I'm going LED headlights

[Mudderoy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUYjrOvQrdc&feature=youtu.be

[bluedragon436]

I have the slightly lower wattage version of these headlights and I love them.... Was looking at this version a few weeks back, as it is higher wattage, and is suppose to have somewhat better cutoff (at least some version of cutoff) to them, compared to the older set like I have... Definitely no where near the nice cutoff line as the Trucklites have... but also no where near the cost either...

[Mudderoy]

I have been concerned about using white lights, over the yellowish ones. Since our eyes seen yellow better. I figured I'll go with these and I can always snap the yellow covers over the two 7" LED bars if I need to see in fog, etc...

The ones I ordered were $85 shipped. The one's referenced in the youtube video posting were about $115, but the ones I ordered appear to be the same ones just from a different seller on ebay.

2Pics 54W LED Work Light Offroad Driving Replacement Headlight Lamp 7inch IP68 | eBay

[bluedragon436]

Yeah I've driven my XJ a few times in some pretty dense fog, as well as some really good snow... and didn't have any real issues... cause I was kind of wondering how that would go, since there is no yellow light to the LED headlights... Once I get my light bar on my bumper I'm still thinking about picking up some covers just in case I find later that the yellow light would be needed during in climate weather conditions..

[Mudderoy]

LED headlights are in.

9377

[Mudderoy]

Oh what a pain in the ass! Nothing can be quick and easy with a Jeep.

So I hooked one light up and BOOM it worked! Hmmm seems a little dim...

9378

Came inside, did a little Google research, and found some car guys had some problems similar to mine. I had a suspicion that the plug wasn't wired correctly.

After some trial and error this combo worked.

9379

Oh yeah, much brighter!

9380

Money shot! I wonder if they saw this in Tyler, TX?
9381

[Mudderoy]

Ahhh! Almost forgot the light pattern shots...

IPF with 88/110 watt bulbs and CREE 7x6 headlights from Ebay.

9382

IPF certainly has a nicer pattern

[Mudderoy]

To contrast...

Amazon.com: SYLVANIA H6054 SilverStar High Performance Halogen Headlight 142x200, (Pack of 1): Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DFSluSfkL.@@AMEPARAM@@51DFSluSfkL

$25 each, so $50 for 2. These LED are $85

[Mudderoy]

9385

[Mudderoy]

Just the new headlights
9386

Every light mounted on the front of my Jeep!
9387

[MattybPDX]

I'm thinking of going led. Nothing really wrong with mine besides they are old and discolored. I go backroads to get home and the extra brightness would deff help these aging eyes.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[bluedragon436]

I'm thinking of going led. Nothing really wrong with mine besides they are old and discolored. I go backroads to get home and the extra brightness would deff help these aging eyes.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I used to go farm backroads to and from work every day.. and it was downright dangerous with the stock headlights... I did the wiring harness upgrade, and that helped some.. but once I did the Hella H4 housings with the 80/100w bulbs it was night and day difference and I felt far more confident... I no longer drive those backroads to and from work... but I know the LED headlights would definitely provide some BA lighting for safe travels!!

[bluedragon436]

So, Tony... since you have them installed... I can see in your comparison shot that there is no real cutoff... but was wondering if you had noticed when driving down the road behind folks, if it is shining up into their vehicles, especially rear view mirrors?? That is the issue I have with the set that I have, which is the older lower wattage, different lens version of these lights.. and have been contemplating upgrading to these lights, but didn't want to waste the money if that part won't be any better, but only brighter in their mirrors... I've heard that these were supposed to be even better, but figured I'd ask someone that I can trust their feedback...

[abebehrmann]

Are those street legal?

[Mudderoy]

Are those street legal?

How would I know?

[Mudderoy]

All I could find, so far...

1. Daytime running lights must be white or yellow or any mix of the two (Federal law)

2. No federal law exists that dictates headlight color, only intensity and leveling.

3. Texas forbids red as the only color not allowed on the front of the vehicle.

4. Blue, red, or white cannot be used on the front if it flashes. (see #3 again for red)

5. Engine cowl (washer lights) or fender markers must be amber or white.

6. Marker and parking lights must be white or amber on the front, and red or amber in the rear.

[abebehrmann]

How would I know?


I think the headlights need to say "SAE Certified" or "DOT Approved" on them to be street legal, although I doubt a police officer would say anything about it unless he was in a bad mood/was a Toyota bro.

The reason I ask is because the listing you posted calls them LED Worklights/ Offroad driving lights. A friend of mine in Florida bought some similar ones for his JK and he got pulled over and the officer was giving him a hard time about them.

