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Putco LED Headlights

29K views 46 replies 9 participants last post by  Flex 
#1 · (Edited)
Putco has has come out with a new LED headlights upgrade for Commanders.

Silver-Lux is Putco's brightest/top of the line LED headlights - but as usual, they are not cheap.

We (Commander Owners) have to order two sets one for the low beams and one for the high-beams and each set is $230.00 so with shipping it's about $480.00 for the high & low beam LED Silver-Luxs. 289006 (9006) for the low beams and 289005 (9005) for the High Beams. A guy at one of the truck shops I go to said he put them in his work truck and said they make a huge difference, saying they look "pretty sick" so, I'm taking an expensive roll of the dice here because I don't think my stock headlights throw enough light quite honestly, especially since I switched over to the Spyder smoked headlight housings.

I just ordered them - should have them early next week.

Here is a link to the site for anybody who might be interested: Silver-Lux by PUTCO
 
#2 ·
I got oracle's version a while back. But being LED's, they have caused some slight weird problems. The stay somewhat on when you turn them off, and flicker while doing it. Please tell me if you run into this issue.
 
#3 ·
Should be interesting to see how this works out.

I know that LED headlights have come a long way in the last couple years. Up until pretty recently I was suggesting to people that they were absolutely not worth it.

Curious to see how the cutoff looks.

I've upgraded to HIR's and those made a noticable difference for cheap.

Digging my old post up. I have 9005's and HIR1's sitting around (9011).


Installed some in fogs and in lows to have a comparison vs the stock 9145 fogs and my upgraded HIR2's (9012's) in my lows.

Looks like the 9011's in the fogs may be a bit blinding, although i wasn't on level ground. I'll have to try it again and drive it around to see what the cutoff is like @ a distance.

Fogs first:
STock (older) 9145 fogs

9011's in drivers side fog and 9145's in passenger (you can see that I borrowed my HIR1's from my denali in the background)





Ok and 9011's in passenger side low beam vs 9012's in drivers side. Note the increased color temperature (often measured in kelvins) Looks the the HIR1's are more of a cool white (more pure white, than the HIR2's which appear to be warmer (more yellow)




Cutoff still seems fine against the garage door (the light bleed you are seeing above the cutoff is actually a reflection from the metal door), hard to tell the difference in brightness there though.


Keep in mind that I am comparing HIR1's to HIR2's If i was comparing HIR1's to 9006 (our stock bulbs) the difference would be HUGE

This is with no relays or any modifications to the vehicle @ all. I have simply modified the base of the bulb so that it fits in our housings and the little guide tabs in the base of the bulb so that our wiring harness plugs in.


The 9011's are available @ rockauto for ~$25 shipped for a pair. Best bang for your buck lighting upgrade possible IMHO.

In retrospect this deserves its own thread since I suppose the title doesn't really apply anymore.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Gotcha lucky, I guess I'll be the guinea pig.

Like I said, Putco's Silver-Lux is supposed to be the latest and greatest in LED Headlight bulbs and Putco has been in business for quite a while, so, I am expecting these to be a major upgrade over the stock Halogen bulbs.

If the price is any indication, they should be pretty awesome.

Next week I will be in New Jersey for training and the lights will get here while I'm gone, but, I probably won't get to install them until the following Monday (Aug 29th).

I already took before pictures with the stock low beams on - I'll take after pictures when I install them.
 
#6 ·
Remember you will probably have to install load resistors otherwise the canbus will think you have a burned out light and give you a warning and throw a dtc code. Since the LED pull less current the canbus thinks you have a burned out bulb. Make sure if you do install load resistors that you place them in an area away from plastic or electrical wiring etc. as they can get very hot and cause damage. It is best to mount them to unpainted steel such as a bracket or frame. I like LED's but have stayed away from them on my Commander as now instead of just a bulb you will have an extra relay, extra wiring, power supply and heatsink as well as a load resistor. Makes a complicated mess of stuff just for a headlight bulb especially with four separate bulbs. Seems like it will just add a lot of stuff that can fail.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Thanks for the input bdalameda.

I read the installation instructions and there is no mention of having to add load resistors to these LEDS and I would think if it was necessary to add them, Putco would have mentioned it in the installation instructions.

These Silver-Luxs are their top of the line LED headlight bulbs and at $230.00 a set, I wouldn't expect to have to add anything. I will try them out without load resistors next week when I get back in town and see how it goes.

If I wind up having issues, I can always return them, but, I really don't expect any problems.

I've already changed out my reverse lights bulbs with LED's and have had no problems.



http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/...ehicle_id=1514
 
#9 · (Edited)
I'm curious what headlight LED brand did you try?

