Improving headlight options.

[theangrychicken]

Our truck is a bit more basic, we do not have a beam adjustment (or maybe I just don't know how to use it). Our dash switch is only a 3 position switch. I am guessing the first picture is the mechanism that changes your headlight position. Ours are just adjusted for high/low beams and are fixed. If you don't mind losing the adjustability, here is and example of one on Ebay, https://www.ebay.com/itm/115268070081.

Another possibility is that the housings are the same between motorized adjustable and non. the difference being that a manual adjustment just goes in the same hole, something like this https://woxparts.com/en/car-parts/mercedes-benz/A0008260371. It's hard to find a good picture of it. Here is some on ebay.de .

I don't mind "loosing" remote adjustability since I never had it. It would be nice to keep up on repairs and maintaining the trucks original functionality. But honestly, functionality is more important to me. I've seen those headlights ebay, before, but they don't have the remote adjusters on them. On my headlights, there are two adjustments. Left/right that are the same as the other link you shared. And up/down which is different. It connects through a ball/socket connection and I think mine have worn down so the don't stay locked in. Plus, as you can see, they have broken off from the light housing. I'm not sure if I can swap them over to the simple screw option to adjust them.

I was sort of hoping to find a modern bolt in option that replaced the entire inner assembly. But it's looking like that is not an option.

 

[skjohans]

From the LN2-Forum:

Scheinwerfer LED-Komplettsatz - LN2-Forum.de

I just got the message from LUXX that LUXX provides a new model LED Scheinwerfer for out LN2 model. Very interesting I think and a big improvement.Link to this part:https://scheinwerfer-luxx.de/S…17-LED-Komplettsatz-AVEGO

www.ln2-forum.de

https://scheinwerfer-luxx.de/navi.php?a=1633&lang=eng

Pretty expensive......

 

[theangrychicken]

From the LN2-Forum:

Scheinwerfer LED-Komplettsatz - LN2-Forum.de

I just got the message from LUXX that LUXX provides a new model LED Scheinwerfer for out LN2 model. Very interesting I think and a big improvement.Link to this part:https://scheinwerfer-luxx.de/S…17-LED-Komplettsatz-AVEGO

www.ln2-forum.de

https://scheinwerfer-luxx.de/navi.php?a=1633&lang=eng

Pretty expensive......

That is a fairly spendy option but might be the type of option I was looking for. I'll def have to give that some thought. I appreciate the link!

Along the lines of lighting. Anyone using LED bulbs in their OEM taillight housing? If so, what are you running?

 

[MogsAndDogs]

Along the lines of lighting. Anyone using LED bulbs in their OEM taillight housing? If so, what are you running?

I recently ended up using Auxito on everything. I found some decent reviews for their H4 head fog light bulbs and they also made most of the other bulbs I needed, so I just ordered everything from them. They all worked well except the turn signals. Even though the bulbs had "Build-in Load Resistor CANBUS Error Free", they still did not work.

 

[Dendy Jarrett]

Let's please be careful that this doesn't slip into political commentary. - Thanks

 

[Sitec]

Hello! By the sounds of it, lighting laws might be a little stricter with you than here in Oz. We have a limit on the number of light pairs we can have forward facing which is 6. I looked into upgrading the original Mercedes candles, and other than adding aftermarket globes/bulbs (thanks for that info Neil), I don't want to modify the originals as they are part of the old SK/MK stance I like. With this in mind we went with some basic aftermarket 7" (Kings brand here in Oz) 'Laser' lights and 'Driving' lights. We didn't get to use them last year as all the wiring is in a centre console that I only made recently. This year however, we got to use them on our long drive from Adelaide to Broome... I have to say it's the best $400au I've spent! The difference from seeing a little way in front of you to flicking up to main beam and the 4 overhead spots coming on is insane!! The road for approx 1km in front lights up with this brilliant clear white light! Love them!!



Here's the view on dusk.



Sorry it a little blurry, its a screenshot of Dash Cam footage.

 

[Iain_U1250]

We were given a set of Auxbeam headlights and spotlight to test out for our YouTube Channel. The headlights are OK, and whilst better than the old LED headlight we had, are still not in the same league as the Xenon headlights we have in the other cars.

