New D4 Owner. Xenon headlights - Wow!

[Gary W]

Hi Guys,

Just bought a new D4, my first 4wd. I was driving home for the first time at night and asked the wife are these headlights right? The headlights were throwing off a lot of light, the blue high beam icon (I thought was on) and I was unsure if I was on high beam or not. We passed about ten cars but none of them jacked up, typically I would expect at least one to flick their lights. So I pulled over and made the wife stand in front of the car as I went through the dial for all the headlight options and she assured me that she wasn't being blinded by high beam so we continued on our way home where I went straight for the owners manual. I wrote this post because I wanted to know what is it like being on the other side of the disco xenon headlights? It felt like it was on high beam - lit up everything and for a long way. If this is "normal'" headlights and it isn't blinding anyone then Wow!

[Epic pooh]

Sounds pretty normal to me ! It's hard getting back into other vehicles with lesser quality lights after you get used to the D3/D4 Xenons.

[nat_89]

The Land Rover xenons are pretty good lights i can normally tell a Land Rover when one comes up behind me at night which is rare but the lights are very bright!! And well set up so they are not blinding!!

[SimmAus]

Yep, the xenons are great. The high beam (blue icon "on") on the other hand make not that much difference, except to allow you to find possums up high.....(which is a fairly common observation on certain D4 models - not sure of the newer MY)

[AnD3rew]

Yep, they are great, originally I thought I wouldn't need any Spotties but after a few outback drives I decided they are great close to mid range give a rally strong clear white light but they still don't give you the distance.

[kmdisco]

Hi Mate
Welcome to the forum
Having a Disco 4 MY 13 SDV6 HSE I found the headlight are great especially for night driving.


Good luck with your Disco
regards Kev

[LandyAndy]

I have the MY14 D4.The headlights are great,however for country driving they lack the distance required for safe driving.
I have fitted Fyrlyt spotties,yet to drive it at nite to see the improvement.
Andrew

[TerryO]

Welcome to the forum Gary.

Andy I will be interested to see how much better it is with your spotties on. I fitted spotties to the D3 which has Xenons and while they provide a small improvement it is not huge.

The Xenons on the D4 to me are brighter and much better set up on high beam than the D3's ones are, I wouldn't bother with spotties on the D4 and 90% of my night driving is country back roads. Both Disco's came with the adaptive headlight option and once you have driven country back roads with adaptive headlights you wouldn't be without them.

[Redback]

I have Bi-Xenons on my D4 also and while they are great headlights, you can't beat a good set of spotties for distance and spread on country roads.

Baz.

[TerryO]

The funny thing is most people who live in the country don't have spot lights, sure some do, but most don't. Where as most people I know who live in the city and visit the country to go camping etc feel the need for spot lights.

The other thing that is amusing is most people who go camping from the city rearly drive on back roads at night. As they are usually stopped and set up camping well before it gets dark.

What does that say?

[rar110]

The funny thing is most people who live in the country don't have spot lights, sure some do, but most don't. Where as most people I know who live in the city and visit the country to go camping etc feel the need for spot lights. What does that say?

People in the country know to avoid night driving.

[winaje]

I have the MY14 D4.The headlights are great,however for country driving they lack the distance required for safe driving.
I have fitted Fyrlyt spotties,yet to drive it at nite to see the improvement.
Andrew

FYI, I just wired my Fyrlyts on Sunday morning and did a night drive to Wangaratta via Mansfield/Whitfield. The Fyrlyts make a massive difference for long distance penetration. I saw a couple of roos with them that I otherwise would not have seen.

[RHS58]

The funny thing is most people who live in the country don't have spot lights, sure some do, but most don't. Where as most people I know who live in the city and visit the country to go camping etc feel the need for spot lights.

The other thing that is amusing is most people who go camping from the city rearly drive on back roads at night. As they are usually stopped and set up camping well before it gets dark.

What does that say?

A bullbar just doesn't look right without a set of spotties.

My D4 still hasn't been ARB'd or OL'd.

Having said that, my previous 4x4, a Prado, was dropped off to ARB soon after purchase for "one of everything". Looked a treat, but didn't add much for resale value.
Using the spotties at night was at times a PITA, as the reflections back from guideposts, signs etc could be blinding.

And yep, we're usually parked up well before dark.

[Redback]

FYI, I just wired my Fyrlyts on Sunday morning and did a night drive to Wangaratta via Mansfield/Whitfield. The Fyrlyts make a massive difference for long distance penetration. I saw a couple of roos with them that I otherwise would not have seen.

That's a buggar of a road at night, as is the road from Wangaratta to Myrtleford via Milawa, then out to Buckland Valley, long day that.

Baz.

