DRL/High Beam LED Conversion Kit (Part II)

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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

So I'm at it again. I was prowling the internet for something interesting that would work to resolve the issues I have with the DRL/High Beam. For those wondering why, it's because the high beam bulb is used as a Daytime Running Light whenever the car is driven without the low beams on for the North American Kizashis. The DRLs are activated with a Pulsed Width Modulation of the current so the halogen bulbs are dimmer than when used as high beams.
While the DRLs are a good implementation of automotive safety (they do statistically reduce the likelihood of a head-on collision), they present some aesthetic and practical problems. Not everyone is a fan of the dim yellowy halogen bulb look. Certainly not me given my "pure white" HID low beams and full LED interior. They take away from the modern look of the car, IMO. The more practical issue is that DRLs burn the high beams whenever you drive (without the low beams on) therefore reduce bulb life. Halogen filaments actually wear out with use so even if the bulb isn't completely blown out, it gets dimmer with time and the constant DRL usage simply hastens that. Lastly, halogen bulbs last only in the hundreds of hours and given that bulb replacements are a major pain in the Kizashi, it's something to be avoided.
Hence, I was eager to find an alternative that not only looked better, but lasted a lot longer than halogens. However, I wanted something to function well as DRLs (a safety implementation I seek to keep) but also provide effective high beam usage. LEDs are about the only suitable solution but they aren't without their compromises and problems. As the title implies, I've tried an LED kit before and ended up returning it. More about that here:
http://www.kizashiclub.com/forum/viewto ... =32&t=2900

The lessons learned from that previous kit helped me for this second attempt. Now more about the new kit:
I found the kit on clearance at http://www.theretrofitsource.com which is where I got my Morimoto HID kit in the low beams and my HID fog light bulbs. Not only was the price of $35 very good, the design was something I was actually looking for. The Acme H7 LED bulb is a design with multiple Philips ZES LEDs designed to mimic an H7 halogen bulb's filament and uses only a heat sink instead of a fan. It's rated to consume 25W yet outputs 4000 lumens. The design was also something that would fit inside the headlight with the dust cap on.

Here are some photos of the kit:
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The kit itself is very impressive. The bulbs have a full metal construction as well as the driver housing. The machining quality is very good and the LEDs are mounted flawlessly onto the bulb. The Lumileds branding indicates these are Philips ZES series LEDs. The bulbs are also waterproof to an IP65 rating which practically means they can get wet without a problem. Many vendors of these LEDs dunk them in water containers to show their waterproof characteristics.

The back has some specs on the bulbs:
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The bulb has two sides with 4 LEDs on each. The most important characteristic of this LED bulb is that the base can be rotated for adjustment. This is very important in optimizing the output and the major difference between this kit and the old one. The old one could not be adjusted and had the LEDs fire up and down which is actually not how the headlight reflector was designed to reflect the light for optimal throw. This why the light output was a flood with the other kit. While it was bright, it cast a short range flood of light which wasn't very effective as a high beam on dark roads. This bulb's features allows for more possibilities.
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The first attempt also gave me the experience to know that capacitors are necessary to prevent the flickering of the bulbs from the PWM DRL system. The issue is that the current isn't constant therefore causes flickering in any bulb other than a halogen. Capacitors resolve the issue by stabilizing the current and releasing it to the bulb as a stable current. However, this causes the DRLs to operate at a higher output than intended. While the result is that the DRLs are bright, they aren't too distracting given the more common use of bright LEDs as OE DRLs and that they are intended for use in daytime.
Pictured below are the inline capacitors I also ordered from http://www.theretrofitsource.com along with the LED kit.
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The image below shows how the bulb fits into the headlight. The heat sink is detachable which is imperative for installing the bulb and affixing the retainer clip. It's also necessary for bulb adjustment. The process of adjusting requires you to loosen a small hex screw in the bulb base, rotating the LED bulb to the optimal position, and then tightening the base with the hex screw. I will cover adjustment a little more later.

Once the bulb is in place and the retaining clip positioned, the heat sink can be screwed on to the bulb. The clearance is just enough for it to fit. It does contact the dust cap's retaining tabs a bit, but it does not prevent the heat sink from being properly attached. The bulb's threading also features thermal paste. The dust caps do feel like they contact the heat sink when tightened on, but they do fit.
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Having drilled holes in the dust cap from the previous kit, I threaded the new bulb's wires out of the cap to the externally mounted LED driver. I then connected it to the capacitor which I mounted next to the driver. The wiring from the capacitor then runs back into the cap which connects to the headlight's H7 connector inside. I taped up both connections at the harnesses with electrical tape. The driver and capacitor are affixed to the underside of the headlight with 3M mounting tape. Upon installing the headlight to the car, I affixed the capacitor's ground wire to an optimal grounding location which I also used for the HID low beam's capacitors.
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As of this writing, I am using the LEDs and they work well. The capacitors indeed have them working much brighter than the halogens with the PWM. I have seen absolutely no flickering at all. The output Kelvin color temperature is similar to OE LEDs from Audi, Nissan, etc.

As high beams, the light output is rather scattered, but still considerably better than the last kit. They do function adequately as high beams, but they don't have that focused "hot spot" like the halogen bulbs. I plan to further experiment with bulb adjustment to optimize the beam pattern. It's something I didn't have the time for before I mounted the headlights back but the LEDs do currently fire directly to the sides.

