spartansix

***

EDIT: Results start at Post #28

***


I think we've all seen the various headlight upgrade threads over the years, but I've always been disappointed by the lack of any real comparison between the different options.
The few comparisons we have seen are mostly looking at beam shape against a wall -- somewhat informative, but not really a substitute for actual measurements or long distance beamshots.


This thread hopes to change that.

John Audette recently announced a new Phillips LED-based headlight in collaboration with Daniel Stern and Eric Linden that he believes is the best 7" headlight in the world.

A big claim, but John was willing to put his money where his mouth is and let me test these new lights against the traditional 'best of the best' Porsche headlights: H1s and H4s running upgraded bulbs through a relay kit.

He also agreed that I could share my process and results openly here on Rennlist.



In the interest of full disclosure, I am not receiving any compensation from John or anyone else to conduct these tests.
However, if I decide that the headlights really are a worthy upgrade, he has offered to let me keep them at a discounted price.



So here is the plan -- open to the community's suggestions (which I will try to implement within reason):

• Each car/set of headlights will be adjusted using the standard 25-foot method where the brightest part of the low beam is set 50mm below and 50mm left of center for each headlight.
• High and low beams will be tested based loosely on the IIHS straightaway headlight testing standards.
• Lux will be recorded using a light meter 10 inches off the ground at 300 feet for the Low beam and 500 feet for the high beam.
• Comparison beamshots will be taken using a camera mounted on a tripod in manual exposure mode mounted beside the car at driver eye height.
• I also plan to report on subjective beam quality, color, and glare.

My current hoard contains the following:

• Stock H5 headlights
• Bosch H4 headlights with 100w Hella bulbs
• Bosch H1 headlights with 55w Tungsram +120 bulbs
• Audette Platinum Plus LED headlights

Goughary will bring his car which has H4s with 55w bulbs and selective yellow lenses.
HEDR will bring his which has H4s with 55w bulbs and clear lenses.



Date is TBD (next new moon is Nov 13?)
If anyone else within driving distance of the CT area would like to participate, you're more than welcome.
If you have lights OTHER than the ones mentioned above that would be super helpful: I'd especially like to test other LED options.
Hopefully it won't be too cold and we'll probably serve a light dinner/snacks?


Here are some initial photos of the new Audette lights installed in the car, and then compared to H1s and H4s.

HEDR

Looking forward to this project!
-

Beurer

Ralph3.

Any Installation issues?

kos11-12

Great,
Looking forward to hear your test .
Are you also testing just LED bulbs ?
thanks
Konstantin

spartansix

No, no installation issues. If you already have adapters or plugs for H4s, they're plug and play. Literally took a minute to swap them in.
The kit also came with new gaskets and new screws which was nice, but I didn't use them since mine were in decent shape.

I hadn't planned to test LED bulbs just because they're usually not considered a good choice for reflectors designed for halogen bulbs.
It might be good to include a set as a comparison though. Is there a reasonably priced option that people seem to prefer, or does someone have a set they'd be willing to send in for testing?

964Lovac

I have a set of Flat6 illumination (which from what I've compared with a friend, seem identical to Rennline product)
Will let you know if I'm up in the area before the snow flies...

Ralph3.

Wasn't John looking at selling some?

JP-"S"

I have H5 with LED conversation done by PO and they work great, BUT the H5's are getting cloudy like they have glaucoma so I am looking at other options as well.

Spyder_2011

You can clean them with isopropyl and microfiber detailing sticks. Mine seem to start clouding around 3 years and need to be redone to keep them clear.

spartansix

I found an old thread where people were recommending these: to use with H5s. Unless someone has a set to send in, those seem like a good middle-of-the-road set of LED bulbs to try for the comparison.

das76

fun project!

since the 9Elevens are also popular it would be great to have those included. I love mine but only had stock H4s to compare them to.

side note: I wonder how many night miles Vs day miles the average person puts on. I put on 3000 miles on my turbo last year (that’s probably above average) and I bet less than 10% of those were after sunset

Meatball964

Hey Dave, I may join the party.
Thinking about ordering these (since I can count on 1 hand how many times I’ve driven at night).
I have H5’s and was always hesitant about putting LED’s in old reflector housings (due to the glare).
At this price point, might be worth a try. Some pretty dark roads in our neck of the woods…

kos11-12

Hi,
There is a road "legal " LED kit made by Philips but quite expensive compare to many, about 180€.

uli1266

Porsche also very recently added H4 LED's to their shop:

https://content.eu.porsche.com/prod/...258A4B002FFB2A

Couldn't find a price yet. But they are road legal in Germany.

spartansix

I'd love to add a set of 9Elevens to the test -- up for a road trip?
I think they're the real competitor to any other LED offering but they're a bit $$$ for me to buy just to find out.

I agree that most people don't drive lots of miles at night, but good lights still matter. For me it's more often beating the sun to super-early car shows than getting caught out after dark!


That would be great! I'll hold off on ordering if you're going to get those, and then after we test you'll at least know if/how much of an improvement they are over H5s.