LED Headlights
Discussion
Dodsy said:
Been following this thread for a while , my eyesight must be different to everyone else as I found my original Chim headlights were very good. I had fitted some Osram brighter bulbs but even without I had nothing to complain about, even with the bowls being quite corroded.
Unfortunately that bowl corrosion was heading for an MOT failure so I 'upgraded' to the MK3 faired in lights. Now those truly are crap nowhere near as good as the standard lights, a modification that I deeply regret. Wish I had kept them standard but cant go back now. So thats why I have been following this thread, I might just try LEDs, they cant make it any worse thats for sure.
Years ago I had an old VW Derby (Polo with a boot) with these same Mk1 Golf lights, they were bad in 1987 when the car was gifted to me by my Mum. I believe the only reason TVR selected them was because of their integrated outer adjuster ring which made fitting the things a far simpler proposition.Unfortunately that bowl corrosion was heading for an MOT failure so I 'upgraded' to the MK3 faired in lights. Now those truly are crap nowhere near as good as the standard lights, a modification that I deeply regret. Wish I had kept them standard but cant go back now. So thats why I have been following this thread, I might just try LEDs, they cant make it any worse thats for sure.
I must admit I've only ever run my Mk3 headlights (Golf Mk1 units) on these LED H4's, and no complaints from me, just popping a set of LED H4s in puts them in a different league to my old Derby/Mk1 Golf lights.
And they're about to get even better with the addition of a set of PIAA LP270 driving lights.
But if you really wanted to take your Mk3 lights one step further and make a proper job of it I'd be tempted to replace the Golf units with a set of 7" LED Truck-lites. This will require some slight modification to your Mk3 pods to mount them, but it shouldn't present a massive challenge as the Golf units you currently have are a 7" round headlight, just with an integrated adjuster ring.
The following images are actually a Land Rover Defender that has had it's standard 7" round headlights using standard H4 incandescent bulbs replaced with a set of 7" Tuck-lites. Golf Mk1 lights are no different to the ancient 7" round Lucas units this Defender owner started out with, so you can expect exactly the same levels of improvement from fitting Truck-lites to your Chimaera.
Phil (Bassfiend229hp) found a seller in German Land selling what look like genuine RHD Truck-lites for £290.00 a set...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222000427749
This is an amazing price if they genuinely are the real deal, but remember you will need to budget for the fitting of the things if you're not comfortable doing it yourself.
I'd say you need to budget for a further £350 to buy the Truck-lites then have them fitted and adjusted, all this on top of whatever you paid for your Mk3 headlight conversion. For me the whole thing ends up stupidly expensive just to get proper headlights on a Chimaera which is why I'm sticking with my Golf units with the £50-£60 LED H4s in them.
Whatever solution you choose don't be too down on your Mk3 headlight conversion, you've improved the looks of your car and resolved the dreadfully corrosion prone, expensive and hard to source reflector problem that plagues all Mk1/2 Chimaera owners.
With just a little more effort you can also make your Mk3 lights work amazingly well too
Edited by ChimpOnGas on Tuesday 9th February 14:44
Bassfiend229hp said:
ChimpOnGas said:
<<SNIP>>
I'd say you need to budget for a further £350 to buy the Truck-lites then have them fitted and adjusted, all this on top of whatever you paid for your Mk3 headlight conversion. For me the whole thing ends up stupidly expensive just to get proper headlights on a Chimaera which is why I'm sticking with my Golf units with the £50-£60 LED H4s in them.
<<SNIP>>>
...by adding a £250 set of spotlights. :0I'd say you need to budget for a further £350 to buy the Truck-lites then have them fitted and adjusted, all this on top of whatever you paid for your Mk3 headlight conversion. For me the whole thing ends up stupidly expensive just to get proper headlights on a Chimaera which is why I'm sticking with my Golf units with the £50-£60 LED H4s in them.
<<SNIP>>>
http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/front-aux...
I hadn't realised they were so expensive!
Obvioussly this post, the LED H4s and the Truck-lite idea all originate from yours truly, time and time again I've said my Truck-lite idea will likely win out in the end because they're clearly a professionally designed LED unit.
I was really pleased when you found them so cheap, however I was already committed to the LP270s so that was a done deal. Any road up slapping a set of LP270s on 'Ol Gasbag' is likely to be be at least £100 if not £150 cheaper than buying a set of Truck-lites and paying someone to adapt my Mk3 pods to take them.
The way I see it is if I do eventually end up fitting the expensive Truck-lites in the future I'll still have my nice LP270 driving lights to help them, and by then the Truck-lites will likely be even cheaper still as the price seems to be falling by the month on these light units.
But for now I wouldn't mind betting these small but quality LED driving lights with their professionally designed rear facing reflector technology will do just what I need them to for the 250 squids.
Here's how they've ended up, not quite right in the corners as I'd hoped for but they are a buxxer to fit like that. I still think mounted like this their small dimensions ensure an unobtrusive look that doesn't spoil the lines of the car.
I'll be giving them a full test very soon.
Best regards, Dave
FiF said:
Good thread here chap. Much enjoyed it, also the fitting of those spots in the corners of the grille look very neat.
For a time I've privately questioned the logic of using them to bolster the dipped beam, thinking isn't he going to get folks thinking, "knob got his foglights on." But realise that as they're so low to the ground probably not possible to use them as main beam auxiliaries, so guess it's the only way.
I've been trying to think of a way to mount those LP270 or similar in place of the fog lights on my FL2. Just need something with a bit of throw to pick up animals in the verges on long dark straights in the forest especially on wet nights. Modern vehicles really don't lend themselves to auxiliary mounts. Apologies for mentioning a JLR tractor on a Chim forum.
