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By charliemccraney - 7 Years Ago
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I got some JW Speaker 8700 Evolution 2 headlights for the truck. They are a direct replacement of the sealed beam. 2 amp low beam, 3 amp high beam ~28w and 42w. DOT and SAE. If you had told me that I could have simple plug and play headlights, that rival those which come on new, high end cars, I would have thought you were joking. However, they exist. Technology is awesome.
These pictures show that they are clearly better than the Sylvania halogen sealed beams I had, but they still do not do these lights justice.
I'm not particularly fond of the modern look of the lights on the truck, However, the added safety of being able to see much more in front of me makes the aesthetic acceptable. These lights are available with a chrome or black bezel. I went with chrome since it does look more like a traditional lens, at a glance, than black. Black might look pretty good on darker colored vehicles.
Halogen left, LED Right
Low beam top, high beam bottom
Low beam:
High beam:
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By miker - 7 Years Ago
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Thanks for posting that Charlie. I'm not sure I could live with those on the 'bird, and I don't drive it that much at night. But I've got a couple OT cars with pop up lights or doors. Even though they're pricey, that's the solution. Wait till you're closing in on cataract replacements due to age. No such thing as too much light for me now. No rewiring, relays, etc. can't beat it.
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By charliemccraney - 7 Years Ago
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Maybe as the technology continues to develop, a classic looking version will become available.
Another option, for those wanting the classic look with more modern lighting, is to use H4 conversions, such as Hella Vision Plus, but use an LED H4 bulb.
Something I forgot is for the JW Speaker lights, they are thicker where the retaining ring goes to hold the light in place. About a 1/8" spacer (or stack of washers) for each of the 3 screws will help to ensure that you do not distort or put excess stress on that ring.
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By paul2748 - 7 Years Ago
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wow - 500 bucks - you better get better light for the price.
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By charliemccraney - 7 Years Ago
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Huge difference and they supposedly last longer, which cuts down on the total cost - we'll see about that, though. I haven't had an LED flashlight last much more than a year, even when USA made. Hopefully it's not the same with headlights.
I became aware of https://vintagecarleds.com today. They use H4 housings with LED H4 replacement bulbs and are priced much less.
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By miker - 7 Years Ago
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Thanks Charlie. When I figure the time and cost of relays and new wiring to them, the look and price of those units come more into line. Good H4 housings, like Hella or Cibie aren't cheap to begin with.
I had several daily drivers with 60/100 watt H4's, relays, heavy wiring, etc. Illegal as hell then. Both Marchal and Cibie housings. On a clear night on long straight back roads, they'd show a reflective stop sign from over half a mile. It was the last 6 of 30 miles on my way home and dairy country. If there was a cow out there, I really wanted to see it.
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By charliemccraney - 7 Years Ago
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Yep, the really good H4 bulbs can cost over $100ea, so a top notch H4 setup can get get to be $400-$500 quite easily and be a much more involved install.
Edit: It looks like H4 bulbs are much cheaper since I last checked, about $50.00ea for high end ones, so $300-$400 for a top notch H4 install.
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By baldmustang - 7 Years Ago
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Hello, I had cataract surgery about 6 years ago. It was one of the best things that I have done. I went in for surgery once for each eye about 6 months apart. There was no pain and 4 hours later I had 20-20 vision. Super easy and super great. Insurance covered most of it. If you can afford it go for the latest high definition lenses.
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By rontron - 7 Years Ago
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Where did you buy them at Charlie?
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By charliemccraney - 7 Years Ago
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Amazon
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By prosycamore - 7 Years Ago
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I can't view the photos, Charlie.
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By charliemccraney - 7 Years Ago
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Yeah. That's due to the fairly recent Phoobucket policy change. I haven't looked for an alternative, yet.
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By charliemccraney - 7 Years Ago
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I used to think headlights were getting too bright. Lately I haven't though.
A lot depends on the lens and reflector, and how the light is projected. I think newer lights are getting much better with the pattern they project and exactly where the light goes, which makes them seem less bright from the perspective of oncoming traffic.
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By slumlord444 - 7 Years Ago
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I installed halagon headlights in my Bird many years back. Cheap and much better than originals plus look stock. Not sure I need more at this time. Wife's Mini Cooper has the optional headlights that realy show the side of the road on low beams. Good for spotting deer and other animals. Brights are really bright but don't realy need them a lot.
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By 30 coupe - 7 Years Ago
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I really do not like the Blue headlights, they really hurt my eyes from on coming cars. maybe they are good if you are behind the wheel of a vehicle with them I don't know
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By FORD DEARBORN - 7 Years Ago
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Greetings to all: I'll try to post here a link to a very interesting website which separates fact from fiction regarding the blue filtered bulbs. Hope this helps...........JEFF http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/good/good.html
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By charliemccraney - 7 Years Ago
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Interesting. I've been skeptical of the blue or purple lights. Whenever I've been in a car that had those, I've always thought the visibility was bad. My thought is that our eyes have evolved to be most useful in sunlight, which is whiter, and slightly blue so anything other than that would make it more difficult to see. Filters dimming the light does help to explain reduced visibility.
There is a YouTube channel called Headlight Revolution where they did a comparison of 12 different LED headlights, measuring the lumen output, observing beam pattern and testing them on a dark road. That helped me decide on the ones I bought. This particular series is focused on purpose built LED headlights, headlights designed from the ground up for LED use, rather than something like an H4 conversion bulb. They do review other types of lights on the channel, as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qStRHOFRcY&list=PLhombf0sgTNy-fsw4tf24UzBKHGQEoX7D
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By paul2748 - 7 Years Ago
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Check this out. LED headlights at a much lower cost
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/led-headlights.1072886/#post-12178791
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By charliemccraney - 7 Years Ago
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I can't see what is at the link. It says I have to be logged in. I don't have an account there.
There are much cheaper options. Just remember, you tend to get what you pay for.
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By miker - 7 Years Ago
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FWIW this is the eBay listing that review takes you to. I didn't read all the comments, just picked up the link.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/H6024-6014-Crystal-Glass-Metal-Headlight-CREE-SMD-360-LED-Light-Bulb-Headlamp-/332022930176?rmvSB=true&ul_ref=https%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F711-53200-19255-0%252F1%253Ftype%253D3%2526campId%253D5337012795%2526toolId%253D10001%2526customId%253Dj6bicfmim40025g100004%2526mpre%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.com%25252Fitm%25252FH6024-6014-Crystal-Glass-Metal-Headlight-CREE-SMD-360-LED-Light-Bulb-Headlamp-%25252F332022930176%2526srcrot%253D711-53200-19255-0%2526rvr_id%253D1283348924893&ul_noapp=true
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By ledjon - 7 Years Ago
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I'm thinking of upgrading my headlights with LEDs also.
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By yknot - 6 Years Ago
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Here's a cheaper alternative, Bulbs are readily available at any parts store.
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By prosycamore - 6 Years Ago
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I'm looking for an aftermarket site where I can conveniently choose a LED light.
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By charliemccraney - 6 Years Ago
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. I found a good comparison on Youtube. The youtube channel was called Headlight Revolution. They had a series called Led Headlight Shootout. There are probably updates by now.
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By prosycamore - 6 Years Ago
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Got a link?
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By charliemccraney - 6 Years Ago
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https://www.youtube.com/user/HeadlightRevolution
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By paul2748 - 6 Years Ago
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Interesting Charlie
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By prosycamore - 6 Years Ago
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Impressive video.
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By charliemccraney - 6 Years Ago
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It's not one video, it's a Youtube channel with lots of videos. Search through them and also search youtube for more from others to help decide what you want.
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