[PeterOZ]

my MY 08 D3 has the Bi-Xenon and they are very good but also have the LR spots which are rubbish. I put a new HD loom and relay in, 100w Halogen globes but still very poor. Was thinking of doing a HID upgrade to them as the kit is cheap, $35 or so.

Probably need to buy a decent set of LED/ HID types but mounting them is the issue. Don't have or want a bull bar so using the existing LR mounts would be only option.

anyone done a spot install without a bullbar?

[BobD]

my MY 08 D3 has the Bi-Xenon and they are very good but also have the LR spots which are rubbish.


Do you mean the fog lights? They are not spots and are not designed to be used as spots!!

[ytt105]

PeterOZ

Do a HID upgrade to your existing lights.

It will be the best $35 you'll ever spend!

[winaje]

Do you mean the fog lights? They are not spots and are not designed to be used as spots!!
PeterOZs avatar shows the genuine LR spot lights fitted. Those lights have got little distance penetration. There are many schools of thought as to the best way to get lots of light down the road. My belief is that plenty of amperage pushed into a top quality globe in a top quality reflector/lens housing equals the best light. Be careful of colour temperatures when considering options. Too high a colour temperature reduces the contrast of wildlife.

[PeterOZ]

Do you mean the fog lights? They are not spots and are not designed to be used as spots!!

Negative, look at my avatar, see the 2 spots in the middle area of the grill?

Those are the spotties, not the fog lights.

there is NO nudge bar fitted. Just the standard LR bumper bar. The LR spots have a bracket that extends from chasis front cross member up through the plastic bumper.

I might spend $35 changing the spots to HID inserts but that will not fix the optics at all. Still for $35 who knows? If they are still crap then I will figure out how to mount "normal" set of spots in lieu of the LR ones.

LED light bar would be cool for blinding idiot camry drivers who insist on leaving high beam on too . . .
Don't fancy an ugly set up spoiling the look though.

[BobD]

Thanks for putting me straight Peter.


I can barely see the spotties on my computer even now that you have told me they are there, hence I missed them when I asked my question. I was just wondering what the LR spotties were.


Bob

[chuck]

Will

I am thinking about buying the fyrlyts for my new ride.

You recommend them?

Cheers Chuck

[nat_89]

Will

I am thinking about buying the fyrlyts for my new ride.

You recommend them?

Cheers Chuck

Ive not seen them or experienced them but it appears they are very very popular amongst this forum i would like to invest in some i just dont do any night driving if so its very minimal not enough to warrant them. But they seem very popular!!

[LandyAndy]

Will

I am thinking about buying the fyrlyts for my new ride.

You recommend them?

Cheers Chuck

When you price them you will find they are the most cost effective spottie you will buy at the price.Contact member R2D2(Toby),he looks after us;););).They cost about the same as the same size Narva spottie from Supercrapp.They are optional spread or spot(just unlock/turn the lense).Have quality 150w globes,designed/made in AWEstralia.Its VERY important to use a high amp wiring kit to get the best out of them,Traxide Tronics (Drivesafe Tim is your man)have the wiring.

Not driven mine at nite,Have aimed them in my driveway,the brightnes and heat they throw is impressive.
Andrew

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/151.jpg (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/LandyAndy_2006/media/002_zps170a88ff.jpg.html)

[winaje]

Will

I am thinking about buying the fyrlyts for my new ride.

You recommend them?

Cheers Chuck

I definitely recommend them. You're welcome to come over one evening and I'll take you for a drive up the side of Mt Dandenong and show you what they're like. PM me if you're interested. That goes for anyone else too. I can see a demo night coming up lol

[giskard]

My only regret with buying a TDV6 was the halogen lights. Xenons so much better. Super happy with everything else.

[tiddy]

When you price them you will find they are the most cost effective spottie you will buy at the price.Contact member R2D2(Toby),he looks after us;););).They cost about the same as the same size Narva spottie from Supercrapp.They are optional spread or spot(just unlock/turn the lense).Have quality 150w globes,designed/made in AWEstralia.Its VERY important to use a high amp wiring kit to get the best out of them,Traxide Tronics (Drivesafe Tim is your man)have the wiring.

Not driven mine at nite,Have aimed them in my driveway,the brightnes and heat they throw is impressive.
Andrew

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/151.jpg (http://s113.photobucket.com/user/LandyAndy_2006/media/002_zps170a88ff.jpg.html)

Supercrapp...never heard of that one....is it a store in Bunbury?

[LandyAndy]

Try Supercheap;);););)
Andrew

[tiddy]

Try Supercheap;);););)
Andrew

Ahhh, now I have heard of them:BigThumb::BigThumb:

[PeterOZ]

no worries bob :D:cool:

[BMKal]

Until recently, I was doing fairly regular trips between Kalgoorlie and Perth, often at night. At times there can be a lot of wildlife on the roads, particularly between Coolgardie & Southern Cross.