Cheers, thanks for your input.For a time I've privately questioned the logic of using them to bolster the dipped beam, thinking isn't he going to get folks thinking, "knob got his foglights on." But realise that as they're so low to the ground probably not possible to use them as main beam auxiliaries, so guess it's the only way.
I've been trying to think of a way to mount those LP270 or similar in place of the fog lights on my FL2. Just need something with a bit of throw to pick up animals in the verges on long dark straights in the forest especially on wet nights. Modern vehicles really don't lend themselves to auxiliary mounts. Apologies for mentioning a JLR tractor on a Chim forum.
It's worth pointing out this photo was taken close to the front of the car and low to the ground, so represents a rather unnatural view point.
The installation is meant to be unobtrusive, stealth if you'll excuse the term, and from a more natural line of sight when viewed by passers by I doubt they'll stick out or draw the eye, indeed my hope is they will be completely overlooked by casual observers.
Low yes, but also still untested, so only time will tell if the deliver the results I'm looking for and at the end of the day these LP270 helper lights will prove themselves to be completely unnecessary in 90% of driving situations. In fact they'll probably be used for less time than I've spent typing on this endless post
Why?... because if we're honest with ourselves, in this built up country of ours most of the time we're actually driving under sodium street lights. My LP270s are just there for those rare occasions where I find myself on dark country roads needing some additional help on dip.
(Or in Phil's case, potentially useful when he's out dogging again
) I still think people with the Chimaera Mk3 headlight conversion which takes a common 7" round headlight unit should consider the Truck-lite option, but Cerbera owners and those with standard Mk1/2 headlights in their Chimaera (who clearly can't fit Truck-lites) should at least try these LED H4s... and perhaps assisted by a set of driving lights as I've done.
Dave.
Edited by ChimpOnGas on Wednesday 10th February 00:14
Ok chaps, a little down and dirty test of my new LP270 LED driving lights which I've fitted to solve the slightly low dip beams of my LED H4 bulb replacement units which themselves are a massive step up on the best incandescent H4 bulbs on the market.
Before I show you the result I should point out I was using the rather basic camera in my phone and the Nissan Micra facing me was roughly 20 feet away so like I say a rather down & dirty test recorded with a pretty poor camera.
Here's what no lights looks like from the driver's seat to act as a control:
Now what the LED headlights do on dip but without the driving lights on:
Now on dip but with the addition of the PIAA LP270 LED driving lights:
Finally on main beams which in the case of H4s is dip & main beam together, plus the addition of the LP270's:
[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com
/nb4TiMWu[/url]
What I haven't shown you is just the PIAA LP270 driving lights with nothing else on at all. I have however tested the car in this mode and was amazed to find the tiny little LP270's are actually significantly more powerful than my Mk3 Headlights using the LED H4 bulb replacement units which are already a fantastic upgrade.
The PIAA LP270 driving lights are small but they are also insanely powerful, the also seem to have the best beam cut off I've seen from any lights, and because they're mounted so low and have been adjusted with respect to oncoming traffic they really shouldn't cause any issues to oncoming traffic.
I'd say that's Chimaera poor headlights solved, indeed I'd go as far as to say my Chimaera now has headlights that are as good if not better than the best lights used on modern high end cars.
And I should stress my poor quality photos don't even come close to the true effects of my full LED setup when you see it in the real world.
Job done!
Before I show you the result I should point out I was using the rather basic camera in my phone and the Nissan Micra facing me was roughly 20 feet away so like I say a rather down & dirty test recorded with a pretty poor camera.
Here's what no lights looks like from the driver's seat to act as a control:
Now what the LED headlights do on dip but without the driving lights on:
Now on dip but with the addition of the PIAA LP270 LED driving lights:
Finally on main beams which in the case of H4s is dip & main beam together, plus the addition of the LP270's:
[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/nb4TiMWu[/url]
What I haven't shown you is just the PIAA LP270 driving lights with nothing else on at all. I have however tested the car in this mode and was amazed to find the tiny little LP270's are actually significantly more powerful than my Mk3 Headlights using the LED H4 bulb replacement units which are already a fantastic upgrade.
The PIAA LP270 driving lights are small but they are also insanely powerful, the also seem to have the best beam cut off I've seen from any lights, and because they're mounted so low and have been adjusted with respect to oncoming traffic they really shouldn't cause any issues to oncoming traffic.
I'd say that's Chimaera poor headlights solved, indeed I'd go as far as to say my Chimaera now has headlights that are as good if not better than the best lights used on modern high end cars.
And I should stress my poor quality photos don't even come close to the true effects of my full LED setup when you see it in the real world.
Job done!
Edited by ChimpOnGas on Saturday 27th February 20:55
magpies said:
Hi CoG
This has been one of the best threads - and well worth reading it all - on PH
probably the only thing to do next (last) is a movie showing both urban and rural.
The use of the low tech camera is good, as it is so easy with 'proper' cameras to alter the aperture to enhance the image.
I have a TVR S series with standard 7" H4 and will soon transfer to LED (I have changed all the auxiliary lamps to LED already)
Many thanks for you kind comments and your suggestion of a movie is excellent.This has been one of the best threads - and well worth reading it all - on PH
probably the only thing to do next (last) is a movie showing both urban and rural.
The use of the low tech camera is good, as it is so easy with 'proper' cameras to alter the aperture to enhance the image.
I have a TVR S series with standard 7" H4 and will soon transfer to LED (I have changed all the auxiliary lamps to LED already)
My friend has a GoPro so I'll see if he'll loan it to me so I can take you all for a ride in 'Ol Gasbag' at night.
You can then witness for yourselves just what this latest LED technology can do.
Best regards, Dave.
Very small and very powerful at night, I think you'll find these LP270 LED driving lights deliver just what you need.
And here's the steering column switch which allows completely independent control of the driving lights, strictly speaking illegal but hey... as long as I'm not blinding oncoming drivers I don't think it's the crime of the century.
