LED head lights

[Heath]

Anyone fitted LED headlights to older vehicles?

Any issues with compliance etc?

Looking at some new lights for my landcruiser projects and wondering if I have to go std glass 7 inch round or if I can add some bling...

[diogenese]

If the lights have an E mark then you will have no problems. I have a set from Caleb that I am not going to use as I preferred the chrome look but they don't have the mark. He has had them fitted for WoFs and got a pass . There are pics on his Facebook page filthy4x4.
You can have my set and I could even deliver them tomorrow if I get the 45 running again.

[TJ]

Changed the headlights on my Jeep Wrangler to JW Speaker 8700 Evolution J LEDs. These are full replacement 7" beams and ECE and ADR approved for LHT use (i.e. RHD vehicles).

They make more non Jeep specific Evolution 2 8700s for RHD market. Extremely happy with the amount of light. Factory 7" Hella halogens H4 on Wranglers are from 1997 to 2016. Same light in export markets.

Got these from a supplier in Christchurch.

[TJ]

JW Speaker are E marked.

[diogenese]

Those speaker lights are great, but they are not cheap!
I have trucklite units in my l200 and they are nearly as good but cheaper.
The chrome ones came from scarles and have lost one of the four main beam leds but I got nowhere with warranty from them and they don't stock them anymore.

[TJ]

Those speaker lights are great, but they are not cheap!

JW Speaker have come down in price, that's why I could justify them. About a year ago, they were too expensive.

Trucklites are now rebranded and sold through Narva in Australia (and New Zealnd). Margin is a bit more because of that locally.

[diogenese]

Filthy4x4 lights

[diogenese]

I'll have to look at the Speakers again then
I paid $720 for the pair of trucklite 5x7's when they first arrived.

[DieselBoy]

I have LED H4 bulbs fitted to the stock head lights in Betsie. Straight swap, no mods required.

Brilliant white light, they get mistaken for HID's all the time

Got the bulbs in Aus, will see if I can find a link.

[DieselBoy]

Can't find a decent link, but these are the ones I'm running.

H4, with heat pipe tech, so no fan in the back of them to get full of dust water and mud.

Dip and main work as they should with the correct pattern.

https://m.alibaba.com/product/603179903 ... 0000k.html

[Keltec]

Can't find a decent link, but these are the ones I'm running.

H4, with heat pipe tech, so no fan in the back of them to get full of dust water and mud.

Dip and main work as they should with the correct pattern.

https://m.alibaba.com/product/603179903 ... 0000k.html

They look similar to the ones i saw in Jaycar this week, they were over priced for chinese import stuff but it got me thinking they might be worth a shot...

Have you been for a wof yet?

I'm thinking of getting some from ebay, they're ridiculously cheap... I know they're not the well made items like the complete replacement headlight like above, but at roughly $10-$20 a pair I've got to give it a try! The headlights on my Mistral are dreadful...

[DieselBoy]

Yeah man, I have been running them for two years now and they have been great. Its been through 3 Wofs with no problems concerning the lights and beam pattern.

We checked it and initially set them up on the beam setter machine at the work shop and they did everything they should.

Tell you what though, do some research into Blue Green light (LED) and different wave lengths and Halogen bulbs. Make your own mind up if that's actually what you want to do.

I have everything LED up front, but I'm going to fit some Halogen lights in place of the LED spot lights. Because of the longer wave length and the broader spectrum of light, the Halogen should bring back some of my colour and depth perception that's missing in the current set up.

For example, if your lights aren't producing much red light in the spectrum (LED's don't), then there's no red light to be reflected back at you, so you start to loose the ability to distinguish between different shades of brown and all sorts of weird stuff.

That's also why LEDS make the bush look so vivid at night, as there is an abundance of blue green light, so plenty in the spectrum to reflect back from the bush.

Or something like that

[Keltec]

For example, if your lights aren't producing much red light in the spectrum (LED's don't), then there's no red light to be reflected back at you, so you start to loose the ability to distinguish between different shades of brown and all sorts of weird stuff.

That's also why LEDS make the bush look so vivid at night, as there is an abundance of blue green light, so plenty in the spectrum to reflect back from the bush.

Or something like that

Hmm, that's good info! I use a Cree Led head torch riding my MTB in the winter, never had much issues.

My Mistral has the seperate fog lights next to the head light, so might be worth keeping an incandescent bulb in there...

[TJ]

It's not a case of putting any LED in and they give problems with depth perception. A lot depends on the colour temperature of the light. Some cheap Chinese lamps are 6,000k range, which is bright and white to be great from one perspective but it's not suitable for night driving for long.

I believe ADR and ECE regulations have a limit of 4,200K. Halogen is around 3,200K generally. Hence appears yellowish.

Think of it when you buy bright white vs warm white LEDs for home bulbs. Warm whites give better light.

[fh2014]

It's not a case of putting any LED in and they give problems with depth perception. A lot depends on the colour temperature of the light. Some cheap Chinese lamps are 6,000k range, which is bright and white to be great from one perspective but it's not suitable for night driving for long.

I believe ADR and ECE regulations have a limit of 4,200K. Halogen is around 3,200K generally. Hence appears yellowish.

Think of it when you buy bright white vs warm white LEDs for home bulbs. Warm whites give better light.

warm white 3000k gives 'better light' because its what were used to in home at night. 3000k will look like old fog lamps if you use in the car. Cool white 4000k actually gives more light and OEM car manufacturers use 4300k as headlight lamp colour. K, kelvins, is lamp colour. 4300k to 5000k has the highest light output of any lamp of the same type and wattage in another kelvin range. anything higher is rice/rubbish.

factors involved in choosing lamps (cbf explaning, do some google)

type - incandescent, halogen, gas (hid), led, and apparently laser
wattage (often mistaken for light output when its actually the power consumed by the lamp)
lumens (is in fact the true output of light)
C.R.I. - this one is the one diesel boy is refering to with depth perception and spectrum. Incandecent and halogens have perfect 100 CRI
Lamp colour - kelvins.

TL;DR use 4300 Kelvin, LEDs may infact damage our eyes, wattage isnt everything

[TJ]

I know what CRI is. The fact is that halogens will probably give you the closest to natural light in driving application (90+ CRI). However, my point is that not all LED driving lights are the same. More expensive sealed ones like JW Speakers and others are purpose built with projector and LED combination. Simple LED inserts into old halogen housing will never be able to cut it properly.

Trucklites/ Narva, again are specifically designed as a lens and LED combination and work well.