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Got my lights today. They are great. I got them installed and they have identical cut-off as my H-4 halogens, but much brighter and cleaner white. Not blue, just clean white. My voltmeter does not budge when I turn on the lights, which I think means they are pulling less current too.
On a side note, I did something stupid: I fitted the new bulb, then placed the pod cover in place to see if it would fit. I did not screw it on. I turned on the lights to make sure they were working, but when I turn on the ignition the lights retracted first and wedged the loose pod cover below the fender. When I turned the lights on, they could not go back up and I basically stripped the gears in my headlight motor.
I finally got the pod cover unstuck, but my motor mechanism is toast. I ordered a used one, so that's one more thing to fix. Oh well, more bonding with my 928.
Take care,
Dave
On a side note, I did something stupid: I fitted the new bulb, then placed the pod cover in place to see if it would fit. I did not screw it on. I turned on the lights to make sure they were working, but when I turn on the ignition the lights retracted first and wedged the loose pod cover below the fender. When I turned the lights on, they could not go back up and I basically stripped the gears in my headlight motor.
I finally got the pod cover unstuck, but my motor mechanism is toast. I ordered a used one, so that's one more thing to fix. Oh well, more bonding with my 928.
Take care,
Dave
Ah, Dave, that's one of the few boo boos I have yet to make. I've made almost all the others. You have a ways to go to catch up with me.
And with the lumens these LEDs now throw out, I'm not surprised by your report. A few months ago, the max output of the top LED headlights was quite a bit lower. I bought an earlier model, but these new ones seem like a significant upgrade.
My GT has the oem H5 fixtures. I see that this thread relates to bulbs designed for the H4 fixtures and the discussion seems to be primarily related to H4 applications.
I'm seeing some comments from S4 owners here in the US using these Cree bulbs, but these folks may have upgraded to the European H4 fixtures (maybe I will someday, but for now...).
Have there been any successful* uses of Woodypeck Cree bulbs in H5 fixtures...here in the US, I'd assume... (*when I say 'successful' I don't necessarily mean DOT approved)
Hi JP,
I am pretty sure Steve has the H5 version but with the poor lens quality of the H5 I do not know if the upgrade is worth it.
Roger
__________________
Does it have the "Do It Yourself" manual transmission, or the superior "Fully Equipped by Porsche" Automatic Transmission? George Layton March 2014
928 Owners are ".....a secret sect of quietly assured Porsche pragmatists who in near anonymity appreciate the prodigious, easy going prowess of the 928."
The market is really changing fast with these bulbs. As Bill said, when this thread started it was hard to find bulbs with 2600 lumens on Ebay, but now there are quite a few that claim 3000.
Now that it is confirmed no RL sponsors are selling this type of bulb, can we all talk freely about all the options and sources without any guilt trips from anyone?
I just ordered a set of 2800/3000 from Ebay for $70 shipped from a US seller and plan to install them in my 7" Hella lenses on my 86.5. I'll start a new thread when I get them in.
JPTL,
The European H4 8" headlights use a different design than the US H5 headlights. Basically low beam light is projected up from the bulb and uses only the top half of the reflector, and high beam light is reflected down on the lower half of the reflector. Shields are used to ensure light goes where it's supposed to. Of course the lenses play a roll too in focusing the light. They are known for very good cutoff. This design is well suited for the LED bulb design. The H5 uses a different design that I don't fully understand, but based on the way the headlights are laid out, I doubt LEDs would work well in them.
For those with 7" headlights, I'm hoping that the 7" Hellas, which use H4 bulbs, are very cheap(check out 4wheelparts.com), and have a similar design as the European H4, might work well with the LEDs and be a good option for those that don't want to spend the cash for 8", or just like their chrome rings as I do....
Hi JP,
I am pretty sure Steve has the H5 version but with the poor lens quality of the H5 I do not know if the upgrade is worth it.
Roger
Thanks Roger, correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I can gather, no bulb or light kit is going to improve the quality of the beam of the H5.
It's always going to be crappy.
Putting brighter bulbs in H5 housings is only going to amplify the crappiness, and with a spec-aim, they'll undoubtedly blind on coming traffic..... unless the lights are aimed toward the ground....which really defeats the purpose.
I wish someone would produce 8" Ellipsoids like in the 80's BMW's - or aftermarket 8" fixtures with a lens that replicates the H4 Euro lens. Old BMW motorcycles had them, but they aren't left and right oriented.
JP, I think the BMW H4 motorcycle lights are left and right oriented. I know the rectangular H4 in my F650 has the proper orientation. And I believe the 8" round headlights my brother had in his R850 and R1100 also had the proper orientation. They're all made by Bosch BTW.
FWIW, I bought 8" H4s from Roger last year. They weren't cheap by any means, and the lighting benefits of the 8" H4 over the 7"H4 which I had been using are negligible at best, every time I look at the car I think it was one of the best "vanity purchases" I've made for it.
Got my lights today. They are great. I got them installed and they have identical cut-off as my H-4 halogens, but much brighter and cleaner white. Not blue, just clean white. My voltmeter does not budge when I turn on the lights, which I think means they are pulling less current too.
On a side note, I did something stupid: I fitted the new bulb, then placed the pod cover in place to see if it would fit. I did not screw it on. I turned on the lights to make sure they were working, but when I turn on the ignition the lights retracted first and wedged the loose pod cover below the fender. When I turned the lights on, they could not go back up and I basically stripped the gears in my headlight motor.
