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LED Reflector compared to the LED Projector Headlamps

Mike1597

Well-known member
I’m curious if anyone has compared the Laredo/Limited LED Reflector headlamps with the Overland/Summit LED Projector headlamps. My Grand Cherokee L Limited LED Reflector lights are okay but not great. The Overland/Summit has LED Projector lights. Do the LED Projectors have noticeably better illumination than the LED Reflectors?

Next Question, can the Limited headlights be swapped out with the Overland/Summit headlights, or is there more to it?
 

GEAR_HEAD

Active member
None of the new Jeep GCL's have projectors. You have to spend $110,000 on a Grand Wagoneer to get adaptive projectors, which may be a deal-breaker for me when it comes to buying a new GCL. I haven't decided yet. There's no reason why the Overland and Summit GCL models can't get them.
 

Tomcat68

Member
I'll also say, on all the Limiteds I have checked out and test drove, all appear to be Projector type. I'm not sure if there is some other difference.
 

GEAR_HEAD

Active member
That spec is wrong, they're all reflectors. I just test drove a Summit and an Overland, they both had reflectors. It even said so on the window sticker.
 

jwhaugen

Well-known member
Right off of the Jeep web site for the Summit Reserve. But still could be another standard feature that Jeep decided you do no need and has also taken this as well.
  • Bi-Function LED Projector Headlamps
 

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Boggswade

Well-known member
Betcha it doesn't. None of them have projectors. Post a photo of your headlights.
Every projector headlight includes these basic components:


  • Bulb: Every headlight needs a bulb, and projector headlights can use halogen, HID, and LED bulbs as the light source. The bulbs in projector headlights can be much brighter than the bulbs in reflector headlights.
  • Reflector: Like classic reflector headlights, projector headlights actually include a component called a reflector. The difference is that they use an elliptical-shaped reflector instead of a parabolic-shaped one. The difference in shape causes the light emitted from the bulb in a projector headlight to focus on a narrow point near the front of the reflector, where it meets a shutter.
  • Shutter: The shutter is one of the most important components in a projector headlight, and it's something that classic reflector headlight housings just don't have. This component is inserted into the light beam from below, which causes a sharp cutoff and effectively aims the light at the road instead of allowing it to blind other drivers. In some vehicles, the shutter can be raised and lowered to switch between high and low beams.
  • Lens: This is the final component found in projector headlights, and it's designed to evenly distribute the beam of light that has already been shaped and aimed by the elliptical reflector and the shutter. Some projector headlight lenses also have a feature that softens the cutoff line between light and dark when the headlights shine on the road.
 

GEAR_HEAD

Active member
So you’re saying my window sticker and jeep website are both wrong?
That's absolutely what I'm telling you. No GCL's to date have ever had projector lenses. They have the cheap reflector lenses that perform terribly, which is a step down from the bi-xenon projectors in the WK2's. All you have to do is look at the front of any GCL in person or online, it's easy to see.
 

KySummit

Well-known member
My window sticker says "Bi–Function LED Projector Headlamps"
Here is a picture of my headlight. Can someone post a picture of a reflector headlight?

IMG_7531.JPG
 

cpelaez1

Member
I know for a fact that limited/altitude/Laredo models have different headlights from the overland and up trim. My limited has amber turn signals and the DRL is just the headlight, while the overland and up trim have a white DRL strip on the top. Or they are at least programmed differently, but I have not been able to get the white DRL strip on my limited.
 

GEAR_HEAD

Active member
I know for a fact that limited/altitude/Laredo models have different headlights from the overland and up trim. My limited has amber turn signals and the DRL is just the headlight, while the overland and up trim have a white DRL strip on the top. Or they are at least programmed differently, but I have not been able to get the white DRL strip on my limited.
The headlights themselves aren't different, just the DRL's. All of the headlights are cheap reflector housings that waste light because Jeep went backwards in headlight design. Ideally these new Jeeps should have had dot matrix headlights or the new Samsung PixCell LED lights.
 

Boggswade

Well-known member
That's absolutely what I'm telling you. No GCL's to date have ever had projector lenses. They have the cheap reflector lenses that perform terribly, which is a step down from the bi-xenon projectors in the WK2's. All you have to do is look at the front of any GCL in person or online, it's easy to see.
Not worth arguing over. I posted a description of reflector and projector headlights above and it clearly states projector headlight also use a reflector component. I do know what you are referring to in another type projector headlight like my BMW X5 has. I can tell you that the Jeep headlights on my Summit Reserve are superior to those on my BMW.
 

