Metric TLC E-vision LED H4 install (1 Viewer)

[Weber Sarge]

Finally got a chance to get a set and install these LED retrofit bulbs into my IPF e-cut housings .

Here's where to get the bulbs -
http://shop.metrictlc.com/E-Vision-LED-Headlights-EV-H.htm

Here's a link to the IPF housings -
http://www.ironpigoffroad.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=87


First , how they look out of the box assembled -








All connectors are protected from the weather and appear to be of very good quality . All the parts in the harness as well as the bulbs themselves are stout and robustly built - no worries there . Only possible very minor complaint could be the gauge of the stamped bulb base - it's a bit thin and can bend fairly easily . Otherwise , I can see these easily lasting their claimed lifespan .





A few tips about the install into the IPF and other H4 housings -

One , the IPF housings use a rubber boot to seal the connection area and retainer on the bulb at the rear of the housing . These DO NOT need to be modified , simply turn the led's metal H4 base counterclockwise 1/4 turn to release it .



cont'd below....

Sarge

 

[Weber Sarge]

Once removed , the H4 adapter ring can be installed into the housing like this - making sure to install the ring outward away from the rear of the housing . Large tab on the adapter ring goes to the top on H4's .



Once the adapter ring is installed you can install the rubber boot over the adapter ring and snap it into place . The center of the rubber boot is a bit of a tight fit ( a good thing ) so be gentle and possibly use a small screwdriver to help expand the boot over the ring . I do not recommend using any lubricant - it's not necessary and may migrate into the housing or bulb's electronics .
Boot and adapter ring when properly installed will look like this -



On the driver's side , it may be necessary on some Cruisers to loosen and rotate the horn out of the way to insert the bulb into the adapter ring/rubber boot . The wire coming from the bulb will start at about 4 o'clock position , push in tightly and rotate the bulb assembly/fan to the 6 o'clock position to lock it . The internal tabs inside the adapter ring are pretty precise , use some care here and you'll feel it drop into it's groove before locking . No gorilla grips here , gentle pressure is more than adequate .

Bulb installed -



You can see in the above pic how the wiring harness exits the bulb from the 6 o'clock position - this is locked into the adapter/housing . A gentle tug will verify it's locked in place . If you had to loosen the horn mount , don't forget to tighten it back down as that's how they get their ground .

I will try to finish up and tidy the wiring tomorrow .

Cont'd....
Sarge

 

[Weber Sarge]

Here's a side view with the LED unit installed . They do protrude a bit but it really shouldn't interfere with most accessories - even on the passenger side in front of the overflow tank .



Just for giggles , here's a quick shot of the LED vs Sylvania Silverstar - LED is on driver's side . Quite a stark contrast in color temperature .



The stark difference in light color on the snow - you'll notice the much whiter light on the left and a much brighter pattern on the ground itself .




Here's both LED's on low beam , absolutely no adjustments have been made for aiming these lights compared to the halogen bulbs . I did have them set a bit low already and no change in height -





High beam - both LED's -



Just a couple notes -

These lights haven't been adjusted , it's about 14*F and I'm getting old - will work on pattern shots , road shots and final adjustments tomorrow . Initial impressions are great , color temp of 5500k is dead on what they should be . I do not like 6000k+ color temps as they do not light up wet asphalt very well and can produce some odd flashback in snow/fog . 5500k is a very balanced white light and will illuminate signs and roadway evenly without color washing . I work construction on many of our highways and Interstates and have watched high-color temp equipped cars go by at night and not even illuminate our signs - or my safety apparel . Been clipped a couple times pretty hard from drivers that are unable to see us due to crappy headlights . This color temp does not cause that issue and will show photo's this week to prove it .

