Author Topic: Jazz LED headlights  (Read 4715 times)

TnTkr

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Jazz LED headlights
« on: October 18, 2020, 02:41:32 PM »
I another thread I have been complaining about the narrow and shallow high-beam of the GK5 Jazz's factory LED headlights. To make it visible I made a comparison with pretty decent H4 halogen headlights of 1989 Peugeot 309. Unfortunately I don't have a camera, where I could fix the aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity between pictures, so the difference in brightness cannot be evaluated from these pictures, but they prove my point regarding the beam size.

Pictures are taken on same point holding the camera on top of the steering wheel. There is about an hour time between the shots, so the dark blue sky visible at the end of the road in halogen pictures is already all black in LED pictures.

The low-beam of the LED headlights has very bright and wide beam, whereas the high-beam does not give so much more. You can see that the high-beam of the H4 halogen gives more light to sides and shows higher, which is much better on winding and hilly roads.

« Last Edit: October 18, 2020, 02:55:31 PM by TnTkr »

Jocko

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2020, 03:20:20 PM »
From these pictures, disregarding the brightness, I think the coverage of the LED headlights is better than the H4. How much more coverage do you need than edge to edge. The H4's fall off dramatically towards the edges. Or is it just me?

TnTkr

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2020, 03:54:48 PM »
LED is superior in the area where low-beam spots, but if you look the lower branches of the spruces on both sides of the road on high-beam, H4 halogens give there much better coverage than LEDs and that's what I'm missing on country roads. Or on highways as well, I'd like to see the moose which is 100 meters away and 20 meters from road. Jazz's LED high-beam doesn't throw any light there. For scale, the white pole which seems to be at the end of the road is about 100 meters from the car and the road is about 3 meters wide.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2020, 04:16:03 PM by TnTkr »

John Ratsey

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2020, 05:54:24 PM »
Have you tried using the headlight adjuster control? It's meant to be used to compensate for different loads but have you got it to the minimum load setting as that gets the lights pointing highest.
2022 HR-V Elegance, previously 2020 Jazz Crosstar

TnTkr

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2020, 06:49:06 PM »
With LED lights there is no manual adjuster, adjustment is automatic as required by the UN/ECE regulations.

Jocko

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2020, 08:03:39 AM »
If you regularly drive on roads such as those (or Rally stages as I would call them) would it not be an idea to fit a light bar and a couple of Auxilliary Driving Lamps?
I had lamps fitted to my FIAT 126 and they made an amazing difference. When switched on, they worked with the main beam, extinguishing when I selected dip but being independently switched; I only used them when I needed them.


TnTkr

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2020, 10:02:25 AM »
Let's put it that way that I regularly drive unlit roads.

As it seems that high-beam reflectors are physically same part with low-beam reflectors, they are not separately adjustable. Therefore auxiliary lamps would be the only way to get any improvement. I wouldn't like to spoil the streamlined looks of Jazz's nose with decent sized lights, but maybe I could install a light bar behind the front grille. Of course the grille prevents some of the light to go out, but I guess that wouldn't be not too much.

Now that raises an electrical question: Can I take the control current for the auxiliary light relay from the headlight wire as used to do in cars with conventional electrics?

Your 126 looks great! That is truly a handy wee city car!

jazzaro

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #7 on: October 19, 2020, 11:17:13 AM »
With LED lights there is no manual adjuster, adjustment is automatic as required by the UN/ECE regulations.
Depending from brightness, because GR Jazz (the new hybrid)  has Bi-LED headlights and manual adjuster.
I should read last updates about UNECE R48 and R112.
Just for curiosity, your LED group should have 3 emitters; which one is dedicated to low beam and which to high beam?
Do they work together in high beam mode?
« Last Edit: October 19, 2020, 11:33:06 AM by jazzaro »

TnTkr

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #8 on: October 19, 2020, 12:46:24 PM »
Just for curiosity, your LED group should have 3 emitters; which one is dedicated to low beam and which to high beam?
Do they work together in high beam mode?

Two outer are low beam and the inner one is high beam. All three are lit on high beam mode.

John Ratsey

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2020, 03:33:51 PM »
With LED lights there is no manual adjuster, adjustment is automatic as required by the UN/ECE regulations.
See the attached for what the manual for the UK Mk 4 Jazz (which has LED headlights) says and look for a little wheel, probably between steering wheel and door. If you've got it set to 2 or 3 and there's only you in the car then the beam will be too low.
2022 HR-V Elegance, previously 2020 Jazz Crosstar

jazzaro

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2020, 04:28:19 PM »
With LED lights there is no manual adjuster, adjustment is automatic as required by the UN/ECE regulations.
See the attached for what the manual for the UK Mk 4 Jazz (which has LED headlights) says and look for a little wheel, probably between steering wheel and door. If you've got it set to 2 or 3 and there's only you in the car then the beam will be too low.
No, GK3 Jazz have auto leveling with LED lights. GR Jazz have manual adjusting, as Suzukis Swift and Ignis.

Jocko

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #11 on: October 19, 2020, 04:35:49 PM »
The manual for the new Jazz and Crosstar shows a headlamp height adjuster as John shows.

springswood

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #12 on: October 20, 2020, 10:11:44 AM »
Since seeing comments about how LED bulbs light up the verges well I've understood why so many of the cars which overtake me on the motorway dazzle me in my mirrors. I don't think you can have one without the other.

[Reference to deleted post removed by Admin]
« Last Edit: November 15, 2020, 11:30:52 AM by RichardA »
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culzean

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #13 on: October 20, 2020, 11:01:28 AM »
Since seeing comments about how LED bulbs light up the verges well I've understood why so many of the cars which overtake me on the motorway dazzle me in my mirrors. I don't think you can have one without the other.

[Reference to deleted post removed by Admin]

If you look at the standard MOT beam check your lights will fail if there is not a 'kick up' to the nearside, it is a safety thing to have more light on the verge,  as this allows you to see edge of road when traffic is approaching at night. 

https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/the-mot-headlamp-aim-test-is-changing/

[Reference to deleted post removed by Admin]
« Last Edit: November 15, 2020, 11:31:39 AM by RichardA »
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TnTkr

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Re: Jazz LED headlights
« Reply #14 on: October 20, 2020, 11:38:41 AM »
Coming back to the lousy performance of Jazz LED headlights' high beam and ways to improve it, I found a pretty well performing LED lightbar, which BTW is made in UK and UNECE R112 approved for road use: https://www.lazerlamps.com/linear-12-elite.html

It probably needs to mount below the license plate behind or on the lower grille, which is not optimal from performance point of view, but there isn't any nice place above the bumper.

Now I need to figure out how to connect that so that it works together with factory headlights' high beam.

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