How to install DRL/High Beam LED Conversion Kit

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KuroNekko
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Update:
I grounded the capacitors outside the headlight. There was no place within the headlight to ground them. I drilled two holes in the high beam dust cap and ran two sets of wires out. One rubber grommet for the bulb fan and LED driver wires and the other for the power input wires from the factory bulb harness. The LED drivers and the entire capacitor harnesses are now outside the headlight, much like my HID kit. The components are water resistant much like HID components.

The capacitors work. How do I know? Because the LEDs are now on full power high beam mode in DRL. Doh! :?
Some of you guys hypothesized this would happen but I was told by VLEDS in direct email correspondence that this should not happen. They also stated in the inline capacitor harness description that it would not cause the DRL to go to high beam mode.
They write:
"The capacitors do not change the voltage of your DRL system. You will still have the same factory effect of a low output DRL, and high output high beam."

I contacted VLEDS about the issue and they apologized and said that the bulbs and the capacitors were not tested for my car so they could not control for that. They then offered a full refund for everything. Their response was much nicer and more sympathetic than I expected. I replied saying that despite the issues, I wanted VLEDS LEDs in my car because I liked the performance. I then asked if I could exchange the old bulbs (CXA) for the new MT-G2 kit that they have out now with the hope that the new LED emitter and new drivers may handle the issues better than the current kit. They then replied with this since they know about my flickering issue:

"No problem, you can send the product back for a refund. If you'd like to purchase the new MT-G2 that would be great, but we cannot guarantee it will work on your vehicle.
We did test the new bulbs and the controller/LED would operate below 4V where the CXA would shut off just below 6V. We did find that the MT-G2 is still very bright at 6V-7V and is slightly less bright than at 12V-14V. This is due to the constant current driver that is keeping adequate power supplied to the LED at that specific operating voltage range.
Hope that helps a little bit in making your decision.
Thank you,
Customer Support
"

So the response makes it sound like the flickering is less likely to occur but the new LEDs will probably be very bright even in DRL mode. I'm still eager to try these new bulbs out given the new drivers, the new LED emitter, and the new design of the entire bulb. The fan and heat sink looks better made on this new one and I believe it will fit in the headlight (as I've spent hours recently with the Kizashi's headlights and have a good sense of clearance inside).
Another thing to note is that the MT-G2 bulbs have one LED emitter for the H7 while my current CXA has two. I believe the dual LEDs output a good amount of light vertically, but cause a lot of glare to oncoming traffic. Perhaps the new bulb is better in this regard so despite having a bright DRL output, it won't be as blinding.
Also, despite having only one LED, max output is 2100 lumens vs. the CXA's dual LEDs outputting 2000 lumens.

I'm most likely going to return the CXA and go for the MT-G2 but wanted to run it by you guys here to see what you all think. Many of you have better knowledge of electrical systems therefore can better hypothesize likely outcomes. I also know many were simply interested in this project as well.

Regardless of all the time and effort the bulbs take, it's kind of fun for me to experiment with this stuff. I've been using my Makita impact driver on the bumper screws anyways and can get the bumper and headlights off in just several minutes now. :lol:
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
bootymac
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Well, shit. I figured that would be the case as the LED driver wasn't specifically for DRLs. I believe the key issue is that you need something that can regulate the pulsating voltage in DRL mode to a steady lower voltage, while also allowing normal voltage for high beams.

The beam pattern of the single emitter LED will depend on the orientation of the emitter within the headlight reflector. My initial assumption is it won't work well but I haven't seen pictures of it in use yet
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KuroNekko
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bootymac wrote:Well, shit. I figured that would be the case as the LED driver wasn't specifically for DRLs. I believe the key issue is that you need something that can regulate the pulsating voltage in DRL mode to a steady lower voltage, while also allowing normal voltage for high beams.

The beam pattern of the single emitter LED will depend on the orientation of the emitter within the headlight reflector. My initial assumption is it won't work well but I haven't seen pictures of it in use yet
I can tell you right now that the LED will face downwards. I can tell because of the placement of the bulb base's tab. The tab goes at the bottom when the bulb goes into the housing in the headlight so inside the headlight, the LED emitter will be facing straight down.