The spot light however are fantastic. We also had the Kings 9" light like Simon on the roof, and they were a great improvement on the old school Hella Rallye 4000s, even the ones we had fitted with the HID kits.

These are the Auxbeam headlights. I think they are a big an improvement over the Kings 9" lights as the King were over the Hellas with HIDs.



We have the 8" King Laser lights next to the headlights. This is them on



These are adding the 7" Auxbeam roof lights we have as "Working lights" which we can switch on without the headlight being on.



Then these are the 9" Auxbeam lights added.



The GoPro through the windscreen doesn't really do them justice.



As the law says we can only have four extra spotlights, the two 7" lights we don't use, as they are "Working Lights" and not connected to the highbeam circuit and we have annual roadworthy checks and they do check thing like this. This is just with the full legal setup, with the Kings 8" Laser light in the bumper and the Auxbeam 9" lights on the roof. It is like daylight up to about 300m away.



We should finish the video this weekend hopefully, then you can get a better idea.

 

[Fred Skywalker]

We were given a set of Auxbeam headlights and spotlight to test out for our YouTube Channel. The headlights are OK, and whilst better than the old LED headlight we had, are still not in the same league as the Xenon headlights we have in the other cars.

The spot light however are fantastic. We also had the Kings 9" light like Simon on the roof, and they were a great improvement on the old school Hella Rallye 4000s, even the ones we had fitted with the HID kits.

These are the Auxbeam headlights. I think they are a big an improvement over the Kings 9" lights as the King were over the Hellas with HIDs.

View attachment 775860

We have the 8" King Laser lights next to the headlights. This is them on

View attachment 775861

These are adding the 7" Auxbeam roof lights we have as "Working lights" which we can switch on without the headlight being on.

View attachment 775862

Then these are the 9" Auxbeam lights added.

View attachment 775863

The GoPro through the windscreen doesn't really do them justice.

View attachment 775864

As the law says we can only have four extra spotlights, the two 7" lights we don't use, as they are "Working Lights" and not connected to the highbeam circuit and we have annual roadworthy checks and they do check thing like this. This is just with the full legal setup, with the Kings 8" Laser light in the bumper and the Auxbeam 9" lights on the roof. It is like daylight up to about 300m away.

View attachment 775865

We should finish the video this weekend hopefully, then you can get a better idea.


View attachment 775866

Looking forward to this video. Thanks Iain.

 

[J!m]

I feel a lot of lighting issues can be improved upon with careful and proper aiming of all lights, starting with the headlights. Once main "high" beams are on, then add driving lights to fill the gap, then pencils to reach further down the track. (it looks like you have great coverage with both distance and dispersion for low-fatigue driving).

It makes no sense to have a dwarf star on the roof aimed poorly... Those LED light bars (probably from Harbor Freight?) really seem like crap. Glare-filled splash all over the place that is highly effective at annoying every other vehicle on (or off!) the road.

Bear in mind the aiming of the aux lights (all lights if you only use the vehicle "heavy") should be aimed under full load for expedition. Otherwise, they'll be aimed high and not give good coverage up close or ruin the nice dispersion pattern. (Fogs under the bumper, waiting to be wiped out, fill the "void" under the main beam nicely.)

 

[Iain_U1250]

We had a wide light bar on our Defender for a month, and took if off after a trip to the beach on evening, with a slight bit of evening mist or dust, the light bar was useless, just throwing a solid white curtain right in front of the car.

These are the outer light the smaller 7" light the we don't normally use when driving, they are aimed straight forward, and this is the result with a bit of dust or mist.



The 9" lights are aimed outwards, and this stops the glare from the dust, Ill try find a better example in the footage, but you can see how aiming the low light straight down the road and having the roof light fill in the sides works well to minimise the glare.




These are the Hella 4000s we used to have. Two x Pencil beams in the bumper, 2 x Euro/spread beams and 2 x Wide beams on the roof. On this trip we were running as light as possible, having dumped all the water with just enough fuel in as we were limping back 300km overnight at 40kph with damaged tyres, hence the lights were aimed more downward than normal.




These are the King 9" lights, we thought they were great until we got the Auxbeams, whilst nice and bright, don't have the reach or the spread pattern of the Auxbeams.