I'll be uploading photos of the LEDs in the car with some on-the-road images soon, but I wanted to post this initial write-up to get things started. At this point, I must say I'm rather pleased and plan to keep and utilize this kit, even if the light output pattern can't be improved. For the clearance price of $35, it matches the price of some of the highest performance halogens you can buy yet is much brighter and the LEDs will likely last much longer... like the life of the car if nothing goes wrong. LEDs have an operating lifespan in the tens of thousands of hours compared to the mere hundreds of hours with a halogen bulb.
More observations and photos to come soon.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
krell
Posts: 235
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Location: New York

Ok... next week I'll get the kit... sheeeez more money spending... whenever King Kuro got a long write up.. watch out spending time
Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?
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KuroNekko
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Location: California, USA

krell wrote:Ok... next week I'll get the kit... sheeeez more money spending... whenever King Kuro got a long write up.. watch out spending time
:lol:
Hey, don't blame that on me! However, the item is on clearance and I think TRS is trying to liquidate their inventory of them. These same bulbs are branded by other companies and retailers and go for 2 to 3x the price compared to TRS. However, the bulbs are on clearance so there is a no-returns policy unless the kit is DOA.

I'll be posting more about the performance over the weekend so you can figure out if you really want them. So far, I'm digging them, especially for the price.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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KuroNekko
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Location: California, USA

Here are some photos of them installed.
IMG_3253.JPG
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2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
krell
Posts: 235
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 9:14 am
Location: New York

Kuro..Is this the kit you got....https://www.theretrofitsource.com/h7-ac ... bulbs.html... also i already have the capacitor installed on the low beam hids do i still need a extra capacitor for the high beam.
Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?
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KuroNekko
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Location: California, USA

krell wrote:Kuro..Is this the kit you got....https://www.theretrofitsource.com/h7-ac ... bulbs.html... also i already have the capacitor installed on the low beam hids do i still need a extra capacitor for the high beam.
Your link is broken, but it looks like you identified the right one. It's this: https://www.theretrofitsource.com/close ... bulbs.html

Yes, you need additional capacitors as they are directly connected to the wiring for just that bulb. I have a total of four capacitors for my headlights; one for each low beam HID and one for each DRL/high beam LED.
You could possibly swap the capacitors for your HIDs to the LEDs to save money if your HIDs don't have a flickering issue.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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KuroNekko
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Location: California, USA

Update:
I apologize I never got around to taking on-the-road photos. However, I haven't had the time to remove the headlights to fine-tune their reflection in the headlight as well. They are basically as is from when I installed them.
The light output is rather scattered, but not useless. It basically scatters the light up and around in a somewhat circular pattern rather than a focused hotspot like with halogen bulbs. While it's not as useful as a halogen's output in distance illumination, it does work as a high beam, greater enhancing road illumination on dark, unlit roads. It also casts a good amount of light downwards to help you spot road imperfections. LEDs also seem to reflect road signs and other reflective materials a lot better, helping you notice them more easily.

To attempt improvement of the reflection pattern, I'd have to rotate the bulb after loosening the bulb's base. Once an optimal reflection pattern is cast, the base is tightened with a small Allen screw so the bulb maintains its position in the headlight. I'll get to this one day, but I'm overall content with the LED bulbs as is. After all, I did get them more for their DRL purpose than high beams. As DRLs, they are bright, but not as bright as when used as high beams. As noted in the first post, I have capacitors attached to them due to the Kizashi's PWM DRL system. As a result, the LEDs are very stable and have not flickered at all. I also think the bright yet cool white color temperature of the DRLs adds to the premium look of the Kizashi, especially if you have HIDs for the low beams.

Overall, I'd say that these LEDs aren't an improvement in high beam performance over halogens, especially compared to high output H7 bulbs, but are rather impressive overall. When used as DRLs, they are a lot brighter than the yellow halogen output and will not compromise bulb longevity like the halogens. For the low price of $35, it's definitely worth it and the greater consideration would be whether to spend the time installing them or not.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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LPSISRL
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It's interesting to note you mention that the constant burning of the DRLs will shorten the bulb life. Seems logical. I've replaced my driver side low beam at least 4 times in the 3.5 years I've had the car and the passenger side twice. (I think) I have yet to replace either of the DRLs. I don't use hi-beams much so maybe the lower current when being used as DRLs lets them outlast the low beams by a factor of at least 4 on the driver's side.
Last edited by LPSISRL on Thu Dec 08, 2016 12:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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KuroNekko
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Location: California, USA

LPSISRL wrote:It's interesting to note you mention that the constant burning of the DRLs will shorten the bulb life. Seems logical. I've replaced my driver side low beam at least 4 times in the 3.5 years I've had the car and the passenger side twice. (I think) I have yet to replace either of the DRLs. I don't use hi-beams much so maybe the lower current when being used as DRLs lets them outlast the low beams by a factor or at least 4 on the driver's side.
I'm not surprised that the low beams are going out faster as they run on full wattage. However, the problem with DRLs is that they use the high beam's bulb, wearing them out over time even if they don't actually blow them out faster. So while the PWM of the DRL may not burn out a bulb faster than a low beam, the high beam's performance will degrade over time as the filament wears down. I noticed this with some older high performance halogen bulbs I had as DRLs in the past. The filaments basically wore out despite not breaking so the bulb would work, but was much dimmer than they used to be originally. This was very noticeable when used as high beams or swapped into low beams. I think we've all noticed older cars with dim but working halogen bulbs. I think it's the same phenomenon. Basically, the bulb would work, but lost much of its performance due to filament degradation. It's one factor that doesn't seem to apply to LEDs, especially considering their relative lifespans. LEDs can obviously fail, but it's often reasons other than the actual LED emitter wearing out.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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LPSISRL
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Kuro,
The site still has "bulbs" for $35 but says that all you get are bulbs. Do you know if the capacitors come with it even though it says bulbs only. The work "Kit" is not be found. I'd hate to order and just get bulbs.
2011 Kizashi SLS CVT (silver)
2005 Honda Odyssey
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2009 Suzuki SX4 Cross AWD 5-speed Tech package (vapor metallic blue)
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