TheSamba.com :: View topic - Vanagon LED lighting upgrades and HID projector retrofit

Mon Sep 08, 2014 4:22 am

thatvwbusguy wrote: I will try to get some photos of the beam pattern and cutoff, but digital cameras and reality aren't always all that similar...

It is not an issue Jay as we trust your judgment..... :wink:

I would like to know if they are at least better than a set of round H4 with 100W bulb inside (with proper relay of course...) as having a quad round H4 on our van give us a lot of light but 360W draw.

Thanks.

Thu Sep 11, 2014 6:30 am

KevbOliver wrote: Those lights now say out of stock. I'm very interested in all things happening in this post. Keep up the good work!

Added: jeep guys talking about them, http://www.wranglerforum.com/f132/ge-69821-nightha...57322.html

One of the complaints on amazon was some flickering and in this wrangler forum they mention anti flicker harnesses...

With the 2007 and newer Jeep Wrangler JK's the Peterson's will flicker unless you add the anti-flicker harnesses (adds another $80) to the price for the poor Jeep guys. I'm not familiar with the GEs.

On the vans you can go with either the Petersons or Pilots, or I assume, the GEs, without the additional harnesses.

Thu Sep 11, 2014 6:33 am

As promised, here's a shot of the Pilot lights installed.

Thu Sep 11, 2014 8:45 am

To the OP.. That's a clean breakdown and retrofit!

To DasMule.. your setup is awesome! Dope bumper.. whoa... Do you have any night pics?

There is a 5x7... and I'm curious about anyone updating the squares..

http://www.amazon.com/GE-NIGHTHAWK-Rectangular-Rep...+rectangle

Thu Sep 11, 2014 11:03 am

Those GE LEDs look awesome and have great reviews. Please post your findings Jay. Damn! Shouldn't have bought the Ecodes as it'd be much easier to justify buying these without a nice working set on my van!

Fri Sep 12, 2014 9:15 pm

dubbified wrote: To the OP.. That's a clean breakdown and retrofit!

To DasMule.. your setup is awesome! Dope bumper.. whoa... Do you have any night pics?

There is a 5x7... and I'm curious about anyone updating the squares..

A member has done this successfully: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=274814

For that you need a set of different buckets: http://www.ebay.com/itm/161353919826?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:53 pm

The headlight wiring will also need to be converted from 9004 to H4 sockets on 86-91 vans.

Fri Sep 19, 2014 1:43 am

Finally got a chance to install the GE NightHawk 7" LED headlights and take them out for a short drive tonight. These are pretty decent headlights and would be a good match for any Vanagon running 7" round lenses. I did however find the X-shaped artifact that is common to many automotive LED headlamps to be distracting (see photo) especially when cornering.

The color temperature of the lights is a very bright white, but not blue. On low beam, there was very little noticeable upward glare, so dazzling oncoming traffic shouldn't be an issue if your lights are adjusted properly. The cutoff is nearly flat on low beam and well controlled on high beam. Lumen output and amp draw were both approximately as listed when measured by my inexpensive equipment.

Here are a few shots of the lights in action. All photos were taken with the same settings on my trusty old Cannon A500.

Street view showing the X-shaped lighting artifact:

Low Beam Cutoff:

High Beam Cutoff:

Overall, I would give these 7" LED's a favorable review. I am still not 100% sure that they are worth the $320.00 price tag however. For now, a combination of Cibie e-Code lenses and Osram Hyper H4 bulbs remains my preffered setup for Vanagon lighting.

Fri Sep 19, 2014 4:17 am

Thanks a lot for the review, it is appreciated.

Fri Sep 19, 2014 7:41 am

Thatvwbusguy,

what is the distance in the first pic?

