Stedi LED lights

[Cuppa]

Anyone had experience with Stedi products? Good, bad or indifferent?

I'm thinking of bringing our Patrol out of the dark ages. I tried you beaut halogen H4's & they were a waste of time. Have checked the wiring loom for voltage drop & got the same reading at the globe connector as I got at the battery. The headlight reflectors look pretty good - but the lights are awful. We very rarely drive at night but on the odd ocasions that we have (eg. Through the Millstream Chichester NP) a candle would have been almost as good. It was so bad we couldn't read the NP road signs. Several times we had to pull up, take a torch & walk back to check what the sign said! We do have a couple of halogen driving lights, (but on that occasion one of the globes had blown).

Am thinking of trying the Stedi Copper Head LED conversion for the factory headlights, plus a 27.5" single row 3301 light bar. If we need to use the light bar it will be off the bitumen & thus near, mid distance & sideways lighting will be far more important than a ultra long distance light throw.

[Rossco]

Hey Cuppa, haven't had first hand experience with them but only heard good things. Personally have been down the HID path with the factory headlamps only to come back to upgraded IPF halogens (loom, lens & globes) which although aren't crazy bright I am very happy with.

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[PeeBee]

Cuppa, have a look at the JTX brand of lights - lifetime warranty and ADR approved - well they are on the GQ, unsure if they make a model for the GU. Great customer service.

Like Rossco, I have tried just about every halogen globe combo, plus went HID for a while, then LED globes. The LED globes pushed me towards the LED headlight inserts. I think the light density is greater in mid distance, not super long range but at 100klm/hr its mpre than enough and too much in the bush and tight quarters to be honest.

[Yeti's Beast]

My Patrol had quite good headlights. It was a 2003 series 3model. It did have +50 globes. Genuine Nissan driving lights with 100 watt globes and a small light bar on a separate loom.
My step son on the other hand had a 99 series1 model GU and his lights were absolutely pathetic and he had upgraded his globes too.
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[mudnut]

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15114-LED-Light-Co

[Sherro]

The Stedi head lights are awesome on low beam and high beam and two Stedi 22" St4K light bars are very good as well i just nip up all the allen key bolts on them and never had any moisture in them what so ever. Good value for money in my books.

[pollenface]

A simple 126w 22 inch ebay special led bar has seen me through the last 5 years or so. I gave my lightforce strikers away after switching to the led bar. I'm a convert.

[nipagu7]

hi cuppa . when you tested the lights for voltage drop was that with the connector connected to the light or just at the connector unplugged from the light , as you will probably only be able to measure voltage drop when there is a load on the wiring . it does sound like you have a voltage drop issue and just changing globes will not really help. patrolapart does upgraded wiring looms . a little pricey , maybe other suppliers do too . i think this would be the way to go .

[BillsGU]

I have just changed my motorcycle headlight to a Stedi (looks the same as Sherro's) and they are awesome. Also they are ADR approved. As a bonus they have an angel eye for daytime running - although with the low power consumption of the LED the headlight is no strain even on a motorcycle electrical system.

[Cuppa]

hi cuppa . when you tested the lights for voltage drop was that with the connector connected to the light or just at the connector unplugged from the light , as you will probably only be able to measure voltage drop when there is a load on the wiring . it does sound like you have a voltage drop issue and just changing globes will not really help. patrolapart does upgraded wiring looms . a little pricey , maybe other suppliers do too . i think this would be the way to go .

Ta. I realised after I posted before that I needed to have the load connected to mesasure the voltage drop. Doh. So I checked it again this morning & found with the motor running & battery voltage at 14.03v I got a voltage drop of 1.39v. Kinda wish it was more! Certainly heavier wiring would reduce that voltage drop, but whether by enough to see a worthwhile improvement is the big question. Anyone have thoughts on that? Patrolapart's loom is $285 which is a lot of dough to spend if it doesn't make a lot of difference. Cheapest pre made wiring harness I've been able to turn up is still $170. (Traxide - but includes wiring for a pair of driving lights).

[Yeti's Beast]

Ta. I realised after I posted before that I needed to have the load connected to mesasure the voltage drop. Doh. So I checked it again this morning & found with the motor running & battery voltage at 14.03v I got a voltage drop of 1.39v. Kinda wish it was more! Certainly heavier wiring would reduce that voltage drop, but whether by enough to see a worthwhile improvement is the big question. Anyone have thoughts on that? Patrolapart's loom is $285 which is a lot of dough to spend if it doesn't make a lot of difference. Cheapest pre made wiring harness I've been able to turn up is still $170. (Traxide - but includes wiring for a pair of driving lights).