And here's the steering column switch which allows completely independent control of the driving lights, strictly speaking illegal but hey... as long as I'm not blinding oncoming drivers I don't think it's the crime of the century.
SILICONEKID345HP said:
Ao without the driving lights the leds fitted in the head light are useless
Absolutely not true, the LED H4 bulb replacement units couldn't be further away from useless!Even without the driving lights any headlights are massively improved with a good set of these new generation LED H4s, just make sure you adjust them properly.
Add the driving lights and it's a game changing combination!
GC8 said:
You cannot have extra dipped beam lamps - this is why I asked about them. You can have extra driving lamps which are extinguished when dipped beam is selected, but not multiple dipped beam lamps.
This is true, you can use fog lights on dip but only in adverse weather conditions that warrant their use. So strictly speaking my driving lights are illegal as they are not linked to the main beam circuit but on an independent switch with a warning light mounted in a place I can get to quickly. The lights mounted low to the road so I've had no issues with people flashing me so far. To be honest I only ever planned to use them in dark rural roads and they certainly offer excellent performance in these conditions, however lately I've also taken to using them as daylight running lights, cars with the latest super bright LED daylight running lights are definitely way easier to see so after Volvo came up with the idea over 30 years ago we are all finally enjoying the safety benefits of being seen as well as seeing.
I'm finally happy with the lights on my Chimaera, rather than getting in my modern Toyota and thinking these headlights are so much better than on my TVR, I now get in the Toyota and think the modern car's headlights are total rubbish.
FiF said:
Pink_Floyd said:
GC8 said:
You cannot have extra dipped beam lamps........, but not multiple dipped beam lamps.
Why ?The new cars with LED lights like the mercs have 2 dip beam lamps each side of the car, I assume it is to get the correct beam pattern.
tog said:
Why not? I have four headlights, all work on dip and main. MoT man has never complained, or is a construction and use thing?
magpies said:
the SEAT Leon has multiple leds on dip and then adds more for main beam
^^ALL THIS^^I really don't think the way I've got my driving lights wired is the worlds biggest crime, and my car passes the MoT every year without cats so I doubt I'll have any problems with these lights, it certainly helps my tester is an old school hot rodder.
The independent switch gives me choice and complete control of how I choose to use these PIAA LP270 driving lights.
I can use them:
1. On their own as daylight running lights
2. With dip - which is strictly speaking illegal because they're not fog lights
3. With dip & main beam
4. With main beam only - easily flicked off when I dip my lights
I've also found I could easily drive at night on sidelights with the PIAA LP270s used in place of my dips because unbelievably these little driving lights offer even more light than my already very effective LED H4s on dip.
Finally I can just drive using my headlights as normal and choose simply not to switch on the LP270's at all, so like I say I have complete control over how they're used.
Most importantly they are never used where they may cause issue to other road users, I have found they massively improve visibility on dark rural roads and used as daylight running lights greatly improve the visibility of my car during the day.
Therefore in every respect rather than being unsafe they actually greatly improve safety, from my experience the combination of a set of correctly adjusted new generation LED H4s in M3 faired headlights with the addition of PIAA LP270 driving lights delivers the ultimate solution to the shockingly bad performing headlights most Chimaeras (with their corroded reflectors) suffer.
I will try to put my car next to my mates Chimaera with his Mk1/2 headlights and corroded reflectors and take some photos as a comparison, I guarantee you the difference will literally be like night and day
This concludes my project to give my TVR proper headlights
I hope you've all enjoyed this post and found it helpful?
Right folks, here's my definitive summary on the subject of improving Chimaera headlights all in one post to save people the agony of reading through the whole topic. This honest summary is based on 15 months of real world testing and is intended to help the Chimaera community create a safer and more usable car when driven at night.
Firstly I want to cover the Truck-Lite units, I'm in no doubt they will give excellent performance, there are too many favourable reviews online for them to be anything other than a great upgrade for anyone with a car that uses the common 7" round headlights. The elephant in the Truck-Lite room is of course that they are only an option for those with a Mk3 headlight conversion, which in truth represents a tiny proportion of Chimaeras out there.
If you are one of the 98% of owners who have a Chimaera with the Mk1/2 headlights your first focus of attention should be to address the corrosion prone reflectors; forget the LED H4 debate for a minute it's resolving the reflector issue that'll deliver the single biggest improvement in headlight performance.
The truth is, measured back to back a brand new Mk1/2 headlight will perform just as well if not slightly better than a Mk1 Golf headlight used in the Mk3 conversion which as we know is also stuck behind a perspex cover. Actually the only real functional advantage offered by Mk3 headlights is they overcome the rapidly cording and hard to source Bosch reflector issue in a stroke.
My advise to anyone with Mk1/2 headlights is to first and foremost resolve their corroded reflectors, the best bet being to start with new ones but re-silvering is also an option, although the saving may not be great you at least you won't need to drill the rims on your re-silvered originals to ensure the sidelights sit correctly as you do with the new reflectors, which are actually Porsche units.
Weather go with new or re-silvered reflectors the one thing you absolutely must do is protect the reflector surface in some way before fitting, I recommend clear coating them with a good quality 2k lacquer. If applied properly this protective clear coating will literally extend the effective life of your new shiny reflectors by years, fail to protect your new or re-silvered reflectors in this way and you need to accept your reflectors will start to corrode in under a year and by year two (depending on use) will already be quite dull and so their performance will be greatly reduced.
With the reflector issue addressed and your investment protected with a decent clear coat then and only then can you start to look at what bulbs you are going to choose, with decent reflectors one of the latest incandescent bulbs such as Philips X-Treme Vision or Osram Nightbreakers will immediately give you very good headlights indeed, headlights that are already a massive step up from standard H4 bulbs in a set of dull & corroded reflectors.
