Fed up with HIDs.. Need some H4 suggestions

[Diablo_331]

Hello CPF! The '01 Jeep TJ pictured in my avatar has had a set HIDs from DDM tuning in them for a few years and I am constantly having problems with them. I know that the offerings from DDM are very "budget" like so this is mostly my fault for buying them in the first place. The Jeep is trailered to and from the trails so them being in a set of Hella E code H4 housings has never bothered me as it's rarely driven on the road and never at night for this very reason.

So my question is.. Is there a set of H4 bulbs made that will even come close to a set of 55 watt HIDs? I think the answer is no. I'm looking to be as bright as possible with bulb life being of little to no concern and with a Hi/low function. I have an upgraded wiring harness on the way and already have some pretty decent housings, from what I've read, so it's just down to the bulbs. As far as a budget goes, lets say under $50 for a set. I prefer a temperature of about 4300k. I cannot stand blue headlights and need clarity on the trail at night. Can anyone help me out? Any and all information and advice will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Edit: This is the wiring harness that I have on order so I guess that it limits my options to 100 watts.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001P29X4G/?tag=cpf0b6-20

 

[Lightdoctor]

Hello CPF! The '01 Jeep TJ pictured in my avatar has had a set HIDs from DDM tuning in them for a few years and I am constantly having problems with them. I know that the offerings from DDM are very "budget" like so this is mostly my fault for buying them in the first place. The Jeep is trailered to and from the trails so them being in a set of Hella E code H4 housings has never bothered me as it's rarely driven on the road and never at night for this very reason.

So my question is.. Is there a set of H4 bulbs made that will even come close to a set of 55 watt HIDs? I think the answer is no. I'm looking to be as bright as possible with bulb life being of little to no concern and with a Hi/low function. I have an upgraded wiring harness on the way and already have some pretty decent housings, from what I've read, so it's just down to the bulbs. As far as a budget goes, lets say under $50 for a set. I prefer a temperature of about 4300k. I cannot stand blue headlights and need clarity on the trail at night. Can anyone help me out? Any and all information and advice will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Edit: This is the wiring harness that I have on order so I guess that it limits my options to 100 watts.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001P29X4G/?tag=cpf0b6-20

That harness is questionable when it comes to quality. I bought an H4 harness from Headlightservices.com...they offer a very heavy duty #12 AWG harness with ceramic sockets using Tyco/Bosch relays...way better than that 'stuff' on 'the river'.

As to lamps, go with something from the big three manufacturers Osram, Philips or GE. My advice would be to buy Osram #64206 85/80W H4 +50 Rallye Hypers for your rig. They are the most efficient when it comes to flux from energy used...better than a 100/90 rallye bulb.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

I'll second that. I have in the past seen H4 bulbs sold with claimed wattage as high as 160/100, but the quality and precision of bulb and filament was poor, and there was no doubt they'd really heat up any headlight in which they were installed. I've had my fill of cracked lenses on expensive headlights.

Diablo_331 (not from around my neck of the woods are you? I'm an Operator at Diablo Powerhouse), you may find that with good quality bulbs and the better beam pattern they produce, you don't have to obsess quite as much about the maximum possible wattage and light output. It took me quite a few years to realize this. When I put the standard wattage Philips Xtreme Power H4 bulbs into my motorcycle, I saw a very definite improvement over the bulbs it came with. I'll bet you will like those 85/80 Osrams in your 7" Hella lamps.

If you feel like spending a few bucks and stepping up from the Hella lamps, I see Daniel Stern lists the 7" Cibie H4 lights. But I think that with good bulbs those Hellas will do a decent job in a Jeep. If you do a lot of crawling around offroad in the dark, you may want to supplement headlights with more of a flood type of lighting. I'm in the Great Pacific NorthWET, so old logging roads with sharp switchbacks are the norm. I found that a set of good big clear Cibie 175 fogs that were getting a bit too sandblasted have the precise beam of new lights, when mounted a bit higher than usual for fogs, was just the ticket for seeing around those switchbacks at night. (The Cibie 175 fog advertises a beam spread of 8 degrees vertical and 120 degrees horizontal.)

One concept that interested me in the past was the H4 bulb with 100 watt high, but the standard 55 watt low. I don't recall who made them or if they were any good, but I sort of liked the idea. I want plenty of light on high, but really don't need a lot on low (particularly with large 7" round or 200mm rectangular headlights), so long as the beam is properly shaped.

Let us know how those 85/80 Osrams work out for you.

