The problem is not in the wiring. That should be easy. Aiming is the show stopper here. I suppose you could keep the low beams on ( aiming low and near) while in High beam( aiming high and far), but you would not want the High beams to stay on (even on only 6 LEDs) when crossing another car or city driving in Low beam. So using the four head lights together is only possible in high beam. If that makes any sense?
@mistershmi, any chance to take a picture of the beam pattern against a wall to view cut off? Still working on the interior of my van, but hope to get to this soon. -Josh
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikerjosh
hey man, sorry I've been AWOL for the last month. i moved up to the seattle area and my van is still in utah at the moment. im planning on going back to get it maybe around the holidays or in spring (to see the family) and making a trip of it on the way back (do some camping and what not)
i was so busy with the move i didn't get a chance to test the pattern at all. sorry about that. once i get it back i will make sure to do it.
I've had a set of these sitting in my cart at Amazon for almost 2 years now. Too afraid to pull the trigger due to not knowing how the light pattern will disperse (same concern everybody else has). If I find out they will light things up "down the road" and not blind other drivers, I'll do the upgrade too. Until then, I'm still running my OE type sealed beams. Tim
I installed the drivers side about 5 months ago and then got lazy and just installed the passenger side last week.
The drivers side set has held up well, but I can tell the set I put on last week looks slightly newer and clearer. These are plastic, not glass, so I don't expect them to last forever like the halogens.
I adjusted them by parking behind another car on the street about 5-8 feet back (like how far you would be at a stop light). I had to adjust them down quite a bit! So far I haven't gotten flashed by any on coming cars and I have passed several cops.
The lights look awesome and perform so much better then the originals. Worth the $100 for sure. They bring a touch of modern to the van for sure!
Installation advice - Do both sides at the same time. You may need to rearrange the pins on the lights, but either they will work or they won't. I had to move some around on one side, but I did buy my lights open box.
I did end up setting my low beams to have all 15 LEDs on. Super bright and nice at night.
Still haven't the pulled the trigger on LED headlights, one of the things I wasn't crazy was the way the lights looked; themselves. Found these in two different styles Clear and Traditional (ok, not sure what to call it-normal)?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J4GFS52...19c99a0a4510_S
Attachment 4792
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=AFCK09M9VCUCF
Attachment 4793
Tempting, maybe once I repaint the van, I'll spring for a couple pairs?
Definitely keep us posted. I still haven't pulled the trigger on the ones I've been considering. I've been burned by poor quality headlights before, so I'm very hesitant to buy unless I get specific information regarding how well they defuse light. Also, I would rather avoid plastic lenses. OE plastic usually isn't the greatest, but it's acceptable. I got some replacement Chinese headlights for my Previa once, and those things turned yellow in 6 months. Didn't really matter though because light diffusion was so terrible you couldn't aim them or see worth a crap........even from day 1. I noticed the other day I have a crack in one of my OE style headlamps, so I'm debating on going with Sylvanias from WalMart agian, or perhaps trying some LEDs.........tough choice (unless somebody can give me a good review). Tim
Personally, I'd go with something like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JNXAL2...technical-data
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....1L._SX300_.jpg
These are not in stock, but have glass lenses and take H4 bulbs.
On my Vanagon I got Cibie H4 7" round e-codes, and they were awesome lights. Easily outperformed the original sealed beam lights that were on the bus. Better than the Depo HIDs I put in my A4 (though I did use a cheap DDM HID ballast and capsule).
In scrolling through those pics on the Amazon listing, I'd be worried they stick out too far in the back. If that's the case I suppose you could cut the baskets and use a hole saw on the sheet metal behind, but the holes would come through to the area under the dash. If anybody tries these and verifies feasability and/or works out another solution, please post. Tim
Lol, I just found those on eBay.............based on the price I think it's safe to assume I will not be trying these :LOL2:. Tim
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GENSSI-4x6-H...lVWjQh&vxp=mtr
At that price they better come with either $950 or more in the box or add 100hp & 30+mpg.:clap:
Ouch that price is high.
What about these?? https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Housing...N09XTEWKCEW6TR
$42, glass lenses.
Actually, these Hellas seem better--and I would prefer the look of them as well (though I have a Previa, not a TV currently).
https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-0031778...BB992ABQTJ8C3K
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....QL._SX355_.jpg
$100 a pair.
Darn! I clicked on the 1st link for the $42 ones, and on a whim bought 2 pair. Then I came back here to find that last post...........I agree, I like the 2nd ones better as they look like OE. Also they look the same as the factory depth. On the ones I just purchased it doesn't show pics or dimensions of the back, so I guess I'll be the guinea pig for that. I'll keep you posted as to how they fit and how they perform. Price was reasonable at least (assuming they work). Tim
I put some hella h4 conversions in my 93 Toyota pickup and they're great quality. Glass lenses, came with standard h4 bulbs. Much better than the stock sealed beams
Sorry I've sorta been AWOL in the forum and haven't been able to give updates on my LEDs, I moved up to WA state and have been looking for work so my van is still in Utah. Probably going to pick it up in the spring (march possibly?)
anyway, ideally I'd like to get some housings with glass lenses and LED h4 equivalent bulb. The ones bikerjosh posted look intriguing...
@timsrv- Looking forward to hear your findings.
All four of my oem lights have condensation inside just from sitting in the rain. Not exactly "sealed beam" i guess? :wall:
@timsrv,Quote:
Originally Posted by timsrv
did you get a chance to try out these lights?
thanks
Due to all the weather problems UPS got delayed. Finally came yesterday, but sadly they are huge on the back and I doubt they will fit. I think I might buy the Hellas too, at least then it won't be a waste of time taking my old lights out. I'll report back what fits and what doesn't........eventually :yes:. Tim
I wanted LED headlights, myself, but after reading the thread I decided to buy the Hella H4 conversions. I was highly motivated after driving home in one of the storms we had in Northern California recently, and with those old dim lights I hit a few "stream crossings" on the road before I saw them. The first two were Amazon warehouse deals ($35.78 ea), which only included the reflector housings. I bought Philips X-treme Vision H4 bulbs ($26/pair) to go in those. After fooling around with those and trying to figure out which wire should have gone where, I bought a Hella conversion kit that included two reflectors, two bulbs, and two adapter harnesses (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G72UE0 ). That was $99 a couple days ago when I bought it, but I see it's only $86 now. Grab some quick!
Even though the inner lights are high beam only, I still put the H4 hi/lo bulb in them and only used the high beam connection. There's no need to swap leads in the connector for the H4, they line up correctly as they are .
The Hella housings fit perfectly, install quickly, and look conventional. One thing about those old dim sealed beams, they weren't sealed any more. The lenses fell off the reflector housings when I removed them. They were dim partly because halogens get dim over time anyway, but mostly because much of the reflective coating inside was gone.
This is the beam comparison, looking up the dirt road in front of my house ( though the difference is more impressive on a straight stretch of dark pavement):
Attachment 4913
(the line across is a crack in the windshield, and the silhouette is the Scooby Doo on the dash)
So while I didn't get the LEDs I wanted, and I spent about twice as much, I really like the way these turned out.
John