I updated this thread to become a headlight comparison thread. If you have other headlights for the Defender feel free to add the pictures and beam patterns to this thread to help others.
Andrew Does a Headlight Comparison - H4 Halogen and LED
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Here’s a comparison between three popular headlights. The Cibie and Koito H4 halogens (ECE) and the Nolden Gen 1 LED (DOT).
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First is a comparison of what they would look like installed. The Koito has a flat face and the Cibie and Nolden have a rounded face. Rounded is classic, but I think the flat face goes well with the Defender’s boxy shape.
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Here are some detail photos of the Koito H4. It’s available as a kit with a relay harness from Toyota (for the FJ60) as part # 81110-60P70. (Left shown installed in Defender bucket.)
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It has a locking ring to hold the bulb instead of a clip.
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Now on to a performance comparison.
First up is the Koito H4.
Low beam. Very uniform pattern. A little more focused than the Cibie and more light directly in front of the vehicle.
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Low beam on wall. Diagonal part of the beam on the right goes up higher than the Cibie, which may be more useful for road signage.
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High beam. Most uniform pattern of the three.
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Next up is the Cibie H4. It’s NLA, but I thought it would be nice to include it because it’s been widely believed to be one of the best H4 halogens.
Low beam. Very uniform and wide pattern. Widest of the three. Sharp cut-off line.
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Low beam glare. This image is overexposed, but it’s to show glare at the top of the lens. The Koito and Nolden headlights don’t have any of this top glare. I think it isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something I noticed.
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Low beam on wall
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High beam. Bizarre spider web pattern. Probably a lovely match for a weird French car.
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Lastly is the Nolden Gen 1 LED (DOT version).
Low beam. Bright and focused. Pretty wide horizontally, but most narrow of the three vertically.
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Low beam on wall
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High beam. Pretty much opposite of the low beam. The pattern isn’t as cool as the Cibie and not as uniform as the Koito.
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Out of these three I decided I like the Koito H4 the best. I love the Japanese old school look and it’s higher quality than the Cibie. The Toyota kit is also a phenomenal deal.
First is a comparison of what they would look like installed. The Koito has a flat face and the Cibie and Nolden have a rounded face. Rounded is classic, but I think the flat face goes well with the Defender’s boxy shape.
Here are some detail photos of the Koito H4. It’s available as a kit with a relay harness from Toyota (for the FJ60) as part # 81110-60P70. (Left shown installed in Defender bucket.)
It has a locking ring to hold the bulb instead of a clip.
Now on to a performance comparison.
First up is the Koito H4.
Low beam. Very uniform pattern. A little more focused than the Cibie and more light directly in front of the vehicle.
Low beam on wall. Diagonal part of the beam on the right goes up higher than the Cibie, which may be more useful for road signage.
High beam. Most uniform pattern of the three.
Next up is the Cibie H4. It’s NLA, but I thought it would be nice to include it because it’s been widely believed to be one of the best H4 halogens.
Low beam. Very uniform and wide pattern. Widest of the three. Sharp cut-off line.
Low beam glare. This image is overexposed, but it’s to show glare at the top of the lens. The Koito and Nolden headlights don’t have any of this top glare. I think it isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something I noticed.
Low beam on wall
High beam. Bizarre spider web pattern. Probably a lovely match for a weird French car.
Lastly is the Nolden Gen 1 LED (DOT version).
Low beam. Bright and focused. Pretty wide horizontally, but most narrow of the three vertically.
Low beam on wall
High beam. Pretty much opposite of the low beam. The pattern isn’t as cool as the Cibie and not as uniform as the Koito.
Out of these three I decided I like the Koito H4 the best. I love the Japanese old school look and it’s higher quality than the Cibie. The Toyota kit is also a phenomenal deal.
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I agree. The reflector would need to be designed specifically for an LED or HID bulb.
I think it’s best to stay with the light source the reflector is designed for. The basic halogen bulbs from OEM brands (e.g. Osram, Hella, Koito) are pretty bright. The more expensive bulbs that claim higher light output mostly just produce more heat, which can damage the housing, including the delicate reflector. So I suggest to use basic OEM bulbs only.
By the way, I called my local Toyota dealer and they got me another set of Koitos for $58 in 2 days. I think it’s the deal of the century.
I should have called them first before ordering a set on eBay, but that’s okay. Some online dealers list them for $40, but with shipping it’s more than getting them locally.
(Several online dealers list them as NLA, so I thought they weren’t available, but they are. Maybe those online dealers had problems with people ordering too many of them.)
I think it’s best to stay with the light source the reflector is designed for. The basic halogen bulbs from OEM brands (e.g. Osram, Hella, Koito) are pretty bright. The more expensive bulbs that claim higher light output mostly just produce more heat, which can damage the housing, including the delicate reflector. So I suggest to use basic OEM bulbs only.
By the way, I called my local Toyota dealer and they got me another set of Koitos for $58 in 2 days. I think it’s the deal of the century.
I should have called them first before ordering a set on eBay, but that’s okay. Some online dealers list them for $40, but with shipping it’s more than getting them locally.(Several online dealers list them as NLA, so I thought they weren’t available, but they are. Maybe those online dealers had problems with people ordering too many of them.)
I think the Koitos will be able to cut through just fine, but my truck's not on the road yet so I'm not able to test them driving. I bought another set from the Toyota dealer and they left me a voicemail in Japanese today lol. I have a Japanese voicemail greeting as a prank and anti-spam. They got me back.
I'm not currently planning to add fog lights. What are most people running for fogs? The OEM Hella Rallye 1000s (STC7643) or something else? I think last time I started looking into fogs & driving lights there were so many options I couldn't decide.
