LED Headlights

[Scott Brady]

I am impressed. (http://www.expeditionportal.com/editorials/37-vehicles/93-truck-lite-led.html) The installation required some modification on the JK, but most Toyotas and Jeeps with 7" round lamps will work with the H4 connector. One of the more impressive features is the 100% waterproof construction, cooler running and lower wattage.

I will provide more feedback once I have more seat time with them.

Truck-Lite (http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/GenericView?pageName=/new/PressReleases_en_US/12vLEDHeadlamp.html&storeId=10001&langId=-1)

http://www.expeditionportal.com/images/stories/trucklite/img_0763.jpg

Amazing light output. Stock on the passenger side, LED on the drivers side
http://www.expeditionportal.com/images/stories/trucklite/img_0787.jpg

[bigreen505]

Scott, can you comment on the focus/beam pattern compared with a H4/e-code light?

[Curmudgeon]

How much? I can't find a price anywhere.

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[cjmitchell5]

How much? I can't find a price anywhere.

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I found some for sale. Not sure if they're priced each or for a pair. (either they're expensive or ridiculously expensive) I think these have been developed by the same people who make HID Conversion headlights to make their cost seem reasonable. Very nice for racing in the dark but I think the landy running wide open at 45 isn't going to outrun it's halogens.

http://www.levineautoparts.com/ledheadlight.html

[off-roader]

Wow $500+?!? Is that per light? :Wow1::Wow1:

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I hope the lower current draw and reduced heat emissions are really needed/worth it because I doubt they're 20x brighter/better beam pattern, etc than say the 7" round silverstars that I have in my 89 Montero which are pretty darned good.

[762X39]

I am looking at the same lights for my Unimog. It is not just about the reduced heat, lower current draw, completely waterproof and failsafe if the housing cracks. Once you get past a certain point, every 1% improvement costs %50 more money.For some that is justified, for others it is not. Compared to stock 55 watt or even 35 watt HID's they are an improvement in some aspect. Reduced strain on the electrical system translates into more horsepower to the drive wheels.
Running a big alternator to power big lights with high current draw means heavier wire and more horsepower and heat. For an overland vehicle, less heat and less horsepower consumed means less stress and reduced likelyhood of failure.:coffee:

[njtaco]

Wow $500+?!? Is that per light? :Wow1::Wow1:


A better price, and I'd think they will come down once the novelty wears off...

$348 each (https://www.ledheadlamps.com/tsMall/?go=Catalog.Detail&PartNumber=679)

[Tony LEE]

For an overland vehicle, less heat and less horsepower consumed means less stress and reduced likelyhood of failure.

I would have thought genuine overlanders rarely travelled past mid afternoon - so who needs any lights.

[Scott Brady]

That is a consideration ;)

Sundowners...

[Nullifier]

A better price, and I'd think they will come down once the novelty wears off...

$348 each (https://www.ledheadlamps.com/tsMall/?go=Catalog.Detail&PartNumber=679)

They are back ordered till september! Actually the price is not bad. If you consider what a visionx led housing runs. Plus this is something that you can run all the time rather then just offroad.

Scott how much does the head lamp wiegh vs the stock lamp?

[haven]

The photos make it appear that the 7 inch unit is composed of 10 or 12 individual LEDs. Are the components wired to allow one LED to fail without shutting off the others? This would be a worthwhile safety feature when traveling in the outback.

I think LED traffic lights are wired this way. It allows the traffic light to keep working even when one or more LEDs fail. LED taillights work this way, too, but they draw less power than headlights do.

Chip Haven

[FourByLand]

Nice upgrade!

Nothing like a good set of headlights.

[Scott Brady]

The photos make it appear that the 7 inch unit is composed of 10 or 12 individual LEDs. Are the components wired to allow one LED to fail without shutting off the others? This would be a worthwhile safety feature when traveling in the outback.

I think LED traffic lights are wired this way. It allows the traffic light to keep working even when one or more LEDs fail. LED taillights work this way, too, but they draw less power than headlights do.

Chip Haven

Exactly. These lights were originally designed for military H1s to allow individual LED to be shot-out, but the rest of the light to continue to function.

The cost of these lights is easily justified because of the volume. Those that really want them, will pay for them, just like anything else...

[cruiseroutfit]

Very cool, I had checked Truck-Lite's website following a sneak peak of these lights in a past Overland Journal. I didn't see anything at the time and never got around to checking again. Excited to hear your test results.

