The ultimate headlight upgrade H4 (not LED or HID)

I’ve often wondered why they use red & blue lights that are at both ends of the Spectrum. Except when there pullin’ me over.

 

Guys!

I'm not sure if you have followed the GE +130s in my 3rd Gen threads, but they seriously kick ass and absolutely crush the competition. H11 55w 1300 lumen GE +130s outperform 65w 2100 lumen H9s, and only the worlds best ultra elite H9s can touch the GE +130s.

But. GE just released their more advanced +150 in an H4. This bulb seems exceptionally promising. I've already ordered them for testing.
https://www.powerbulbs.com/us/product/ge-megalight-ultra-150-h4-twin

 

Aawww shit... that emoji is here somewhere

 

I buy all this stuff so you guys don't have to waste your money experimenting. I know I've been busy putting some science into 3rd Gen, but I have a serious killer update coming for 2nd Gen once I finish 3rd Gen.

 

Florida highway patrol did a study on lighting colors years ago and all of their patrol cars had a 4 color combo for a long time. They found the human eye picks up blue light better at night, and red better during the day. White is obviously the brightest color, and amber can be seen well day or night. Blue light also appears as though it’s closer or moving towards you. Red light often appears like is farther or moving away. If you pay attention to dual colored light bars during different conditions, you’ll notice all the items I just said.

FHP also threw the study out the window and have now gone back to an all blue coloring with Amber traffic advisors.


https://www.extremetacticaldynamics.com/knowledge-base/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/FHPevaluation1.pdf

 

Ah yes, the daily double. Waste our tax dollars (by throwing the study away) and put officer and public safety at risk (by disregarding the scientific results). Word fail me.

Then again, it's kind of like what we see here in the Lighting forum every day. Aftermarket suppliers offering / pushing replacement lighting solutions that are far inferior to OEM lighting. Science be damned.

 

Well, to be honest they would be saving money now. FHP had a very expensive light package that incorporated red, blue, Amber, and white, and it was a smart bar that would change coloring based on the ambient light it detected through a photocell. They did find as the plastic bars aged, they yellowed and it would play hell on the bars trying to work as designed.

Their new packages are much cheaper. I read there were some thoughts that red/blue together looks purple at distance, so they wanted to clean it up. Blue is also more recognized as a law enforcement color vs red, since it’s usually restricted to that use. They still have an effective package, as they have amber still incorporated. Amber is seen very well during the day or night.

 

Color changing Code 3 Javelin

https://youtu.be/Dtkyidi52t4

https://youtu.be/YWvI6rS0Tc0

It would also change color/pattern on moving vs stationary. Quite a cool system

https://youtu.be/cEL6j_Bv0os

 

Interesting. Up here (in New York State) they always used red / white for law enforcement and fire department vehicles. (Blue was reserved for volunteer fire fighters.) Then about 10 years ago, they added a single rear facing amber, supposedly for better warning ability. Recently, they added two rear facing blues to the mix, again for supposedly better warning ability. And believe it or not, some folks are now pushing to add green to the mix. If you ask me, that's going to look too much like a carnival ride.

 

@crashnburn80 -- All good! I/we appreciate all your testing. I look forward to installing your recommendations!

 

This reminds me of another question I've been thinking about. Why are the automakers using 5k color LED or HID lighting if 3k~ color is supposed to be better?

 

I'm not sure who knows how to spend my money better, you or my fiancé! Fortunately, she understands my lighting fetish.

 

I’ve always heard closer to natural sunlight, which is 4300k, is the best color for the human eyes to pick up. Some people prefer the cooler white over the warmer white coloring. The lower color scale cuts through dust and fog better.