My main interests here are to get a whiter and more even light (the Silverstar bulbs are no slouch by any means) and still retain the IPF's excellent top cutoff line . I prefer these housing due to that cutoff line as lifted , short-wheelbase 4x4's can be irritating to other drivers - resulting in getting flashed since they think your high beams are on . The IPF's control the light output very well and keep the usable light on the ground at a specified cutoff line . Will get some shots tomorrow night hoping the LED's keep this cutoff and initial pattern shows it's still there . Most aftermarket retrofits splatter light all over and do not allow the housing's reflector to do it's job at concentrating light where it's needed . It appears these LED's will not adversely affect the reflector .

Not to mention , lower power consumption is a nice bonus .

More to come , fire away with any questions -

Sarge

 

[Stumpalama]

Nice write up! Those look great. I wonder if these would work in round eye housings.

 

[Weber Sarge]

They should , he has several base versions , these being direct fit for H4 housing which is what I believe the Round Eyes accept .
I'm out on the hunt now for either a set of IPF525 dual beam or IPF900DB's and another pair of these bulbs for the main front offroad lights . Be nice to have a bunch more lumens available without the crazy amperage draw on the system .

Will try to update more on this install/test tomorrow .
Sarge

 

[MoCoNative]

Hey Sarge,

I ran Silverstars in my T100 for a few years, loved them, the stock housings on a T100 are really good headlight. Smacked a deer and now have aftermarket housings, the pattern is not as good.

But, the Silverstars only lasted about a year at a time for me. I took out OEM Koito bulbs at the time, about 5 years ago, and put them, great improvement, but they both failed within weeks of each other a year later. Got another set, and similar timeframe. I dropped back a grade to some Sylvania or GE bulbs that were the next down on color chart on the back of the package. They were better than stock halogens, but not as bright as before, but they lasted a lot longer, well until the deer strike, and neither burned out from the impact.

Just wondering if you saw this lifespan issue too. I'm daily driving, so most of the winter I have the lights on going and coming from work, so decent hours of use.

The LED's look good though, interested in some more shots down the road and of course overall reliability with the cooling electronics and such. I need to go to a new bulb design on my 40 also, 15 years now the regular old halogen sealed beams, and they were an upgrade over the older style sealed beams. Like candles compared to my pickup.

 

[bsevans]

I've been running PIAA 10904 H4 Intense White - H4 60/55W=135/125W Extra Intense White Bulbs for over 3 years with no issues. They are very bright. You have to see the high beams on to appreciate them. After three years I'm still impressed how far the high beams project every time I use them..

 

[user42]

Hey Sarge,

But, the Silverstars only lasted about a year at a time for me. I took out OEM Koito bulbs at the time, about 5 years ago, and put them, great improvement, but they both failed within weeks of each other a year later. Got another set, and similar timeframe. I dropped back a grade to some Sylvania or GE bulbs that were the next down on color chart on the back of the package. They were better than stock halogens, but not as bright as before, but they lasted a lot longer, well until the deer strike, and neither burned out from the impact.

The LED's look good though, interested in some more shots down the road and of course overall reliability with the cooling electronics and such.

For what its worth, I have noticed the same (short life span) thing with the Sylvania Silverstars. Now granted, I have them in an 01 Saab Viggen, which runs the headlights all the time. I only put roughly 5k (95% highway) miles a year on that car, and I go through a set of those silverstars every year it seems.

I tossed a spare set in my FJ40, they look much better than the old ones that were in there, but I too have been looking for other options...like those LED's

I've been running PIAA 10904 H4 Intense White - H4 60/55W=135/125W Extra Intense White Bulbs for over 3 years with no issues. They are very bright. You have to see the high beams on to appreciate them. After three years I'm still impressed how far the high beams project every time I use them..

Got a source on where to acquire those? Tried a few online places, all were reported as "unavailable"

 

[Weber Sarge]

I've had the same issue - the set of Silverstar's I just pulled out are only about 6 months old and are actually starting to lose some of their output - it really is noticeable compared to new . They just don't last . I've had best luck with PIAA bulbs but the higher you go in both color and power the shorter the lifespan - just nature of the halogen beast . HID's aren't much better and even more costly . The LED tech out there is gaining leaps and bounds quickly - soon they will easily be the standard just due to efficiency and lifespan .


