VLED 2000LM H4 install and review on 2001 T4R

I just installed the VLED 2000LM H4 LED headlights. I'm starting the new thread since I have read a number of similar threads here for similar situations, but none on 3G T4Rs using the newest 2000LM bulbs.

H4 9003 5K CXA 2000LM | 1 PAIR - H4 9003 HB2 - H Series - Bulb Number

Installation is pretty much plug & play. I can't use the factory dust boot without modification to fit over the heat sink. I left it off for now so I could reliably keep the heat sink cool. I then re-adjusted the headlight aim to ensure the primary beam was pointing correctly. This was straight forward thanks to threads here instructing how to do this.

The low beam illumination is incredible and the high beam illumination, while different than the classic Halogen look is excellent on rural roads. Both high and low beams simultaneously light with the 2000LM, creating a low beam bright area that mixes with the high beam scatter. At first it seemed that the high beam was not adding much, but now I think it is more an optical illusion that takes some getting used to.

There has been much discussed on various LED forums about cutoff. These LEDs do not have the classic Halogen cutoff either which is due to a handful of reasons. First, the position of the low-beam LED itself is slightly back and slightly higher than a spooned low beam filament on the 9003 bulb. The position of the high-beam LED is slightly lower than the un-spooned filament on the 9003 bulb, and only shines downward (instead of 360 deg around filament). However, the T4R’s lens optics do create a meaningful lateral cutoff which helps cut glare for oncoming cars. The optics also focus the light to a well-defined field while on low-beam that looks consistent with other vehicles on the road.

Daytime visibility of the 2000LM is good in cloudless daylight and excellent in rainy conditions. At night, these do not overwhelm the OEM incandescent marker bulbs or turn signals. Although for aesthetics only, I will likely replace the makers with LEDs.

I’ll write more later if I have any problems and am happy to respond to questions. I know there are many who see little or no value in LED headlight drop-in upgrades – and some who even see a detriment. While I understand the technical explanations, I am not convinced the optical differences are major enough to cause problems. On the balance of all considerations, I personally think the benefits of the 2000LM outweigh any detriments (which are functionally very minor and few).

Close-ups of Bulb Installation



Off



High & Low Beam On

Under-Hood



Driver's Side



Passenger's Side

Can you post up some night pics of the cutoff/glare?

Full Daylight Illumination



Off



Low Beam (notice how only the top half of the light housing is illuminated)



High Beam (entire light housing is illuminated)

Wall Illumination at Night



Close to wall, Low Beam (Here you see the defined beam focus without a formal cutoff but reasonable scatter)



Close to wall, High Beam (Here you see a bridging effect between the beams that is slightly higher than the low beam focus)



Low Beam (Notice the lack of illumination at or above the window level)



High Beam (Notice the expanded illumination - iPhone did not do this justice)

One thing I would worry about is snow/ice melt off. I have some covers on the wifes and if I dont remember to take them off on snowy days I get in trouble...lol

Thanks for the review! I have been looking to get LED's for the OEM fog lights. Still undecided.

bsdoig said:

Can you post up some night pics of the cutoff/glare?

Click to expand...

many pics coming on up!

Sign Reflection at night in neighborhood



Low Beam



High Beam

Head-on and Oncoming Views



Low Beam in rain



Low Beam oncoming offset (as you can tell, my passenger side light still needs a bit of adjustment)



High Beam oncoming offset

Glare

Def some glare there, even in person (cameras always over-emphasize glare at night). The offset oncoming glare, while higher than my old SilverStar's is slightly less than the glare of factory HID from my wife's G35. This looks consistent with other cars in a parking lot too... the factory HIDs are pretty much on par with these, but filament bulbs have way less glare.

Rural Illumination



Low Beam (well-controlled scatter)



High Beam (again, iPhone doesn't do this justice - notice though that the non-reflective sign back is now clearly visible)

Suburban Illumination



Low Beam



High Beam (iPhone limitations again on distance vision, but the width of beam is obvious on the power pole)

Urban Illumination



Low Beam at intersection with minimal overhead lighting. Notice lens flare showing as glare of oncoming car's lights (I think those were HID) and comparatively yellow lights of car entering intersection from left and car next to me at light. Also, despite poorly aimed passenger light on my rig, beam width and length is comparable to incandescent headlights next to me.