 

[-Virgil-]

You'd like the performance of the Cibie lamps better than the Hellas; they're a good bit more efficient and better focused. 85/80 Osram is a good suggestion...getting rid of the Putco harness is, too. Forget "4300K" or other "kelvin ratings" on halogen bulbs...total scam. Get clear, colorless glass.

 

[Chicken Drumstick]

Would some additional spot/flood lamps maybe be an idea if it's for trail use, rather than just trying to get the most power out of the headlights?

 

[Hilldweller]

Susquehanna Motorsports is putting together 7" round kits right now with a bezel to hold a 90mm Hella projector; it uses an H9 bulb with a bi-halogen "flapper" thingie to switch between hi and lo beam. It comes with the necessary harness.
They'll also have a bi-xenon version of it and an LED version. I don't think the LED version will be DOT though, just ECE.

Also of note and a drop-in on a TJ, Trucklite and JW Speaker both make nifty LED units that fit right in. I like the Trucklites for trail duty since they have a very wide beam and too much foreground light; just the right thing for creeping along at 3-15 mph. The JW Speakers are better for road use and have a friendly spread of light.
Look at this thread

My friend Jeff's TJ before/after I fitted it with JWS LED lights:

And a JK with Trucklites:

 

[Diablo_331]

Wow! Lots of great information to take in. I'll post back when I can get to my pc and look through it all. Big thanks to everyone that has posted so far! Keep the suggestions coming!

 

[fyrstormer]

**Post in violation of Rule 11 deleted by moderator**

 

[-Virgil-]

Fyrstormer, stop. Do not make me warn you again.

 

[fyrstormer]

**Post in violation of Rule 8 deleted by moderator**

 

[Hilldweller]

Well, the solutions I gave him were legal.
The Hella LED lights are sorta legal... ...Scheinwerfermann would know more about that though...

 

[-Virgil-]

Fyrstormer, I am trying my best to accommodate you, but you're pushing your luck hard and it won't last much longer. Go -- now, please -- and carefully read all of the rules. Especially #8.

 

[Diablo_331]

The ballasts were not of quality and keep going out every half year or so. All of the connestions were solid and the install was clean. I believe it had something to do with the heavy use of the Jeep. Regardless they had to go. Also, as far as I know, there is nothing legal about E code head lamps used in the USA. So I would not be street legal anyways.

 

[Diablo_331]

**duplicate post deleted by moderator**

 

[Diablo_331]

Can anyone please PM me a link to some Osram #64206 85/80W H4 +50 Rallye Hypers? I'm having a hard time finding them for some reason. Maybe I'm looking at something wrong? I'm really liking the reviews and would like to try them out for myself. I've also ordered the Premium Universal Wiring Harnesses - Dual H4 from Headlightservices as suggested by Lightdoctor. I'll be returning the Putco harness as well. As you can see, I've sompletely blown past my budget but I guess that's what CPF does to you right?:devil:

 

[Lightdoctor]

Can anyone please PM me a link to some Osram #64206 85/80W H4 +50 Rallye Hypers? I'm having a hard time finding them for some reason. Maybe I'm looking at something wrong? I'm really liking the reviews and would like to try them out for myself. I've also ordered the Premium Universal Wiring Harnesses - Dual H4 from Headlightservices as suggested by Lightdoctor. I'll be returning the Putco harness as well. As you can see, I've sompletely blown past my budget but I guess that's what CPF does to you right?:devil:

Candlepower.com has them. They're in Maryland and have fast shipping...I just bought a ten pack of the Osram #64205 70/65W H4 +50 Rallyes for my rig from them. (I drive mine on-road.)

 

[Hilldweller]

I buy from Candlepower store and really like their service.
But I like the Philips Xtreme bulbs better....

If you're dropping coin, why not try the LEDs?
No harness needed for the TJ, there are discounts around, no bulbs to change ever, etc.

 

[Diablo_331]

Candlepower.com has them. They're in Maryland and have fast shipping...I just bought a ten pack of the Osram #64205 70/65W H4 +50 Rallyes for my rig from them. (I drive mine on-road.)

I found them and ordered myself a pair. Now for a worst part.. The wait.

 

[Diablo_331]

I received the harness a few days ago and installed it yesterday. The harness looks to be very high quality. I'm still waiting on the H4s though. We're getting pounded by hurricane Isaac down here right now so I decided that I had to have headlights for this storm so I picked up the cheapest pair I could find the local hardware store.

 

[builthatch]

contribution removed by user. i will not contribute to a forum that doesn't allow information to be shared properly. congrats, lone moderator for this subforum.