[edgear]

Here are some shots in the daylight of the completed installation. Very sharp looking.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=27942&stc=1&d=1240437548

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=27943&stc=1&d=1240437548

[pskhaat]

I'm always interested in getting more light out of existing housings for this reason: Scott & Jeremy have you noticed any cooling issues with the lightforce lights possibly diverting the air stream away from the grill?

[Nullifier]

Wonder if they are going to work on a square version?

[chrisngrod]

Already came down. $298....

Don't expect these things to be that cheap. I'm surprised they weren't MORE expensive.

[HarryT]

I wonder why someone puts 200 mile per hour lights on a 80 mile per hour vehicle. They do look cool.

[DaveInDenver]

Exactly. These lights were originally designed for military H1s to allow individual LED to be shot-out, but the rest of the light to continue to function.

Hard to tell from the photos, looked like a single front element. But from your description it sounds like they are multiple lenses, then? That would be nice, I lose a light lens to a rock chip about once every other year or so (between two headlights and two aux lights). But I run Hella 9003/H4 housings and so I usually patch the chipped and cracked lens with epoxy and seal with silicone, which is a nice advantage of H4-type housings over sealed beams, in that they can be repaired and continue to function in that stated for a while more. Usually it's until the next winter when a water intrusion leading to ice/heat combination causes it to finally shatter. But if these LED housings are half a dozen individual lenses where each is not effected by a crack in one, that would a very nice feature.

[cruiseroutfit]

Had the chance to put my hands on a set of these and meet the owner this past weekend, definitely a killer product :cool:

They will have LED auxillary lights out in the coming weeks :cool:

[jesusgatos]

They're still pretty expensive for the 24-volt version too. I would have thought that with the amount of lights the military must buy, that they'd be less esspensive. Not so much...

[elcoyote]

Hard to tell from the photos, looked like a single front element. But from your description it sounds like they are multiple lenses, then? That would be nice, I lose a light lens to a rock chip about once every other year or so (between two headlights and two aux lights). But I run Hella 9003/H4 housings and so I usually patch the chipped and cracked lens with epoxy and seal with silicone, which is a nice advantage of H4-type housings over sealed beams, in that they can be repaired and continue to function in that stated for a while more. Usually it's until the next winter when a water intrusion leading to ice/heat combination causes it to finally shatter. But if these LED housings are half a dozen individual lenses where each is not effected by a crack in one, that would a very nice feature.

They are multiple, a total of 10 LEDs per lamp to be exact. We performed some testing on these lights on a LR D-90 that had Hella H-4s on it. The difference was quite significant. We will be doing some field testing in the next two weeks and will report back here.

Look for these lights soon in the AT product line-up.

[DaveInDenver]

They are multiple, a total of 10 LEDs per lamp to be exact. We performed some testing on these lights on a LR D-90 that had Hella H-4s on it. The difference was quite significant. We will be doing some field testing in the next two weeks and will report back here.

I can see that there are multiple LEDs. So if one is compromised, it does not affect the other 9?

I will be interested in seeing how they compare against a E-code H4 set up for sure. They look like they have a very cool temperature, which is a major reason why I would pass. Ultra cold blue or white does not necessarily equal more light, although it can lead to more eye fatigue. But each person's optimum color is different.

I personally prefer something well warmer than 4000K and usually nearer to 3500K is best. I run standard Euro-spec Osram or Narva H4 +50 halogens (i.e the European Osram Silverstars, which have clear glass) or sometimes the US-spec Osram/Sylvania 9003XV (i.e. Xtra Vision 9003 55/60), these types of bulbs typically come in around 3200K to 3500K and I personally much prefer the yellowish light.

Plus I will be interested to see if they really put more light down. They are surely going to seem brighter, but that does not mean they are focused well and actually put light down the road. The measurement of lumen is just produced light intensity and I'm sure these will be high, but when measuring usable light the lux or foot-candles and some idea of the area covered are more important than the pure lumen that a bulb produces. Lux is lumen per sq. meter and obviously tells you about the bulb intensity and lens focus.

FWIW, the Osram +50 Euro H4 70/65 produces about 1750 lumen. The other nice thing about H4 style housings is you can shop around and find the one that meets your needs, Hella Vision Plus H4 (E-code), Hella DOT approved Vision Plus, IPF, etc. They all have a little different pattern, some more uniform than the others, better high beam, etc.

I don't care much for sealed beam bulbs because they don't allow you choice on beam style and bulb specs, so it seems going to these LED lights puts you right back at square one, you only get what color temp, developed intensity and lenses they decide to package together.