If you then want to take things a step further try a set of these new generation of LED H4 bulb replacement units discussed here, just make sure you adjust the headlights so you're not dazzling oncoming traffic and you'll find you've moved on your night time visibility significantly yet again.
I followed all these very steps on my journey to achieve the very best possible Chimaera headlights, slowly but surely they got better and better and all this while I was still on the Mk1/2 set up, but I can't impress upon people enough the best thing any Chimaera can do to improve night time visibility is to get their corroded reflectors properly sorted first.
Mk3 conversion aside my final step was to fit a set of PIAA LP270's mostly with the objective of extending the dip after fitting my LED H4s, the result has been devastatingly good and while I freely admit I now have Mk3 headlights in my Chimaera I really don't think that the Mk1 Golf headlight unit used is any better than a perfect Mk1/2 setup with new reflectors.
What all this means is those with Mk1/2 headlights could easily just sort their reflectors, fit a set of the amazingly bright LED H4s, make a small adjustment, then fit a set of PIA LP270s..... and get exactly the same amazing results I'm enjoying . What I'm saying is the combination I've settled on could be easily replicated by any Chimaera owner, where as you can only begin to consider the 7" Truck-Lites if you have faired Mk3 headlights.
If you do have Mk3 headlights by all means try the Truck-Lites, I'm sure they will prove very good indeed, just prepare yourself for some fitting challenges & fabrication work which shouldn't in practice present too much of an issue.
Personally I doubt a set of Truck-Lites in a Mk3 conversion will offer any more light than a set of restored Mk1/2 headlights using LED H4s, the Truck-Lites in a Mk3 conversion may ultimately offer better control of the dip beams but when the Mk1/2 guy flicks on his LP270s that all becomes very irrelevant indeed.
For people who want to retain their Mk1/2 headlight look or those who don't want to go to the expense of fitting Mk3 headlights but also want to massively improve their night time visibility on their Chimaera I can highly recommend following my LED H4s & LP270 setup, whatever path you take you do need to accept it'll never be a cheap exercise but does stand as the one thing you can do yourself at home that will make your TVR much more usable and an even more practical classic than it is already.
After 15 months of intensive real world testing and 23 pages of waffle from me, thems the facts folks
Hope it helps?
Dave.
Firstly I want to cover the Truck-Lite units, I'm in no doubt they will give excellent performance, there are too many favourable reviews online for them to be anything other than a great upgrade for anyone with a car that uses the common 7" round headlights. The elephant in the Truck-Lite room is of course that they are only an option for those with a Mk3 headlight conversion, which in truth represents a tiny proportion of Chimaeras out there.
If you are one of the 98% of owners who have a Chimaera with the Mk1/2 headlights your first focus of attention should be to address the corrosion prone reflectors; forget the LED H4 debate for a minute it's resolving the reflector issue that'll deliver the single biggest improvement in headlight performance.
The truth is, measured back to back a brand new Mk1/2 headlight will perform just as well if not slightly better than a Mk1 Golf headlight used in the Mk3 conversion which as we know is also stuck behind a perspex cover. Actually the only real functional advantage offered by Mk3 headlights is they overcome the rapidly cording and hard to source Bosch reflector issue in a stroke.
My advise to anyone with Mk1/2 headlights is to first and foremost resolve their corroded reflectors, the best bet being to start with new ones but re-silvering is also an option, although the saving may not be great you at least you won't need to drill the rims on your re-silvered originals to ensure the sidelights sit correctly as you do with the new reflectors, which are actually Porsche units.
Weather go with new or re-silvered reflectors the one thing you absolutely must do is protect the reflector surface in some way before fitting, I recommend clear coating them with a good quality 2k lacquer. If applied properly this protective clear coating will literally extend the effective life of your new shiny reflectors by years, fail to protect your new or re-silvered reflectors in this way and you need to accept your reflectors will start to corrode in under a year and by year two (depending on use) will already be quite dull and so their performance will be greatly reduced.
With the reflector issue addressed and your investment protected with a decent clear coat then and only then can you start to look at what bulbs you are going to choose, with decent reflectors one of the latest incandescent bulbs such as Philips X-Treme Vision or Osram Nightbreakers will immediately give you very good headlights indeed, headlights that are already a massive step up from standard H4 bulbs in a set of dull & corroded reflectors.
If you then want to take things a step further try a set of these new generation of LED H4 bulb replacement units discussed here, just make sure you adjust the headlights so you're not dazzling oncoming traffic and you'll find you've moved on your night time visibility significantly yet again.
I followed all these very steps on my journey to achieve the very best possible Chimaera headlights, slowly but surely they got better and better and all this while I was still on the Mk1/2 set up, but I can't impress upon people enough the best thing any Chimaera can do to improve night time visibility is to get their corroded reflectors properly sorted first.
Mk3 conversion aside my final step was to fit a set of PIAA LP270's mostly with the objective of extending the dip after fitting my LED H4s, the result has been devastatingly good and while I freely admit I now have Mk3 headlights in my Chimaera I really don't think that the Mk1 Golf headlight unit used is any better than a perfect Mk1/2 setup with new reflectors.
What all this means is those with Mk1/2 headlights could easily just sort their reflectors, fit a set of the amazingly bright LED H4s, make a small adjustment, then fit a set of PIA LP270s..... and get exactly the same amazing results I'm enjoying . What I'm saying is the combination I've settled on could be easily replicated by any Chimaera owner, where as you can only begin to consider the 7" Truck-Lites if you have faired Mk3 headlights.
If you do have Mk3 headlights by all means try the Truck-Lites, I'm sure they will prove very good indeed, just prepare yourself for some fitting challenges & fabrication work which shouldn't in practice present too much of an issue.