It's my hope that resistors are not needed with the Putco Silver-Luxs but if I have to have it done, I probably will. As I said earlier, I would think that as much as these cost, nothing would have to be added and the installation instructions (which I downloaded) don't even mention the possibility of having to add resistors. Putco is a pretty well-known and reputable company that has been in business for quite a while, so, I am putting some faith in their reputation.

One thing I did do before I ordered them was go out and check what halogen bulbs were in there so I made sure I ordered the right ones because they listed about 8 or 10 different LED headlight bulbs for Commanders. I would have been pissed if I dropped almost $500.00 and ordered the wrong damn bulbs...LOL.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Silver-Lux - Silver-Lux LED Kit - 9006 Pair
Part Number: 289006
Stock: Available
• Custom designed aluminum tower
• High-power Philips Lumileds with
4000 Lumens light output on dual
filament high beam operation at 6500K
• Clockable collar which allows you to
adjust the light beam
• Features Putco’s exclusive patented,
100% copper weave cloth
heat-sink
• Smaller and fully enclosed driver and
harness assembly
• 2 Warranty
*Anti-flicker not inlcuded for H16 kit
*Works on any 12V DC power source.

Silver-Lux - Silver-Lux LED Kit - 9005 Pair
Part Number: 289005
Stock: Available
• Custom designed aluminum tower
• High-power Philips Lumileds with
4000 Lumens light output on dual
filament high beam operation at 6500K
• Clockable collar which allows you to
adjust the light beam
• Features Putco’s exclusive patented,
100% copper weave cloth
heat-sink
• Smaller and fully enclosed driver and
harness assembly
• 2 Warranty
*Anti-flicker not inlcuded for H16 kit
*Works on any 12V DC power source.

Now based on the product description, if they truly work on any 12V DC power source, I would think load-bearing resistors are not needed.

Anybody who has any additional insight, please feel free to chime in.
 
#13 ·
Interested to see how you like them. I personally couldn't spend $480 on headlights. The below picture is my XK with Xenon HID kit which ran me $45. Installed myself 2 years ago. The only thing I replaced was one ballest ($15). They are very bright compared to stock and I love them. I also put in high performance halogen high beam ($20). They are also super bright compared to stock. I didn't care much about high beams because I never use them with all of the LED light bars I have.


Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
#14 · (Edited)
Yep, they look good Core.

I have already spent the money, so we'll see how it goes.

I don't use my high-beams much either, most people probably don't, but, it just seems silly to change one and not the other; part of being O.C.D. I suppose....LOL.

I'll be out of town until next Monday (AUG 29th) so, that will be first opportunity to put them in and test them.

Assuming that they work, I'll post some pics.
 
#15 ·
Not sure about the LED setup, but on the HIDs you would replace that section of wiring, from ballast to bulbs with these in the link. My Philips HID set was flickering and these solved that issues.

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/c...apacitor-relay-harness-link.html#.V7yqnGWmq40

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/c...apacitor-relay-harness-link.html#.V7yqnGWmq40

Have heard good things about this LED setup too...

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/led-lighting/2stroke-9006-led.html#.V7yr5mWmq40
 
#16 ·
Not sure about the LED setup, but on the HIDs you would replace that section of wiring, from ballast to bulbs with these in the link. My Philips HID set was flickering and these solved that issues.

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/c...apacitor-relay-harness-link.html#.V7yqnGWmq40

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/c...apacitor-relay-harness-link.html#.V7yqnGWmq40

Have heard good things about this LED setup too...

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/led-lighting/2stroke-9006-led.html#.V7yr5mWmq40
The Putco Silver-Luxs come with anti-flicker harnesses.

They recommend trying them without the harnesses first and see how they work.

If you experience flickering then you are supposed to add the anti-flicker harnesses.
 
#17 · (Edited)
O.K. I installed these Putco Silver-luxs today - and they work fine.

As I expected, no load-bearing resistors are needed and I am not receiving any system errors or warnings.

The extra wiring, anti-flicker harness & extra braiding was kind of a pain to tie-wrap in place.

I'll take some pics tonight.

I may have to re-adjust the lights because they have set screws so you can adjust the orientation of how the LED sits in the headlight housing and right now, they are not orientated the same.
 
#23 ·
I've added led's to my fog lights and so far no problems. I did a lot of research and have been told basically the turn signals and brake lights are the only ones that need the resistor.. I found an entire interior set for $24. Comoamy seems great, comes with tool to install and i think I'm gona have to try them.. I've been looking for bulbs and see them for $39ea on up.. So ur saying the putco is the top dog? Where did u buy them?
 