Now , where was I ???....

I spent a couple hours out tonight re-setting the alignment on the new LED units and just some overall driving tests , re-setting and such . Impressions are better than expected to be honest but there are some slight disappointments .

First , the good -

Very bright , especially out to the 25yd range .

Spread is good , a bit maybe on the tight side compared to most halogen equivalents .

Low beam does indeed stay on when brights are activated , unknown as this could change on a different vehicle since grounding could be a source for this . If ground is controlled or switched in any way , they may not light both elements on high . It is nice to keep that bright area just ahead of the vehicle when on high beam ....

Color temp is excellent , nice solid white light with no hint of blue - especially on snow or wet asphalt which is why I hate 6000k+ color temps . Just can't figure out why the industry drives this so hard when usable output on the pavement is diminished above 6000k .



The bad , or minus points as I call it as none of this is honestly a big deal or disappointment -


Not a great deal of spread without pushing the driver's side lamp into the other lane too far at close range . It's hard to photograph at night but that lack of spread creates a really bright center area with the light tapering off to the sides . Now I bring up this point since the IPF housings are designed to spread the light out while providing a very sharp cutoff line to prevent blinding oncoming traffic ....some of that is lost .

Not the greatest cutoff but overall a lot better than expected and far above any other designed "upgrade" I've tried to date . Pictures will show this below . Not really a big deal but that needs to be pointed out as some housings may make this worse .


Anyway - here's some shots , all taken with engine @ idle , heater on low , 1/2 tank of fuel and no weight so they are set a bit low .


First , @25yds -





Low beam , gravel road in this lovely 35mph+ winds and blowing snow -




High beam , same spot on road -





Low beam , serious whiteout conditions -






Cont'd below...

Sarge

 

[Weber Sarge]

A couple more high/low comparisons -

Low , stop sign is 200yds away slightly uphill -





High beam , same distance and spot on road -




Open highway , low beam -




Overall , quite impressed . Nicest part is letting the engine idle at a stop and not seeing any dropoff in light output . When the engine is brought off-idle it makes no difference to the lights at all . Even with the heater running on full blast and my PIAA 520 85w fog lamps running the amp gauge down to -20a the headlights remain at full bright despite the fogs almost being so dim they don't show up .

One thing to note - there isn't a "normal" difference between low beam and high beam . It is only a slight increase in height and this is probably due to the IPF's cutoff in the housing's lens . I would expect some of the other housings out there to react differently . With that said , the high beam still provides a good usable light that will illuminate signs easily out to 1,000ft mark . Not worth trying to capture on a camera so I didn't shoot that part .

I do like the light concentration in the snow conditions and they should perform quite well in fog . We're due to have some pretty high temperature swings in the next couple weeks so I'll keep updating this thread and try to gauge in pics how they are working .

Hope this info helps someone looking for a good solution to high amp draw and short lifespans ....

Sarge

 

[SteveH]

Excellent photos and discussion. Did these LED bulbs suffer from icing problems when driven in a snowstorm?

 

[micruz60]

Great write up, interested in the durability. I'm curious about the cost, did you do a wiring harness upgrade as well? (sorry if it was in the post, I may have missed it)
Cheers,
Mike

 

[MoCoNative]

I know pictures are deceptive at night, but I see the drop off of light to the left of the vehicle, and the right for that matter. That would be an issue in deer and elk country. Closest encounters I've had with animals is being forced to drop to low beam because of traffic, in town, etc... and pow, there is a deer just out of light range, or on the side of the road ready to pounce.

I suspect the LED just doesn't have the extra light scatter hitting the reflector and bouncing to the side.

 

[Weber Sarge]

The width of the light spread is fairly narrow , but - I do need to check the alignment a bit closer as I noticed the beams seem to be set too narrow at highway speed . I will re-check the focus and post up more pics as this is an important point for a lot of folks , we have the same here with whitetail corn-fed monster deer .