Image
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
bootymac
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Seems like majority of the light will be reflected upwards then? I think I prefer the dual emitter style.
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KuroNekko
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bootymac wrote:Seems like majority of the light will be reflected upwards then? I think I prefer the dual emitter style.
It's definitely a risk to try out the other ones despite VLEDS' claim that these new ones have a "More focused beam pattern". However, my current bulbs send light everywhere. The output is great, but it's not focused. It's not a distance light but more a flood type. Halogens will throw the high beams long and narrow. These current LEDs throw light shorter but with more intensity and coverage. It's like a shotgun blast of light.
I'm not super-anal about focused light throw because I don't live in an area where distance illumination is critical (like in rural areas).
Given that I already know what the CXA offers and have issues with the flickering and the capacitors, I'm thinking I may want to try the MT-G2 kit to see what it offers.
I also think it looks better built. I already have issues with the CXA's fan base and bulb threading. The aluminum on aluminum was ripe for thread stripping.

I will think about it until the weekend which is when I'd have the time to remove the LEDs for a return. However, at this point, I'm far more inclined to try out the MT-G2 kit. I should do some research on other forums and see if anyone with a comparable application (DRL/high beam) has got them.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
~tc~
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KuroNekko wrote: The capacitors work. How do I know? Because the LEDs are now on full power high beam mode in DRL. Doh! :?
Well, that confirms that our DRL work by PWM at full voltage, not constant reduced voltage.

Not sure I'm getting why you want your high beams to be more focused ... Their whole point is flood lighting.

One emitter will almost certainly have a more focused pattern, as the origin is more focused. So long as the emitter is in the same place as the halogen filament, it should work well ... If it's not, then it won't work as well. I've been reading up on the new Audi and BMW laser headlights, and the smaller light point source is a big deal, both for packaging size in the car and reflector efficiency.
2011 Sport SLS with nav Black Pearl Metallic
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KuroNekko
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~tc~ wrote: Not sure I'm getting why you want your high beams to be more focused ... Their whole point is flood lighting.
It's hard to depict in photos because most cameras have a hard time capturing light in dark conditions the same way the human eye sees it.
Halogen high beams do give off some flood lighting, but they are designed to light up further down the road above where the low beams cut off.
With these LEDs, there really isn't that kind of distance throw. It's more a short-range bright flood.
So imagine having a small flashlight vs. carrying a huge torch with a oil-soaked rag on fire. The flashlight will put focused light further down a distance, but won't give off as much ambient light all around. The torch will give off a lot of light around it, but at a short range and you can't see things well beyond 10 feet or so.
That's the best analogy I can think of to describe what these LEDs are like compared to halogens in high beam mode.
Because they flood intense light everywhere at a short range, the LEDs are good for driving in wooded areas where the road is bordered by woods. However, these LEDs would not be very good in an open road like in a desert at night. With open roads, you want more focused light thrown at a longer range down the road.
I'd say these LEDs are great for alpine drivers or those in wooden areas. They are not good for open road areas like deserts.

I'm curious to see how the new bulb design affects the light throw.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
~tc~
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But is the throw that much different, or is it the brightness of the HID low beams?

For example, I don't think my halogen high beams "out throw" the HID low beams any more, they are just there to provide light above the sharp projector cutoff. In any case, I don't think I could "outrun" the HID low beams at any speed remotely below "you don't get a speeding ticket, you get a free ride in the the back"... And if I need that, I doubt anything in a headlight housing will do it - I'll be looking at aftermarket light solutions.
2011 Sport SLS with nav Black Pearl Metallic
bootymac
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I can see what VLEDS means by a "more focused beam" because you now have 2100 lumens bouncing off only half of the reflector. Headlight output depends on the position of the filament/emitter and the light bouncing off the reflector:

ImageImage

With a single LED emitting down, your effective high beam "spread" is reduced. I don't think this is ideal in high beams. It won't even work in a low beam projector:

Image

This is assuming the LED is even in the right position relative to the reflector. In the top two diagrams below (and also figure 1 above for dual filament bulbs), you can see how the light reflection differs between the low and high beams due to different filament positions. The high beam filament is positioned closer, resulting in light reflecting forward. The low beam filament is positioned further, causing the reflected light to converge downwards

Image
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KuroNekko
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~tc~ wrote:But is the throw that much different, or is it the brightness of the HID low beams?

For example, I don't think my halogen high beams "out throw" the HID low beams any more, they are just there to provide light above the sharp projector cutoff. In any case, I don't think I could "outrun" the HID low beams at any speed remotely below "you don't get a speeding ticket, you get a free ride in the the back"... And if I need that, I doubt anything in a headlight housing will do it - I'll be looking at aftermarket light solutions.
Where your high beams throw light above the low beam cut off, the LEDs don't even throw that far. I know what you are talking about because my old halogens did that.
The reason I'm not too concerned is, as you said, the HIDs in low are quite good. The LEDs in high beams just flood the area with light, but without much reach in distance.
I agree that if one needs a good amount of light thrown far and focused, they need to get a separate light apparatus like a light bar much like what Wonson92 had or what Moto got in his Forester.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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