Personally I doubt a set of Truck-Lites in a Mk3 conversion will offer any more light than a set of restored Mk1/2 headlights using LED H4s, the Truck-Lites in a Mk3 conversion may ultimately offer better control of the dip beams but when the Mk1/2 guy flicks on his LP270s that all becomes very irrelevant indeed.
For people who want to retain their Mk1/2 headlight look or those who don't want to go to the expense of fitting Mk3 headlights but also want to massively improve their night time visibility on their Chimaera I can highly recommend following my LED H4s & LP270 setup, whatever path you take you do need to accept it'll never be a cheap exercise but does stand as the one thing you can do yourself at home that will make your TVR much more usable and an even more practical classic than it is already.
After 15 months of intensive real world testing and 23 pages of waffle from me, thems the facts folks
Hope it helps?
Dave.
I'm still running my reflector friendly shielded gen 4 LED H4s and would not consider returning to traditional incandescent bulbs, after careful adjustment I do not get flashed or cause issues to other drivers.
The improvement in light output my gen 4 LEDs offer was well worth the £50 I paid and I've seen no real evidence to say the way more expensive alternative from Philips offers any genuine advantage over what I have.
My LED H4s are way brighter, offer much better visibility, draw a lot less current and have 10 times the life of a traditional incandescent bulb... I consider them well worth the £50 investment.
The improvement in light output my gen 4 LEDs offer was well worth the £50 I paid and I've seen no real evidence to say the way more expensive alternative from Philips offers any genuine advantage over what I have.
My LED H4s are way brighter, offer much better visibility, draw a lot less current and have 10 times the life of a traditional incandescent bulb... I consider them well worth the £50 investment.
For anyone with a reasonable budget there is now a better and properly engineered option for upgrading your Chimaera headlights, at £550 a pair these Nolden projector LED headlights are not going to be in everyone's price bracket but in my opinion they are the ultimate compromise between classic silvered reflector looks and the unparalleled performance and sharp cutoff you get from a modern projector lens. I've witnessed these headlights on a Defender and they are definitely the next step up from the LED H4s in my 7" Mk1 Golf reflector headlights (Mk3 faired headlight conversion).
https://www.4x4overlander.com/product/nolden-headl...
Obviously these are the common 7" size units used in Land Rover Defenders, Jeeps and pretty much every Brit classic from the 60's/70's making them more suited to Chimaeras with the Mk3 faired headlight set up, but with some fabrication work I'm sure they could be made to fit an earlier car.
In respect of looks he above Nolden projector LED 7" headlight is about as far as I would want to aesthetically stray away from a traditional reflector headlight, perhaps still a step too far on a MK1/2 Chimaera with its open headlights but I suspect they will not stand out at all sat behind my Mk3 faired headlight covers. The TVR Chimaera is a car that has beautiful classic lines, so I think we need to accept other 7" LED projector headlight designs like these JW Speakers would look absolutely gopping!
The above are meant to be fantastic performing lights, but to look at... well lets just say
, they are also £700 for a genuine set, anything cheaper will be fakes!
However, here's the Nolden projector LED headlights in a 70th anniversary edition Land Rover Defender that received these lights from new, personally I think they do a great job of incorporating a modern projector lens in a 7" headlight while keeping it looking very close to a classic reflector bowl traditional headlight unit.
Sure, the Noldens are expensive at £550 a pair but to my eye they are the best compromise between classic looks vs the clear performance benefits of using a modern projector lens, they are also OEM standard having gone through all the certification and standards new car headlights must meet, the Noldens have been properly designed by optical engineers to throw the light where you need it without causing issues for oncoming drivers.
That's a long way off just fitting a set of £40 Chinese made LED H4 bulb replacement units into a reflector headlight as I did, saying that I would never go back to incandescent bulbs and for the money these new tech LED H4s simply can't be beaten. People should be aware just fitting LED H4s in reflector headlights is fine but you will need to adjust the headlights after fitting them as your dip beams will be too high which will dazzle oncoming drivers.
Once you've adjusted your headlights down so you dont blind oncoming drivers what you'll find is you've got amazing full beam performance but dips that dont quite have the spread and reach you need, don't get me wrong the pool of light on dip will be extremely bright but it will be focused in a fairly tight and short reaching area right in front of the car. I solved this issue with a set of LP270 driving lights mounted low, by rights I shouldn't be using driving lights on dip but because they're so low mounted oncoming drivers don't seem bothered by them and they do an amazing job of solving the LED H4s in a reflector headlight dip beam reach issue.
However, I did end up paying £250 for the amazing PIAA LP270s (they're now £300 a set!), so with my LED H4 bulb replacement units I still spent roughly £300 on upgrading my headlights, plus the M3 headlight conversion of course. When funds permit I'll be fitting a set of the £550 Nolden projector LED headlights, these with my PIAA LP270s will make for a devastatingly good yet responsible Chimaera lighting set up.
https://www.4x4overlander.com/product/nolden-headl...
Obviously these are the common 7" size units used in Land Rover Defenders, Jeeps and pretty much every Brit classic from the 60's/70's making them more suited to Chimaeras with the Mk3 faired headlight set up, but with some fabrication work I'm sure they could be made to fit an earlier car.
In respect of looks he above Nolden projector LED 7" headlight is about as far as I would want to aesthetically stray away from a traditional reflector headlight, perhaps still a step too far on a MK1/2 Chimaera with its open headlights but I suspect they will not stand out at all sat behind my Mk3 faired headlight covers. The TVR Chimaera is a car that has beautiful classic lines, so I think we need to accept other 7" LED projector headlight designs like these JW Speakers would look absolutely gopping!
The above are meant to be fantastic performing lights, but to look at... well lets just say
, they are also £700 for a genuine set, anything cheaper will be fakes!However, here's the Nolden projector LED headlights in a 70th anniversary edition Land Rover Defender that received these lights from new, personally I think they do a great job of incorporating a modern projector lens in a 7" headlight while keeping it looking very close to a classic reflector bowl traditional headlight unit.
