Which LED Bulb is Brightest in Vision X 5x7 Headlights?

LED Bulbs + Vision X VX-57 Sealed Beam Replacement Housings

Factory sealed beam headlights are terrible because they are dim, not very reliable, and have poor beam patterns. With the non-removable halogen bulb and the fluted lens, there is just no way to get a decent beam pattern for useable light output. That’s why we recommend switching to a sealed beam replacement from Vision X!

If you have 4×6, 5×7, or 7″ round headlights you have two options: Replace the housing with one that allows a replacement bulb, or go with an integrated LED housing. Going with an integrated LED housing will be your best option, but, can be very pricey. Prices vary by brand and quality and can be anywhere from $150 – $450 for a single headlight.

So we decided to put the 2 best-LED bulbs currently on the market head to head and see how they perform. We compared a factory 55w halogen bulb, S-V.4, and the GTR Lighting Ultra Series bulbs in the Vision X 5×7 headlights, part #VX-57. The original halogen bulb is rated at approximately 1,000 Lumen, the GTR Lighting Ultra LED bulbs are rated at 3,700 Lumen and the S-V.4 LED bulbs are rated at 3,600 Lumen each.

Original Halogen Bulbs

First up, the 55w Halogen bulb:

Low beam maximum Lux is 348 measured 20′ from the wall. As you can see, it has a very small hot spot and a very narrow beam pattern.

High beam maximum Lux at 20′ is 897. The hot spot is a little bit better, but still, a very narrow beam pattern.
I’m not very impressed with the performance of the halogen bulb in this housing. Overall, I give it a 4/10 because it’s narrow and not very bright.

GTR Lighting Ultra LED + Vision X:

Next up, the GTR Lighting Ultra Series LED headlight bulb inside the Vision X sealed 5×7 housing.

The maximum low beam Lux for this bulb was 1,161. A 333% increase in brightness!
The hotspot is improved greatly, and the beam pattern is slightly wider. The beam pattern isn’t the greatest, it’s distorted and produces a small amount of glare. Overall though, much better than the halogen bulb.

The high beam Lux is 1,509 with the GTR bulbs. The beam pattern is taller than the halogen bulb, but is slightly more narrow and is 168% brighter. Overall, I’m pretty impressed with this bulb so I’d give it a 7/10 because it retains the original shape but extends its width and creates extra brightness.

S-V.4 + Vision X:

Now for the S-V.4 bulb. It was released in late 2018, and since then it has performed great in every single headlight we have tested it in. Let’s see how it does in these housings.

As you can see, the beam pattern is much wider. The low beam lux for this bulb is 1,214 coming in at 348% brighter than the original halogen bulb!
There is no glare whatsoever, and the beam pattern shape is just like the original and the hot spot is much bigger.

The high beam Lux is 2,090 with the S-V.4 bulbs. The beam pattern is almost identical to the halogen bulb beam but is 232% brighter! Overall, I’m extremely impressed with this bulb. I’d give it a 9/10 because even though it’s brighter, it mimics the original beam and would be safe to use on the street with other drivers.

All in all, the S-V.4 bulb takes the cake. There are huge improvements in both the low and high beam. So if you are looking for a great budget option, that doesn’t break the bank, you can’t beat this. The total cost of this setup is $234, you cannot get any better lighting for that price.

If you would like to check out all the parts used in this test. Here are the links.
Vision X 5×7 Housings: https://headlightrevolution.com/vision-x-5×7-hi-lo-sealed-replacement-headlight-housing-h6054-5×7-7×6/
GTR Lighting Ultra Series Bulbs: https://headlightrevolution.com/gtr-lighting-gen-3-ultra-series-led-headlight-bulbs-h4-9003/
S-V.4 Bulbs: https://headlightrevolution.com/v-4-led-headlights-h4-9003-bulbs/