#25 ·
ChopJeep, you are correct. Most lights that have motion (turn signals etc) usually require a resistor if you go LED. I have all LED and HID lights in my XK interior and exterior. The only lights I don't have LED of HID are my signals which I put in high performance Halogen which are very bright.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
#28 ·
I went ahead and purchased Putco led bulbs for my fog lights..I wanted everything to match..I likes to matchy matchy..I got them from Amazon and they are cheaper from them.

Led bulb on the drivers side and Sylvania ZXE on the passenger side..


LED's install on the passenger side


 
#29 ·
I went ahead and purchased Putco led bulbs for my fog lights..I wanted everything to match..I likes to matchy matchy..I got them from Amazon and they are cheaper from them.

Led bulb on the drivers side and Sylvania ZXE on the passenger side..


LED's install on the passenger side


They look good.

What did they run you?
 
#32 ·
So I've done a lot of research on LED.. Now I found a off brand with the copper web or whatever it's called 8000k lumen high beam and 6000k low beam High Grade Phillips LED bulb in aircraft aluminum that's 100% water tight with a 2 year guarentee for $46 high $32 low. Per pair.. What's the difference if I spend $400 on Putco or these for $160 for all 4? Just curious because i want to make the best decision b4 I buy headlights. I bought there Creed LED fog lights for $11 and there INSANE!!! Newbie lookin for advice is all !!! Thanks Guys!!!
 
#33 · (Edited)
The difference is the Putcos actually work the way they are intended to work.

You buy those Phillips and you will almost certainly have to add load-bearing resistors to them to get them to work properly - you get what you pay for.

Other members here have tried cheaper versions of the LEDS and as far as I know, nobody could get them to work properly without adding the load bearing resistors - some guys here even mentioned getting fault codes from them. If you read all the way through this thread, you'll find a couple of guys that have mentioned this already.

If you want to roll the dice and try them, go ahead - let us know how you make out.

I bought the Putco Silverluxs because they have an excellent reputation - and they were recommended to me by someone else who bought them. They might be pricey, but, I know I'll never have to replace them again.
 
#37 · (Edited)
I'll share a story with you.

When I received mine one of the hex head set screw heads, on one of the Brights (9005) was partially stripped, I wound up stripping it the rest of the way when I tried to tighten it down - but I could tell it was already screwed up, it felt much sloppier then the set screws on the other three lights and the collar was already loose, whereas it was tight on the other three. As soon as I tightened it a little bit to try and snug it up, I stripped the head of the set screw the rest of the way.

I called Putco and told them about the problem, they said just send them an e-mail with a copy of my invoice for proof of purchase and a description of the problem, so I did that and just asked them if they could send me a couple of replacement set screws. It took about a week but they sent me a complete new set of Silverlux Bright LED Lights - no questions asked.

That's a $250.00 set of lights they sent me - when all I asked for was a couple of replacement set screws. That's what companies that stand behind their products and have a good reputation do.

I understand if you are looking for something that is cheaper because these lights are definitely expensive - but when you get that kind of customer support, I think it's money well spent and I'm confident I'll never have to replace these lights again.
 
#39 · (Edited)
Chopp, I ordered them directly from Putco - the link is below:

Silver-Lux by PUTCO

Part #'s should be 289006 for Halogen bulb (9006) which are the low beams and 289005 for Halogen bulb (9005) which are the High Beams.

Send or post a link for that Steel Armadillo bumper you were talking about.

Here are a couple of pics I just took now that I finally got around to properly clocking them;

Lows properly clocked:



High-Beams properly clocked:

 
#42 ·
No I was talking about the Keystone brush guard system. Has a bunch of options for it. I was going to start with that then have my brother weld sides on and wrap it around like a full bumper... it's like $304 I think which isn't bad... It's a nice product, easy install and has potential.. When you click on it you will see the options you can get.. Fingers crossed that Friday I'll be in the drivers seat finally.. My buddy who's doing the engine swap promised last Friday but bc of the Bills game he was at the stadium all week.. Dam football.
 
#44 · (Edited)
No I was talking about the Keystone brush guard system. Has a bunch of options for it. I was going to start with that then have my brother weld sides on and wrap it around like a full bumper... it's like $304 I think which isn't bad...
Ummm that's not what you said.....you said bumper.....this quote is from the Budget Overland XK Build thread....

ChoppJeep said:
Mines still on lift because it's a complete overhaul so about 2 loooooong weeks we figure and she'll be ready... then it's the Armadillo bumper with LED's in it
Reference your other question, the roof basket I have is the Rola Vortex rooftop cargo basket and 48 inches x 37.5 inches x 4.5 inches are the correct inside dimensions.
 
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