Sure, the Noldens are expensive at £550 a pair but to my eye they are the best compromise between classic looks vs the clear performance benefits of using a modern projector lens, they are also OEM standard having gone through all the certification and standards new car headlights must meet, the Noldens have been properly designed by optical engineers to throw the light where you need it without causing issues for oncoming drivers.
That's a long way off just fitting a set of £40 Chinese made LED H4 bulb replacement units into a reflector headlight as I did, saying that I would never go back to incandescent bulbs and for the money these new tech LED H4s simply can't be beaten. People should be aware just fitting LED H4s in reflector headlights is fine but you will need to adjust the headlights after fitting them as your dip beams will be too high which will dazzle oncoming drivers.
Once you've adjusted your headlights down so you dont blind oncoming drivers what you'll find is you've got amazing full beam performance but dips that dont quite have the spread and reach you need, don't get me wrong the pool of light on dip will be extremely bright but it will be focused in a fairly tight and short reaching area right in front of the car. I solved this issue with a set of LP270 driving lights mounted low, by rights I shouldn't be using driving lights on dip but because they're so low mounted oncoming drivers don't seem bothered by them and they do an amazing job of solving the LED H4s in a reflector headlight dip beam reach issue.
However, I did end up paying £250 for the amazing PIAA LP270s (they're now £300 a set!), so with my LED H4 bulb replacement units I still spent roughly £300 on upgrading my headlights, plus the M3 headlight conversion of course. When funds permit I'll be fitting a set of the £550 Nolden projector LED headlights, these with my PIAA LP270s will make for a devastatingly good yet responsible Chimaera lighting set up.
Mine are well over three years old now and still giving strong reliable service, I appreciate this isn't much help though as I can't remember the brand and I long since through the box away
The problem with these Chinese H4s is the brands change like the wind anyway, so you can't really buy on brand of even trust the same brand will be consistent in quality for that matter. If you've ever done business with the Chinese and had something made there you'll understand why, to apply our Western 'Trusted Brand' thinking to Chinese made products is to leave yourself wide open to disappointment at some point.
The frustrating thing about the Chinese is they can make any product to very highest standards and contrary to their reputation very often do, to say everything coming out of China is poorly made would be to show a complete misunderstanding of their manufacturing capabilities which in many cases is of the highest order.
However, the problems are two fold:
Firstly the Chinese will happily make you anything from the very highest quality to utter rubbish, if you're having something made in China and you try to negotiate the price down don't be surprised if they agree but you then find your product is now severely compromised in quality.
Secondly there are no contracts that hold water in China, in the West its normal practice to contractually bind the manufacturer to specific documented quality standards, if the quality falls below the standards enforceable penalties apply. Go to Asia to have something made and it's frighteningly common for your Chinese manufacturer to start of making your product to very high standards only to drop the quality dramatically six months into the relationship, with no enforceable contract you're screwed. Friends of mine who have products made in China seem to go through this cycle every six to twelve months, it usually involves another trip to China to strike another deal with lots of promised only to end with the new manufacturer dropping the quality just like the last after the typical honeymoon period.
The truth is buying these Chinese LED H4s is a complete punt, I wouldn't go on brand as this is no indication of product quality or performance whatsoever, my advice is look at the sellers image and try to buy a model with emitter shielding and better still the ability to rotate the emitter body so you can fine tune them to your reflector. I also recommend taking the lumen rating with a pinch of salt, the Chinese have long since worked out they can increase their sales against their competitors simply by over inflating their lumen figure.
The only sure fired way to eliminate the 'Pot Luck' LED bulb purchasing gamble is to avoid the Chinese ones altogether and go with a genuine set of Philips 12953BW H4 X-Treme Ultinon LEDs:
https://www.philips.co.in/c-p/12953BWX2/x-treme-ul...
But as they are in the order of £130 a set you will pay for this peace of mind, and you'll need to be 100% confident you're not buying fakes as there are loads of snide Philips LED bulb replacement units flooding the market. Saying that if you get lucky and buy a good Chinese set as I did they will likely work just as well as the Philips ones, which are almost certainly made in China anyway, but no matter what you go for these LED units all work far better in a projector system than traditional reflector headlight bowls designed for traditional halogen filament bulbs.
Basically the whole buying LED bulb replacements gamble is a bit of friggin nightmare, admittedly I enjoyed outstanding results from my £40 Chinese set but it was luck more than judgement if I'm honest. Like I say when funds permit (£550 a pair) I'll be sticking a set of these Nolden projector LED headlight units behind the perspex covers of my Mk3 faired headlight conversion.
Or you may wish to spend in the order of £300 and go with a set of Truck-Lites:
Truck-Lites appear like they may throw the LED light back into a properly designed reflector for the LED emitter and then bounce it forward in a controlled way onto the road ahead, if I'm right they work exactly like my excellent PIAA 270 LED driving lights which are truly outstanding performers... especially given their tiny size!
If this eBay listing is for a set of genuine Truck-Lites then £220 is a very good price indeed and will easily be the best balance between price and performance.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Truck-Lite-LED-Headlamp...
Eric (900T-R) has fitted Truck-Lites so we really need a proper review from him
The problem with these Chinese H4s is the brands change like the wind anyway, so you can't really buy on brand of even trust the same brand will be consistent in quality for that matter. If you've ever done business with the Chinese and had something made there you'll understand why, to apply our Western 'Trusted Brand' thinking to Chinese made products is to leave yourself wide open to disappointment at some point.
The frustrating thing about the Chinese is they can make any product to very highest standards and contrary to their reputation very often do, to say everything coming out of China is poorly made would be to show a complete misunderstanding of their manufacturing capabilities which in many cases is of the highest order.
