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2012 LED head lights

87K views 283 replies 71 participants last post by  Coyote_94YJ 
#1 ·
just bought a 2012 unlimited, anyone know where I can get LED headlights for my jeep at good pricing.
 
#115 ·
What an interesting test we had and what a difficult choice this will be (for some).

This new iteration of TruckLite's is, in many ways, very excellent. Sets a new standard. But they have flaws that some drivers won't want to live with.
It will be up to the end-user.

Test highlights:

Raw lumens are decent on lowbeam and incredible on highbeam.
Light to sides of road is VERY impressive.
There is a pair of light artifact "X's" created by the LEDs that can cause target fixation.
The color might be endearing or annoying.

The numbers speak for themselves. The lowbeams make more light off-axis than straight ahead. They are wonderful for spotting the stray dog or child about to run into your lane.

Markers are at 25yards L/R, 50 yards L/R, 75 yards L/R
Jeep is on the right side of a 2-lane road; camera on hood in front of driver. Reading are taken at 12" height from road surface --- this is an important stat since the LUX number is higher at different heights. But, for consistency, the 12" number should be used to compare to other lights previously tested.

Ambient temperature 57 degrees F; ambient illumination from stars less than 1 LUX
Lights are aimed with about a 2" drop at 25 feet --- the lowbeams need to be aimed higher than many other types of lights due to the sharp cut-off and lack of ECE "uptick" for road signs.

Lux readings Lowbeam/Highbeam:

25Right-26/ 39 * 25Left-24/ 24

50Right-3/ 23 * 50Left-4/ 15

75Right-1/ 13 * 75Left-1/ 7

25 feet dead center 416/ 1870

8 LUX at 125 yards center; enough to read by.

Photos: don't pay attention to the dark V at the bottom; this is an artifact from a stinger.

Lowbeam:


Highbeam:


Showing the X:


Looking at the highbeams:


Conclusions:

I had to think about this overnight. Everyone in JeepLand knows that I loved the JW Speaker lights for a variety of reasons --- but there's a new sheriff in town.
If I had a JK, these would be the lights I'd be running right now.
I like the spread of light. I like the highbeams. I like the ease of install. I like that you never have to replace a bulb. I like the conservative look of them.

I don't like the X patterns --- but the 8700s had their own weird artifacts too; I guess that I learned to ignore weird artifacts... ...but I can see this as a PROBLEM to some drivers.

We had no blinking at all in our tests due to the full Rallylights harness. Personally, I couldn't live with a blinking set of headlights.
 
#126 ·
Conclusions:

I had to think about this overnight. Everyone in JeepLand knows that I loved the JW Speaker lights for a variety of reasons --- but there's a new sheriff in town.
If I had a JK, these would be the lights I'd be running right now.
I like the spread of light. I like the highbeams. I like the ease of install. I like that you never have to replace a bulb. I like the conservative look of them.

Thanks for checking them out! I appreciate it.

Mine should be here tomorrow and I've ordered some Xpel film to protect them from the evil rocks and sand of the world.

Now, I just need to build or order a harness. I might pick up a pair of those HID "warning cancellers" since they can be found for ~$10.
 
#117 ·
Thanks Hid! That's a great review and I'm glad to finally have a conclusion!

So I guess the best advice is to get a Bosch branded Rallylight harness if you get these?

HD keeping it simple, what wiring/adapter would you suggest to run these? Also, did you have the same loose/wobbly fitment issues also? Is a little black tape the solution? Did you have to move or alter the airbag sensor? Thanks for all the testing.
 
#119 ·
We installed them with a little tab of black tape over the notches to keep the lights snug. There are no mods to the buckets or sensors necessary; the Trucklite housings are compact and the dongles are long/friendly/tight.

As for a harness, the Rallylights harness works great. We used the standard harness they sell for their Hella kits. The Dan Stern harness will work just as well and uses Bosch (upgraded/more expensive) relays.
Ray is working on a Rallylights.Lite harness that should work well and cost a bit less ---- either wait for it to appear, call Ray and pester him to build it, or try and nudge Trucklite to build one and offer it for sale...

Other note: I'd invest in some high quality plastic polish like Plexus to keep the front of these lights clean and crud-free. Polycarb is hard to break but will get scratched by road grime, sand, and other trail splooge that Jeepers encounter. The first line of defense is to make the surface of the lens harder to adhere to.
One of the advantages of the Speaker unit is that the lens is replaceable. I don't believe that the Trucklite will get ugly fast, but it will get ugly eventually.
 
#123 ·
We installed them with a little tab of black tape over the notches to keep the lights snug. There are no mods to the buckets or sensors necessary; the Trucklite housings are compact and the dongles are long/friendly/tight.

