Headlight upgrades, my experience.

[djroberts]

Hi all,
I was recently contacted by another Outers member to find out some information on upgrading the lights in his 4wd. I then realised that this information should be shared with everyone on here so, to save me retyping all of it i will just post the letters i wrote:

** Initial letter

Hi Outers member,

Yeah i have spent a lot of time and money playing with different globes, relays and wiring setups.

I first started with an HID h4 set for the 80 and my father’s troopy. These were absolute rubbish and there was a website i previously had bookmarked (gone now and can’t find it) which was published by a physicist explaining the shortfalls of HID technology, the globes and the light they emit. Long story short, they were dangerous.
I then set to making my own incandescent setup. Ultimately, i found that the cheap ($10-$25) 100w-150w globe you can buy from Autopro etc. are unreliable and only last for about 1-2hrs. This begins to get expensive when you have an 80 series and 4 headlamps! So, I decided to bight the bullet and buy a set of the ipf fatboy xenon globes, which you speak of, and haven’t looked back since. I have four of them in my 80 and 2 in the troopy. They have been there for about 3 years now and i do a lot of night driving. They produce good light to the extent that my driving lights are now pretty much redundant. They do seem to burn hotter than stock globes but i have not had any issues with the lenses however, they do burn cooler than the cheap-high wattage-globes (memory is hazy but i think i melted a couple of plugs). To take advantage of the extra power i put a set of ipf reflectors in, the old ones were dusty inside.

One last thing that I have considered and I will end up doing in the future (after my ls2 is in) is the redundancy system on the Landcruiser for the headlights. The left and right headlights on most trucks (with factory wiring) have left and right circuits i.e. wiring, relays, fuses etc. so that if one component of the system fails you don’t lose all you’re lights, just half of them. To remedy this you would essentially need to make two whole loom upgrades for the left and right sides with separate relays and fuses etc. that way you would retain the factory reliability and safety. There are no aftermarket manufactures of loom upgrade kits that i know of that take this into account, which is unfortunate because from a legal perspective i think that they would then become liable.

Hope that helps you in some way. I can dig out some pics of the wiring setup etc. if you are interested.

Best regards,

David.

P.s. I found that website. It’s very interesting the things he says:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech ... sions.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

** and second letter on where to get parts:

Trying to find IPF equipment anywhere other than ARB has been difficult for me in the past. So i must admit that i payed the ARB price for the globes and reflectors – that is all. Everything else i made myself. I purchased solid state relays, wire, connecters and fuse holders from Jaycar and new H4 connectors from Repco and then soldered it all together myself. It was a bit tricky though to get them to switch properly – a diode fixed that though.

If you are interested in making your own setup i still have the wiring plans i used too.

Use good quality gear for everything because the slightest voltage drop can reduce the lights performance dramatically.

Cheers, David.

As i said in the letters i am happy to help with pictures/diagrams of wiring.

-D.

[GUtripper]

Got to admit, I went from Phillips 'plus 80' globes -similar to fat boys- and upgraded loom to 55w hid's in the STD GU4 headlights and it was a backwards step. Whilst the actual light was whiter and brighter, the focus was absolute crap due primarily to the way the hid globe produces light.

100w hid kit in the xgt's however was a definite upgrade...... When they work. They regularly take it in turns (ie each side) refusing to fire on start up.

[Hamo]

I 2nd the hid's in a 80 series is nothing but a waste of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
I have since gone back to the stock lamps with a pirana loom, i might chuck some better globes in them later but they now work that good im happy the way it is.

[Kitika]

Did you replace the whole light/reflector or just the globes with the hid setup? The HID conversion I did on my 80 which was the whole light and globe setup hobzee used to sell and it is awesome. I pulled my spotlights off because the hid's just outshone them and had made them useless.

[djroberts]

Did you replace the whole light/reflector or just the globes with the hid setup? The HID conversion I did on my 80 which was the whole light and globe setup hobzee used to sell and it is awesome. I pulled my spotlights off because the hid's just outshone them and had made them useless.

Admittedly it was only the globes which i replaced however, at the time, the kit was over $700. The point that Daniel makes on his website isn’t specifically how the light reflects but the colour which the lights will emit:

“Probably the biggest issue is HID headlamps' significantly worse colour rendering index (CRI), which is in the high-60s to low-70s range. Halogen headlamps' CRI tends to be around 90 to 97 or so. In English, this means that the human eye's colour perception and differentiation is much, much better under halogen light than under the light produced by automotive HID headlamps.”

I will admit though, the HID technology has come a long way since its beginnings to the point where it can be used safely on our roads but, it has still only come from a marketing pitch. People like the dazzle of the HID and the colours – I mean, who doesn’t want to look like they’re on the ‘Fast and Furious’?