However, the problems are two fold:
Firstly the Chinese will happily make you anything from the very highest quality to utter rubbish, if you're having something made in China and you try to negotiate the price down don't be surprised if they agree but you then find your product is now severely compromised in quality.
Secondly there are no contracts that hold water in China, in the West its normal practice to contractually bind the manufacturer to specific documented quality standards, if the quality falls below the standards enforceable penalties apply. Go to Asia to have something made and it's frighteningly common for your Chinese manufacturer to start of making your product to very high standards only to drop the quality dramatically six months into the relationship, with no enforceable contract you're screwed. Friends of mine who have products made in China seem to go through this cycle every six to twelve months, it usually involves another trip to China to strike another deal with lots of promised only to end with the new manufacturer dropping the quality just like the last after the typical honeymoon period.
The truth is buying these Chinese LED H4s is a complete punt, I wouldn't go on brand as this is no indication of product quality or performance whatsoever, my advice is look at the sellers image and try to buy a model with emitter shielding and better still the ability to rotate the emitter body so you can fine tune them to your reflector. I also recommend taking the lumen rating with a pinch of salt, the Chinese have long since worked out they can increase their sales against their competitors simply by over inflating their lumen figure.
The only sure fired way to eliminate the 'Pot Luck' LED bulb purchasing gamble is to avoid the Chinese ones altogether and go with a genuine set of Philips 12953BW H4 X-Treme Ultinon LEDs:
https://www.philips.co.in/c-p/12953BWX2/x-treme-ul...
But as they are in the order of £130 a set you will pay for this peace of mind, and you'll need to be 100% confident you're not buying fakes as there are loads of snide Philips LED bulb replacement units flooding the market. Saying that if you get lucky and buy a good Chinese set as I did they will likely work just as well as the Philips ones, which are almost certainly made in China anyway, but no matter what you go for these LED units all work far better in a projector system than traditional reflector headlight bowls designed for traditional halogen filament bulbs.
Basically the whole buying LED bulb replacements gamble is a bit of friggin nightmare
, admittedly I enjoyed outstanding results from my £40 Chinese set but it was luck more than judgement if I'm honest. Like I say when funds permit (£550 a pair) I'll be sticking a set of these Nolden projector LED headlight units behind the perspex covers of my Mk3 faired headlight conversion.Or you may wish to spend in the order of £300 and go with a set of Truck-Lites:
Truck-Lites appear like they may throw the LED light back into a properly designed reflector for the LED emitter and then bounce it forward in a controlled way onto the road ahead, if I'm right they work exactly like my excellent PIAA 270 LED driving lights which are truly outstanding performers... especially given their tiny size!
If this eBay listing is for a set of genuine Truck-Lites then £220 is a very good price indeed and will easily be the best balance between price and performance.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Truck-Lite-LED-Headlamp...
Eric (900T-R) has fitted Truck-Lites so we really need a proper review from him
Fakes a plenty indeed!
However, I've been following the price of Truck-Lites and they do seem to be coming down on a global basis, this appears to be driven my the manufacturer themselves and probably in response to the competition from the Far East where some the Chinese projector type 7" headlights apparently actually work really well and can be had for £120 a pair.
From what I've read the projector design works better with an LED emitter than even a specific LED friendly reflector type as is the Truck-Lite, saying that most 7" projector units look dreadful even behind faired headlights and just aren't in keeping with the classic looks of a Chimaera at all.
The best compromise for me are the the Noldens but they are pricey and I still wouldn't put them on a Mk1/2 open headlight car which for most brings us full circle to the Truck-Lites again. However, take a look at what Singer did which shows us all the way forward, they went to Hella and had proper projector headlights made.
Like the rest of the car this is the 'no cost too great, no compromise' solution in Singer's bid to create the very best improved classic money can buy. I'd put money on the Singer lights being devastatingly good, but for the amount they charge for their car's you'd want them to be truly outstanding.
The thing is (and this is a personal taste thing of course), I dont think the piggy eye projectors they commissioned from Hella look right at all on the car, not vomit inducing wrong like a set of JW Speakers you understand but definitely not the classic enhancing looks I feel a 60's 911 deserves
However, I've been following the price of Truck-Lites and they do seem to be coming down on a global basis, this appears to be driven my the manufacturer themselves and probably in response to the competition from the Far East where some the Chinese projector type 7" headlights apparently actually work really well and can be had for £120 a pair.
From what I've read the projector design works better with an LED emitter than even a specific LED friendly reflector type as is the Truck-Lite, saying that most 7" projector units look dreadful even behind faired headlights and just aren't in keeping with the classic looks of a Chimaera at all.
The best compromise for me are the the Noldens but they are pricey and I still wouldn't put them on a Mk1/2 open headlight car which for most brings us full circle to the Truck-Lites again. However, take a look at what Singer did which shows us all the way forward, they went to Hella and had proper projector headlights made.
Like the rest of the car this is the 'no cost too great, no compromise' solution in Singer's bid to create the very best improved classic money can buy. I'd put money on the Singer lights being devastatingly good, but for the amount they charge for their car's you'd want them to be truly outstanding.
The thing is (and this is a personal taste thing of course), I dont think the piggy eye projectors they commissioned from Hella look right at all on the car, not vomit inducing wrong like a set of JW Speakers you understand but definitely not the classic enhancing looks I feel a 60's 911 deserves
Good feedback Eric 
Do let us all know how they perform on the road too.
Heer's that Nolden equipped 70th anniversary edition Land Rover Defender again, personally I think the Noldens do a great job of incorporating a modern projector lens in a 7" headlight that very closely mimics the look of a traditional reflector bowl headlight.