As for a harness, the Rallylights harness works great. We used the standard harness they sell for their Hella kits. The Dan Stern harness will work just as well and uses Bosch (upgraded/more expensive) relays.
Ray is working on a Rallylights.Lite harness that should work well and cost a bit less ---- either wait for it to appear, call Ray and pester him to build it, or try and nudge Trucklite to build one and offer it for sale...

Other note: I'd invest in some high quality plastic polish like Plexus to keep the front of these lights clean and crud-free. Polycarb is hard to break but will get scratched by road grime, sand, and other trail splooge that Jeepers encounter. The first line of defense is to make the surface of the lens harder to adhere to.
One of the advantages of the Speaker unit is that the lens is replaceable. I don't believe that the Trucklite will get ugly fast, but it will get ugly eventually.
You might just have answered this, but the Speakers look very professional grade, heavy duty how does that compare to the trucklites? Someone mentioned exposed circuits or electronics. I don't want toys for headlights. Based on you actually handling these which is the better quality unit? I'm sure they are also DOT legal also, correct?
 
#121 ·
That's the state of LED evolution right now and intrinsic to the shape of the emitter.
I've got my ideas for smoothing out the artifact pattern but I don't know how cost effective it would be or if the juice would be worth the squeeze at all.
I've done some tweaking on LEDs in small lanterns and it's worked. Not sure how well it would work on a more powerful LED with a parabola though...
 
#122 ·
Pretty neat findings hilldweller. I just couldn't stand the hotspot "x", especially when in traffic and seeing both on the backs of cars in front of me. Another issue I had with mine was when wired in with the harness, I had a 2-3 second delay when switching from high beams back to lows. Did you have this issue?
 
#127 ·
We didn't have any delay at all.
The X-Effect (I like that name for it...) was mitigated by raising the aim of the lights a bit. The Xs danced on the road in front of us when the lights were aimed like the Hellas had been aimed.


You might just have answered this, but the Speakers look very professional grade, heavy duty how does that compare to the trucklites? Someone mentioned exposed circuits or electronics. I don't want toys for headlights. Based on you actually handling these which is the better quality unit? I'm sure they are also DOT legal also, correct?
They're totally legal for use in this hemisphere.
The "exposed circuitry" is within the sealed confines of the unit itself on the panel that separates the high and lowbeams. There's nothing Micky Mouse about it; it's just not quite ornamental. Consider it as industrial art.

The JW Speakers have a few traits to recommend them.
They have replaceable convex lenses and a fan to blow some heat on the lens to de-ice them in winter. Their lens is also glass, a superior material for optics.

OTOH, the Trucklites can also make an argument for their materials. The polycarb won't break from a rock/tree impact and is lighter; the Trucklites install much easier.

You have to weigh the options and think of how you use your Jeep, what's important to you, what you can live with, and where you don't like compromise.
One size will not fit all...
 
#125 ·
i've got the new trucklites on order. hopefully, a week from tomorrow, i'll be reporting good news and not more frustation.
 
#128 ·
Re harness ...

Has anyone tried to tackle this at the source instead of trying to mitigate it after the fact? In theory, there is a component somewhere above the light connections that is taking 12v from the battery, and a signal from the canbus and turning that into PWM. I don't have my Jeep yet or a wiring diagram, but does anyone know what that component is? Might be possible to change it to not do the PWM? (or replace it?)
 
#130 ·
Excellent review Bill, as expected. I don't know if you mentioned this before but was there any modification to the airbag sensor bracket behind the lite?

In reagards to the harness I feel that the flickering should be worked out on there end with the harness they provide. Obviously there is a way to adress the issue, whether its through a capacitor or new power leads/relays straight to the battery like the Rallylight harness. In any event I would like a one-stop solution if possible.

Lastly, for those that have bought the trucklites, who has the best deal right now?
 
#131 ·
Excellent review Bill, as expected. I don't know if you mentioned this before but was there any modification to the airbag sensor bracket behind the lite?

Lastly, for those that have bought the trucklites, who has the best deal right now?
No need to modify the airbag sensor or anything else.

Discount Fleet Supply - Heavy Duty Fleet Products - Buy Online! - www.DiscountFleetSupply.com has the best deal. There's a 5% coupon for them. lifeisgood or something like that. Search the forum.
 
#136 ·
Look at the stop sign way in back and the electrical box off to the extreme right.
Again, disregard the "V" patterns at the bottom of the Trucklite photos; Chris has a prerunner bar that isn't removeable.

JW Speaker lowbeam:


New Trucklite lowbeam:


*

JW Speaker highbeam:


New trucklite highbeam
 
#139 ·
Re: the best JK lighting solution: How did we get from a Rallylights E-code great-pattern, pure-white, Cibie H-4 setup with $5 bulbs for $250 to the flickering giant-splooge, blue LEDs with Gears-of-War bullseye aimpoints for $500?! Did I miss something?
 
#140 ·
Yes.