 

Some people do like the whiter output and the optimal HID temp is 4300k. Unfortunately though it is not uncommon for sales/marketing to screw things up. When HIDs first came out, they were visually very distinctly different, you could easily tell when a car had HIDs and everyone else had halogen. Enter: distinguishable selling feature. If it looked the same but just performed better, it isn’t distinguishable and harder to upsell. Ultimately auto manufactures are building a product to sell, and making it different helps them stand out in the market place to help sales. Different doesn’t actually mean better. Lots of people want OEM LED headlights. While the technology exists to improve the CRI and decrease the color temperature, they don’t. It would cost marginally more and the buyers are looking for the LED look. How many threads/posts do you see where people want to get whiter looking lights because halogens “look old”. It is a noticeable feature that sets the car apart and can command a higher price than if they looked like older halogen assemblies.

A great recent example of a major marketing/sales fail is the doors on the Model X. Wow, very heavy complicated electronically operated doors to set it apart... on a highly weight sensitive and electrical load sensitive electric vehicle. Not only are the doors heavy, the roof structure and critical safety cage of the vehicle is compromised by having the doors extend into the roofline. Meaning the entire roof is going to need reinforcing to withstand the required safety roll rating of the roof. The reinforcement will add additional weight. So on an electric car where weight reduction and reducing electrical power consumption are the two most critical features, they opt to install super heavy, expensive, complex, electrically powered doors that compromise the vehicles safety structure requiring additional weight in roof reinforcements... so that the doors would open vertically instead of horizontally. It looks cool, but it is not the best design for the application. When I saw this design all I could think was WTF. Musk later said the doors were a great mistake.

 

Thought id chime in. It its been exactly 1 year and 27,025 miles since I installed the Rally Lights harness and Osram Bilux 100/90w bulbs. Still on my original bulbs. I keep my headlights and fogs on 99% of my driving. I use the high beams for a solid 30 minutes every day and lows are on if my truck is on.

Awesome upgrade for sure.

 

Ok on your recommendation I just ordered a set of the Hellas on Amazon for $26. Just had a bulb go out last night so it’s time.

Edit - cancelled them, ordered the 24v by mistake

$16 HELLA H4 24V 100/90W High Wattage Bulb

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H0QRYG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . I looked and don't see 100/90 12v. I did find hella 100/80 12v. Not sure what to buy.

 

I'd be interested in this test as I want to improve the lighting in my 2004. Glad I didn't just to order the osram or volsa you talked about in earlier threads. When do you think you'll have test results?

Btw, I just checked the link and they are offering 20% off until the end of the month. Makes me think I should just order a set to save $20... What do you think?

 

Remember, no matter what the "current best" bulb is, a "better" bulb will always come out shorty after you buy it. So waiting for the best bulb might be a long wait.

I'd highly recommend the +130's. I have them in my daily driver and they're quite nice. I'm sure the +150's will be even better, but will they be that much better that they're worth waiting for? That's a tougher question.

BTW: That 20% off is a pretty standard promotion.

 

Well, they should be brighter, problem becomes that as they get brighter they also tend to have a shorter bulb life. For me just brighter doesn't equal better. So being better is up to the individual to decide factoring in both aspects. I'd love +300's that would light up the road like a stadium for my old eyes but wouldn't pick that option if they died in two months.

@crashnburn80 you've talked about bulb brightness and bulb life in comparing several bulbs in this thread (which I've followed since the op), since you enjoy this so much maybe we could talk you into making a chart and adding it to the op with each bulb that's tested with it's specs and your results?

And on that note, your opinion on these -

$8 HELLA H4 130/90W High Wattage Bulb, 12V

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VUB4C...olid=2ZRCUUM8QZCPB&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it . I've got a dozen in my cart.

 

They ran 25% off less than two weeks ago. Unless you need them now, I'd wait.

+1 to all of this.

I don't recall @crashnburn80 rendering an opinion in these specific bulbs, but he has previously commented on the Hella brand...

It's also worth noting at least a few of us have had the Hella relays in our harnesses die early deaths. Obviously, relays and bulbs are different products, but there seems to have been an overall decline in brand quality.