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Daniel Stern Lighting

12K views 49 replies 14 participants last post by  Clyde45 
#1 ·
I have decided to upgrade my headlights, but not do LED. I've been talking with Daniel Stern about recommendations he may have . We landed on

Koito - Headlamps
Tungsram H4 bulbs
H13-to-H4 adapter harness.

I'll post up how they look after i get them installed and aimed.

Decent LEDs are nearly 2x the price I'm paying for this approach.
 
#2 ·
I have decided to upgrade my headlights, but not do LED. I've been talking with Daniel Stern about recommendations he may have . We landed on



Koito - Headlamps

Tungsram H4 bulbs

H13-to-H4 adapter harness.



I'll post up how they look after i get them installed and aimed.



Decent LEDs are nearly 2x the price I'm paying for this approach.
I think you'll regret not going the LED route.

Sent from my I4293 using Tapatalk
 
#8 ·
I'm curious what headlights you're referring to. Mostly because my company is within the Koito Group of companies, and I'm only aware of what they produce for Japanese automotive plants and for our own lamp designs.

I think no matter what you do, you won't regret stepping away from the factory headlights. I just replaced my Sealed7 HID headlights with Super7 LED headlights (due to continued sealing and fitment issues) and so far I'm pleasantly surprised by the LEDs, even though they look a bit funky. Both of them blow factory out of the water though.
 
#9 ·
Koito makes some really good lamps.
Which model? I'm surprised Dan didn't steer you to a Cibie ---- maybe it's a newish Koito?
 
#15 ·
Dan also told me a couple of months ago that he had a stash of H4 to H13 full bypass harnesses that he was trying to liquidate. Using a harness like that you get ~14 volts to the bulbs rather than ~12.8. Makes a huge difference in LUX.
He steered me directly to the Koitos. He was pretty strong on their performance being significantly better than Cibie...

I was at my budget with the short 'jumper' harness, so I skipped the full one. Perhaps he sold out of the full bypass harness and this is why he did not suggest it to me. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the change over.
 
#11 ·
I think any upgrade to get away from the stockers is well worth it. I knew the stocks were not great, but didn't realize how poor until I swapped them out. geez. I can see things now.
 
#12 ·
Dan also told me a couple of months ago that he had a stash of H4 to H13 full bypass harnesses that he was trying to liquidate. Using a harness like that you get ~14 volts to the bulbs rather than ~12.8. Makes a huge difference in LUX.
 
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#13 ·
Just searched on these Koito headlights and found this:
Koito European Spec (E-Code) 7" Round Headlamp

$205 for the Koito e-code headlights & Tungsram bulbs from them. With the harness you're at around $350, right? Not too bad.

I think you'll be happy with this setup, as long as you are not concerned about having the higher color temperature of LEDs. I have JWS led headlights and I like them, but the hot spot in the center of the beam still bothers me after years of use.
 
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#14 ·
Sorry, for the delayed response. It was $310.

Here is Dan's reply regarding the headlamps...

" The very best replaceable-bulb (H4) headlamps in the 7"
round size you need are made in Japan by Koito, $189/pair.
They are the most efficient (greatest amount of light on the road),
best focused (most useful distribution of light), best-built
(sturdiest glass and metal materials, most careful build quality)
lamps of their type in this size.

A fairly sizeable step down from there is the Cibie H4 units,
$168/pair."

I took a gamble at the 'jumper' H13-H4 harness instead of the full one. Now you have me doubting myself...
 
#18 ·
For what its worth, I have been running lights/bulbs from Daniel now for a number of years (upgraded my stock lights/bulbs) with great results. When I did my upgrade he recommended the Cibe lamps with Osgam bulbs. Again great combination. You cannot go wrong with his suggestions if you want to stay with Non-LED lights.



I have a write up on my lights install if you want I can send it to you. Just PM me with your email.


hope this helps
 
#21 ·
The Cibies are a mild improvement over stock. I had them and got rid of them. It is hard to beat good HIDs and good LEDs come in next, I believe. I have heard good things about Koitos but unless you up the wattage, the improvement is not going to be night and day. Keep us posted. I now run JW Speaker LEDs and they are quite decent. On my 4Runner, I am looking at going with HIDs and a good projector retrofit....some more research needs to be done.
 
