dysfunctionaljd
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Jonestown Texas
So if you already have an upgraded harness, do you need to remove it to use these, or will these still work with the harness, but will look pretty much the same as stock?
Truck-lite's new LED headlight for XJ's
- Thread starter stumpXJ
- Start date
dieselenthusiast
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Zuni Mountains, New Mexico
That’s something I will have to investigate before I make my final decision. I called Truck-Lite’s technical support and left a message asking that very same question. I’ll post up once I hear back.
dieselenthusiast
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Zuni Mountains, New Mexico
From a sheer electrical point of view, I wonder how true that statement is concerning the LED lights. I would like to see data to prove it. If so, that gives me an excuse to buy the harness.
O-Gauge Steamer
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
IMO, as the LEDs draw a fraction of the current... I do not believe a harness replacemet is required. The resaon for changing the harness is to provide a better path for the relatively high current lamps. No high current, no need for a dedicated harness.
Hilldweller
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- GA
Vibration will shorten the life of a filament bulb whether it's on or off.
But LEDs are cool running; keep that in mind for snow/ice accumulation.
A nice wax over the plastic (never RainX) might help to shed the mess but it's not like having a hot bulb.
The LEDs only need a nominal 9v to work; a harness is only necessary if you suspect shorts or the OE failing in some way.
But LEDs are cool running; keep that in mind for snow/ice accumulation.
A nice wax over the plastic (never RainX) might help to shed the mess but it's not like having a hot bulb.
The LEDs only need a nominal 9v to work; a harness is only necessary if you suspect shorts or the OE failing in some way.
dieselenthusiast
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Zuni Mountains, New Mexico
Thanks, that just made up my mind; I'm going with the LED. I drive 20 miles per day on a unimproved gravel road with washboards, i don't want to take the risk of messing with bulb replacements.
I’m not too worried about snow accumulation, as that can be easily removed. Ice accumulation could be a different story, although, I probably have less ice issues than most of you guys in the upper Midwest. We get snow, but we don’t see much ice due to elevation and dry air (low humidity). I’m sure using a deicer on the lens would be frowned upon?
That's what I was thinking.
Hilldweller
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- GA
Anything with a petroleum base to it will interact with the polycarb at a molecular level and cause "crazing" ---- the lens will turn milky.
I use Plexus on my plastics.
As far as de-icing goes, hmmmmm. Maybe we can check with Jerry at Trucklite or John at JW Speaker...
dieselenthusiast
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Zuni Mountains, New Mexico
I would like to see a set of LED's in a 2000/2001 XJ. Hopefully somebody will purchase and post pics soon!
dieselenthusiast
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Zuni Mountains, New Mexico
That's good to know. Thanks
I called Truck-lite's tech department but still waiting for a response. So, if I understand you correctly, JW Speaker is a different company?
- Location
- Curtis Bay, MD
I've had Hella H4s ice up on me before in a snowstorm... seriously. (in a VW Scirocco, not a Jeep, but still, I had to stop at Breezewood and scrape off my headlights so I could keep pressing on.) My recommend would be if driving in those kind of conditions to add washer nozzles on the front bumper or whatever aimed at the headlight lenses, and wrap the hose feeding them around a heater hose. Old school but works. (I might have to do that on the Heep actually as this would be yet another layer of "I can handle it" weatherproofing.) Ever notice that all Swedish cars tend to have those little headlight windshield wipers? There's a reason for that...
Talyn
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Radford, Communistwealth of Virginia
Same here, but it was in a snow storm where I would expect it. I know where Breezewood is too. Heating elements in the glass would be idea. IIRC some stop lights aren't LED for this very reason too. But the amber and green are.
Cleaning nozzles aren't old school anymore. Most stock HID lights have them to reduce glare produced by dirt/ice/snow on the lenses. IIRC its a law. I remember Volvos had them years ago, but I think the first car I saw them on were brushes on a RR. I know that Mercedes had a small engine coolant bypass into a coil in the windshield reservoir.
Cleaning nozzles aren't old school anymore. Most stock HID lights have them to reduce glare produced by dirt/ice/snow on the lenses. IIRC its a law. I remember Volvos had them years ago, but I think the first car I saw them on were brushes on a RR. I know that Mercedes had a small engine coolant bypass into a coil in the windshield reservoir.