In the olden days when I had old Holdens, I used to cut the head light loom and fit a pair of 30 amp relays. One for low and one for high. Power came from the battery to the relays via 6 mm wire and I was able to run 90/120 H4 globes without worry. Sometimes I got creative and made up a new loom myself from the relay to the lights.


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[PeeBee]

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Cuppa, loom shots as PM'd. I think the smaller plugs are for the driving lights - could be wrong, has been a while since removed.

[PeeBee]

Found these spec sheets on the superloom8087680877

headlights and driving lights, 6mm cable

[Brissieboy]

Why spend that amount of cash on a pre-made loom?
All you need is to use the headlight wire to operate a relay, then use the relay contacts to switch the lights from a decent heavy wire direct from the battery (fused) to the lights.
A couple of metres of wire, a relay, a few 6mm crimp connectors and a few small cable ties to neaten it up your all done for around the cost of a six-pack.

[BillsGU]

What he said X2 ^^^^^^^^. I have always thought that these after market wiring looms were highly overpriced. The only thing I would add is to also pick up a new H4 plug to ensure the new thicker positive AND earth cables go all the way to the globe.

[Cuppa]

Why spend that amount of cash on a pre-made loom?
All you need is to use the headlight wire to operate a relay, then use the relay contacts to switch the lights from a decent heavy wire direct from the battery (fused) to the lights.
A couple of metres of wire, a relay, a few 6mm crimp connectors and a few small cable ties to neaten it up your all done for around the cost of a six-pack.

If I were at home in Vic this is the way I would go without doubt, but we are half way between Cairns & Chilagoe without all the tools I'd have at home. I could do the job here but only have a cheap & nasty non ratchet crimper, no heatshrink, no heat gun, not even a vice to hold stuff . The aim is to end up with something which looks neat but more importantly does a good job of reducing voltage drop. I agree that the pre-made looms seem overpriced but on balance & in the circumstances they are a better guarantee that I'll end up with a reliable version of what I want. I could wait until we are home but that could be several years away, & I want a little project whilst we are holed up for the duration of the virus. Having the use of a second vehicle whilst we are here makes things easier too.

[the evil twin]

Cuppa, I suggest you do the loom upgrade as per your other post if you have already got +100 halogens or whatever and see what you think.

With a full 12 volt supply I found the hi rated halo's more than adequate and still yellow enough so the road signs don't blind you like happens with that white LED glare

I've never run LED in my headlamps (well, once but pulled them after one night on the freeway) only ever used +100 Osram Halo's... much friendlier on my poor old pensioner eyes

[Cuppa]

Why spend that amount of cash on a pre-made loom?
All you need is to use the headlight wire to operate a relay, then use the relay contacts to switch the lights from a decent heavy wire direct from the battery (fused) to the lights.
A couple of metres of wire, a relay, a few 6mm crimp connectors and a few small cable ties to neaten it up your all done for around the cost of a six-pack.

If I were at home in Vic this is the way I would go without doubt, but we are half way between Cairns & Chilagoe without all the tools I'd have at home. I could do the job here but only have a cheap & nasty non ratchet crimper, no heatshrink, no heat gun, not even a vice to hold stuff . The aim is to end up with something which looks neat but more importantly does a good job of reducing voltage drop. I agree that the pre-made looms seem overpriced but on balance & in the circumstances they are a better guarantee that I'll end up with a reliable version of what I want. I could wait until we are home but that could be several years away, & I want a little project whilst we are holed up for the duration of the virus. Having the use of a second vehicle whilst we are here makes things easier too.

[Cuppa]

Cuppa, I suggest you do the loom upgrade as per your other post if you have already got +100 halogens or whatever and see what you think.

With a full 12 volt supply I found the hi rated halo's more than adequate and still yellow enough so the road signs don't blind you like happens with that white LED glare

I've never run LED in my headlamps (well, once but pulled them after one night on the freeway) only ever used +100 Osram Halo's... much friendlier on my poor old pensioner eyes

Yep I've already decided not to go with the LED globes for much the reasons you suggest ET. Current globes are 60/55w PHILIPS X-treme Vision Plus +130% Halogens, which might be ok once I have a new loom in & if so I'll get some 100 watters when they need replacing. As it is we do very little night driving these days, & it is more for 'just in case' outback dirt I want better lights for mainly. ie places where there generally no any other traffic, & very few signs to reflect. In those situations I reckon the combo of the IPF's (100w each) & a light bar should be more than adequate, especially at our sedate pace. It's possible a light bar may render the IPF's superfluous, but I'll have to wait & see on that.

[Yeti's Beast]

I had the same combo on the Patrol and it worked out good to be able to swap between them depending on the situation. In the rain I just used the ipf and when on the highway, I used both but if the signs were too bright, I switched off the light bar and still had ample light. On the new car I only have a pair of 9 inch LED but they are too bright, signs are blinding and when we switch back to low beam, my eyes can’t see anything. First time I did it, I thought my low beams had turned off.