The Truck-Lites would to my mind be virtually indistinguishable from the Mk1 Golf headlights on a Mk3 setup which from your photos does seem to be the case. It's quite clear and in an ideal world, to really get the very best from the new generation of LED emitters they really need to be paired with an LED specific reflector as with my PIAA LP270s and the Truck-Lites, but that shouldn't put people of putting a set of LED H4s in their standard headlights as the results can be a big step up from even the best incandescent bulbs
Do let us all know how they perform on the road too.
900T-R said:
Agree the projector types may be more efficient but look absolutely gopping. The reflector lights however look pretty much like they've been on the car all along, which is what I was after.
I couldn't agree more, but I think the Noldens manage to pull off a good compromise for a projector, and sat hidden behind my Mk3 perspex covers they should look fine, I suspect you'd have to stare right in there and be a bit of a fussy TVR geek to notice they're not actually a traditional reflector bowl.Heer's that Nolden equipped 70th anniversary edition Land Rover Defender again, personally I think the Noldens do a great job of incorporating a modern projector lens in a 7" headlight that very closely mimics the look of a traditional reflector bowl headlight.
The Truck-Lites would to my mind be virtually indistinguishable from the Mk1 Golf headlights on a Mk3 setup which from your photos does seem to be the case. It's quite clear and in an ideal world, to really get the very best from the new generation of LED emitters they really need to be paired with an LED specific reflector as with my PIAA LP270s and the Truck-Lites, but that shouldn't put people of putting a set of LED H4s in their standard headlights as the results can be a big step up from even the best incandescent bulbs
I started this post back in 2014 and I'm still running my reflector friendly shielded gen 4 LED H4s, I would not consider returning to traditional incandescent bulbs, after careful adjustment I do not get flashed or cause issues to other drivers.
The improvement in light output my gen 4 LEDs offer was well worth the £50 I paid and I've seen no real evidence to say the way more expensive alternative from Philips offers any genuine advantage over what I have.
My LED H4s are way brighter, offer much better visibility, draw a lot less current and have 10 times the life of a traditional incandescent bulb.
The improvement in light output my gen 4 LEDs offer was well worth the £50 I paid and I've seen no real evidence to say the way more expensive alternative from Philips offers any genuine advantage over what I have.
My LED H4s are way brighter, offer much better visibility, draw a lot less current and have 10 times the life of a traditional incandescent bulb.
Sorry guys I bought my LED H4s years ago, I started with the fan cooled type but later went to gen 4 that rely on heat finned sinks, what I can tell you is:
Once adjusted this issue was resolved although the reach and light spread to the edges of the road did suffer, its surprising how helpful it is to have a wider spread of light illuminating the roadside verge to the left as it assists in placing the car correctly on an unlit A/B road and so significantly increases confidence allowing you to safely up your pace.
To claw back the reach & spread I fitted Piaa LP270 driving lights which are tiny but amazing.
I actually think I can make the setup even better, my latest idea is to replace my indicators with a set of Piaa LP270 fog lights and build a set of indicators into the recesses in the the body below them, I plan to wire these a dip beam improvers to give me even greater spread and my current LP270 driving lights to support the main beams by giving a better pool of light 6ft in front of the car.
My final point would be while these LED bulb replacement units can be made to work extremely well in a reflector headlight designed for a traditional incandescent bulb there are a few compromises, to get the greatest benefit from LED technology you either need a reflector designed specifically for LEDs as with my Piaa LP270s or a projector type design also specifically designed for the LED used.
If you want a complete engineered LED solution where a 7" headlight is used as with my Chimaera Mk3 faired headlight conversion you really want a specific LED 7" headlight unit such as those offed by JW Speaker, Trucklight or my personal favorites from Nolden.
The Nolden projector LED headlights were used by Land Rover in the 70th anniversary edition Defender, personally I think they do a great job of incorporating a modern projector lens in a 7" headlight while keeping it looking very close to a classic traditional reflector bowl headlight unit.
But at £450.00 a pair they're not cheap.....
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LAND-ROVER-DEFENDER-90-...
- They came from Ali Express
- They have shielded LEDs
- They're freaking powerful
Once adjusted this issue was resolved although the reach and light spread to the edges of the road did suffer, its surprising how helpful it is to have a wider spread of light illuminating the roadside verge to the left as it assists in placing the car correctly on an unlit A/B road and so significantly increases confidence allowing you to safely up your pace.
To claw back the reach & spread I fitted Piaa LP270 driving lights which are tiny but amazing.
I actually think I can make the setup even better, my latest idea is to replace my indicators with a set of Piaa LP270 fog lights and build a set of indicators into the recesses in the the body below them, I plan to wire these a dip beam improvers to give me even greater spread and my current LP270 driving lights to support the main beams by giving a better pool of light 6ft in front of the car.
My final point would be while these LED bulb replacement units can be made to work extremely well in a reflector headlight designed for a traditional incandescent bulb there are a few compromises, to get the greatest benefit from LED technology you either need a reflector designed specifically for LEDs as with my Piaa LP270s or a projector type design also specifically designed for the LED used.
If you want a complete engineered LED solution where a 7" headlight is used as with my Chimaera Mk3 faired headlight conversion you really want a specific LED 7" headlight unit such as those offed by JW Speaker, Trucklight or my personal favorites from Nolden.
The Nolden projector LED headlights were used by Land Rover in the 70th anniversary edition Defender, personally I think they do a great job of incorporating a modern projector lens in a 7" headlight while keeping it looking very close to a classic traditional reflector bowl headlight unit.
But at £450.00 a pair they're not cheap.....
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LAND-ROVER-DEFENDER-90-...
Zener said:
Sadly those light units above may give fantastic light output 
.... just they look bloody awful 
Truth is you'll simply never notice them behind the Mk3 faired in headlights I run. .... just they look bloody awful And if you haven't got Mk3 faired in headlights you needn't apply, simply because you haven't got 7" units!
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff