The ultimate headlight upgrade H4 (not LED or HID)

I just wanna say thanks man!..I appreciate the time that people like yourself take to document your findings and share it with the community. Definitely gettin me sum bulbs after reading all this!

 

The GE +150s arrived today! I plan on testing these out tonight and will share the results here.

 

I haven’t tried them, I did a half ass search for them and didn’t find them. If the 85/80W have a superior low beam that may be the right fit, I rarely use the highs. I am hoping the GE +150 fits the bill.

 

In the same position, rarely use the high beams. Low beam performance is what I need. Running the osram 100/90s now and would prefer a whiter light.

 

Ok, throw out everything @crashnburn80 has said! These are on Facebook Marketplace and are the lights of the future!

 

I installed these about a year ago (a VERY late thanks to @crashnburn80). Right now, I’m planning to add the RTMR to have some organization for future lights. Has anyone hard mounted their headlight harnesses in a good spot? Or are they just tucked somewhere hidden for the most part?

Since I am adding the RTMR, it’d defeat the purpose if I leave it how it is now, tucked away.

Is anyone else running these wiring harnesses along with the RTMR?

Thanks for any input!

 

@White lightning boosted

 

Disappointing results.

Packaging is truly awesome, there is almost no chance in the bulbs being damaged from international shipping in their latest packaging update which cocoons them in a polycarbonate shell. Far better than their earlier paperboard containers.



Sloppy manufacturing, precision is completely unacceptable. Ultra high efficiency headlights bulbs require near spacecraft build precision as that is the basis in how projection performance is magnified to achieve their claimed performance increase. While the high beam filament is precision aligned, the low beam filament is cocked to the side, out of alignment. This reduces low beam projection focus and intensity and will reduce the low beam performance of the bulb. Both my +150 bulbs looked like this indicating this seems to not be a one off occurrence. For a company that seemed to excel in precision bulb builds in their +130 series, this is a surprise to see such flaws in manufacturing.



GE +150 Left vs Osram All Season 85/80w +30 right
Lux readings: GE 1310 left vs Osram 1850 right



The GEs look good on the wall, but color is so deceptive in wall shots. The Osrams are significantly brighter than the GEs as measured by a digital spectrometer. I have hope the GE +130s will actually do better, as they do not appear to suffer from the same sloppy build quality.

For a more thorough analysis of options we are going to have to wait for the bench testing, there are just too many options and variables to try and test in a scientific way in a vehicle. Late model OEM headlight assemblies are on the way to add to the bench test rack so that tests can be better standardized, better data will follow.

 

Thank you for all the testing you do! I am eagerly awaiting your results as I am planning on ditching my retrofit hids soon. The housing are messed up and I would rather go back to stock headlight setup at this point.

Do you have a patreon or anything where we can donate to help towards the cause?

 

For anyone with a ground switched vehicle, if you’re on the fence about the Headlight Services harness because of the high beam indicator dimming, I can attest that if it has dimmed, it’s not noticeable. It’s Still plenty bright.

 

RTMR? Still confused on this acronym.

 

Aux fuse panel like Bussmann.

Good to know, thanks for sharing. Headlight Services intentionally leaves out the resister because the harnesssis more reliable without one.

In my non-existent spare time I’m trying to work on building my own site which will have some type of donation/contribution option, but ample time is proving to be a challenge. Many have PMed me to contribute toward the cause via PayPal, that’s an option, but by no means expected in any way.

 

dang Crashburn that sucks.... so best bulb available is still 100/90 Osram superbrights?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-build-and-install-a-bussmann-rtmr-fuse-relay-block.399454/

The build is on this thread to organize the aftermarket electrical components

I’ll take another look in my truck to see if there is a good spot to put it in. It’s been a year since I put in those H4 harnesses.

 

I made my own headlights once, and I'm glad they turned out better than that.

 

Don’t get me wrong, the +150 will be a major improvement over stock. But they are no match for the 85/80w Osrams. It is unlikely anything will be able to match them but I was hoping it would be closer.

With the discontinuation of the 85/80w bulbs in clear (still available as All Season) I suggested the Osram 100/90w bulbs as an alternative, one of the reasons being they still have reasonable life for a high wattage bulb, at 200 hours. But they are not a high efficiency bulb like the better 85/80w version. The purpose of the upcoming thread update is to provide a data backed recommendation for best bulbs. The 85/80w were widely regarded in the industry as the best, the 100/90s are a quality made high output alternative with decent life, but I cannot say scientifically they are the best until I verify it with data.

 

I'm very happy with the osram set up I have. Thanks to @crashnburn80 billboards and highway signs arent multi lit. I'd love retros, mainly the look. But I have a hard time justifying the switch with what I currently have. I personally believe if they dont make you feel safe driving at night you shouldn't be driving. So far having a seperate fuse bank in the engine bay that's operated by one solenoid works great for me. Need to tidy it up a bit....ok, a lot.

 

Final 3rd Gen bulbs should be in on Monday, meaning I can put the 3rd gen thread to bed. Then the 2nd Gen OEM headlight assemblies should be in on Tuesday. I've ordered new high powered power supplies for the over wattage bulbs, which should be in next week. Meaning I can really start digging into 2nd gen headlight performance testing late next week.

 

i feel like this is starting to become the hunt for alternatives to the discontinued osram 85/80w bulbs