[TallGuyJeep]

I think technically it's out of compliance if the lens isn't marked with the DOT symbol.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/TP-108-13.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwivnsqo2_DMAhUPWVIKHS5OBb0QFggeMAE&usg=AFQjCNFk_KzZXCsLR4UoIBujLkqpGLdOtQ&sig2=E0JjvTdteAIMzbLhanBwDQ

Page 206 under DOT marking

[Mudderoy]

I complained to the ebay seller about improper wiring of the plugs...


Hi Friend,
Yes, some jeep will need to switch the wiring. You did it right. You are an expert. Many thanks for you feedback. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Many thanks.

[abebehrmann]

i complained to the ebay seller about improper wiring of the plugs...

you're an expert!

[TeXJ]

Expert level: 2

HAHA :P

[Mudderoy]

Expert level: 2

HAHA :P

lol nothing better than a bit of suck up to a customer! :bacondance:

[4.3LXJ]

I complained to the ebay seller about improper wiring of the plugs...

Yes, the wiring can be both ways. I had to change the wires around on the wife's Crown Vkcky when I put some HIDs in it. It was really messed up and I was ready to send the stuff back until I changed the ground wire too

[Basslicks]

Ahhh! Almost forgot the light pattern shots...

IPF with 88/110 watt bulbs and CREE 7x6 headlights from Ebay.

9382

IPF certainly has a nicer pattern

any comparison shots of the spread pattern at a distance?

[Mudderoy]

any comparison shots of the spread pattern at a distance?

No. Dashcam is down. When I get it working correctly again, and I remember, I should be able to supply some.

[bluedragon436]

I complained to the ebay seller about improper wiring of the plugs...

I'm guessing by the way that the guy wrote his reply he was either being an ass... or he is from China where the lights are from originally... I know we have a semi local guy who is selling the same lights, and had to do the same thing on the lights he had, for them to work with the XJ's and YJ's... so guessing it's from the factory that way... or the wiring on XJ's in China are backwards or something... who knows.... Either way, at least they work for ya... Might have to jump on them.. we'll see...

[Mudderoy]

I'm guessing by the way that the guy wrote his reply he was either being an ass... or he is from China where the lights are from originally... I know we have a semi local guy who is selling the same lights, and had to do the same thing on the lights he had, for them to work with the XJ's and YJ's... so guessing it's from the factory that way... or the wiring on XJ's in China are backwards or something... who knows.... Either way, at least they work for ya... Might have to jump on them.. we'll see...

Nothing included in the box, just lights. How hard is it to put a piece of paper in there, or put it on the ebay ad?

[4.3LXJ]

Same problem with my HIDs I bought. No piece of paper to read either. But hey, we are real men and we don't need instructions :D

[Mudderoy]

https://youtu.be/zNM7aeGEJuE

[4.3LXJ]

Did you come up with that Tony?

[Mudderoy]

Did you come up with that Tony?

Only by researching, searching and purchasing for $9

[4.3LXJ]

Looks pretty slick

[Mudderoy]

Looks pretty slick

It's supposed to be able to control LED's up to 40 amps. The two LED headlights shouldn't be pulling more than 7.x amps. I've been running these LEDs for almost 24 hours now about 1/2 brightness. Nothing even warm and it's still on.

Next step will be to splice it into the headlights and see if it works the same way, certainly should work. If I can mount it where I think I can I'll be able to adjust the brightness of my headlights form normal to a$$hole. :D

[4.3LXJ]

Here is your master switch. He will make it for you without "rear lights", or put any other words on it for you

http://www.otrattw.net/CONTURA-V-FU-UPPER-DEPENDENT-LED-ONLY-V1D1BC0B-PZCFU-500.html

[Mudderoy]

https://youtu.be/2hcVOCNXca0

So what you are seeing here are dimmable LED headlights. This is step 2. The next and final step will be to move the control inside the cab of the vehicle. I'm actually considering a switch that will select 3 settings. Daytime driving lights (low brightness setting) Normal on road driving. Off road driving.

The thing I installed to dim the LEDs is a electronic system that turns the LEDs on and off rapidly. So fast your eyes only register it as a dimming. LEDs are either on or off, dropping voltage doesn't make them dimmer.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/370962506627

[Mudderoy]

I set the brightness to about 75%, I have no way of knowing exactly. This means the LED headlights are off about 25% of the time.

I took a drive last night about 10pm. Brightness seemed fine and I noticed the light reflecting off the road surface was now easier to look at without the violent vomiting from before. :D

Drove to work this morning, and I did have a few vehicles move into another lane then move back behind me. No one put their brights on me.

