Hey, my name is Chris and this is Headlight Revolution. Today we are working with a 2013 Polaris Ranger 900 loaded with tracks, a plow, a winch, and a whole lot of Vision X lighting, and we are going to show you how to install a proper set of LED headlights. If your UTV uses the H13 headlight bulb (and many Polaris vehicles do), this Polaris Ranger 900 LED headlight conversion kit from GTR Lighting is going to be one of the easiest and most impactful upgrades you can make. We tested it, we installed it, and we ran a full beam comparison so you can see exactly what you are getting.
A Tour of This Wild Polaris Ranger 900
Before we got into the headlight install, we walked around this Ranger because it is honestly a beast. It has the Power V plow from Boss, which is a 6 foot 6 inch UTV plow, and a Warn winch tucked into the front bumper. The track system is arguably the coolest thing you can do to one of these vehicles, and this one also has a half door setup and an aftermarket Grant GT steering wheel. Inside, below the heater controls, you will find the GTR Lighting LED halo switches running the accessory lights.
In the back, this Ranger runs 6 inch Vision X PX series LED lights, which are the brightest 6 inch LED lights you can get. Between the two of them, mounted below the roof, there is an LED strip acting as a parking light that comes on with the ignition. Below the box, a Vision X square utility light is wired to reverse and makes for an amazing backup light. Up on the roof, there is a Vision X LED amber beacon that is the perfect size for a vehicle this shape, and out front, coming in at 45,000 lumens, is the 50 inch Vision X PX series LED light bar, which is the brightest LED light bar in the world you can buy today. If you are building out a rig like this, we have a whole selection of ATV and UTV off-road lighting upgrades to help you get there.
Why We Chose LED Headlights for This UTV
If you have a Polaris Ranger or RZR that did not come with the OEM LED headlight housings, and you do not want to spend $700 or $800 on a factory-style LED replacement system, this GTR Lighting conversion kit is a really, really good option. Stock, this Ranger uses an H13 halogen headlight bulb, and it will be the same on just about any Polaris vehicle with this style of headlight that lacks the OEM LED housings.
The thing we want to point out is the base of the housing. On this Ranger, the bottom side of the headlight housing is not shielded, so it is muddy and completely exposed to whatever you drive through. That means we need something that resists water, snow, and mud, and something that plugs directly into the factory connector. The stock bulb uses two little butterfly tabs for install and removal, and it has a three pin connector that plugs into the factory headlight wiring. We wanted a direct plug and play solution with no modifications required, and that is exactly what the LED kit delivers.
The HID Alternative and Why We Passed On It
You do have other options. You can run higher wattage halogen bulbs, but those just get hot and burn out sooner. You can run an HID system, which has a lot of extra parts and may not do very well in this environment. With HID, you get two bulbs that use the same base as your factory halogen, but you also get two giant ballasts. On a car or truck, that is not a big deal because you have plenty of places to mount them, but they are large and heavy, and you cannot just leave them floating around.
With an HID setup, each side has three connections just from the ballast to the bulb, and each one is susceptible to water, snow, or mud getting in. On top of that, to run HID properly you need a great big relay harness that has to be mounted, routed through the front of the vehicle, and connected to the battery, the factory wiring, the ballast, and the bulbs. That is a lot of exposed connections and a lot of waterproofing work on a UTV. The 35 watt HID system puts out about 3,500 lumens and the 55 watt system runs about 5,000 lumens, so if you want the absolute brightest possible light, HID is the way. But all things considered, for a wet and muddy off-road vehicle, we really like the new LED conversion kit better.
A Closer Look at the GTR Lighting LED Bulb
This bulb looks different than probably anything you have seen before. It has a big rounded heat sink on the bottom with an enclosed, water resistant fan. What we like is the protective grate. If you get ice, snow, or mud up in there, it will be stopped by that grate instead of getting straight into the fan. The heat sink has slits all around it, and the fan pushes air past those fins, so as long as you have openings around the base, you are still getting cooling even with some debris present.
The bulb mounts in the housing the same way as your stock headlight, but the base is bigger. It does fit the Polaris Ranger headlight system, you just have to loosen the headlights to get access. Instead of a bulky relay harness, giant ballasts, and multiple connections, all you have is one connection running from the driver to the bulb. You connect the driver to your factory headlight wiring, and the driver connects to the bulb with a single connection. That connection screws together, has a keyway so it only goes in the right way, and looks semi-waterproof out of the box. For this application, we recommend adding dielectric grease inside the connector and heat shrink tubing over the wiring for another layer of weather resistance so it stays corrosion free longer.
By the numbers, this LED system puts out 2,200 lumens on low beam, which is double the stock output, and 2,600 lumens on high beam, which is more than double. Stock H13 halogen bulbs run around 1,000 lumens each. The GTR Lighting bulbs have an estimated lifespan of roughly 30,000 hours and are backed by a lifetime warranty, which is different from most LED headlights out there where you typically see a 2 or 3 year warranty. GTR applies that same lifetime warranty to both their HID and LED headlight products. If you want to see the exact bulb we used, check out the GTR Ultra 3.0 H13/9008 LED bulbs, and if you are shopping for a different vehicle you can always shop LED headlight bulbs by size.