GEAR_HEAD

Active member
Not worth arguing over. I posted a description of reflector and projector headlights above and it clearly states projector headlight also use a reflector component. I do know what you are referring to in another type projector headlight like my BMW X5 has. I can tell you that the Jeep headlights on my Summit Reserve are superior to those on my BMW.
The point is they should not be using the term "projector", because they're not. They're reflector. But I'm glad to hear that they're better than the projectors in your X5, that's encouraging. I'm looking forward to the IIHS ratings. If you look at the early press releases from Mopar they have the headlight description correct.

Customers can expect the following…

  • 18-Inch x 8-Inch Fine Silver Aluminum Wheels
  • 265/60R18 Michelin Primacy XC A/S or Michelin Primacy LTX A/S Tires
  • Premium LED Reflector Headlamps with Integrated Amber-Colored DRLs
  • LED Taillamps
  • Automatic Headlamps
  • Power Mirrors – Manual Foldaway with Heating Element and Blind-Spot Indicator (Fine Silver Cap)
  • Cloth Seating
  • Power 8-Way Driver and Manual Front-Passenger Seats with Driver Lumbar Adjuster
  • Manually Adjustable Leather-Wrapped Steering Wheel
  • 50/50 Manual-Folding Third-Row Bench Seat
  • Electronic Paddle Shifters
  • 10.1-Inch Uconnect 5 Touchscreen Infotainment
  • Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
  • 10.3-Inch Digital Gauge Cluster
  • 6-Speaker Audio System
  • 12-USB Ports (Including Type-A & Type-C)
  • Roof Rack – Black Rails with Bright Stainless Insert
 

Boggswade

Well-known member
The point is they should not be using the term "projector", because they're not. They're reflector. But I'm glad to hear that they're better than the projectors in your X5, that's encouraging. I'm looking forward to the IIHS ratings. If you look at the early press releases from Mopar they have the headlight description correct.

Customers can expect the following…

  • 18-Inch x 8-Inch Fine Silver Aluminum Wheels
  • 265/60R18 Michelin Primacy XC A/S or Michelin Primacy LTX A/S Tires
  • Premium LED Reflector Headlamps with Integrated Amber-Colored DRLs
  • LED Taillamps
  • Automatic Headlamps
  • Power Mirrors – Manual Foldaway with Heating Element and Blind-Spot Indicator (Fine Silver Cap)
  • Cloth Seating
  • Power 8-Way Driver and Manual Front-Passenger Seats with Driver Lumbar Adjuster
  • Manually Adjustable Leather-Wrapped Steering Wheel
  • 50/50 Manual-Folding Third-Row Bench Seat
  • Electronic Paddle Shifters
  • 10.1-Inch Uconnect 5 Touchscreen Infotainment
  • Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
  • 10.3-Inch Digital Gauge Cluster
  • 6-Speaker Audio System
  • 12-USB Ports (Including Type-A & Type-C)
  • Roof Rack – Black Rails with Bright Stainless Insert
The issue with that press release is that it does not describe my car at all. I have 21” wheels, Continental tires, 19 speakers, etc. According to the Jeep description, the headlights change from the trim levels up to Limited to the Overland and above. I did take a look at my head lamps and they are certainly different from the BMW projectors but there also was no bulb exposed in the Jeep that is typical of Reflector lamps . It appears that they work on a shutter of some sort which is another type of projector lamp. I do acknowledge that there is reflective material in the headlamp but without directly comparing a Limited to the Summit Reserve, I can not say with certainty that they are different.
 

GEAR_HEAD

Active member
The issue with that press release is that it does not describe my car at all. I have 21” wheels, Continental tires, 19 speakers, etc. According to the Jeep description, the headlights change from the trim levels up to Limited to the Overland and above. I did take a look at my head lamps and they are certainly different from the BMW projectors but there also was no bulb exposed in the Jeep that is typical of Reflector lamps . It appears that they work on a shutter of some sort which is another type of projector lamp. I do acknowledge that there is reflective material in the headlamp but without directly comparing a Limited to the Summit Reserve, I can not say with certainty that they are different.
Like I said above the only thing different about the headlights between the trim levels are the DRL's. You cannot see the bulbs in any of today's reflective housings, there is a cap over the bulb that forces the light to shine backwards into the reflective lenses. What you're seeing in your headlights is a bulb cap, not a shutter. The WK2's had HID bi-function projectors which had a shutter for the high beams, your headlights have a completely separate reflective housing on the inside toward the grille for the high beams. You will notice that all 4 lights should be illuminated when you turn your high beams on. My main concern was the function...if they can achieve better illumination than your BMW's projectors with reflective housings more power to them, but typically the IIHS ratings for LED headlights with reflective housings aren't very good.
 
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