For the Naysayers: LED Replacement Bulb Beam Pattern

[Wabujitsu]

Hey, Jeff.

My bought-new YJ was barely one month old when it punched a buck, hard, on a rural two-lane road at night. That memory still informs any number of things I do to this day, to include vehicle lighting considerations.

Also, we have cows that get into the road, on the only country road into town. There have been horrific people vs. cows accidents on that road, some of which I’ve seen. Totaled vehicles. One guy, on a motorcycle. His body had to be extracted from INSIDE the rib cage and abdomen of the cow.

Good, safe lights and driving the appropriate speed for the conditions are very important.

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[Phrank]

Hey, Jeff.

My bought-new YJ was barely one month old when it punched a buck, hard, on a rural two-lane road at night. That memory still informs any number of things I do to this day, to include vehicle lighting considerations.

I've hit more deer than I care to count - on 4 wheels and 2. Deer hunting should be mandatory here in PA.

 

[Heimkehr]

I've hit more deer than I care to count - on 4 wheels and 2. Deer hunting should be mandatory here in PA.

In the early aughts, while I was tootling along on a forested two-lane road, a doe ran diagonally toward my motorcycle as I was moving away from her. The impact was hard enough to push the rear of the bike sideways; only my instinctive and equally hard counter-steering kept the shiny side up. I slowed and then pulled over to process the adrenaline dump while she bounded off into the forest.

Annual culls of our forest rats are a good thing.

 

[roaniecowpony]

While I agree with @Heimkehr that the OEM JL halogens are very weak, they were not the weakest I've had in recent recoverable memory. My 2014 GMC with projector housings powered by halogens was about as bad as a modern vehicle I've seen. But not quite as bad as my brother's 6v VW bug.

I ended up putting the Headlight Revolution SV.4 LED bulbs in my halogen JL housings. I don't get flashed and they work very well on low beam and incredible on high beam.

 

[jpribe]

I don't disagree but it is completely stock from the factory, shouldn't need an adjustment. Same for my last Rubicon. I think it's just the nature of the beast. The beam looks ok and it's not everybody flashing me, just making an observation.

It's worth taking the time to check. I was getting flashed from the day I brought 23 Rubi XR home. I eventually took the hint and checked using the old 25 feet away from a 24 inch high target and the halogen headlights were indeed quite high. I adjusted them (super easy) and I haven't been flashed since.

 

[roaniecowpony]

This is the headlight aiming procedure from the Jeep OEM Tech Authority Service Manual.

 

[Save The Manuals!]

Huh. Never heard of this legal stuff. I put Lasfit LED bulbs on both my 2013 Bug and 2018 NINJA 650. No issues. My father-in-law painstakingly adjusted them properly. I'll probably upgrade the Jeep one of these days. I also added Denali LED auxiliary lights to both motorcycles; the 2023 NINJA 400 had LEDs stock. But I live in the country and the auxiliary lights are critical for lighting up the shoulders and ditches to see deer.
.

 

[bd100]

Another option is driving lights relayed off the high beams, especially if you want to keep the halogens for snow melt.

And I really wish Jeep had provided a stub wire to patch into the high beams.

 

[Wabujitsu]

Another option is driving lights relayed off the high beams, especially if you want to keep the halogens for snow melt.

And I really wish Jeep had provided a stub wire to patch into the high beams.

Having a Tazer is helpful in that regard. One of the many settings allows your fog lights to stay on when you hit the high beams. Perhaps Jeep fixed that though; we have a ‘20 and a ‘21.

 

[Flip]

Yeah, I'm with the OP on this as well. I installed Lasfit LED's in the halogen housing. I was flashed at first then I dialed them down. I haven't been flashed one time since then. My jeep passes state inspection, no problem.

I took it a step further; I drove my jeep to my local police station and asked an officer to check my new LED headlights and my 3rd (blinking) brake light to make sure they were both legal. His words, "they're legal and look good to me"

 

[alphawolff]

It’s still not legal.

This. It isn't legal. You're just blinding people.

Just buy the mopar LED lamp drop ins. It takes like ten minutes to swap them out.

 

[Gangplank]

For those who criticize replacing the crappy halogen bulbs with LED bulbs - without replacing the halogen reflectors/units - I present this.

Many have stated that LEDs won’t work with the halogen reflectors, saying that there is no cutoff line, the light scatters badly, etc. The two photos below show that is not true with my Chinese-made, Amazon-purchased bulbs. Visibility is AWESOME, and I do not get flashed by oncoming drivers, in spite of my lift.

The two photos below are overexposed, making the light far brighter than they are, but it clearly shows the bulb patterns. One I took at-speed, low beams, on the road; the other is stationary in my driveway, low beams.

There is a very, very clear cutoff line, as you can see, and no excessive scatter at all.

Those shots don’t prove your point. You need to show them against a wall on a dark night using the instructions for aiming headlights.

Measure the height of your headlights - floor to center of each light.

Use masking or painters tape and mark a line on the wall that is at the height of your headlights as measured. Then mark a line 2” below that line.

Back up 25 feet. Take a picture of the beam of your LED’s shining at those tape lines.

that will show the pattern and cut off of your lights.

 

[Gangplank]

Jeff, in FL there is nothing illegal about replacing halogen bulbs with LEDs.

I recently drove to and from SW FL to AZ, stayed for about ten days, and did a lot of night driving. I never was flashed, and I was never pulled over. I didn’t check each state’s statutes regarding this; I was more concerned with reciprocity laws.

Actually vehicle headlamps are regulated by the US DOT. Unless the replacement bulb is DOT approved for use in the specific lamp / reflector it is installed in then it is illegal. You won’t get a ticket most likely because cops have a hard time being able to verify it’s an illegal bulb but it is illegal as per the DOT regs.

 

[Wabujitsu]

This. It isn't legal. You're just blinding people.

Just buy the mopar LED lamp drop ins. It takes like ten minutes to swap them out.

Buggery and oral sex are still illegal in some states. What’s your point? Also, how do you know I’m blinding anyone?

I’m not spending $1k when a $40 solution works just as well.

 

[Wabujitsu]

Those shots don’t prove your point. You need to show them against a wall on a dark night using the instructions for aiming headlights.

Measure the height of your headlights - floor to center of each light.

Use masking or painters tape and mark a line on the wall that is at the height of your headlights as measured. Then mark a line 2” below that line.

Back up 25 feet. Take a picture of the beam of your LED’s shining at those tape lines.

that will show the pattern and cut off of your lights.

I did something similar when I adjusted the lights. The pattern and cutoff are extremely similar to the halogens I replaced - I know this because I made my marks prior to the bulb swap.

I regret that you find the photos insufficient. Regardless, it’s still a robust discussion, and the photos show empirical evidence, albeit not to your standards.

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