2022 Non LED Headlights

[akmovieman]

Hi all,
I’m relatively new to the forum and so appreciative for all the help and insight in the ordering process!

I’ve got an EX on order with bench. I’ve been reading about the headlight issue. Has this persisted into 2022 models? Is it really THAT bad?

IIHS hasn’t rated the 2022s yet.
Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

AK

 

[Tellthemride]

2022 headlights have not changed from the original 2020 release. Halogens will perform the same as they have before, not so great.

 

[ronniebell]

2022 headlights have not changed from the original 2020 release. Halogens will perform the same as they have before, not so great.

Yes, the headlights are poor. I have a 2021 S trim. Love it, except for the headlights. I think there are pretty inexpensive options for upgrading. The LED option is expensive, but I read in this forum somewhere there are higher grade ones than can be easily swapped out.

 

[2020Telly]

My advice is to take delivery of the EX and immediately spend about $30 on some really good bright white 9005 halogen bulbs at your local auto parts store. The stock halogen bulbs are more of a warm color and might pass an inspection but do not appear bright at all at night. Then if you still need brighter there are aftermarket LED retrofit bulbs or you can get HID bulbs. The IIHS headlight test are only done with the bulbs from the factory. In my opinion cheap OEM bulbs are the problem, not the projector housing nor bulb type. Side visibility and curve adaptive housings would be nice but with brighter bulbs you can mitigate some.

I also think most people’s eyes perceive the bright white color temperature as providing more visibility.

With the LED headlights on the EX-P and SX they are bright and some people complain too bright, but there are no additional bulbs to try.

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[mikenmary175]

Just curious, has anyone priced out replacing both left and right headlight assemblies for new OEM LED assemblies? I replaced the original halogens with aftermarket LED bulbs, but am very disappointed with the results.

 

[2020Telly]

Just curious, has anyone priced out replacing both left and right headlight assemblies for new OEM LED assemblies? I replaced the original halogens with aftermarket LED bulbs, but am very disappointed with the results.

Retrofit EX with SX LED headlights

Thanks for the update! Hopefully the connectors will arrive soon.

tellurideforum.org

 

[Tellmeride]

I replaced the original halogens with aftermarket LED bulbs, but am very disappointed with the results.

Can you elaborate on why you are disappointed?

 

[mikenmary175]

We have a 2021 Honda Pilot Touring (factory equipped) with low and high-beam LED headlights. These aftermarket LEDs on the Kia Telluride are not nearly as bright. From the pictures I've seen of the factory-installed LEDs on the Telluride, it looks like an over/under configuration. To install new LED headlight assemblies is very costly.
So back to square one. I'm thinking of maybe looking for a different after-market brand. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

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[2020Telly]

We have a 2021 Honda Pilot Touring (factory equipped) with low and high-beam LED headlights. These aftermarket LEDs on the Kia Telluride are not nearly as bright. From the pictures I've seen of the factory-installed LEDs on the Telluride, it looks like an over/under configuration. To install new LED headlight assemblies is very costly.
So back to square one. I'm thinking of maybe looking for a different after-market brand. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

Brightness is mostly determined by the bulb. The projector housing is what determines distance. There is so much talk about how bad the performance of halogen projector (non-LED) housing is but the reality is that it’s all about picking the right bulb. This is how it has been for the last 20 years for most cars. It would be better if the housings were curve adaptive but even with just better quality halogen bulbs the difference is immense. Max brightness is also not ideal as it leads to glare for the driver and oncoming traffic not to mention poor position combined with overly bright areas creates more contrast for the eyes and that creates dark spots. Illumination for headlamps in cars does not require gigantic LED spot lights. Seeing more than 500’ in front of you doesn’t help if you have so much glare that you can’t see what’s right in front of your bumper.

Whether you have a Pilot, Telluride, or any other factory equipped LED that you are happy with, you are basically accepting the risk that for the life of the vehicle ownership you will still be happy with the LEDs as they age and fade or that they won’t completely fail creating a hefty bill to replace. The factory equipped may appear too bright new but that could be to account for diminishing performance years down the road. The nice thing about a replaceable bulb system is that you can upgrade your bulb at any time without breaking the bank and you can also keep up with enhancements in bulb quality and performance.

The concept of factory equipped LED are very similar to reflective housings, those rectangular headlamps from the 70s and 80s that were all sealed and built to spec with no options. At some point after Kia does a redesign and current models are still on the road with high mileage, replacement LED headlamps may become shorter supply and an even more costly repair. By contrast projector based housings with replacement bulb options are built to minimum spec with a cheap bulb. Upgrading the bulb means you can upgrade the overall performance.