The brights from the rear happened a couple of times last week, but their were dimmed after a few seconds. Don't know if that means they made their point, figured not much light was getting around that spare tire on the back, or it enabled them to clearly see the 20" LED light bar staring them in the face. :D

I was able to get the dashcam issues sorted out so I'll have some video to show shortly.

For the time being I have the LED dimmer control under the hood of the Jeep, specifically tucked down between the battery and fender. Easy to adjust there, but not nearly so easy and from inside the cab.

I noticed they have a model dimmer that has the variable resister attached to the board via a few inches of wiring. I ordered one, and now my plan is to run the 4 wires inside the cab, and mount the board under the dash. The variable resister, or in this case brightness volume control, will be near the headlight switch.

I'll be able to adjust based on my mood.

I will mention that when the streets are wet out at night they get much darker, having the full brightness of the LEDs really help to see where the lines are, even in a heavy rain.

I'm sure it's not that great for the people around me, so with great power comes great responsibility!

[Basslicks]

Thanks for all your time in this, man. I'm still strongly considering this in place of my HIDs.

[Mudderoy]

https://youtu.be/ozZHXn1r6r8

[Carves]

Looks pretty slick


Looks downright useful too.

I may have to reconsider my opinion of LED options.



...................... If I can mount it where I think I can I'll be able to adjust the brightness of my headlights form normal to a$$hole. :D

Plenty of a$$holes down here that only know about max output.
I might suggest this setup to them .. :D


Thanks for the vid. You must enjoy your job - if you head off to work that early .. :D

but ... just coz I'm a little pedantic about annoying lights behind me,

I'm thinking you could probably angle the HL down a tad more, going by the beam pattern.

... maybe gaining favour with vehicles in front ... and without losing much lo-beam, visibility range ??

Good to see someone making the effort, to make non approved lighting, less obtrusive in normal driving scenarios .. :thumbsup:

[Mudderoy]

High praise indeed! lol I was thinking how low they are and thinking about angling them back up! The lighting pattern on these are very wide though, vertically, so I'll probably leave them as is.

After seeing the brightness is still about twice as bright as the other cars I think I'm going to lower the brightness a bit more.

I started going in early at the suggestion of my boss. With the flooding we had several weeks ago a major road was closed and this caused horrific traffic issues on I-10. Leaving that early allowed me to get to work in 35 to 40 minutes where before it was over an hour.

Still takes about 55 minutes to get home but it's not as bad as hitting it around 5pm.


Looks downright useful too.

I may have to reconsider my opinion of LED options.




Plenty of a$$holes down here that only know about max output.
I might suggest this setup to them .. :D


Thanks for the vid. You must enjoy your job - if you head off to work that early .. :D

but ... just coz I'm a little pedantic about annoying lights behind me,

I'm thinking you could probably angle the HL down a tad more, going by the beam pattern.

... maybe gaining favour with vehicles in front ... and without losing much lo-beam, visibility range ??

Good to see someone making the effort, to make non approved lighting, less obtrusive in normal driving scenarios .. :thumbsup:

[Mudderoy]

If I haven't ready said so, this LED headlight upgrade is one of the best lighting upgrades I've done. Very impressed with the brightness and the price! Even with the "dimmer" it was under $100.

[XJ Wheeler]

How's the side lighting? The video looks to be pretty narrow beam, straight ahead. I find myself struggling to see around a sharp turn already (especially with my gauges reflecting in the window) and the silverstars shine pretty well to the side.

Sent via messenger pigeon. I talk, he types.

[Mudderoy]

How's the side lighting? The video looks to be pretty narrow beam, straight ahead. I find myself struggling to see around a sharp turn already (especially with my gauges reflecting in the window) and the silverstars shine pretty well to the side.

Sent via messenger pigeon. I talk, he types.

That's a limitation of the dashcam. The two 7" LEDs do a good job at side lighting since they are flood, but seriously I don't need them even for the darkest of roads.

[XJ Wheeler]

I gotcha. When one of my silverstars goes (been waiting 11 years though) I'm planning on upgrading further. Enjoy seeing the detailed reviews cause headlights are important and sometimes it's hard to know how it will perform.

Sent via messenger pigeon. I talk, he types.

[Mudderoy]

I gotcha. When one of my silverstars goes (been waiting 11 years though) I'm planning on upgrading further. Enjoy seeing the detailed reviews cause headlights are important and sometimes it's hard to know how it will perform.

Sent via messenger pigeon. I talk, he types.