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[gjones]

I've done two Traxide upgrades over the years. Last one was on the 2004 GU, same as yours (Telstra Pod). Headlight and driving light version. Very happy with the results. Original headlights but with Philips Plus 50 globes. I made up a bracket to fit in the space used by the battery vent (cooker). A squeeze, but enables me to remove the whole assembly and still have it in circuit, if I need to fault find. The Lightforce led drivers also a big improvement over the original IPF's. The Traxide wiring guides are easy for me to follow but I was a telcoms tech before retirement, so your mileage may vary :-) Jonesy80881

[the evil twin]

snip... Current globes are 60/55w PHILIPS X-treme Vision Plus +130% Halogens, which might be ok once I have a new loom in & if so I'll get some 100 watters when they need replacing.

I think you will find the +130 awesome with a decent loom.

I ran 100 watt globes a couple of times over the years and IMHO they aren't worth it.
The extra current required (almost double) kinda reinvents the original issue of too much voltage drop.
The better loom helps but you risk melting the earth side of the headlight plugs or the reflectors on some inserts (fairly common issue if you search on the forum).
Was hard to be absolutely sure but I had a feeling the 100 watters had a much shorter globe life
Finally, IMHO the +100 to 130 Philips, Osrams etc in the standard 60/55 watts were equal to the 100 watt globes for useable light.

[the evil twin]

Also FWIW...

Over about 8 years and 3 Patrols I reckon i tried just about every possible option for lights, 100 watt headlights, hid headlights, led bars, led driving lights, hid driving lights etc.

By far the best and most comfortable option I settled on for remote touring was...

Upgraded Headlight Loom

+100 globes 60/55 (not much diff between +75 to +130 to the human eye but at least +75 needed)

Roof Light Bar for outback, dirt, sand, gravel etc (pref curved but otherwise with good spread) which I had a 3 way switch (off, hi beam only, on) and would often drive with it "on" when outback. This was great as the down angle fills in the ruts, wombat holes etc so you can see the bottom but biggest advantage is that it is a huge pool of light all around the front rather than a focussed pool at the front which draws the eye away from what is happening out to the side which is where the cattle, camels, roos etc usually are.

Twin HID years ago but def LED these days, Bull bar Driving Lights (hi beam only) for the bitumen.

The roof bar was the ducks guts, you could tonk along the tracks etc on the way back to camp after dark or whatever and it was just like driving in the day almost as far as picking lines or dodging potholes etc.

Each to their own in the end but that is what worked for me and nothing else came close (even the quad mounted IPF's that came on roof rack of my Ute when I got it were not as "nice" to drive with as the LED Bar I replaced them with).

[the evil twin]

On a similar point... When it comes to critters and avoiding them at night here is my theory.

The brighter and the more "out front" the light is, the more it causes critters to freeze as if they are in the beam of a hunting lamp.
The closer you get with the big scary noisy people monster then the light out to the side lessens quite rapidly and they lose the fixation until at that last few moments when the light is minimal, the scare factor maximal and the critter does the Usain Bolt impersonation.

When I was living in the Territory it wasn't uncommon to flick off the Driving Lights for a couple of seconds when you saw critters and when you put them back on cattle esp, would be moving off or turned and looking back at you over their quarters or wallabies would be legging it... didn't seem to work on Water Buff tho, only thing that moved them was .303 :-)

[antoninoprobe]

As far as I know, Lightforce drivers now work not only with original bulbs from cars or dashboards but with a good manufacturer Vont.

[NataleeEstrada]

Oh, I used to get LED car lights from them. It was one of the worst monetary investments I ever made. When I installed it in my car, that light worked well. But after a few days, it failed and would not turn on. I took it to a handyman and he sort of fixed it, but I had to take it back to the handyman a couple of days later. This went on and on until I bought the backlight . I can already call this one great light. It has a remote, and it can light up in several modes. And when installed, it doesn't interfere with the other wires in the car.

[Cuppa]

Oh, I used to get LED car lights from them. It was one of the worst monetary investments I ever made. When I installed it in my car, that light worked well. But after a few days, it failed and would not turn on.

A strange first post.

If you are referring to Stedi LED's, my experience is very different to yours. My light bar has now been on the car for over two years & all I can say is that I wish I'd bought one years earlier. It is mounted under the top rail of the bullbar, set back far enough with the Stedi brackets to be legal, & has been through several river crossings where the lightbar has been under water.

I would hope that if yours failed so soon after installation that you would have had it replaced under warranty, unless the failure resulted from the installation.