New PIAA H4 L.E.D headlights bulbs....

BrianSD_42 said:
The claim that these (or any) LEDs are "brighter than HIDs, perhaps even projectors" seems a stretch. No offense but I just have to disagree. I've got projectors on my truck from TRS. I've got an Acura TL with factory HID and my girl's car is a CT200h with factory projectors but I upgraded from halogen bulb to ballasts and HID.

I'm sure that these LEDs are great but the cost to greatness value is questionable. And if you don't have 99 style headlights I'm skeptical it will be very much of an improvement at all because the 96 style glass doesn't allow a huge amount of light out.

To the next guy who does this upgrade can you please do a test. Download the light meter app on your phone and at sunset mature the LUM at ten-ish feet from one headlight then after the bulb swap repeat and let us know the numbers.
Click to expand...



I think in terms of not wanting to drop all the money and time on a projector retrofit these are a great alternative. I may have been a bit overzealous in stating that they are better than HID's or projectors, but they definitely provide a hell of an alternative which I feel is good given not everyone may like the look of projectors, may not want to invest in a full retrofit, etc.

I've owned vehicles with HID's, projectors and old school sealed beams. Through my job I've driven vehicles with nearly every headlamp type, for what it's worth.

I figured it was common sense that to achieve best output you'd need 99+ lenses. 96-98 as we all know is garbage. You know what happens when you assume though... lol.

So while I admit my statements were a bit out there, don't discount these bulbs as a good, cost effective alternative because they are.

Respect as always Brian,
Taylor
 
For sure man. If you were nearbye I'd help you do a drop in TRS retrofit. The parts are only $250-ish with the TW group buy and the install is just a few hours. I agree though only bulbs will be a lot quicker.
 
Rwhockey29 said:
got mine in the mail today!

Thanks to Jason for getting them to me so quick. Been pretty disappointed with the hids the truck came with. i wont be able to install mine until this weekend due to work, but ill do a write up on install and a review with before/after pictures.

just from a quick glance over, these seem way better built than most stuff on the market. the bulbs and heatsink are pretty heavy, everything seems tight and strong enough, and the ballast are metal, no cheap plastic. the connectors are pin style connectors that screw together, so no chance of them working themselves loose. really excited to get these in the truck
Click to expand...

Glad to help. Anyone else that ordered these from me, the shipment from Piaa I was to get last week didn't come yet, but should be here later this week. I didn't forget about you. Have about 6 sets coming in this time. Go here to order while I still have the price super low!

PIAA H4 LED's at Burtman Industries
 
For anyone who has these bulbs, if you ever get a chance, I (and I'm sure others) would like to see some high-def before and after photos in the same conditions with various backgrounds like an actual road and a wall.
 
The D.R.L. disable or not is a great question, as headlights are mandatory during the day in Canada, and let's say I would be prone to forget turning them on everytime.
 
StreetCreeper said:
For anyone who has these bulbs, if you ever get a chance, I (and I'm sure others) would like to see some high-def before and after photos in the same conditions with various backgrounds like an actual road and a wall.
Click to expand...
I will volunteer to make the comparison photos under controlled conditions, and, what's more important: actual incident light measurements at measured distances with a real light meter that measures footcandles/lux.
You cannot trust phone cameras or any auto-exposre camera or imaging system if you are trying to determine the difference in brightness between two light sources.
My stock headlights with their Philips Xtreme Power® 80% More Light® 67/60 bulbs would make an excellent comparison; the 67/60's are slightly brighter than the stock bulbs. If the LED's can't beat these things then they're losers.
EDIT: PM me if you are in reasonable distance from me...basically the L.A. area and a bit beyond. have meters and cameras...will travel.
 
Last edited:
I've had great feedback on these. I've now old about 8 pair of these for 96-02 and more will be commenting in this thread soon. Most of these guys already had aftermarket halogens either piaa or sylvania and were blown away with the light output and don't blind others either. Very cool. I havent even had a chance to get seat time in my own truck because a local guy wanted them and the pair I had for myself I had to sell!

PIAA H4 LED's at Burtman Industries Still selling these less that they should be for now...
 
I have been contemplating getting these, but am waiting for the bugs to be shaken out, plug & play is a must for me, and i use the drl always. Thanks for what you do Jason.
 
Good news, no bugs. Just talked to my guy at piaa. These work for 9-16v operating range. 9v is what daytime running lights are using. He said the guys with Tundra's FJ's, 4Runners no issues, but some chose to pull the fuse for DRL and just turn the headlights on when they get in the vehicle because they liked the brighter look and are seen easier.

PIAA H4 LED's at Burtman Industries Still selling these less that they should be for now...
 
I'm still waiting for pictures that convince me and wonder how they do in snow or near white out. Some lights are so bright that in the conditions I drive in, are worse than stock as far as glare back
 
pluton said:
I will volunteer to make the comparison photos under controlled conditions, and, what's more important: actual incident light measurements at measured distances with a real light meter that measures footcandles/lux.
You cannot trust phone cameras or any auto-exposre camera or imaging system if you are trying to determine the difference in brightness between two light sources.
My stock headlights with their Philips Xtreme Power® 80% More Light® 67/60 bulbs would make an excellent comparison; the 67/60's are slightly brighter than the stock bulbs. If the LED's can't beat these things then they're losers.
Click to expand...



and the results are ????
 
Ed_C,

Did you push through with the test of the Philips LEDs on your 2002 3rd gen 4Runner? What were the results for low and high beams? ?Did the high beam indicator light lit up?

Thanks!

Ed_C said:
Not a bad price considering the "top dog" among the H4 type LED bulbs (Philips X-treme Ultinon) are $250. Ever since Philips released it there have been many China-based systems based off it.

I've tested both the original Philips and a copy that jdmastar.com sells (you can find the same on eBay),but not yet on a 3rd-gen. I really like the color of the Philips, not overly blue; the jdmastar is a tad more blue but had a better beam pattern (low and high beam) because the housing is adjustable, it's also cheaper than Philips or PIAA. Neither one had an issue with the highbeam indicator not working.

Maybe I'll test the Philips setup on my '02 tomorrow. I'd be willing to do an unbiased test of the PIAA if you send a set over Jason :wink2:

Also guys,don't expect these to be HID projector killers. There is an improvement over halogen, there is less glare than a "plug n play" HID kit, and there is a usable highbeam that a kit doesn't offer.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 534 (members: 2, guests: 532)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,316
Messages
3,554,111
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top