Comparing 7" Aftermarket Headlights
- Thread starter Hilldweller
- Start date
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
I told Jerry at Truck-Lite this morning that Mog & Deuce owners are a neglected segment of the aftermarket lighting world.Thanks for the initial tests.Looking forward to future testing and your long term impressions.
cruiseroutfit
Supporting Sponsor: Cruiser Outfitters
Interesting about the light deflection, I too have never noticed any upward light out of my IPF headlight inserts. Were these the standard issue IPF 920H 7" replacement inserts? They are marked DOT compliant both on the box and the lens insert. At one time ARB did have some non-US (non DOT) ones here (Part# 920HMSR? I recall) that did not have any 'diffusers' on the lens. They have not been available for at least 4-5 years though.
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
IPF 920H4 JK Headlights (920H4) ---- definately not DOT or ECE compliant.
The lens has a bogus "E" in a circle that simulates ECE compliance but it's just there for show. The box states something to the effect of "suitable for rally use".
I've never seen anything at all from IPF that conforms to FMVSS-108.
cruiseroutfit
Supporting Sponsor: Cruiser Outfitters
Hmmm, I'm not familiar with their JK kit but apparently it uses different inserts than their generic 7" inserts that are marked DOT approved.
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
I'd like to see that.
The sample I saw at 4WheelParts was the generic version and had the phony "E" in a circle.
The DOT doesn't "approve" ---- they set guidelines and it's up to a manufacturer to have them tested and self-certify that the lights comply. If they are called upon, they must produce the proof; failure to do so results in penalties.
I don't believe that IPF has had any incarnations of this light that would pass DOT or ECE regulations. To their credit, I've never seen them trying to pass them off as compliant.
I've seen vendors try and schmooze people into believing they're compliant though or say, "it doesn't matter; you won't get caught..." That sort of thing.
Most of their bulbs are non-compliant as well.
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
We're going to do more testing this weekend including a Hella and hopefully a Delta (if it gets here in time).
Bogdan at Delta is a riot and really into his lights.
Bogdan at Delta is a riot and really into his lights.
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
Delta is big in the Jeep world with lots of sponsorship; they're famous for their Quadbar lights and blue bulbs. I'm not a fan of blue bulbs and have bashed them mercilessly in the past; I discussed this with Bogdan.
He said to give them a try, that they use more xenon gas in their bulbs, have a good filament, and that they produce a quality light.
I try to keep open minded.
The Deltas are made by Wesem in the Czech Republic; they make some OE lights for the European community and tractors, etc. The product they sell here is ECE compliant and they're working on a DOT compliant variant that they hope to have ready soon. The new one will be a stunner, Bogan says.
They have a somewhat tarnished reputation in the lighting world for poor build quality but that might be a thing of the past. Just as KC used to build good lights; sometimes things change.
Hope the product arrives by tomorrow...
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
All that arrived were a set of Xenon gas blue H4 bulbs; I was expecting a set of ECE reflectors too. Maybe they were delayed.
I don't think he was sending a Quadbar though.
We put the blue bulbs in a set of Hella ECE reflectors, aimed them, and then compared them to a set of Phillips Xtreme Power bulbs in the same wattage.
Gotta retrieve the pics and compile the stats.
Long story short, the blue bulbs didn't perform well at all and the Phillips Xtreme Powers gave the best display of raw lumens so far from a halogen.
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
Some numbers for the Delta Blue H4 "Xenon" bulbs in a Hella H4 reflector; bulbs are harnessed/relayed for optimal power.
Lowbeam value in blue, high in red.
LUX at 25 feet, sensor moved to highest output spot. 339/653
25 yards Right: 20/33 * Left: 1/2
50 yards Right: 2/20 * Left: 1/2
75 yards Right: 1/9 * Left: 1/2
Pics:
Lowbeam
Highbeam
These bulbs yielded a very white light --- but not much of it. They also hurt our eyes when we did the "walk toward the Jeep" test, no matter if they were high or lowbeam.
Nobody wanted to take them home...
Lowbeam value in blue, high in red.
LUX at 25 feet, sensor moved to highest output spot. 339/653
25 yards Right: 20/33 * Left: 1/2
50 yards Right: 2/20 * Left: 1/2
75 yards Right: 1/9 * Left: 1/2
Pics:
Lowbeam
Highbeam
These bulbs yielded a very white light --- but not much of it. They also hurt our eyes when we did the "walk toward the Jeep" test, no matter if they were high or lowbeam.
Nobody wanted to take them home...
Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
Some numbers for the Phillips Xtreme +80 H4 bulbs in a Hella H4 reflector; bulbs are harnessed/relayed for optimal power.
Lowbeam value in blue, high in red.
LUX at 25 feet, sensor moved to highest output spot. 695/1619
25 yards Right: 66/45 * Left: 2/2
50 yards Right: 10/30 * Left: 3/3
75 yards Right: 3/16 * Left: 2/2
And we measured 6 LUX dead center at 125 yards, unassisted by any supplemental driving lights. The Hella reflectors have a tremendous middle-of-the-road hot-spot, a little too much foreground light, and not enough off to the sides. But with a pair of supplemental lights to provide some light to the sides, they'd give you the most total light so far. The highbeams are a little too high as well ---- but a remarkable focus...
Pics:
Lowbeam
Highbeam
The lights lit up the rooftops in the neighborhood past the woods. You could see our shadows on the houses; about a quarter mile as the crow flies...
Lowbeam value in blue, high in red.
LUX at 25 feet, sensor moved to highest output spot. 695/1619
25 yards Right: 66/45 * Left: 2/2
50 yards Right: 10/30 * Left: 3/3
75 yards Right: 3/16 * Left: 2/2
And we measured 6 LUX dead center at 125 yards, unassisted by any supplemental driving lights. The Hella reflectors have a tremendous middle-of-the-road hot-spot, a little too much foreground light, and not enough off to the sides. But with a pair of supplemental lights to provide some light to the sides, they'd give you the most total light so far. The highbeams are a little too high as well ---- but a remarkable focus...
Pics:
Lowbeam
Highbeam
The lights lit up the rooftops in the neighborhood past the woods. You could see our shadows on the houses; about a quarter mile as the crow flies...
Dang I was hoping they were sending you some of their HID driving lights.
I have a set of 900 series Delta lights heading my way. I found them for cheap on craigslist but trying to find info on the net about them is few and far between. Internal 35W ballasts and 6000 kelvin is all I can find. I'll post up my own results in here if you would like?