I finally got the pod cover unstuck, but my motor mechanism is toast. I ordered a used one, so that's one more thing to fix. Oh well, more bonding with my 928.
Take care,
Dave
HI Dave
Glad you like our new CREE bulbs!
Happy Bonding
Steve
Just a quick note regarding LED lights and Lumen specifications so we are all working on a level playing field.
Note - be careful what you buy - when is a "Lumen not a Lumen"
Our Latest CREE LED bulbs are 4000 Lumens stated on the box but we will be marketing them as 3500 lumen because this is what we have measured them to be. This all gets a little confusing as various other sellers in the market are all using the term Lumens to define their bulbs when they should be using other terms
In a bid to try to explain this...... luminous flux is the measure of the total perceived power of light while luminous intensity is a measure of the perceived power emitted by a light source in a particular direction per unit solid angle. This means that the maximum luminous intensity depends on the total luminous flux of a light source, but also on its radiation pattern (the way the light source radiates in all directions).
So some sellers are even using the total radiant flux value which is higher because it includes the measure of the total power of electromagnetic radiation (including infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light), in that luminous flux is adjusted to reflect the varying sensitivity of the human eye to different wavelengths of light.
I know this may sound confusing, but this is why some people have reported having bought bulbs with one lumen rating in the past and they weren't very bright compared to others.
So "when is a Lumen not really a Lumen" one wonders why they were not all made equal
Sorry if this has thrown some turbulence into the discussion but it may help to understand why there is such a difference between the performance of bulbs when compared. It is definitely the case when it comes to inferior copies using stated lumens to advertise their copy products.
Hope this summery helps - from Wikipedia...
Context
Luminous flux is often used as an objective measure of the useful light emitted by a light source, and is typically reported on the packaging for light bulbs. Consumers commonly compare the luminous flux of different light bulbs since it provides an estimate of the apparent amount of light the bulb will produce, and is useful when comparing the luminous efficacy of incandescent bulbs.
Luminous flux is not used to compare brightness, as this is a subjective perception which varies according to the distance from the light source.
Relationship to luminous intensity
Luminous flux (in lumens) is a measure of the total amount of light a lamp puts out. The luminous intensity (in candelas) is a measure of how bright the beam in a particular direction is. If a lamp has a 1 lumen bulb and the optics of the lamp are set up to focus the light evenly into a 1 steradian beam, then the beam would have a luminous intensity of 1 candela. If the optics were changed to concentrate the beam into 1/2 steradian then the source would have a luminous intensity of 2 candela. The resulting beam is narrower and brighter, however the luminous flux remains the same.
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Hi guys,
I got my LED lights installed. This is a 15 minute job. No modifications. The spring clips are a litle hard to engage, but they go fine. Wiring is plug and play, all inside the pods. No ballasts or other electronics. Just the bulb and a plug.
The results are amazing. Beautiful white light. Not blue. Not yellowish. Pure white. And really bright, with a very sharp cutoff. I did not even have to adjust my aiming from my H-4 halogen bulbs. These are the best lights I have seen on any vehicle I have ever driven. They are amazing.
Anyway, thanks, and I could not be more pleased.
Dave
Here are the latest photos of the light output from our CREE LED bulbs this weekend.
Standard H4 fitting! Replacement H4 bub
Note these are on my UK car so have the Right Hand drive Headlights and Euro regulations cut off with a 30° kick to the left kerb side.
80w CREE LED 4000 Lumens - Low Beam / Dipped Beam - on a dark unlit country lane
80w CREE LED 4000 Lumens - High Beam - on a dark unlit country road
In the second photo (LED) there appears to be more light up in the trees on the right and further down the road, although the light on the ground closer to the car appears a bit less intense. So, this could be a result of the less defined upper cutoff or aiming a bit higher. I've found with LED units quite similar to yours that the beam is higher than halogen S4s and the upper cutoff is less distinct. With the lumen output claimed by these new LEDs versus halogen I was expecting more dramatic difference in apparent light output. Still, it's amazing to see LEDs now putting out this much light.
[EDIT: OK, ignore the above. I failed to read the captions correctly. This is LED low versus high. Makes perfect sense now. Nevermind]
In the second photo (LED) there appears to be more light up in the trees on the right and further down the road, although the light on the ground closer to the car appears a bit less intense. So, this could be a result of the less defined upper cutoff or aiming a bit higher. I've found with LED units quite similar to yours that the beam is higher than halogen S4s and the upper cutoff is less distinct. With the lumen output claimed by these new LEDs versus halogen I was expecting more dramatic difference in apparent light output. Still, it's amazing to see LEDs now putting out this much light.
Hi Bill
The second photo shows the lights on Full Main Beam. So yes there is more light shining upwards to the trees. [Would have helped if the tree line was a nice constant height as well, but they seemed unfortunately wavy]. There should be no reduction on the light on the ground since all the LED bulbs remain lit. However, on Full beam the bumper Auxiliary /main beam lights come on as well and these change the lighting characteristics on the road in front of the car. Putting much more light thrown down to the road. So in fact there is much more light being thrown down to the road on the second photo - not less. Not sure if the USA bumper lights work in the same way?
Unfortunately the camera lens doesn't catch & display the light as we see it with our eyes and I didn't use any filters. so this is the best view I could get.
02-19-2015, 11:00 PM
George Layton March 2014
