JK-Headlight Replacement Options?

[redthies]

I ended up bailing out on the Hellas, and just put in PIAA Extreme White H13 bulbs. It was going to be too much of a pita to do the H4 conversion in the snow. The PIAAs are a HUGE improvement over stock. Still room for improvement, but I will look at some auxiliary lighting now.

 

[Hilldweller]

Check out Daniel Stern's website, and then send him an email requesting his advice. He will respond with a wealth of information, and as best I can tell, his ifo is based on factual data.

I'm getting ready to order his Cibie H4 replacement lights with Osram 70/65w bulbs.

His Cibie kit works great.

Even better is the Hella 90mm kit with H9 bulbs from Rallylights.com ---- but it's sorta ugly.

But using a rallylights full harness, you could also install a Trucklite Phase 7 LED headlight.
Or a JW Speaker model #8700 LED headlight.

I've tested everything legal that I could get my hands on and one that was illegal too (IFP; it failed miserably).

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f96/headlight-shootout-1166827/

I....As Healyjet said, there is a slight flicker but again, only noticeable when within a few feet of a vertical object. ....

Harness and relay it to subvert the pulsewidth modulated circuit. Better for the LEDs.

I have a set of Sylvania Silverstar Ultras in my garage ...they're going in this weekend. I'll report back.

They don't work well at all. Save your time and money.
If you just want the best H13 bulbs, use Philips Xtreme Power (or Xtreme Vision if you can import them). MUCH better LUX, focus, quality of light.

 

[jeffjeeptj]

I am going to jump in and recommend listening to hilldweller's advice. I have read his posts and fully agree with his reasoning. Over the years (and totally separate from HD) I've had a lot of replacement lamps, Hella (H1 and H4), Cibie (Z vision, H1 and H4), Marchal (H4 and Amplilux), along with various driving, fog, and pencil beam auxiliary lamps. I've used 55/60, 55/100, 80/100 watt bulbs. I've had harnesses, stock wiring, etc.. Lamps have been 5-3/4", 7", and square (Think 99 Ford Truck XL series)
I've had them get broken from road debris, baseball bat, extreme cold (North Dakota), tree limbs. I have not had HIDs (don't like the color - just my eyes), but thought about it during their infancy (new technology is always interesting). The above list is to just show why I support HDs results, never met the man.
As soon as I get a job and have to drive at night, I will be looking at HDs latest test and getting whatever he has recommended. Right now my 7" H4s are sufficient.

 

[tacomadave]

I just ordered the IPF headlight kit, will post back when i get them installed...

 

[Hilldweller]

I just ordered the IPF headlight kit, ......

Why?

They're not legal to use on this continent and don't work well at all.
They throw a miserable and unfocussed beam all over the place, blind oncoming drivers, and create a corona effect that will make it difficult for you to see through in foul weather.
And they manage to do that without even putting that much light forward.

But, on the bright side, they do look the brightest when you look right at them. Mostly because the unfocussed light is blinding you. But such is the nature of light.
It's terribly easy to fool the human eye and people often buy substandard lighting based on subjective impressions rather than scientific testing.

I am going to jump in and recommend listening to hilldweller's advice...

...Marchal (H4 ....

Thank you and where'd you get the Marchals?
Which ones?
That's lighting porn to me...

 

[Healeyjet]

Hilldweller, can you give me some details on the following statement?

"Harness and relay it to subvert the pulsewidth modulated circuit. Better for the LEDs."

What exactly do I need to purchase and instal?
Ward

 

[Hilldweller]

Hilldweller, can you give me some details on the following statement?

"Harness and relay it to subvert the pulsewidth modulated circuit. Better for the LEDs."

What exactly do I need to purchase and instal?
Ward

All vehicles suffer voltage drop.
See: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/relays/relays.html

The JK (and many other vehicles in the modern era) confounds this with delivering the power to the headlights via a pulsewidth modulated circuit ---- a square-waved intelligent ordeal that the JK brain uses to monitor its systems.
This results in a dc voltage delivery that fluctuates from 12.6 volts to 4.5 volts. The period is very very fast and not easy to perceive with a burning filament light. But with an LED, the light will "blink" when the voltage drops below nominal (usually 9 volts).
Not legal to run this. FMVSS 108 clearly states that headlights may not cycle all the way off except on emergency vehicles. Probably won't damage a good LED, but why chance it?