Fri Sep 19, 2014 9:18 pm

The Dasmule setup looks really great and I love the versatility of the Vision X 4.5" lights, but wondering how you mounted them? I'm planning on going with that setup if I can find a SA grill in stock somewhere for my 87 Westy

Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:52 am

Distance to the back of the silver Forester in the first photo was roughly 30' away. The shot was taken just after installation and before aiming the lights up to the proper height. I highly doubt that these LEDs will reach out further than a halogen bulb installed in a decent lens as claimed in their literature http://www.gelighting.com/LightingWeb/na/consumer/...index.jsp, but they should certainly be more than adequate for most people's daily driving needs.

After taking a late night trip around town and visiting some spots with very little ambient light pollution, I had to admit that I really had no interest in "getting used" to the X-shaped hot spot artifact and decided to pull them out. This was made much easier by the fact that one of the guys I work had already told me that he wanted them for his '68 Camaro and had the cash in hand. A couple hours later, I ordered a new set of Cibie eCode's to replace the Bosch lenses I have been running for the past couple years.

DasMule, did you get a chance to take any night shots of the Peterson LEDs yet? I would love to see how they compare.

Sat Sep 20, 2014 5:28 am

Speaking of headlights, am I the only one that has thought of this?

Seems a little surgery could make for a neat option. I haven't measured a set, but they look so very close to the stock vanagon size.

Sat Sep 20, 2014 7:22 am

Aerosport wrote: The Dasmule setup looks really great and I love the versatility of the Vision X 4.5" lights, but wondering how you mounted them? I'm planning on going with that setup if I can find a SA grill in stock somewhere for my 87 Westy

The Vision X cannons require brackets that we are fabricating. They'll be ready for sale mid to late October. The Peterson and/or Pilots fit without any special Vanagon creativity.

Sat Sep 20, 2014 11:04 am

Isn't that what the SA grill is for? Or were you talking about something besides the Two round light configuration?

DAV!D wrote: Speaking of headlights, am I the only one that has thought of this?

Seems a little surgery could make for a neat option. I haven't measured a set, but they look so very close to the stock vanagon size.

Fri Jun 19, 2015 1:56 am

Raising the dead here, but:
No.

The Chrysler halogen headlamps (like that challenger) use H13 bulbs with small, poor quality connectors. I've heard many stories of harness melting or bulb connectors breaking because of heat. I'd say H4 or LED.

Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:04 am

A late-model (A British J-prefix registration), RHD VW Type 25 Syncro (i.e. Vanagon or Transporter T3, with retro-fitted Truck-Lite LED headlamps, was recently featured in the following magazine article:

Dave Richards & Andrew Thompson, “Have Syncro, will travel …”, Volkswagen Camper & Commercial, Issue 92, June 2015, Pages 38~42.

Integral Sidelight/position lamp

Dipped Beam

Main Beam

Truck-lite, Barrows Road, Harlow, Essex, CM19 5FA, England
Tel: +44(0) 1279 406406
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.truck-lite.com/ledheadlamps/

http://www.truck-lite.eu.com/contact

Truck-Lite, 181 Viking Drive, Wacol, Queensland, QLD 4076, Australia
Email – [email protected]

http://truck-lite.com.au/product/truck-lite-led-headlight-ece-27291c/

http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/trucklite-phase-7-led-headlamps.html

http://www.kbcarstuff.com/Truck-Lite-s/283627.htm

Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:49 am

DASMULE wrote:
The Vision X cannons require brackets that we are fabricating. They'll be ready for sale mid to late October. The Peterson and/or Pilots fit without any special Vanagon creativity.

are you selling these brackets on your site?

Tue Aug 11, 2015 12:15 pm

NASkeet wrote: A late-model (A British J-prefix registration), RHD VW Type 25 Syncro (i.e. Vanagon or Transporter T3, with retro-fitted Truck-Lite LED headlamps, was recently featured in the following magazine article:

Dave Richards & Andrew Thompson, “Have Syncro, will travel …”, Volkswagen Camper & Commercial, Issue 92, June 2015, Pages 38~42.

...

Can it be that the LED doesn't require auto adjustable lights like the HID's do? If that's the case it would be awesome to get a pair of these mounted and be legal at the same time. I have to dig into that!

Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:00 pm

looks like that guy should have kept his stock headlights