Philips H4 X-treme Vision 100 - worth it? --> Update UPDATED!!!

[maxtog]

hope they work out.  curious to know if the 2400 lumens will be properly dispersed from our C14 reflector

That is the biggest question

if the LED heat is going to be an issue

Yep, another big question... but that might take months to know.  Plus there is a fan to fail/clog.

if the 6000 is really 6000

6000K is not a great color temperature... too blue.  4300K or so is much better/normal.  It is not only the approved factory color for HID systems, it is also the color of normal daylight.  Anything above that looks cheap/fake/riced out/wanna-be/aftermarket stuff to me.... but there is far worse out there than 6000K.  LED's are notoriously blue ranged in the higher outputs, so finding something better might be a challenge.

I've been to CREE's campus at Research Triangle Park in Raleigh, NC. They're awesome!

CREE really is a great name, but all they do is make the LED chips (at least in this application).  The rest of the design of that thing has nothing to do with them, unfortunately.  Very curious about these (and others like it).

[This really should be a different thread, since it has nothing to do with Philips H4 X-treme Vision bulbs.]

[Zman]

Bought these......... all good!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/120915175632?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

[martin_14]

this is annoying: I have these nice looking H4 seating on my desk at home waiting to be installed, but the sun insists on getting out earlier than me, and going down later than me. Here in the south of Germany there's basically daylight from 5 am to 10 pm (Munich is even more far up north than Seattle), which completely denies the purpose of increasing my vision at night while driving, since there's virtually no night right now 
So, they'll stay where they are until darker times come.
Sigh.

[gPink]

The Darkness always comes.

[matj1990]

Coming from a single his bulbed 6" headlight cruiser ... The stock high beam is flipping awesome Lol however always room for improvement . I did notice that his conversion kits always seem to scatter the light. Thus I have been pretty interested in led bulbs

[martin_14]

Winter came, summer time adjustment done, and it's dark both when I go to work and when I get out. So finally the super duper X-Treme Vision found their way in my headlights. As many said, swapping them was swift and uneventful. I didn't even have to re-aim the lights; maybe I'll have to adjust the lateral aim on the left a bit, though.
Veredict: improvement. How much? I don't know. But as I said before, a 100% increase in output amounts for about 30% more perceived light, and I would concur with that. Oncoming cars haven't flashed me in protest so far, and German drivers are very... how could I say it... demonstrative when they don't like something. However, cars driving in front of me seem to acknowledge my presence more easily.
One thing that surprised me is the softer cut off from the illuminated area to the non illuminated. It's less "offending" or drastic, specially noticeable in the curves, which is welcomed.
A point in which I'd like to improve the style of the thing is the dissimilar color of the main lights compared with the two little, 5W lights in the nose of the bike. The OEM bulbs in the headlights were already whiter than the little lights, but the Philips are much whiter yet, so it looks odd for me and I'd like to improve that. Are there other, whiter 5W bulbs to mount there?

[VirginiaJim]

Let us know how long they last.  I haven't had much luck with better brighter light bulbs.  They work but they don't last long and as I don't do a lot of night riding it doesn't make any sense for me to use them.

[martin_14]

I will. My original bulbs have stood well. One burned out after 30 000 miles, but the left one is still the original, with 55 000 miles. I'll be perfectly happy if these brighter replacements last a season. I don't mind spending 20€ / 26 USD for a new pair every year, to be honest, given the improved visibility.
Yesterday I rode outside the city through very dark roads and these bulbs really light things up. I remembered what Max mentioned about turning the sides of the road into a Xmas tree with the reflection on the road signs, but these don't do that, so I'm extra satisfied. And on-coming drivers never complained, while drivers in front of me seem more willing to let me pass.
Well spent money, me thinks. And legal, which in Germany is a very narrow corridor.

[webnetxpress]

Could someone provide me a link to these Cree bulbs?  I've searched but can't seem to find them...only finding the halogen ones.  I would like to give them a try considering the price.
Thanks

[martin_14]

Could someone provide me a link to these Cree bulbs?  I've searched but can't seem to find them...only finding the halogen ones.  I would like to give them a try considering the price.
Thanks

what do you mean by "Cree bulbs"? 

[webnetxpress]

I mean a link to the Philips xtreme cree led headlight bulbs, as pictured above.  the poster mentions purchasing on amazon but I can't find them.  Thanks.