The Rallylights set up is $215, the good bulbs are about $40 delivered and you need 2-4 sets of them a year with average use. The Rallylights kit also uses a Hella reflector that isn't quite a good spread of light. It's narrow, too much foreground light, and the highbeam is too high.

The Dan Stern kit uses a Cibie reflector, has a much better light pattern, but will still eat through bulbs at the tune of 2-4 sets a year. His kit costs over $300 I think, plus the bulbs.

The JW Speaker lights are sexy, have leses that are replaceable, won't scratch. They're not as friendly to install though and still need a harness. The spread of light from them leaves much to be desired but they are nice and bright.

The new Trucklites have a great spread of light, amazing highbeams, are easy to install, and last a very very long time.
Are they perfect? ---- nope. But they take care of quite a few issues that are important to many Jeepers.

You have to decide what your priorities are for lighting. From what's available right now, these would be the lights I'd choose. They fit my needs ---- all of the info I've compiled should help other Jeepers decide what fits their needs.
In a nutshell, I want a good amount of light in the right places, a rugged housing, long life, reliable operation, and something a little unusual. I don't want to have to change a bulb in the middle of nowhere. I wish they made something like this for the Power Wagon...
 
#142 ·
Just a quick note.

The shadows from the pre-runner bar are NOT visible from the driver's seat.

If you look closely at the JW Speaker and Truck-Lites picture you will see that the JW's don't even put out light where the shadows are. The Truck-Lites actual illuminate the bar, this did not happen with the stock or Hellas.

The adjustments to the headlight aim did help with sign illumination but I was getting people blocking their rear-view mirrors when I pulled behind. The photos taken we with the lights aimed with 0" of drop (cut-off at 45"). I have since turned the lights down an 1" but might go 1" more.

These lights will be perfect, if I can stop seeing the X.

-Chris
 
#149 ·
I got used to the X right away --- my years of long-distance motorcycle riding taught me not to target-fixate though.
Look at what you want to see not at what you don't want to see....
 
#150 ·
Yeah those Survival Reactions™ will get'cha everytime ... unless you're doing it right!
 
#154 ·
Is there any way someone can post a direct link to the Trucklite, harness, and the best fog light.

I am a lighting dummy and if there is a link to a page with more than one light, I am pretty sure I will choose the wrong one 99% of the time :(.

Sorry for being a helpless dumba$$ about this :)
 
#156 ·
#158 ·
THANKS Bill and Chris for doing the review.

About the low beam spread, I a fan of seeing what's on the side of me, but from the pics posted, it looks like the TL lights would be hitting on-coming traffic.

Am I interpreting the pics right?

Thanks.
 
#159 ·
...it looks like the TL lights would be hitting on-coming traffic.

Am I interpreting the pics right?

Thanks.
Not in a way that blinds other drivers or causes a problem. That's part of the photometric tests that the lights must pass to meet the NHTSA criteria.

I really wish I could put them on the PW. They're that much better than what I have.
 
#160 ·
So.... I'll be installing my truck lite LEDs here in a few days (if it stops raining someday). Been doing some research on the install (first time doing something like this). I think I have it figured out but I have two questions. I only have the $8 adapter for now. If the flicker bothers me I may upgrade to the harness or the lite harness if it's ever made.

Anyway. If I'm just unplugging the stock lights and plugging in the new LEDs do I need to disconnect my battery? And if I do will that cause issues with the Jeeps Nav unit or the computer?

Thanks!
 
#161 ·
You don't need to disconnect the battery for the simple jumper.
 
#163 ·
i installed my new truck lites a few weeks ago and have put a good number of miles on them. i thought i'd add my impressions.

they are a very bright white. the cutoff is very clean. they show the side of the road very well also. the hi beam is crazy bright. i don't even notice my HIDX off road lights when the hi beams are on. yes, they have the "XX" artifact in the center, but i don't find it to be that bothersome. the positives far out way this negative.

as far as the install goes, it was easy. i did use a few pieces of electrical tape on the tabs to make it fit a bit more snug. i also bought the wiring harness from rally lights and have no flickering issues.

overall, i would definitely recommend these lights. here are some pics as well.











 
#178 ·
i installed my new truck lites a few weeks ago and have put a good number of miles on them. i thought i'd add my impressions.

they are a very bright white. the cutoff is very clean. they show the side of the road very well also. the hi beam is crazy bright. i don't even notice my HIDX off road lights when the hi beams are on. yes, they have the "XX" artifact in the center, but i don't find it to be that bothersome. the positives far out way this negative.

as far as the install goes, it was easy. i did use a few pieces of electrical tape on the tabs to make it fit a bit more snug. i also bought the wiring harness from rally lights and have no flickering issues.

overall, i would definitely recommend these lights. here are some pics as well.



Is it me or do these have a smoke lense?
 
#165 ·
cbboard --- that's about how the Jeep should come from the factory (I'd pick different tires though...).
Nice mods. Thanks for the opinions on the lights.
 
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