Author Topic: VintageCarLEDs  (Read 2514 times)

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Offline jason_hamilton

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  • 1969 Karmann Ghia 2161cc
VintageCarLEDs
« on: February 26, 2016, 07:09:00 PM »
Wow, just wow.
I've been running H4s for about ten years in my 69 Ghia since aispeed had them back in the day but I noticed a banner add on TheSamba.com and checked it out. You need these. I thought they were a bit on the spendy side ($150.00USD/pair) but poorly performing headlights have always been an issue for me and my vision ain't getting any better. Customer response from Thomas Duncan was same day and he let me know that while shipping was free in the US, there would be a fair charge for FedEx to my door $41 from Houston TX to Abbotsford. A little hiccup with incomplete customs paperwork that Thomas resolved immediately. 1 week in transit and they arrived well-packaged.
They offer three styles and I chose the VC2800 because I thought it would fit best in my buckets. They use a standard H4 housing and install is the same. Plug and play. Then you turn them on.
Absolutely amazing.
Brilliant white light that goes a lot further than I thought possible. 2800 lumens and they're rated for 30,000 service hours. If that's true I won't live long enough to see them quit. My predawn commute takes me down unlit industrial roads and I almost can't believe it's the same car. They definitely outperform the H11s on my late model Subaru.
I wish everything exceeded my expectations this way.
www.vintagecarleds.com
Jason Hamilton

Offline Scooby

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Re: VintageCarLEDs
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2016, 07:33:04 PM »
Sounds like what I need in my 67 bus!

Offline Bruce

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Re: VintageCarLEDs
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2016, 12:48:20 PM »
I can't say the same as Jason.

I bought a pair from Thomas last summer and tried them in my car.  When you stand in front of the car and look down at them, wow! They are so much brighter. 

The problem I saw with them was that you can't aim your headlights anymore.  That distinctive cutoff you get with H4s is gone and all you get is a super bright blob of light like you had with ancient sealed beam headlights.  I am using Bosch H4s.

I found the beam to be aimed too high, and I ran out of adjustment trying to get the beam down.
In the near field (say 0-20m) they really do illuminate quite well.  The bad thing is that they illuminate above about 3' quite a bit.  Sure, you get to see lots, but when you are blinding oncoming cars, you risk them losing track of where the road is.

When you click on your hi beams, all they do is get a little bit brighter.  The aim doesn't change.  The far field was poorly illuminated. After I switched back to the old incandescent H4 bulbs, the far field was greatly improved on Hi beams.

The incandescent H4 bulb has a filament that is smaller than the LED.  Because it is smaller, when placed at the focal point of the reflector, the light coming off the reflector is much more coherent.  IOW, the light is parallel and not diverging.  The larger light source of the LED can't be focused properly by the reflector.

The reduction in current draw is a big plus to them.  The LED headlights draw less current than your incandescent brake lights!

Offline silas

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Re: VintageCarLEDs
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2016, 09:02:33 PM »
interesting feedback, thanks guys!

also something to think about is led lights for the back of the ride...pretty sure josh runs them and i know joel does...

http://www.strictlygerman.ca/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1035

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1865103

(^^ see chips other adds for more...)