One other thing we noticed is that each LED light draws about 10A, ( our is a 12V truck) so having all 8 lights on, and the other things would make for a 90A draw on the alternator, which was pretty close to the maximum output of the "upgraded" 90A OEM alternator, let alone the standard 55A one. We have a 250A main alternator not a problem for us, but would flatten the battery on a standard alternator pretty quickly

The LEDs draw way more current than the 5A each of the HID equipped Hella lights needed, so I guess the laws of physics still apply, more powerful lights require more power

 

[Joe917]

The Heffalump has a 24V 200 Amp alternator so power is not an issue.
You may not like this but my best advice is: DO NOT DRIVE AT NIGHT. No matter how good your lights, stop when the sun goes down.

 

[Iain_U1250]

The Heffalump has a 24V 200 Amp alternator so power is not an issue.
You may not like this but my best advice is: DO NOT DRIVE AT NIGHT. No matter how good your lights, stop when the sun goes down.

Each to their own Joe, but to me that's like saying don't drive in the rain, or don't drive into the sun. All great advice, but not really practical given the distances out here in Australia, where often need to do 800-1000km in a day. Driving around dusk is a lot more risky than when it is dark over here. In winter, it gets dark around 5:00pm here, and the sun doesn't come up until 7:00am. Best to be properly prepare for all conditions.

We have no problems driving at night, even in the very remote places in the Outback, we just adjust our speed to match the conditions and how far we can see. If we are touring, we stop much more regularly, but when we need to travel a long distance in a day, we will drive into the night, usually stopping dinner just before sunset and then back on the road once it gets dark. We drive slower, but another four or five hours sees up eating up the distance quite nicely. Sometimes I stop for a few hours sleep, then carry on through the cool of the evening driving right through the night, stopping at first light for another couple of hours rest.

Our normal long weekend trips start after work at 6:00pm, and we drive until 10:00pm. We are driving on freeways at dusk, and then it gets properly dark when we get to the more rural roads. This gets us a fair way to our destination, and we normally get home around 10:00pm on the way back, the last couple of hours being more on city freeways than Outback traveling.

Having a proper set of lights makes it a lot safer, and to be honest, having the the road to ourselves is a lot safer than driving with some of the idiots we find on the roads out here.

 

[where_the_heffalump_roams]

I do try to avoid driving at night as much as possible, however I do agree that a proper set of lights is needed when driving at night is warranted. We all have our different reasons for traveling in our rigs and use them for slightly different goals.

I still work during my travels and use the heffalump for that. My shift hours vary and sometimes I may get off work at 11 PM, 3 AM, or 6 AM. Depending on the work site, I may need to drive from the worksite. During the winter season, I snowboard about 50+ days. At at least 3 of the resorts I go to, you can not stay in the resort lots overnight, so I park 2-5 miles away. That means I have to arrive earlier than the rest of the crowd to secure parking so arrive around 7 AM (still dark at times).

The headlights have been greatly improved since having the heffalump. When I first took possession of the heffalump, both lights were a bit dim, the right side much worse than the left. The right side was also focused on the stratosphere. There were a few loose connections and grounds which I think we have tracked down. Just fixing the grounds really helped quite a bit! I also secured a bucket cap that replaced the missing one. As pictured in post #13, there are parts that are broken on the headlights. So I can't adjust the left sided one. For the time being I have a piece of wire that is used to anchor it in place and I have both beams pointed correctly. I'm using a set of LEDs that have greatly improved lighting but are not so bright as to cause problems with oncoming traffic. They are working nearly as well as modern headlights. The issue now is replacing the headlights to maintain full function. The a type in me hates the idea of having wires as anchors. I may try to find an OEM replacement and keep using the LED bulbs or consider the replacement option posted by skyjohans.

 

[charlieaarons]

 

[charlieaarons]

I purchased LED replacement bulbs for the stock lights but ended up not using it. Occasionally there’s condensation inside the clear plastic and I have zero confidence LEDs would produce enough heat to evaporate the droplets.
So I got a Great Whites LED bar from Australia on Ebay. It’s very powerful, seemingly both long distance and flood. I have it hooked through a switch that controlled previous Hella halogens via a 30a capacity relay (power direct from batteries) so they go off when the high beams are dipped. They are rated at 180w, draw ~15a w/12v system.
Not cheap but to me better than switching stock lights to LED.