I've been evaluating these for awhile and one thing that continues to surprise me is that they built them to the old mechanical aim (sealed beam) photometric requirements, rather than the newer (adopted 1998) visual/optical aim requirements which are higher/better. Technically these lamps cannot be visually or optically aimed by either the VOL or the VOR method, though practically it would be easier to do so than with a filament-type sealed beam. I'm also still trying to decide how I feel about the artifacts in the low beam patterns. High beam is great, nice and smooth, well developed, but the low beam light distributions still seem kind of blocky, made up of disjoint parts: here's the spread light...there's the hot spot...rather than a smoothly continuous beam pattern. Also, there's a weird "X"-shaped artifact in the middle of the low beam hot spot that is prominently visible while driving around. I'm still waiting to see if I'll get used to it and stop noticing it, but so far I still notice it.
New TruckLite LED headlights
- Thread starter Hilldweller
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Hilldweller
Enlightened
I got over the "X" quickly.
Like I said, comprormises.
They beg to be compared to the JW Speaker units --- which also had blocky patterns, a weird spread, and a highbeam that didn't really rock.
All things considered, I like the new TruckLites much better than the JWS.
I told Jerry that it wasn't a home run. I gave him a stand-up triple though.
Like I said, comprormises.
They beg to be compared to the JW Speaker units --- which also had blocky patterns, a weird spread, and a highbeam that didn't really rock.
All things considered, I like the new TruckLites much better than the JWS.
I told Jerry that it wasn't a home run. I gave him a stand-up triple though.
Interesting -- I don't find the JW Speaker lamp's low beam to be blocky at all. The early prototypes I tested, yes, but not the production units, which have a much smoother beam pattern -- though if by "weird spread" you mean you'd like to see a wider spread, I agree with you.
I'll probably have more detailed comments on the new Truck-Lite lamps before too long.
I'll probably have more detailed comments on the new Truck-Lite lamps before too long.
Hilldweller
Enlightened
The ones I had spread the light out in a very pronounced fan shape, almost like Thor's hammer in appearance.
And right at the top of it, sorta dead-center, there was a large rectangle of less light. Not enough to be a major distraction, but you could notice it.
And yeah; they didn't throw the light wide enough. Not as bad as the Hella H4 reflectors but I was comparing them to the Cibie Z-Beams --- a high benchmark.
The new Trucklites spread the light wider and brighter than the Z-Beams --- not as smooth or graceful by a longshot... ...but oodles of light is oodles of light...
What are you running the Trucklites in?
Wish you lived closer, dammit.....
KarlG
Newly Enlightened
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- Jan 21, 2012
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I replaced the phase 6 with the new Truck-Lite Phase 7 on the Harley. Hugh difference in light output, spread and high beams with the new version. There is a "Y" artifact on low beam with the single instead of a dual set up. The previous version gave a pretty good spread but the low total output and poor high beam performance made the light very suboptimal. The bike has three lights, which are switched to the low beam and the two side driving lights which are 4.5" have 6 Diode LEDs in place so lows were tolerable before (with the supplemental LEDs) but with the single Truck-Lite 7" on high beam and the two side LEDs dark it was miserable. It is quite acceptable now. Harley Davidson offers an optional LED 7" LED upgrade and it is the JW Speaker light. It was a much better way to go than the previous generation Phase 6 Truck-Lite. Now, with the new Phase 7 in place of the previous, I am happy with the light output again. The artifact does not bother me, I can ignore it.
I guess with motorcycles, you get used to avoiding target fixation and ignoring artifacts. My Ducati 1098S has pretty horrible lights and in any sort of corner, the beam pattern is tilted enough from vertical to be severely disorienting if you are not used to that sort of thing. The Multistrada 1200S has much better 4 lamp factory lights.
