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H4 Hella housing-led bulb, or new led headlight, or H4 upgraded halogen

7.3K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  C.J. Roberts  
#1 ·
Noodling on new lights. Was ok on upgrading My wiring and adding some 100/80w bulbs. Then said maybe just change the H4 halogen to an led bulb followed by replace the entire headlight with an LED.

No streetlights here, turkey and deer everywhere. Lights are your friend, plus they're cool.

I'd welcome suggestions for my 99 TJ.
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
I went the route of the H4 housing (Hella in my case) with the H4 bulbs and while they were better than the original Wagner sealed beams that came from the factory, they weren't the best option. When I bought my '17 Chief it came with the Mopar LEDs from the factory which were head and shoulders above the H4 housings with improved halogen bulbs.

There are many posts about various Amazon sourced and ebay sourced inexpensive LED headlights. The only thing I can say is that they are an inexpensive option, but certainly not the best.

I went with these on my TJ:

They are simply outstanding. They have good coverage, a clean cut off to avoid blinding on coming drivers. Comparing the factory Mopars on my JKU to the Quadratecs in my TJ, on low beam it's a wash and they are just bout equal (and outstanding). On the high beams, I thing the Quadratecs are a touch better, still with a cut off (although higher) while Mopars don't have much of a cut off. (On one road coming home at night, with no ambient light and pine trees on both sides, I get a good image of the cut off of the GenIIs about 20' up on the trees but light still up to 40+ feet on the Mopars. Obviously more light thrown on the road is better.

If you haven't registered yet with Quadratec, they offer a discount to WF members. Call them for a quote and ask to get set up for the discount. They actually have a person answering the phone.

Do not go the route of LED bulbs in an H4 housing. They are known for scattering light and the result is oncoming traffic will keep flashing their lights at you.
 
#5 ·
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the original Wagner sealed beams at about a 4, I would rate the Hella e-code housings with the Hella standard bulbs about a 6, installing the Osram nite-breaker unlimited H4 bulbs a 7.5, the Mopar LED headlights in the 2017-2018 JKs about 9 and the Quadratec GenII LEDs about a 9.5. (Nobody gets a 10, because no headlight is perfect).

I was satisfied with my Hellas with the Nite-Breaker bulbs from the time I installed then in 2016 until the summer of 2017 when I bought the Chief in the summer of 2017. I had the Hellas with Nite-Breakers not only in my TJ but also in my 2015 JKU Sahara. When I traded the 2015 Sahara in on the 2017, the Hellas went with the TI. When I replaced the Hellas in my TJ they went in the dumpster.
 
#6 ·
Those of us with overseas exports got Hella H4 housings from the factory. I've used many different bulbs over 18 years before switching to Trucklite LEDs.

In early years (circa 2002), the best bulbs I had were PIAA Xtreme White. The next PIAA bulbs weren't as good, and then they got stupidly expensive. I used different brands over the years and the last bulbs before switching to LEDs were Osram's Nightbreaker Ultimate.

They were at least on par with the first set of PIAA, and like those, I found driving on unlit roads with full beam on, reflective road signs could be so bright I had to go to low beam to see the bend I was coming to. The latest Nightbreaker bulbs are Nightbreaker Laser, or are in the UK at any rate.

I don't think my Trucklite LED headlamps are any brighter overall than the Hella and Nightbreaker combination, the LEDs just throw more of the light forward. When I've driven down an unlit lane near work, where I had to make a sharp slow turn, I couldn't see any of the large potholes that I knew were there. The LEDs just didn't throw enough light sideways to see anything.

I preferred the better light spread from the H4 lamps over the Trucklites, but I no longer have the cost of bulbs that need replacing every so often.
 
#7 ·
I preferred the better light spread from the H4 lamps over the Trucklites, but I no longer have the cost of bulbs that need replacing every so often.
I much prefer H4s to LEDs. It might be my eyes, but most LEDs have a blue tint to them, and I just can't see with them.
I have the Busdepot lights which are like the old Cibie Z beams. I use Hella 100/ 80 watt bulbs in them and can see very well. Those bulbs are less than $10.
 
#8 ·
I use the Hella H-4 set up with 100/55W bulbs. But to take full advantage of the setup you really need to upgrade your wiring to include relays and larger gauge wire, (I used 12 gauge) to ensure you are getting a full 12 volts to the bulbs. Google Daniel Stern lighting for a very interesting article on voltage drop and the effect on light output, well worth the time to research.
 
#9 ·
Here's a write-up I did on upgrading the wiring harness.