Darky
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- 29 Palms, CA
I imagine it would look very similar to the 96 and down...the lights won't change at all.
stumpXJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Atlanta, Georgia
Hopefully Bill can post the pics of the testing soon, and the data accumulated.
I can honestly say now that I own both the Trucklite LED's, and the JW Speaker LED's, I am kind of torn. I prefer the low beams on the Trucklites LED's (amazing...), and the highbeams on the JW Speaker LED (amazing...) To bad I cant have the best of both worlds, but have to remind myself just how much BETTER (not even the correct word here...) they both are over the stock/halogen bulbs.
I will say the Cibies were impressive too...
Here are a few teaser pics of us at the racetrack waiting for it to get dark.
This is a neat comparison. This was taken with a cell phone camera, in broad daylight as I was swapping out the headlights (JW Speaker)before testing them. I hope its obvious which is stock, and which is the LED. This is lowbeam.
As a final note, a tidbit really, I personally prefer the more simplistic look of the trucklites over the in-your-face projector style things on the JW Speaker. But honestly, they both put out so much usuable that its very easy to forget all about aesthetics.
~ Stump "my headlights are worth more than the Jeep"
I can honestly say now that I own both the Trucklite LED's, and the JW Speaker LED's, I am kind of torn. I prefer the low beams on the Trucklites LED's (amazing...), and the highbeams on the JW Speaker LED (amazing...) To bad I cant have the best of both worlds, but have to remind myself just how much BETTER (not even the correct word here...) they both are over the stock/halogen bulbs.
I will say the Cibies were impressive too...
Here are a few teaser pics of us at the racetrack waiting for it to get dark.
This is a neat comparison. This was taken with a cell phone camera, in broad daylight as I was swapping out the headlights (JW Speaker)before testing them. I hope its obvious which is stock, and which is the LED. This is lowbeam.
As a final note, a tidbit really, I personally prefer the more simplistic look of the trucklites over the in-your-face projector style things on the JW Speaker. But honestly, they both put out so much usuable that its very easy to forget all about aesthetics.
~ Stump "my headlights are worth more than the Jeep"
dieselenthusiast
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Zuni Mountains, New Mexico
Wow, that last pic is very telling.
I'd be willing to do a group buy if anyone is interested and if Trucklite would consider a "group buy". I'm in no hurry, so I could wait a few months. Just throwing it out in case if someone else is thinking the same thing.
I'd be willing to do a group buy if anyone is interested and if Trucklite would consider a "group buy". I'm in no hurry, so I could wait a few months. Just throwing it out in case if someone else is thinking the same thing.
5-90
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Hammerspace
I have noted that "white" LEDs aren't very good at punching through fog or smoke - have you had a chance to check these?
(This is why I've upgraded my SureFire 6P daily carry light with an LED head, but my G2 toolkit light still has the OEM Xenon lamp assembly...)
(This is why I've upgraded my SureFire 6P daily carry light with an LED head, but my G2 toolkit light still has the OEM Xenon lamp assembly...)
stumpXJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Atlanta, Georgia
I personally havent run in any fog yet with either sets of LED's, I do still use Hella 550 fogs with a halogen bulb for foglight duties though.
Talyn
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Radford, Communistwealth of Virginia
Do you know the kelvin temp of the LEDs? There are some leds that are pure white, and some that are a little lower on the kelvin temp.
stumpXJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Atlanta, Georgia
Bill can likely elaborate, but I'm fairly sure they are close to 5000k. I remember discussing it, but don't remember the details.
Hilldweller
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- GA
Kelvin temperature is a bit of a lark ---- Mr Subjective sez both the JWS and Trucklite products are around 5000K.
As for LEDs in the fog, I ran a full LED ensemble on my JK and ran them in the fog, no problem at all.
I shot a little video one morning on the way to work in a heavy fog. The video is miserable... ...but maybe you can get the idea that I could see where I was going just fine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59uv91kslh0
I'm still putting all the numbers in the computer but here are a few more teaser shots:
As for LEDs in the fog, I ran a full LED ensemble on my JK and ran them in the fog, no problem at all.
I shot a little video one morning on the way to work in a heavy fog. The video is miserable... ...but maybe you can get the idea that I could see where I was going just fine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59uv91kslh0
I'm still putting all the numbers in the computer but here are a few more teaser shots:
