Diode Dynamics SL1 LED Headlights

A Headlight to Rule Them All: the SL1 blew us away at PRI last year. We are ready to preview this revolutionary LED replacement to stock headlights. We think you will be just as impressed as us. These LEDs are a game changer, to say the least.

        Bullet Point Breakdown of the SL1 LEDs

No time to read this whole article? Just want the quick and dirty dets? “Too long; didn’t read” your fav acronym? Don’t worry. We hear ya. Here’s our Midwest Aftermarket Bullet Point Breakdown of the Diode Dynamics SL1 LEDs:

•           Better illumination of what’s in front of your vehicle
•           Super long life LEDs
•           Street Legal Output with Truly Visible Improvement over Stock Lamps
•           Tested and Verified by Professions
•           Custom made for your particular vehicle
•           No Glare
•           Won’t Blind on-coming traffic like some HIDs do
•           Low temperature LED won’t heat up or damage your stock equipment
•           Patented design--an LED Head lamp unlike any other on the market
•           Backed by Diode Dynamics 3 year warranty
•           Made right here in the USA
•           Engineered for Performance. Designed to be the Best on the Market
•           A truly innovative LED headlight

Why LEDs?

For starters, Diode Dynamics' LEDs are super bright! Just take a look at that comparison photo at right/below. I think this is more than enough of a reason to start considering why you don't have LEDs on your vehicle. Let's start with what an LED is: a light-emitting diode. Simple, right? Sure. A semiconductor that emits light when a current is run through it. Now with Diode Dynamics we aren't talkin' about your father's style, old school, RadioShack-era LEDs here. Diode Dynamics uses innovative technology that they first dropped on the scene back in 2006 when the company's founder, Paul McCain, become frustrated with the current aftermarket lighting options. He decided that he could do it better himself by making an advanced quality product right here in the United States of America. Based out of St. Louis, Missouri, Diode Dynamics has been on the cutting edge in automotive LED research and development. They use advanced and legit Cree LEDs to provide the best lighting technology on the market. And the first and likely most obvious reason to consider such an upgrade to your headlights for instance is brightness. 

Brightness

Since the Cree-style LEDs are super bright (or in science terms, has higher lumens), they light up more of the road. This is the first reason to go with LEDs, right off the bat. Seeing further means better safety when driving at night or during a storm. The more you can see, the quicker you can react to what's coming. But so far we've only given you picture evidence. Seems kinda anecdotal. What if we drop some science on ya? Here we go. 

Science Time: Going the Distance

Using advance science techniques (that may or may not be beyond me), Diode Dynamics performs a number of tests on their lights before they ever go into manufacturing mode. Shown here is the difference between the Stock Headlights on the F-150 and these brand new SL1 LED Headlights. Part of the reason is simply that these LEDs are brighter. See that neon green blob on the LED gif? Notice how the Stock light doesn't have that? Yeah, nuff said. Furthermore, these LEDs are directional!

Direction

What does that mean exactly? Whereas normal incandescent bulbs shine in every direction (think of your regular old school light bulbs here), a.k.a. omnidirectional, these LEDs are directional, meaning you can--wait for it--"direct" the light! This means using less power and more technology, SL1 LEDs can reach farther, without emitting more glare which might distract your fellow drivers. Simply brilliant design! 

Generic Vs Diode Dynamics

Now not all LEDs are created equal. So in case at this point you're like, I'm convinced. Time to head to deep discount sites or eBay to just search for the cheapest LED headlights available, be careful. In fact, just don't do that. Here's why: generic LEDs are often exactly what I was poking fun of above--your father's, old school, RadioShack-era LEDs. Have a look at the pic to the right/below. Here's a knock off LED vs the legit SL1. Diode Dynamics has put in the time and research to make sure their LEDs work and are built to last. Generic LEDs aren't going to give you the performance described above. Furthermore, many of them aren't properly optimized for your vehicle. LEDs require substantially less energy to light up than your stock halogen lights. Because of this, generics have a tendency to overheat, burn out, or worse yet actually damage your light housing. Epic fail! SL1 fixes all of this. This product is tested and customized to fit your vehicle exactly and to handle all the energy your car or truck already puts out into its stock headlights. Furthermore, this means that SL1 LEDs are designed to fit in the same place as your stock bulbs. Many other LEDs require advanced installation that involve cracking open your headlight housing because they take up much more space than your stock lights. But not SL1. Diode Dynamics has really set the bar high here. And did we mention they are Street Legal. Yeah. These LEDs are a win-win-win, all across the board. This headlights are simply the best out there.

SL1: Reliability & Top Performance

Made right here in the US, with no expense spared, Diode Dynamics used advanced technological innovations to develop and test these headlights. Furthermore, they only use the best parts to manufacture these headlights too. When you do the research and make a product that is truly customized to the select vehicle, it is already built to last. On top of all that, Diode Dynamics' innovative boost-mode circuit prevents "thermal imbalance" and has "transient protection," all fancy ways of saying it doesn't overload that LED nor the circuits, thus improving the life of the headlight exponentially. When you design the best product, you don't have to worry about it breaking down unexpectedly, and Diode Dynamics is so sure in their design and production that the SL1 is backed up by their three year warranty! I'm trying to remember how often I've replaced my stock bulbs, and I'm thinking there is no reason I shouldn't upgrade today. Preorder.... DONE! Not only is this a better product all around, but it also is going to save me from replacing my stupid stock lights so often. In doing my research for this particular preview article, I looked into how long various headlights and light bulbs tend to last. I thought maybe I was just crazy after I considered how many times I had replaced my stock headlights. Turns out I wasn't crazy at all. Check out that graphic. While still fairly new on the market, it is entirely possible that these SL1 LEDs will last years longer than your stock bulbs but even longer that HIDs and even the former top-of-the-line  tungsten-xenon bulbs! Very impressive indeed. Time to upgrade. 

The Price Tag 

One common reason customers tell us they've failed to upgrade their headlights in the past is due to the price tag. Indeed, custom headlights and other automotive accessory lights can seem a bit pricey upon first glance. We personally think the safety aspect--being able to been seen and see farther away--especially during deer season here in Illinois, makes the investment more than worth it. On top of all that, though, there is the added aesthetic value. These new SL1's along with other offerings from Diode Dynamics, such as their Auxiliary Light Bars, just look sick on our vehicles. But still there's that price tag. I mean, how am I going to convince my wife that this is a great investment on my truck? I could play up the safety angle. And that's probably going to work 75% of the time. But there's still that initial investment cost hurdle I've got to get over. Well, if you've taken a gander at that graphic above showing the potential--and I'm going to emphasize this, because this product is brand new for 2018, so we won't really know how long these LEDs will last until we've seen them in the wild a few years--but the potential to last upwards of 5 times longer than Xenon headlights and upwards of 25 to 50 times longer that HIDs or stock halogen lamps, these puppies WILL pay for themselves over the lifetime of their use. And again, should something tragic happen or you experience a strange early failure, you've got that excellent 3 year warranty to protect your pocketbook and the side of your head from your wife's fist!

Preorder NOW & Polarity Stuff

That's our honest advice. We already have placed a number of orders, but we wanted to provide you, our customer, with all the great information we've received from Diode Dynamics and our own research here at Midwest Aftermarket. With all the great features of this innovative technology all from an American based company with actual US manufacturing--hard to imagine so much wrapped up in this tiny little package designed to replace your stock headlights without any major modification. This product is fantastic. In fact, the only way you could even possibly screw up this super easy install is by plugging it in backwards. Some headlight hook ups are only designed to be connected one way. Many are universal though because incandescent or halogen bulbs don't require a specific polarity, so you can plug those puppies in any way and they'll light up. So if when you install your brand new SL1, it doesn't light up, try unplugging it and rotating the plug 180 degrees and voila! Should light up right away. With that, we have to tell you, we have yet to find a better headlight, but if we ever do, we'll be sure to let you know. Until then, buy these SL1's because you're going to be hard pressed to find a better product at a better price.

Order your SL1 LEDs Now!

Street Legal; Massive Visibility Upgrade! 

Our Promise of Exceptional Service and the Lowest Prices on the Interwebs

When you’re ready to order your Diode Dynamics SL1 Headlights, we hope you’ll get yours from us here at Midwest Aftermarket. We only promote products we believe in and sell them at the lowest prices, shipping quickly to you for free if you’re in the lower 48 states. We have an excellent return policy and strive to get you the right product in perfect condition the first time.

What are you waiting for? Give us a call or place an order directly through our website. We’ll get your product out to you ASAP so you can enjoy your vehicle and make it your own. If you have a vision of what your truck or Jeep could be, let us help you achieve that image, that goal. We put aftermarket right at the tip of your fingers on your smartphone, web browser, and even via various apps, making ordering the parts you need super easy. Let us help make your aftermarket dream possible. Let us help you build your dream machine. We want you to drive the truck or Jeep of your dreams right now. So when you get it installed and love it, make sure you share us some pics on social media so we can live vicariously through you. Because we too are aftermarket enthusiasts, truck and Jeep owners, who love and own many of the products we sell. In other words, we don’t just work aftermarket--we are aftermarket.

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