Low Beam with significant street lighting. Notice the lateral beam dropoff on left, excellent lighting ahead and excellent reflection of paint.

Yeah I took this while driving (next one too)! Don't do this at home kids



Low Beam with significant street lighting, while under light. Notice how headlights overpower the illumination of the streetlight in front of the rig, but the orange light overpowers the LED illumination at the sides. Another demonstration of the well-managed scatter and thus glare.

Conclusions

For now, this is the extent of my pictures. As you can see, these bulbs do an amazing job while not being too crazy on the glare front. I seriously doubt I will have any issues with inspection or the law. After driving these for almost a week I haven't been flashed once by another driver and have driven past numerous police cars and police SUVs without any issue.

Sylvania's website states their 9003/HB2 bulbs all have 910 lumens on low beam and 1580 lumens on high. VLEDs says the 2000LM have 1800 lumens on low beam and 2000 lumens on high. I don't have equipment to test this so I'll have to take them at their word. That seem pretty accurate though. The 2000LM low beams may well be twice as bright as the SilverStar at the bulb - and the functional lumens on the pavement are at least 50-75% brighter from an imprecise eyeball perspective. I'd say that the low beam brightness of the 2000LMs are functionally comparable to the high beam SilverStar, but with a focused beam pattern you'd expect from a low beam. The 2000LM high beams are maybe 10-20% brighter at the low beam focus than the low beams, but the breadth of coverage due to the T4R headlamp's optics makes for a comfortably wide field of view.

In short, I recommend these bulbs. At just over $100 a pair after discounts that are readily available from VLEDs, these are a good buy.

rayjay said:

One thing I would worry about is snow/ice melt off. I have some covers on the wifes and if I dont remember to take them off on snowy days I get in trouble...lol

Thanks for the review! I have been looking to get LED's for the OEM fog lights. Still undecided.

Click to expand...

From what I've noticed so far, the lens glass is almost the same temperature as the fender. These bulbs won't contribute much (if anything) toward ice or snow melt. I'll have to keep that In mind!

Thanks for the writeup & pix. What's your strategy to seal the back of the headlight over the heat sink? Moisture or dust could cause problems.

So Many Roads said:

Thanks for the writeup & pix. What's your strategy to seal the back of the headlight over the heat sink? Moisture or dust could cause problems.

Click to expand...

I think I may get either some filter material or fabric and fashion it around the openings that remain. The bulb base fits snug in the housing with no light coming out, so I'm not worried about that location.

Looking at the design of the factory boots, it looks like they will keep water out in all but submersions. The way the housing is vented through the bent hose molded into the dust cover though makes it clear that there is no attempt to prevent atmospheric water vapor from entering the housing. Even dust looks like it has made its way in through those hoses over the years (although I'm certain less than would get in now there is no cover at all). That said, I've considered inserting a rubber tube into the housing holes to mimic the factory dust boot.

So, long story short I plan on adding something to the housing back to replicate the boot's function but haven't decided exactly what to use yet. Leaning toward filter material, breathable fabric or small rubber tubing.

Oh, just to be clear though - I won't be adding anything that would cover or crowd the heat sink. I'll just cover / vent the holes in the housing (I think there are 3 per housing, but I'll check when it gets dark to make sure).

Replicating Dust Boot

Well, after looking more closely at the lamp back last night, I see that there are many vent holes in the housing. I'm looking into some high temp resistant and breathable fabric to make a skirt to put between the bulb base and the lamp housing. I will likely use zip ties to hold it in place - one at the circumference of the bulb base and one at the factory boot attachment point distal from the bulb.

I considered everything from RTV to seal some of the smaller holes to small lengths of hose(s) to vent the other holes but so far the fabric option seems to be the best quality adaptation.

Any other ideas?