CREE LED H4 bulb

[Carlos840]

Hey,

Just wondering if anybody has ever used a lightbulb like these?

Single H4 CREE LED Headlight Bulb for Car or Motorcycles - Hi / Low Beam


They are rated at 2200 lumens, which is a lot more than most high performance H4 bulbs. What worries me is that it doesn't emit light 360 degrees like a regular bulb but only from 180 degrees on low beams and 360 on full beams.
I wonder how the reflector will deal with that, keeping in mind this is my headlight:

Will the fact that that the light is only coming out of a half be cancelled by the reflector, or will i have a crappy beam on low beams?

Any experience is welcome! I am not interested in HID kits etc, just wondering if i can get better light without tearing everything apart. I already have an Osrama Night Racer bulb which is great, but they have really bad life expectancy.

 

[PosterFZ6]

It looks like the diode is pointed upward/downwards,s o it should hit the reflector and actually provide some varying spread of coverage.

That's 60 quid though. I do wonder how they preform however. If you do decide to get it, please post your impressions.

I am myself more inclined to that set up as well. Easier than dealing with HID.

 

[Carlos840]

It looks like the diode is pointed upward/downwards,s o it should hit the reflector and actually provide some varying spread of coverage.

That's 60 quid though. I do wonder how they preform however. If you do decide to get it, please post your impressions.

I am myself more inclined to that set up as well. Easier than dealing with HID.

yeah, i imagine the lower one would be for the low beam, and both would be for the high beam...
Would the reflector be good enough to compensate the fact that light is only coming from the bottom though?

Like you said, the only think keeping me from buying one is the ridiculous price!

 

[Carlos840]

Well, i have made a find:

Cree LED H4 headlight bulbs (2000lm) - MX-5 Miata Forum

This guy tries the same kind of bulbs out and they look pretty good!

Also, i have realised looking at his pictures that regular H4 bulbs actually have a small reflector inside the bulb, so the low beams are actually only being emitted by 180 degres of the bulb, if that makes any sens.

 

[Erci]

One of the FZ1 forum members is running LEDs. Light output looks impressive (you may have to register to see the pictures): Yamaha FZ1 Forums - International FZ1 Motorcycle Community Forum - View Single Post - Finally LED headlight bulbs

 

[Carlos840]

One of the FZ1 forum members is running LEDs. Light output looks impressive (you may have to register to see the pictures): Yamaha FZ1 Forums - International FZ1 Motorcycle Community Forum - View Single Post - Finally LED headlight bulbs

Thanks!

It does look pretty good... Now the main issue is price, for the price of one of these bulbs i can buy 8 of my regular bulbs! Which is probably more than i will use in the bike's lifetime!
I want to try it, but i am not sure it makes any sens.

 

[Erci]

Thanks!

It does look pretty good... Now the main issue is price, for the price of one of these bulbs i can buy 8 of my regular bulbs! Which is probably more than i will use in the bike's lifetime!
I want to try it, but i am not sure it makes any sens.

I'm a big fan of Silverstars. I get them on eBay for ~30 for 2 bulbs, including shipping. Typically they last me 2 years. Light output appears to be very close to LED and there are no fans and additional little boxes to deal with.

I can't say it's a better way to go, but it's definitely a cheaper, simpler, proven way to go with great improvement over regular bulbs.

 

[PosterFZ6]

I think the silverstars simply are of different light range. They are more white and don't exactly give out more lumens. Still a good choice for an upgrade over the stock.


Costwise, it would also depend if you would like to change the headlight housing to "projector" type if you would want to go with HIDs. You don't have to, but it's highly advisable and safer for the other drivers not being blinded by stray light.

So HIDs + projector housing is probably more expensive than these LED bulbs.


Remember being an early adopter is pretty expensive. They should get cheaper with some time.

 

[Erci]

I think the silverstars simply are of different light range. They are more white and don't exactly give out more lumens.

Science aside, I've gone to Silverstars on several motorcycles and few cars. In every case, they seem to provide more coverage, as in wider / longer beam pattern (no idea how this is accomplished) and brighter light (maybe just because it's whiter?).

