min then decided to go back to Hid ...
Just remember to adjust the headlights a little down to avoid blind oncoming traffic
Also the Hid is very simple to remove and go back to Oem .
I got 5000k and 6000k which i like much better also easier to match

Btw these bulbs are great for the DRL and reverse
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NP...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am currently planning to order a set of LED bulbs 9600LM set. I've heard that the glare is not as bad as with HID while matching the light output. Also the LED I want to order don't have the large ballast you have to mount while running HID.

I love the DRL bulbs H2Miami posted but I'm running a DRL mod and I'm worried I would just blind oncoming traffic with both LED DRL and low beams on during the night.

This is the set I'm about to order:

Runstreet(TM) R3 9600lm Cree XHP 50 Car LED Headlight Kit H1 H3 H4 H7 H9 H11 9004 HB1 9005 HB3 9006 HB4 9007 HB5 9012 H13 9008-in Light Source from Automobiles & Motorcycles on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

Let me know what you think.

Oh and btw. I'm also looking for LED bulbs for the front markers cause just like patspano I want to dim out the lens with foil or spray and I want them to stay as bright as stock.

PLease post results with the LED .. If they are similar perform to HID it is a great choice
The DRL wont affect the oncoming traffic . I also had the Mod but the Drl project the light very low I will said maybe 6 ft in front the truck . doesnt make a a big difference in light output but it match with the 6000k headlights

Im running same bulb for the reverse and makes a huge difference at night with the backup camera
I had many led bulbs before and those are the best so far

My friend installed them on a Audi A4. Here are the results:

http://g03.a.alicdn.com/kf/UT8oEuLXENaXXagOFbXd.jpg

http://g03.a.alicdn.com/kf/UT8o.yNXslXXXagOFbXe.jpg

I'm looking for something to change the look more like the entire headlight housing, any recommendations?

I too have had a very large amount of different HID kits over the years in multiple vehicles. All HID kits will go bad at some point, some will last longer than others. Even using relay kits to properly power each ballast seems to not lengthen the lifespan of HID kits.


LED's will consume less power and be FAR more reliable. Less wiring, no relays, no fuses (other than stock) to name some of the advantages. Obviously LED heads will not be as bright as HID's but LED still blow away the stock lights.


Also, keep in mind many states outlawed HID lights in reflector housings due to the amount of glare they put out and the danger to oncoming drivers. Granted, not many states actually ticket for HID's in reflector housings simply because they don't know what to look for. I could tell in a second the difference between an HID capsule and a regular halogen light within a housing.


Coupled with the fact that LED headlights have come down so much in price I will never go back to HID. Too much hassle and too many different aspects to fail with HID's.


This is coming from a guy who's installed more HID kits in my personal vehicles along with friends and family vehicles that I can count.

What is the best led for our h2's?

Most 7" round lights will work in our rigs. The Phillips I have required some enlarging of the hole of the headlight bucket but nothing a rasp on a drill can't handle. Stock lights will still drop right in if I ever needed to go back stock.

Search Amazon for 7" round LED headlights. There are so many options now. Some people love the JW Speaker lights but they were still too pricey for me. The ones I have were $200 shipped. Can't beat that for 100% reliability and great light output. Not to mention the DRL strips are a good looking touch!

Thanks for the info

Had mine delivered yesterday ($165 shipped) and plan to install this weekend. Looking forward to a better long term lighting solution. Could you give any further details on what the installation requires. I'm certain I have the tools to make the required modifications. A picture may be sufficient as well.

Thanks

You need a good rasp on a drill to enlarge the rear openings on the headlight buckets to clear the larger heat sink of the lights. Just go slow and recheck after chewing some material off until you get it right.

I have some pics somewhere I'm sure I can dig up for you.

No problem I was able to install them without any problems. Just used a Dremel and took off enough material like you described.

I do have a question about the DRL's. I presume you tapped into the existing DRL wiring to power the new DRL's in the headlights. There's a blue wire and black wire. Which one should I tap into to power the new DRL's when the factory ones are on?

In for pics from both of you.

Here you go. It was a pain splicing the new LED headlight DRL's into the factory DRL's but very doable. For the record anyone doing this you want to splice into the blue wire on the factory DRL's on an 08 H2 to run the LED DRL's. I also blacked out the grill while I was at it today. I'll get some shots at night with the low and high beams on later.

Next mod: LED bulb for the factory DRL's. Anyone want to recommend a replacement. I'd like to match the new headlight color range. I don't care if the DRL's cast light. I just want them bright enough to match the new DRL's in the headlights.

I'm also going to do the jumper mod in the fuse box to keep the DRL's on when the headlights kick on.