How To Install the LED Headlights on a Polaris Ranger 900
Normally, to replace the stock H13 halogen bulbs, you just reach up behind the housing, find the bulb, twist it, and pull it out with plenty of room to disconnect from the factory wiring. Unfortunately, because the heat sink on the new LED bulb is so large, you cannot slide it in from behind. We have to get access to the top of the headlight, adjust it for clearance, and then slide the LED bulb into place.
Step 1: Remove the Front Cover and Fasteners
First, take off the front cover. It twists off, so twist and lift it and set it aside. Next, there are two fasteners to remove: a T30 Torx bit up top and a little plastic clip holding the plastic cover. You do not have to fully remove that cover, just get it loose enough to reach in and access the headlight. We used a pry tool to get the plastic clip started.
Step 2: Loosen the Headlight From the Bumper
The last thing to remove is down low: there is a Phillips screw holding the headlight into the front bumper assembly. Get it started with a screwdriver, then finish it by hand. Now the whole headlight assembly moves, and that movement gives us the clearance we need for the larger LED bulb base. Important tip: do not fully tighten everything back up yet, because you will want to re-aim the headlights afterward. Keep that screw loose enough to move the housing up and down.
Step 3: Connect the Driver and Install the Bulb
Take your LED bulb, connect it to the external driver, and drop the driver down the hole where the wiring is. Adjust the headlight bucket until you can fit the whole LED bulb into place, then install, twist, and turn it just like the factory bulb. We dropped the wiring down from behind the headlight into the wheel well.
Then take the H13 connector on the LED driver, which looks like the original bulb connector, and plug it into the factory H13 connector until it locks in place. Tug on it to make sure it is not coming loose. That is all the wiring. Now it is just a matter of zip tying the harness up and out of the way so it does not get caught or pinched in any moving parts. For a more general reference on this bulb size, we also put together a full step-by-step H13 LED installation guide.
Step 4: Aim the Headlights
With everything connected, briefly align the headlight. We put one hand on the back of the housing and the other on the screwdriver already lined up with the screw. Shine the light on a wall in front of you, hold the headlight where you want it with one hand, and tighten down that screw with the other. Do the same on the other side and the install is complete.
LED vs Halogen Beam Pattern Comparison
Here is what the stock H13 halogen headlights look like from about 20 feet away. At this distance, it is a narrow beam, very yellow, and honestly just not very bright. That is what you get from stock halogen. With the GTR Lighting LED conversion kit installed, low beam runs the top LED at 2,200 lumens, and switching to high beam turns on the bottom LED as well for 2,600 lumens. Low beam is the top LED only, high beam is both top and bottom, and the intensity jump is obvious.
Side by side, the stock halogen headlight on the right is very yellow with a narrow beam pattern. For a car that might be fine, but this is an off-road vehicle, and we want something more suited to the trail. Think of this as transforming your headlights into LED off-road lights. The LED beam pattern is more usable and gets the light up where you need it, arcing upward and to the outside, kind of like a fat, wide V shape with the majority of the light down low in the center section. That kind of output is exactly what you want on an off-road machine like this Ranger rather than the thin, straight, dim yellow beam of the stock halogens. If you are cross-shopping other H13 LED options for on-road builds, you can also look at the Morimoto 2Stroke 4.0 H13 LED bulbs or the GTR Lighting H13 CSP Mini fog bulbs depending on your application.
Frequently Asked Questions
What vehicle is used in this install?
A 2013 Polaris Ranger 900 equipped with tracks, a Boss plow, a Warn winch, and other aftermarket lighting is used to demonstrate the LED headlight install.
What bulb type does this kit replace?
It replaces the stock H13 halogen headlight bulb found on this Ranger and many other Polaris UTVs with the same H13 headlight housing.
How much brighter is the LED kit than stock?
The GTR Lighting LED kit outputs 2200 lumens on low beam and 2600 lumens on high beam, compared to about 1000 lumens per stock halogen bulb.
Why choose LED over an HID conversion?
The LED kit is a direct plug and play into the factory H13 connector with just one driver-to-bulb connection, while HID requires a relay harness, ballasts, and multiple connections that are more exposed to water, mud, and snow on a UTV.
What warranty and lifespan does the GTR Lighting kit have?
The bulbs have an estimated lifespan of roughly 30,000 hours and are backed by a lifetime warranty, which GTR Lighting applies to both their HID and LED headlight products.
Meet the Experts Behind Headlight Revolution
Chris Nelson – Founder
Before founding Headlight Revolution in 2011, Chris worked as an automotive install technician specializing in lighting, sound systems, and engine performance parts. He has personally tested thousands of lighting products and works directly with lighting engineers to evaluate the technical performance behind every recommendation.
Josh Beberg – Content Production Manager
Josh leads hands-on testing and content production at Headlight Revolution. From beam pattern comparisons to real-world installations, he works directly with lighting engineers to ensure every review is grounded in measured results, not marketing specs.