[maxtog]

I mean a link to the Philips xtreme cree led headlight bulbs, as pictured above.  the poster mentions purchasing on amazon but I can't find them.  Thanks.

This thread contains information about two different things.  First the main topic- the Philips x-treme halogen bulbs.   Then mention of a no-name brand of LED bulb that claims to use a Cree produced LED chip.  You are mixing the two.

Post 14 contained the URL you want:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/261487513681?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I probably should split the thread into two separate ones, but there probably hasn't been enough  activity to justify it.... yet.   I was very curious about how the product worked out, but there was never an update from Daytona_Mike except that he got them.

[datsaxman@hotmail.com]

I had a similar set...ferociously bright, but (predictably) the reflectors and the LEDs are not a good match.  This means the light is not well focused, and I could not see as well as I now do with Sylvania's brightest incandescents. 

I had occasion to install the pair of Sylvanias in the middle of the night during the Big Tex Rally a few weeks ago.  One LED blew, and I had just replaced the other a few days earlier as I prepared to leave for the rally.  So I am flying along in the middle of Texas, in the VERY darkness, and it occurred to me that if the other LED failed, that might be very very bad.

Time for a handy truck stop for fuel, some Arby's roast beast, and two headlight bulbs installed by Braille.  I was probably stopped for all of 20 minutes, including adding more warm clothes, bathroom break, cleaning up, everything. 

The difference between one LED and two incandescents was stunning.  It was a lot more than two instead of one.  The quality of the light pattern was so much better. 

I LIKE the idea of LED headlights.  A lot.  But the reflectors have to match the LEDs.  So far, no match.


saxman

[datsaxman@hotmail.com]

P.S.  The Sylvanias are essentially the same thing as the Philips top of the line incandescents.

I paid $54.50 with tax for my pair, like full retail.  IT WAS WORTH IT.

My speed average for the full 80 hours of the rally tells me I was making *pretty good time* whether it was light or dark out.  I was A LOT more comfortable at speed with the Sylvanias. 

[VirginiaJim]

Cree is the manufacturer, Martin.  It's a major supplier of LEDs over here.

[Conrad]

I mean a link to the Philips xtreme cree led headlight bulbs, as pictured above.  the poster mentions purchasing on amazon but I can't find them.  Thanks.

Amazon sells the Philips bulbs, so does Murph. (Murph's is a bit less expensive and has free shipping)

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-X-treme-Vision-Headlight-Bulbs/dp/B007K6E51W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415101849&sr=8-1&keywords=Philips+Vision%2B100+X-treme+H4+Bulbs

http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=130_137&products_id=304

[martin_14]

Cree is the manufacturer, Martin.  It's a major supplier of LEDs over here.

I know, I know...  I have a Fenix PD30 in my pocket right now, and the manufacturer of the LED is Cree, like about 30% of the LED flashlights nowadays.
What I didn't understand was the question about the "LED bulbs", since an LED has no incandescent filament, and it gave me the impression that the poster mixed up my posts about the Philips bulbs and the Cree LEDs somebody brought up. But Max cleared that up anyway.

@Conrad: the price from Murph's seems right. At the moment in Amazon Germany those bulbs cost 21€/pair (26.20 U$D). I was lucky and got an offer for 19€ (24 U$D), but I'd pay 30€ (37 U$D) now that I saw the light

[webnetxpress]

Ah. Sorry, I didn't realize that the picture posted was not the Philips bulbs.  I missed that!

So Martin - seems like you are liking the Philips bulbs.  I might try a set, for the price if I don't like them its not a huge waste.  One question, notice any more heat on the wiring harness?  I had a zzr and replaced the bulb with a higher wattage one  and after a year the extra heat had melted the plug on the harness!

[maxtog]

Ah. Sorry, I didn't realize that the picture posted was not the Philips bulbs.  I missed that!

So Martin - seems like you are liking the Philips bulbs.  I might try a set, for the price if I don't like them its not a huge waste.  One question, notice any more heat on the wiring harness?  I had a zzr and replaced the bulb with a higher wattage one  and after a year the extra heat had melted the plug on the harness!

I used the X-treme Vision for over a year with no problems.  Others here much longer.  Also, they are stock wattage.

[martin_14]

yeap, they are still 55/60 Watts so they shouldn't affect the wiring, but now that you mention it I'll keep an eye on it.