[kellymoe]

I have been switching over to LED on all my other lights on my truck and love the fact that with LED's the energy draw is significantly less, Trucklite looks like a great product but until the price drops quite a bit it will be a long time before I will get my hands on a set, of lights:sombrero:

[overlander]

I took this picture last week in Kuwait. I was surprised, after having just read about these LED headlights in OJ for the first time a month ago, and I get over here, and the military is already putting these in all the HUMMV's in the Iraq theater. I'm in Baghdad now, and they all have them here too. Even the MRAP's have them. It's also cool that half the light can be lit for low beam. The military is fully onboard with this light.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3624/3490764426_804a1af306_b.jpg

[Mayne]

I can't find anywhere that states a DOT approval for these. Does anybody know? It would be a consideration when talking to a CHP officer about why he thinks the headlights on the rig are leagal or not.
Not trying to be a bummer, just want to know before adding them to my wish list.

Mayne

[Martyn]

I can't find anywhere that states a DOT approval for these. Does anybody know? It would be a consideration when talking to a CHP officer about why he thinks the headlights on the rig are leagal or not.
Not trying to be a bummer, just want to know before adding them to my wish list.

Mayne

DOT approved.

You know us, we go by the book.

[M.Bas]

How are they at night compared to regular lights?

[Mayne]

DOT approved.

You know us, we go by the book.

You guys rock! I love it! presentations of something I can actually leagaly use.

Mayne

[Martyn]

How are they at night compared to regular lights?

Pictorial comparison here:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=388637&postcount=23

[M.Bas]

Lights shining on a wall doesn't say a lot to me.
What view do you get on the road?

A comparison like this (http://www.maartenbastiaan.nl/Vitara/Verstraler-test.jpg) says much more to me.

And a small tip for the next time you take photo's for light comparison. Set up your camera for full manual settings so the settings are the same with every photo. Makes a much better comparison.

[beast1210]

I too would like to see some beam shots, I have been curious about all these LED lights cause they dont seem to really use the reflector housing to shape the light like other lights, more that they are a diffused wash of bright light, unlike HID retros that would have crisp beam cutoff.

[M.Bas]

I too would like to see some beam shots, I have been curious about all these LED lights cause they dont seem to really use the reflector housing to shape the light like other lights, more that they are a diffused wash of bright light, unlike HID retros that would have crisp beam cutoff.
Each LED has it's own reflector ;)
That the shape is more like a wash is because it are multiple parallel light sources. It's technically possible to focus them on one spot on a wall, but when you change the distance it's going to be "blurry" again.

[winkosmosis]

Why no beam pics or any information of the actual lighting? What use is a picture of the lamp?

[Dmarchand]

Bump, any update to this Scott?

[4xdog]

One of the concerns -- well, maybe questions is a better word -- I have about LED main lighting on vehicles is the potential for ice buildup on the lens during cold, snowy driving. Many times I've needed the heat from my H4's to prevent ice buildup.

Scott, have you been able to measure any lens surface temperatures, or otherwise form any opinions about this?

Don

[vdeal]

4xdog,

Legitimate concern on the ice issues. I heard recently that cities are having problems with traffic lights with led's not being warm enough to melt the snow or ice off of them. Here's a news story (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/02/us/02lights.html?src=twt&twt=nytimes) about this issue. I can see it being a major issue where I live. If you have an ungaraged vehicle here the ice build up during our too frequent ice storms can be considerable. Not sure I would want LED's in that situation.

[jesusgatos]

Seems like incorporating some type of heating element would be a simple solution to that problem (talking about the headlight mfg's).

[Scott Brady]

One of the concerns -- well, maybe questions is a better word -- I have about LED main lighting on vehicles is the potential for ice buildup on the lens during cold, snowy driving. Many times I've needed the heat from my H4's to prevent ice buildup.

Scott, have you been able to measure any lens surface temperatures, or otherwise form any opinions about this?

Don

Good point. Not an issue so far in Prescott, even with considerable snow and low temps. this winter. Not quite scientific, but so far, so good.

[Mike_rupp]

Seems like incorporating some type of heating element would be a simple solution to that problem (talking about the headlight mfg's).

LOL. It is called a halogen bulb. It also puts out a fair amount of light.

[cruiseroutfit]

LOL. It is called a halogen bulb. It also puts out a fair amount of light.

Touche :D

I'd still like to get a set of these in a Land Cruiser and compare them against the common H4 upgrades.

[PhulesAU]

A side note, these were also intended to be Fleet replacement for trucking companies. The whole 10,000 hours of use thing. I'm still waiting to run across someone running them.

[4xdog]

PhulesAU --

Keep your eyes peeled. On a thousand-mile trip on the interstates of the midwest at the start of the month, I probably noticed a dozen Class 8 trucks with LED lights, and not really looking. They're out there.