I noticed in Australia Toyota sells Hella driving lights. That would be cool if we could get them cheap from Toyota like the headlights, but it looks like they don't offer them as an accessory in the USA for some reason.
I found some fog lights that will go with the Koito headlights. They're 7" like the Hellas from Land Rover. Here's a set on eBay for a ridiculous price ($650). I found some in Japan for a better price. I'll see if I can figure out how to order them.
NOS Koito 7" type Fog Driving Lights Carello Hella Cibie Marchal rare JDM RAD | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for NOS Koito 7" type Fog Driving Lights Carello Hella Cibie Marchal rare JDM RAD at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
If you haven't given up on LED bulbs here are some from Japan that may be worth trying that are close to stock halogen color. I think the benefit would be reduced power consumption, at the expense of a less uniform beam pattern with a little more glare compared to halogen.
This one from IPF is 4000K color and rated 3200 lumens low beam & 4000 lumens high beam. It consumes 25 watts. It's about $60 (may not be made in Japan at that price; the ones below are.)
This one from Sphere Light is 3200K color and rated 4800 lumens (probably high beam.) It consumes 27 watts. It's about $130.
This one from Nihon Lighting is 4000K color and rated 5000 lumens low beam & 7000 lumens high beam. It consumes 25 watts. It's about $240. This brand seems to be highly rated.
This one from IPF is 4000K color and rated 3200 lumens low beam & 4000 lumens high beam. It consumes 25 watts. It's about $60 (may not be made in Japan at that price; the ones below are.)
This one from Sphere Light is 3200K color and rated 4800 lumens (probably high beam.) It consumes 27 watts. It's about $130.
This one from Nihon Lighting is 4000K color and rated 5000 lumens low beam & 7000 lumens high beam. It consumes 25 watts. It's about $240. This brand seems to be highly rated.
Amazon.co.jp: Japan Lighting High-Spec Model LED Headlight, Made in Japan, LED Headlight, H4, Halogen Color, 4,000K, Road Transport Vehicle Act Compliant : Automotive
Amazon.co.jp: Japan Lighting High-Spec Model LED Headlight, Made in Japan, LED Headlight, H4, Halogen Color, 4,000K, Road Transport Vehicle Act Compliant : Automotive
www.amazon.co.jp
I didn't expect to get Japanese headlights for the Land Rover either. Now I'm going with fogs and driving lights from Japan too. JDM style Land Rover.
My local dealer didn't charge me to special order them. That must be because they came from a distribution center here in Portland.
My local dealer didn't charge me to special order them. That must be because they came from a distribution center here in Portland.
You'll probably get a kick out of this. Here's a DIY from someone in Japan installing the Nihon Lighting 4000K H4 LEDs in their 97 NAS (Japan) Defender 90.
English translation:
They don't show what the end result is, but I found another review that does. Looks pretty much halogen color; maybe a little more white.
English translation:
Another.
English translation:
That last one has a pretty good halogen vs. LED comparison on a wall. It's pretty close. It looks like there might be more glare with the LED, but I think the photo is also exposed more than the halogen shot.
[ランドローバー ディフェンダー]ヘッドライトのLED化、大成功！
みんカラ（みんなのカーライフ）とは、あなたと同じ車・自動車に乗っている仲間が集まる、ソーシャルネットワーキングサービス(SNS)です。
minkara.carview.co.jp
English translation:
[ランドローバー ディフェンダー]ヘッドライトのLED化、大成功！
みんカラ（みんなのカーライフ）とは、あなたと同じ車・自動車に乗っている仲間が集まる、ソーシャルネットワーキングサービス(SNS)です。
minkara-carview-co-jp.translate.goog
They don't show what the end result is, but I found another review that does. Looks pretty much halogen color; maybe a little more white.
[スバル レガシィ]日本ライティング LED Conversion Kit H4
【パーツレビュー】スバル/レガシィ装着 | 日本ライティング LEDヘッドライト H4 ハイスペックモデル 4000K ハロゲン色 Lo:5000lm Hi:7000lm 2011年から使ってた5500KのHIDキットが走行中に片方だけ点かなくなる事が時々あり ...
minkara.carview.co.jp
English translation:
[スバル レガシィ]日本ライティング LED Conversion Kit H4
【パーツレビュー】スバル/レガシィ装着 | 日本ライティング LEDヘッドライト H4 ハイスペックモデル 4000K ハロゲン色 Lo:5000lm Hi:7000lm 2011年から使ってた5500KのHIDキットが走行中に片方だけ点かなくなる事が時々あり ...
minkara-carview-co-jp.translate.goog
Another.
[ルノー カングー]日本ライティング Nihon Lighting LEDヘッドライトシリーズ
【パーツレビュー】ルノー/カングー装着 | 明るいヘッドライト欲しいけど… 青白いのLEDは嫌いだし、ゆるい感じのこの車には似合わない感じと思ってました。 色々調べてみると、4000Kと言うLEDを見つけました。 それも日本製で評価も高い。 すぐにポチッとしてし ...
minkara.carview.co.jp
English translation:
[ルノー カングー]日本ライティング Nihon Lighting LEDヘッドライトシリーズ
【パーツレビュー】ルノー/カングー装着 | 明るいヘッドライト欲しいけど… 青白いのLEDは嫌いだし、ゆるい感じのこの車には似合わない感じと思ってました。 色々調べてみると、4000Kと言うLEDを見つけました。 それも日本製で評価も高い。 すぐにポチッとしてし ...
minkara-carview-co-jp.translate.goog
That last one has a pretty good halogen vs. LED comparison on a wall. It's pretty close. It looks like there might be more glare with the LED, but I think the photo is also exposed more than the halogen shot.
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