[Hamo]

Did you replace the whole light/reflector or just the globes with the hid setup? The HID conversion I did on my 80 which was the whole light and globe setup hobzee used to sell and it is awesome. I pulled my spotlights off because the hid's just outshone them and had made them useless.

Yes i replaced the whole lot. Now it's just a pile of crap sitting in my back room & it was less than 12 months ago so it wasnt just the old tecnoligy. Just had a look 55w too.

Telling people not to buy hid's is just like telling pootrol driver's not to buy a nissan.
They just dont listen.

[chimpboy]

I have found, time after time, that the best headlight upgrades are:

- better cable + relays
- higher wattage/better quality globes

In that order, too - cable first. Pretty much all factory looms use cable that's too light.

I have put in new cable, relays, and 130/90W H4 lamps in a couple of vehicles recently; the light output is great. I won't bother getting into what I see as the negatives of HID as a headlight mod, IMHO there are quite a few of them though.

[djroberts]

I have found, time after time, that the best headlight upgrades are:

- better cable + relays
- higher wattage/better quality globes

In that order, too - cable first. Pretty much all factory looms use cable that's too light.

I have put in new cable, relays, and 130/90W H4 lamps in a couple of vehicles recently; the light output is great. I won't bother getting into what I see as the negatives of HID as a headlight mod, IMHO there are quite a few of them though.

I agree with you 100% however, i do have one thing to say about the 130/90 watt bulbs. If they are indeed IPF globes, I experimented with those too and found them only to last for about 3-4 hours of night driving and they were HOT! - ended up buying two sets of them unitl i got the fatboys which i think are 80/90 watts. Even had the sales rep. at ARB telling me my wiring was allowing too many volts in!!

I don't even want to know how much i have spent trying different setups. Sometimes i think it is better to learn from other peoples mistakes.

[chimpboy]

I have found, time after time, that the best headlight upgrades are:

- better cable + relays
- higher wattage/better quality globes

In that order, too - cable first. Pretty much all factory looms use cable that's too light.

I have put in new cable, relays, and 130/90W H4 lamps in a couple of vehicles recently; the light output is great. I won't bother getting into what I see as the negatives of HID as a headlight mod, IMHO there are quite a few of them though.

I agree with you 100% however, i do have one thing to say about the 130/90 watt bulbs. If they are indeed IPF globes, I experimented with those too and found them only to last for about 3-4 hours of night driving and they were HOT! - ended up buying two sets of them unitl i got the fatboys which i think are 80/90 watts. Even had the sales rep. at ARB telling me my wiring was allowing too many volts in!!

I don't even want to know how much i have spent trying different setups. Sometimes i think it is better to learn from other peoples mistakes.

Now you mention it, I think the last time I tried to buy 130/90 I could only find 100/90 or something. Maybe they were blowing too fast for everyone.

Just checking... in fact the last pair of globes I bought was: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ws/eBayISAPI ... 0830107751" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Generic brand but they have been really good, they are on my D21 Navara (single headlamps only) and they make it feel like a much newer car in terms of light output.

[Mrowka]

Getting anyone to install relays or upgrade wiring here is impossible so far.

Everyone I talk to says "Just chuck in a $50 HID kit and go wild! Blind yourself and at the same time, have fun blinding your fellow drivers! Then, for extra luls, install spotties and drive around the city with those and your hi-beams on!"

I am trying to figure out how to do the upgrades myself, since getting help is not working so far.

[chimpboy]

Getting anyone to install relays or upgrade wiring here is impossible so far.

Everyone I talk to says "Just chuck in a $50 HID kit and go wild! Blind yourself and at the same time, have fun blinding your fellow drivers! Then, for extra luls, install spotties and drive around the city with those and your hi-beams on!"

I am trying to figure out how to do the upgrades myself, since getting help is not working so far.

It's pretty damn easy. What vehicle?

[GUtripper]

Getting anyone to install relays or upgrade wiring here is impossible so far.

Everyone I talk to says "Just chuck in a $50 HID kit and go wild! Blind yourself and at the same time, have fun blinding your fellow drivers! Then, for extra luls, install spotties and drive around the city with those and your hi-beams on!"

I am trying to figure out how to do the upgrades myself, since getting help is not working so far.

You could always contact Piranha and get them to send you a loom and globes..... sure they would send them OS. Make sure you let them know if you drive a Toyota as they are switched differently.
http://www.piranhaoffroad.com.au/index. ... ing-lights" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Plug and play, easier than doing it yourself especially if you arent up to speed with wiring.