They make a significant difference for very little money :thumbup:

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I run the PIAA's. Draws the same mount of power but put out more light.. Not terribly cheap, but a simple plug and play with known very good performance.

I've had them in several bikes, about two years in the FZ so far, plently of light for me on high and low beams (with BD43 mod):


PIAA | H4 XTreme White Plus Single Halogen Bulb #70456

Shop around, (Amazon, etc), you can get them cheaper yet...

 

[bd43]

The wife’s Vibe has been eating up light bulbs since the factory ones burnt out years ago. I’ve tried, Sliverstars, Night Hawks, and now PIAA’s, as Scott mentioned are quite pricey, but I got them on sale the and salesperson told me he has been running his for over 5 years. If I had a problem with mine, bring them in for exchange. That didn’t sound like a bad deal so I got them. Almost a year later, the one PIAA has blown. WTF. I will say though, the PIAA’s emit more light than the rest I’ve tried.

I like these LED bulbs because they do draw less power for the same amount of lumen output (might even be more compared to some H4’s), and there is no filament to worry about that might prematurely burn out due to vibration or constant turning on all day long due to the day time running light system we have here in Canada, which I suspect is the reason the Vibe can’t seem to hang on to bulbs long enough.

I’m a little concerned about the cooling fan. How long is that going to last. Fans of that size seem to seize in a couple of years. I had small fans like that in my hard drive bays that packed it in and not worked for years. If you can find some without fans and utilize large heat sinks, I’d definitely consider it for the Vibe.

Let us know which way you go and what the results are.

 

[Carlos840]

The wife’s Vibe has been eating up light bulbs since the factory ones burnt out years ago. I’ve tried, Sliverstars, Night Hawks, and now PIAA’s, as Scott mentioned are quite pricey, but I got them on sale the and salesperson told me he has been running his for over 5 years. If I had a problem with mine, bring them in for exchange. That didn’t sound like a bad deal so I got them. Almost a year later, the one PIAA has blown. WTF. I will say though, the PIAA’s emit more light than the rest I’ve tried.

I like these LED bulbs because they do draw less power for the same amount of lumen output (might even be more compared to some H4’s), and there is no filament to worry about that might prematurely burn out due to vibration or constant turning on all day long due to the day time running light system we have here in Canada, which I suspect is the reason the Vibe can’t seem to hang on to bulbs long enough.

I’m a little concerned about the cooling fan. How long is that going to last. Fans of that size seem to seize in a couple of years. I had small fans like that in my hard drive bays that packed it in and not worked for years. If you can find some without fans and utilize large heat sinks, I’d definitely consider it for the Vibe.

Let us know which way you go and what the results are.

Well, after thinking about it for a while i don't think i will do it...

I am completely happy with my current bulbs (Osram Night Racer plus), i don't even really ride at night that often, so for me getting this bulb is just experimenting for the sake of experimenting.

If it was cheaper, or if i rode at night all the time i would do it, but right now, at £60 this is almost two thirds of the price of new fork springs, which would be money better spent than light bulbs!

Also, i am not entirely convinced by LED on bikes, be it turn signals, tail lights, i think they are great at night but usually not as visible as bulbs during daytime.

The only bulb i have tried to swap for an LED bulb was my front auxiliary light (small one on top of the headlight) and the LED was crap compared to a good quality bulb.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Just an FYI, I experianced... So far, as stated earlier, the PIAA's have lasted about two years. The bike has NOT been out of Florida...

I did have the same bulb in my old KLR. In general, on the KLR, I'd get just over a year, maybe a year and a half before an element (usually LB) died. Being in Florida, there isn't much elevation.

When we would trailer the bikes to the Smokie Mountains in Tennessee, sure as s..t, the PIAA would blow, LB element, (happened twice, on two separate trips at least a year apart)... Now this was at least 7 years ago..

The only thing I could account for, was the change in elevation (up to 8,000' as I re-call). On the back roads, elevations changed very quickly, alot. Maybe coincidence, a rougher ride on the KLR (stayed pretty much on road) vs the FZ, ?

I just began bringing spare bulbs when on vacation.....