I have 2 Truck-Lites in the boxes waiting to go in the Jeep JK and will switch them out when the Cibie E codes blow their first bulb. At this point, I see no rush to switch them out and am very happy with the factory fogs, and IPF 900XS driving lights. This set up, with Philips +80 is bright enough in daily use and no artifacts but I will be looking forward to the longer bulb life of the LEDs. I am using the fogs as DRLs and when they burn out, I will also look into a LED replacement.
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tower
Newly Enlightened
I have a segt in my Hummer. I love them. I'm a ski patrolman and often drive to Big Bear from Los Angeles. Last time I drove, it was very thick with fog (Which is not rare). Normally my best fog vision is when I turn off my headlights and turn on my amber fogs. NOT THIS TIME. With properly adjusted headlights and the sharp upper cut-off, my best vision was with the low beams on (with or without the fogs). If ai needed to see doen the road farther, even the hi-beams were not nearly as blinding as my previous HIDS. I could actually use them. And without the slow ramp up/fade out of incandescents, flasshing my Hi-beams actually got people to pull over and stop!
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo218/towerful1/H2/59c3808552019fb9bdc008cfbc8f2f64.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo218/towerful1/H2/117f750b526e50ce0b89d160e1e702f3.jpg
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http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo218/towerful1/H2/59c3808552019fb9bdc008cfbc8f2f64.jpg
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo218/towerful1/H2/117f750b526e50ce0b89d160e1e702f3.jpg
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The JK does not have motorcycle headlamps (except in the export markets -- that is one of several ways its lighting system homologation to the UN regs is faulty). It has unpleasant H13 headlamps.
If I were buying LED headlamps in 7-inch round right now, they would be the JW Speaker 8700s. There are several more 7-inch round LED headlamps in the late stages of development, and at least one of them promises to be extremely good.
If I were buying LED headlamps in 7-inch round right now, they would be the JW Speaker 8700s. There are several more 7-inch round LED headlamps in the late stages of development, and at least one of them promises to be extremely good.
Hilldweller
Enlightened
If I was buying with your money, I'd get the 90mm Hella HID kit...
With less of your money, the JWS 8700 evo.
With my own money I'd get the Trucklites.
Unless Scheinwerfermann is suggesting that "extremely good" will be affordable and soon.... ....he's such a tease about these things.
idleprocess
Flashaholic
NDA's often come with pretty harsh breach-of-contract provisions... and even without them, there's just common decency not to make public what you know about things not ready for public release.
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Taking what you say as a wisp in the aether - and not holding any one to anything...
Lets say that some hypothetical lamp was to potentially become available, and, say, some hypothetical victim of a mild form of night blindness that greatly needed to maximize head lamp performance on a hypothetical 2008 JK....would such a hypothetical person be waiting so long that it might be safer overall to get Trucklites, or, overall, worth waiting for said hypothetical new LED headlamps?
I agree with you -- narrow beam coverage on the JK lamps and despite objective beam performance that's fairly good, they are an unpleasant lamp to drive with. This is the opposite of the common situation of objectively poor headlamps (such as most H4s) that nevertheless give the subjective impression of "excellent" lighting because of the brightly-lit foreground.
Yeah, I see too many set ups where the foreground light is so bright that even if the longer range illumination might have been OK, its like looking outside at night from inside a well lit home.
I consider it a way to very clearly see what you are hitting rather than seeing what you WOULD have hit if you had seen it in time to avoid it.
I consider it a way to very clearly see what you are hitting rather than seeing what you WOULD have hit if you had seen it in time to avoid it.
Hilldweller
Enlightened
Is it somebody that I might already have on speed-dial?
C'mon; throw me a bone...
And you know, I never did put a meter to the stock H13s on a JK as a point of reference.
You may mutter "dimwit" under your breath if you want.
I heard that the JKs will be getting LED headlights as an option (or even stock?) soon.
I was thinking they'd go with the bi-HIR projectors like the RAMs got.
Any intel?
I can't see the contents of your phone directory...!