Couple more shots. Not very but you get an idea. I wasn't able to get any from inside showing the light they cast. I've driven with them at night only once and I think I need to adjust them down a little. The low beams seem to have a wide pattern but I'm not sure how much better they are than the factory lights. There is a dark area about 20 feet out in front of the truck but I think this will be corrected the adjustment. It's hard to tell around here with so many street lights and the rain etc... The high beams are an obvious improvement. Very bright. Very directional.

I am very happy with them overall. I like the look better and the added DRL's in the headlight housing. They should also last the life of the truck. I don't anticipate having to replace a headlight ever again.

The first two pics are at night. Low beam then high beam. The last three are this morning. Low beam, high beam and high beam from the front.

Looks great .

Did you take any pics of the mods needed .

No but I think I have installed the lights upside down so I will be going back in to turn them and when I do I will snap a shot or two of how I modified the housings.

Morimoto Super 7
 

I've been thinking about getting a set of Morimoto super7 LED projectors. I really think projectors are the way to go to end the glaring issues from putting LED bulbs in the stock rear reflecting headlight housings.

That would solve any glare but why not just replace the full housing instead of retrofitting a projector? The above 7" lights work amazing. I've had a set in mine for years without issue.

The Morimoto Super 7 ones are full replacement 7" headlights. Should work excellent. While they (and many other sites) list aftermarket 7" headlights as being for a Jeep that means nothing... they will work in any vehicle with 7" round headlights like Miata's and older vehicles with them as well.

You will likely need to cut out the back of the stock plastic part of the headlight bucket to install most any of the aftermarket LED ones though. It is however pretty easy to do, not at all visible, and can still put awful stock lights back in as well. Will also need to use headlight plug adapters as well.

Aftermarket 7" led headlights are really the best option for anything with stock 7" round headlights anymore. Sticking HID or LED bulbs in the stock housings makes it seem brighter but the stock housings are not designed for it and as such you are blinding the crap out of every else on the road. There are some projector housings that are made specifically for HID though and those are fine. Also on the 7" LED headlights, you very much get what you pay for. The cheapest no-name Chinese ones all over eBay and Amazon are, generally speaking, absolute garbage and have terrible beam patterns and often so poorly designed that they blind everyone else and often fail pretty quickly. Do yourself a favor and read some reviews and watch some of the video reviews of 7" led headlights online before you make a rush decision on any particular one. Its worth the effort....

I have, I did end up ordering the Super7 LEDs.

Nice! Let us know how you like them and take some pics. :)

Morimoto Super 7
 

Just got done installing them. Brush guard and grill needed to come off (Not terrible) the headlight bucket needed to be cut open a bit (pretty easy with sheet metal snips) and wiring was self explanatory. All in all, I'm pretty happy with them. Pretty well made also, compared to some of the 7" LED replacement units.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hum...25bf67c71e.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hum...5b91110901.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hum...afae444728.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hum...73b5df6e75.jpg

Those look really good do they put out that “M” halogran also?

Yes. "M" For Morimoto. Kinda cool.

They look great.

Nice and awesome beam cutoff line just like a proper HID setup would also have. One of the best updates you will do on your H2 is to change out the horrible stock headlights... :) Just have to either go with a true and well made HID setup or a good quality LED setup like that.

Do these have high low beams? With a solenoid like hids have?

Yes. They have solenoid actuated shutters. They're just like HID projectors, just LEDs.

man I’m glad to see someone did these!!! I’ve been contemplating them and now I think I’ll follow suit

You won't be disappointed.

would you mind taking some pics of the back of the housings if you get a chance. Want to see if I how much you had to cut off

PIC of back side. I probably cut back 1.5 inches around. The original will go right back in if I wanted too.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hum...4f4a17f8d1.jpg

Could I avoid cutting the headlight pockets if I moved the headlights outward slightly? Or would I have to go a few inches to make any difference? I’m planning on buying these shortly. Did you have to drill new mounting holes?

I have not seen much of any aftermarket HID or LED 7" lights that will fit without cutting the pocket. Definitely not any HID ones as the projector assembly is just too big. I think there are a few LED ones that are fairly shallow though which probably could be installed without cutting the bucket but they probably are not all that great as far as their beam. It really is easy to cut though and the stock halogen style lights can still be re-installed later without any problem at all. A photo of mine (arrow pointing to the black plastic bucket that needs to be cut) - you do not have to cut the fiberglass hood pocket itself, the black plastic circle around the headlight is what has to be cut and is a separate part from the hood. The plastic is fairly thin and easy to make the hole larger. If done cleanly someone would be hard pressed to even be able to tell that the pocket rear opening was enlarged.... I did LED on mine and since I did not feel like waiting on adapter plugs - I had an old junk set of headlight bulbs - I cut the bulbs off the connectors and crimped butt connectors onto the metal pins from the bulb to make the connector adapters... :)

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.hum...9dbd273484.jpg

Ok thanks, I thought I had to cut hood. Perfect I have an old set of headlights I can cut up.