#24 ·
Secure the relays somewhere.
There should be one H13 plug on the harness; plug the old H13 end from your passenger side headlight into it. Run the two long H4 terminals (one wire should be longer) to your new lights and install.
Find the red end and black end and attach them to the correct battery terminals (making sure everything is tight afterward).
That's about all there is to it.

Note: with full power to the new bulbs they won't last really long. I used to change mine once a year to ensure full brightness.
And those lights were made in Belgium. Interesting.
 
#31 ·
I didn't have a whine through my stereo with the ProComp LEDs I installed a few years back, just some static. Ferrite coils took just about all that away, not sure it will solve your issue. If I recall, they were cheap enough that it may be worth it to give them a shot.

I can't figure out how Chrysler / Fiat got away with such crappy headlights for years. Every Dodge / Jeep I owned had the worst headlights ever. You would kind of get used to the crappy light, then you drive another vehicle and you can actually see in front of you.
 
#33 ·
I've gone back and re-read my early exchanges with Daniel Stern Lighting. There is reference to the the down-side of a relay harness...

When deciding whether to install relays, consider: there is a
significant downside to installing a relay harness: MUCH shorter bulb
lifespan. The headlamp circuit on a JK Wrangler is voltage-regulated.
Installing a relay harness eliminates this voltage regulated feed to
the headlamps; they see full line voltage, which is both higher and
spikier than the regulated voltage. They will be somewhat brighter,
but much shorter lived. As voltage increases, bulb output increases
exponentially to the power 3.4, but bulb lifespan drops exponentially
to the power -13 (negative 13). The only good reason to install a
harness is if you need to run high-wattage bulbs the original wiring
can't support.
I know @Hilldweller mentions this too.

After reading up on ferrite coils and considering the above advice; I'm planning to run a test of the lights with just the H4-H13 pigtails driving the lights via the OEM headlamp circuit to see just how 'less' bright the lights will be.

I'm not yet removing the relay harness; I'm just disconnecting it from the battery. If I like the results of the pigtails; I'll pull the harness out and store it.

The buzzing is irritating and when I consider the shortened lifespan of the bulbs with the relay harness I think this test is warranted.
 
#34 ·
I am interested in seeing your results of the test. When I got my kit from Daniel it only has the stock to H4 conversion cable. Never had any issues with light output (except when the cable failed). I was surprised to see the direct to battery cable you got.
 
#36 ·
There's nothing in your setup that should make noise ---- the suspects are the relays though. Good relays mean everything.
Tyco makes one with a 4v dropout voltage; you need it that low because of the PWM duty cycle.
I got mine from NAPA. Went in back with the clerk and looked through his stock until I found a good one. Should've gotten the part number...
 
#37 ·
I don't disagree. I'm not sure why I have noise either.

I heard back from Daniel Stern and the harness was not supposed to be in my box; he is requesting I send it back. I have no problem sending it back; I didn't pay for it after all.

It is coming off tonight after dinner. I want to post harness/no-harness pics of the lights for reference purposes only.
 
#38 ·
I took a shot of the lights in my garage running via the harness off the battery. then i removed the harness and took a shot of the lights running off the factory setup.

i think the factory setup looks better. first image is harness direct. second is factory connections.

perhaps the harness was not correct? the lights look better on the factory wiring.
 

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#41 ·
I know, right!? I thought it was just my imagination when I took the pic. Later, when I came in the house to post them I could not believe the noticeable difference.

Gotta be a funky harness.
I've used a light meter on harness/no-harness and harness produced much more light, especially on highbeams. They were over-wattage bulbs most of the time but not always...
My thinking as well. I cannot prove it, but the harness was not ordered, so who knows if it is one that was built for the Jeep. The buzzing I got when the lights turned one make it suspect at least. Not to mention the factory harness is obviously brighter. I'm happy with the results and have no issues sending the harness back to Daniel Stern. No such thing as a free lunch!
 
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