These guys can build you a quality harness that's plug and play. Dan Stern, my earlier link, can too. Both would also sell you the supplies for you to do it yourself.
Caution though. The circuit needs both a capacitor and a resistor wired in-line to do it right. If you know which end is which on those bits, have at it.
I let Ray build mine at Rallylights. It looks better than anything I can put together.

 

[jeffjeeptj]

Hilldweller, i said "over the years" . I had my first set of Marchals in a 59 bugeye in 1968. They even had tungsten filaments in the bulbs, IIRC. Got them from a friend out of his XK120 when I was in high school. The XK and bugeye were DDs, along with another friends' TR2. Got an original Bronco (new in 1970) to commute to college. It had an assortment of h4s in it due to breakage from road debris and for some reason, filled with condensation and would freeze. My 1977 Dodge van with a factory 440 had the Amplilux, until they got hard to find. I learned to not put 100W bulbs in the high beam bulb location. In the winter, the glass lense would break due to the heat from the bulb. I've had a long history of spending money on vehicles with little financial return, but plenty of emotional return. I purposely bought a base ford truck in 99, so i could put in H4s . I do like the Hellas in my LJ due to the flat lense. It's a 2005 with 42k miles, not driven much. Sorry, no pictures of the Amplilux. Wish I did. Wish I had stored a set. Woulda, coulda, shoulda ....

 

[Hilldweller]

Dan Stern has some old-new Marchals that he'd sell to somebody that appreciates them, jeff...

Not that I'm trying to temp you or anything.

 

[Septu]

Damn you Bill. Looks like I'll be sending him an email. Question for you... would you take those over the Hella 90mm that you were raving about previously that recently came out?

 

[Hilldweller]

Damn you Bill. Looks like I'll be sending him an email. Question for you... would you take those over the Hella 90mm that you were raving about previously that recently came out?

Marchals over the bi-xenon Hella?
The 90mm Hella uses an H9 bulb; the Marchals use an H4. You can find over-wattage H4s that put out nearly (or more?) the same light as an H9 but I doubt they'd last as long, especially after running the wiring right off the battery.
The Marchals are exotic, lovely, produce nice light for their age. But they're more of an exotic pleasure, a fetish in the lighting world.
The Hellas rule for now.
I keep getting teased with hints from inside the industry that there's something better coming. The hints say LED but they won't tell me who from or when.
Makes me nuts.

 

[Hilldweller]

When I say that the Hella 90mm bi-halogens are ugly, I mean that with all my affection for things that work.
To me, function is beauty; beauty is funtion.

Dendy, one of our Portal Admins, has them installed on his AEV JKU. Or, he had them, at least.
He admits they work great ---- but Dendy does appreciate the aesthetic side of life more than I and may have replaced them by now. I haven't checked with him for a little while.

But, for me, it's all about how they work.
Can I see where I'm going? Will I hit that pot-hole or deer? Can I tell a bag of nails from a pile of horse poo by the color and shape at full speed?

A good light is a safety device, a necessary part of an overlander's kit.

Here's Dendy's ride as I saw it last:

 

[PGT]

I read the entirety of the Pirate 4x4 article and ordered chrome JW Speakers. I also have IPF driving lights (tied to high beams) and amber Rigid Dually D2's in amber for fogs. The Rigids are more orange than yellow so I have some yellow Lamin-X film to apply to them.

Light output in all modes is infinitely improved over stock (not hard, really). Still....it cost a LOT of $$$ to do this. :-/

 

[Healeyjet]

PGT, do the JW's flicker?
Ward

 

[PGT]

No, but the Jeep does It's not the lights' fault...its the PCM setup of the Wrangler. My Rigids flicker as do the JW Speakers, when installed (mainly at idle only). Hooked up on a 12V power supply, no such issues.

Truck-Lite is going to be selling some harnesses that prevent this, sooner or later. Basically, it will have a resistor or capacitor in-line to give the lights a smooth, consistent 12V signal so that they don't flicker. It's easy enough to DIY it....I need to research it more to see what I can wire in. I made custom adaptor harnesses for my fogs using Delphi's Weatherpack connectors and the Rigid harness; should be simple to splice in whatever I need.

Note...the Rigids use a Deutsch DT6 connector on them; if you want plug and play on the stock Jeep harness, get those connectors instead of the Delphi (or just do pigtails like I did, using the Rigid harness as the donor Deutsch connector).