Yeah but you don't use them much do you? Either that or the quality has changed. I've replaced the one's in the 99 about 3 times in as many years. Not both, but one died, replaced, and died again. Not sure if it was the same one.

The TJ had one go bad in just over a year too.

[XJ Wheeler]

Yeah but you don't use them much do you? Either that or the quality has changed. I've replaced the one's in the 99 about 3 times in as many years. Not both, but one died, replaced, and died again. Not sure if it was the same one.

The TJ had one go bad in just over a year too.
Yeah, not a ton. I usually only get to drive it once or twice a week. Although that's almost primarily at night. So they're only on maybe 1-2 Hours a week, at most. So pretty babied. But still surprised they haven't had a seal issue, bad contact, or something. For the money ($25 a piece back then) I've been happy.

Sent via messenger pigeon. I talk, he types.

[4.3LXJ]

Yeah but you don't use them much do you? Either that or the quality has changed. I've replaced the one's in the 99 about 3 times in as many years. Not both, but one died, replaced, and died again. Not sure if it was the same one.

The TJ had one go bad in just over a year too.

I have had that problem with silverstars too. That is why I don't use them anymore

[bluedragon436]

If I haven't ready said so, this LED headlight upgrade is one of the best lighting upgrades I've done. Very impressed with the brightness and the price! Even with the "dimmer" it was under $100.

You should look into making more dimmer setups... and selling them... maybe for folks like me.. that don't have the wiring/engineering knowledge!! LOL

[Basslicks]

I set the brightness to about 75%, I have no way of knowing exactly. This means the LED headlights are off about 25% of the time.

I took a drive last night about 10pm. Brightness seemed fine and I noticed the light reflecting off the road surface was now easier to look at without the violent vomiting from before. :D

Drove to work this morning, and I did have a few vehicles move into another lane then move back behind me. No one put their brights on me.

The brights from the rear happened a couple of times last week, but their were dimmed after a few seconds. Don't know if that means they made their point, figured not much light was getting around that spare tire on the back, or it enabled them to clearly see the 20" LED light bar staring them in the face. :D

I was able to get the dashcam issues sorted out so I'll have some video to show shortly.

For the time being I have the LED dimmer control under the hood of the Jeep, specifically tucked down between the battery and fender. Easy to adjust there, but not nearly so easy and from inside the cab.

I noticed they have a model dimmer that has the variable resister attached to the board via a few inches of wiring. I ordered one, and now my plan is to run the 4 wires inside the cab, and mount the board under the dash. The variable resister, or in this case brightness volume control, will be near the headlight switch.

I'll be able to adjust based on my mood.

I will mention that when the streets are wet out at night they get much darker, having the full brightness of the LEDs really help to see where the lines are, even in a heavy rain.

I'm sure it's not that great for the people around me, so with great power comes great responsibility!

Looking at this and reading this again... essentially, the "dimmer" is an "oscillator", no? Since it's just turning the lights on and off rapidly to create a "dimming" effect, I would assume that's what it is anyway. I'm only asking for the sake of acquiring parts if/when I decide to go this route.

[Mudderoy]

Looking at this and reading this again... essentially, the "dimmer" is an "oscillator", no? Since it's just turning the lights on and off rapidly to create a "dimming" effect, I would assume that's what it is anyway. I'm only asking for the sake of acquiring parts if/when I decide to go this route.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-and-dirty-Pulse-Width-Modulation-PWM-Wi/

[Basslicks]

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-and-dirty-Pulse-Width-Modulation-PWM-Wi/

Ooohhhhhkay, that makes more sense. Thaks!

[Basslicks]

Got to experience these first hand today. I was over at a friend's house grabbing parts off his parts jeep and he was working on a set of fog light LED cubes... turned on these headlights and WHOA!!!! Suckers are definitely bright! Not sure how he has his wired though, 'cause the low beams on his was just the "T" formation and the highbeams is the whole array.

Either way though, I think I can definitely see an upgrade to these in my future.

[Mudderoy]

I'm looking forward to getting the new control box in so I can adjust the brightness as I drive. I could put the one I have now in the cab but it would just be a box laying around with wires, rather have a perm installation.

[Outlaw star]

Just picked these up and they are bright. Might try that dimmer switch idea you found.http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160723/68643e1ae654057f460ef1fecd65d6c7.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160723/9f344011cbef3dc0df98f97ae1c06610.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160723/4f77f856e3f3c35e45c68bb6595314e2.jpg

[Basslicks]

Looks like high and low beams are on... what do the low beams look like?