I was a bit surprised the housing lenses didn't ice up last night - with the winds and drifting snow it just didn't stick at all . It might just be due to the fact that the LED's don't heat the housing lens as much as regular halogen bulbs . This is a good thing , normally just a short 5-8 mile drive and those lenses would have been half covered . I know my forehead was iced a bit from those two stupid broken bolts in the top of the windshield frame not allowing the hardtop seal to do it's job ...

Need to really check the alignment again after things settled now . They are a bit odd to get used to at first due to that very white light and the super bright center area . Maybe they just need to be set a bit wider than normal , we'll find out . BTW- not one vehicle flashed me last night or tonight coming home , so that's a definite sign the cutoff in the IPF housings is doing it's job despite our way rougher-than-normal roads here .

Sarge

 

[White Stripe]

Just out of curiosity why did you choose led over hid? I have been considering these but with less color temp than this guy:
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...m-tuning-hid-install-8000k-55w-hi-lo-kit.html

Its like you said it looks like the blue washes out the light in this guys thread.
I don't think these LEDs would work with mine because I have the old era grill than encampsulates the back of the headlight and doesn't leave much room for that ballast or whatever its called.

 

[Weber Sarge]

Led is flat-out more efficient than any other source at this time for one - the other is using any kit to create a high/low from the same housing is going to have some serious tradeoffs . Look at the beam pattern on those , the metal reflector to prevent wild scatter creates a bad "squint" effect on the light pattern . All the light is badly concentrated in one thin band much like a fog light . That 8k color temp also creates an immediately noticeable reflection off the snow , bit hard on the eyes for sure . There are HID's out there in the 5k range but honest , good quality and properly designed bulb sets start around $1,000 and go from there . PIAA is even offering a retro kit now but it's pricey beyond what most folks would pay . All that and they still burn out fairly easily .


Just sort of a heads up - don't take all my opinions as gospel on these LED's , I suggest trying them as overall they are a very good solution and amazingly bright given the amperage draw . All the specs are on Shane's site .

Also , be very wary of what you see in photographs . Any manufacturer can take pics that make their product look great - it's out in the real world that makes the difference . I'm trying to give at least some idea of this and how these bulbs are worth the effort/coin compared to all the other products . Price per benefit is pretty high with this kit given all things considered .

Besides , keep in mind my opinion is just that and everyone has one . Not to mention I'm running a VERY SPECIFIC housing made in Japan so it's quite different from most housings available . I wish just for testing sake I had a set of those Roundeyes or something else just to show pattern differences .

Sarge

 

[fj401978]

Sarge, thank you for this write up. I bought a set of these lights from Shane, but I haven't bought any housings yet. I have been wondering which ones to choose...I have been study the IPF, Round Eyes, Hellas and Cibies. The Cibies get rave reviews from all that purchase them, but they are too pricey for me, so that leaves the other 3. I was glad to read about your experience with IPFs...now if I could just find as good a write up as yours on the other housings...

 

[Weber Sarge]

If I had the extra cash I'd just get a pair of several brands and show the difference , but then what the heck to do with 5 pair of aftermarket headlight housings besides take a big loss ?
If nothing else , you could read up on housing installs and maybe figure out beam patterns that way , tough to judge really unless you try them with your LED's firsthand .

I'm really impressed with mine - just a bit more tweaking to the pattern to satisfy my anal retentive search for better lighting while not killing the alternator .

That reminds me , forgot to add that no mods have been done to the original wiring , just stock headlight circuit was used as these are just plug-n-play .
Sarge

 

[White Stripe]

Gotcha, well thx for the well done write up, I can use this along with write ups I find of other products to make a decision as to the direction I want to take.

 

[fj401978]

Housings

This source http://www.headlightservices.com/Headlamps.html has the Cibie E-Codes for $78.00 each and the Hella E-Codes for $40.00 each, after reading lots of threads on many other forums...I think I'm gonna go with the IPFs from your link in the first post at $36.00 each. The other threads also spoke highly of the IPFs and they are the cheapest of the 3.

Thanks again Sarge,
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