[Outlaw star]

Looks like high and low beams are on... what do the low beams look like?
That IS the low beam. Lolhttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160724/9b2ea49d26f15c9a268c7cb8dbdf7fac.jpg

Here's the high.http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160724/ee4871dd5aa9a04ec0f4146a7a78c919.jpg

Sent from my SM-J700P using Tapatalk

[Basslicks]

That IS the low beam. Lolhttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160724/9b2ea49d26f15c9a268c7cb8dbdf7fac.jpg

Here's the high.http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160724/ee4871dd5aa9a04ec0f4146a7a78c919.jpg

Sent from my SM-J700P using Tapatalk

Wow... so all 9 lights are on at all times hi beam or low beam?

[Outlaw star]

The outers are low beam. The large one is the high beam

Sent from my SM-J700P using Tapatalk

[Basslicks]

Ah ok

[bluedragon436]

Got to experience these first hand today. I was over at a friend's house grabbing parts off his parts jeep and he was working on a set of fog light LED cubes... turned on these headlights and WHOA!!!! Suckers are definitely bright! Not sure how he has his wired though, 'cause the low beams on his was just the "T" formation and the highbeams is the whole array.

Either way though, I think I can definitely see an upgrade to these in my future.

That's how the LED headlights I have work, is a T formation for low beam, and the complete assembly for high beams... Love them... have been very happy with them, and even more so once I got them aimed a bit better.. I will say I wish they had a better cutoff... I have heard the assemblies like the ones Lee has.. supposedly have a better cutoff.. but not sure if I want to spend the money to find out, or just keep rolling with the ones I already have, and have no real issues with!!

[Outlaw star]

That's how the LED headlights I have work, is a T formation for low beam, and the complete assembly for high beams... Love them... have been very happy with them, and even more so once I got them aimed a bit better.. I will say I wish they had a better cutoff... I have heard the assemblies like the ones Lee has.. supposedly have a better cutoff.. but not sure if I want to spend the money to find out, or just keep rolling with the ones I already have, and have no real issues with!!
I got a U shape for Lows and a large spot for High.

Roy, how is that dimmer function holding up? I'm considering it for mine.

[bluedragon436]

I got a U shape for Lows and a large spot for High.

Roy, how is that dimmer function holding up? I'm considering it for mine.

Yeah I've been looking at the setup like the ones you have... I have the older lower wattage version of the ones Tony got in the OP... I was just saying those have a T-shape for low beam, and full assembly for high beams.. I like the output of the LED lights for sure... Like I said before, I really wish they had a better cutoff, to avoid pissing off folks, especially when I pass them on the road... But at least I know I'll be able to safely see when driving down the road @ night, especially on backroads where the wildlife like to roam!!

[Basslicks]

That's how the LED headlights I have work, is a T formation for low beam, and the complete assembly for high beams... Love them... have been very happy with them, and even more so once I got them aimed a bit better.. I will say I wish they had a better cutoff... I have heard the assemblies like the ones Lee has.. supposedly have a better cutoff.. but not sure if I want to spend the money to find out, or just keep rolling with the ones I already have, and have no real issues with!!

Yeah, I'm actually kinda torn between the two setups. I kinda like the LOOK of the full array style like what you and Roy have, but it seems like the functionality may be a little better with Lee's. I've also had the privilege of seeing the style you have on my friend's Jeep...

So I guess I'm just kinda laying back right now and waiting for you guys to get the bugs worked out before I jump into either of them ;)

http://jokideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Im-not-lazy-meme.jpg

[bluedragon436]

Yeah, I'm actually kinda torn between the two setups. I kinda like the LOOK of the full array style like what you and Roy have, but it seems like the functionality may be a little better with Lee's. I've also had the privilege of seeing the style you have on my friend's Jeep...

So I guess I'm just kinda laying back right now and waiting for you guys to get the bugs worked out before I jump into either of them ;)

http://jokideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Im-not-lazy-meme.jpg

Like I said, I got the lower wattage (45w instead of 55w) version of the ones Tony has.. I haven't had any issues out of them. Only reason I've thought of going to the style like Lee has, is if it had a better cutoff.. but from I gather looking at pictures of folks outputs, it looks like it's pretty much the same output, so no difference in cutoff... so no reason for me to spend the money on another setup..

[Pinkyman]

Hmmmmmm.......... Deer and hunting season is right around the corner, and the Jeep is going to be put through the paces. I may have to invest in some of these LED headlights. I just wants the lights though, i dont want to have to wire up dimmers and all that :(

Does anyone have links to ones that you have used and had good luck with?