While I think the Xenon lights on the D4 are better than just about anything I've had previously, I still don't find them alone to be good enough for this type of driving. So there's a decent set of HID spotties on the bar up front. Started out with a set of Hella Predators I'd had for years on various vehicles, and replaced these with a set of Britax XRay Vision when the globes in the Predators finally gave out (and Hella wanted an arm and a leg to replace them :censored:). I have since scored a replacement set of globes for the Hellas and these will eventually go back on, as they are a better light than the Britax. Would love to try a set of Fyrlyts (especially the new 24V Nemesis version) - but can't really justify the cost given that I've already got two pairs of HID lights.

Regardless of which pair is fitted, the HID spotties give me a big increase in distance vision over the D4's Xenon lights, but don't really do much in the way of spread (even with the Predators, where one light is "spread" and the other is "spot").

Where I have noticed a real difference is when I fitted a decent LED bar up under the roofrack. I bought a Baja Designs 40 inch "Stealth" bar some time back, and the light produced by this thing was nothing short of phenomenal. They are not designed for long distance - effective to about 300 metres only. But the spread is way better than anything else I've ever seen, and the area that it does light up is honestly like daylight.

Unfortunately it got knocked off by some lowlife in Perth a while back, and I have been back to just the spotties for a while, and definitely noticing the difference. However, its replacement has just arrived and will be installed soon - with the brackets modified to make it very difficult to remove. ;)

Pic with XRay Vision Spotties and the LED Bar.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/133.jpg

Out in the Laneway behind the house with just the D4 Xenon on Hi Beam.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/134.jpg

Same Location with Everything On

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/131.jpg

One thing with the LED Bar though - if you mount it above the vehicle, make sure it is far enough back to keep your bonnet in shadow, and you don't want any aerials etc in your line of vision. The bright glare even off my black telephone aerial was so annoying that I had to put some matte black heat shrink over it to dull things down. ;)

[Tombie]

Same Location with Everything On

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/131.jpg



Arrrghhh... That Blueness is the PITA... :cool: Thats where you lose the definition of Grey on Grey/Black....

One of the worst limitations of high Kelvin temperature lighting

[jon3950]

Arrrghhh... That Blueness is the PITA... :cool: Thats where you lose the definition of Grey on Grey/Black....

One of the worst limitations of high Kelvin temperature lighting

I Agree. Halogen light gives much better contrast, but if you keep the HIDs down to 4300k the difference is much less noticeable. I find the combination of halogen and HID to work quite well as long as you stick to 4300k.

Have yet to try Fyrlyts. I like the idea of a more powerful halogen, but until they make them as pod lights it's unlikely I'll have a use for them.

Cheers,
Jon

[shanegtr]

I waiting until I put a front bar on my disco to mount my spotties (Narva 225 HID) but the high beam output from my D3's xenon lights is quiet simply the best factory high beam lights I've ever had in a car. I have questioned the need to the spotties, but I'll put them on anyway as you can never have too much light at night

[LandyAndy]

Brian didnt mention why he was out in the back lanes of Kal with all the lights ablaze.
I heard he was looking for a cheap deal from a used hooker;);););)
Andrew

[JamesH]

Brian didnt mention why he was out in the back lanes of Kal with all the lights ablaze.
I heard he was looking for a cheap deal from a used hooker;);););)
Andrew

Everybody knows when youre in that end of the market, low lighting is your friend.

[LandyAndy]

Everybody knows when youre in that end of the market, low lighting is your friend.


Not when you are hunting the ones that swap for ciggies;)
;););););)
Brian is going to kill me sooner than later:wasntme::wasntme::wasntme:
Andrew

[Greatsouthernland]

Welcome to the forum Gary.

Andy I will be interested to see how much better it is with your spotties on. I fitted spotties to the D3 which has Xenons and while they provide a small improvement it is not huge.

The Xenons on the D4 to me are brighter and much better set up on high beam than the D3's ones are, I wouldn't bother with spotties on the D4 and 90% of my night driving is country back roads. Both Disco's came with the adaptive headlight option and once you have driven country back roads with adaptive headlights you wouldn't be without them.

May need your eyes tested...BMKal's pictures are proof of concept...

[Moon]

May need your eyes tested...BMKal's pictures are proof of concept...

I disagree. Better but not jaw dropping.

[BMKal]

Brian didnt mention why he was out in the back lanes of Kal with all the lights ablaze.
I heard he was looking for a cheap deal from a used hooker;);););)
Andrew

You're on the money......................... ;)

Can't afford the upmarket ones these days unfortunately. :angel:


A cheap hooker ................................. isn't that a Kiwi rugby player. :wasntme:

[Greatsouthernland]

I disagree. Better but not jaw dropping.

Fair enough, don't buy spotties then :cool: Thanks for sharing, and welcome to the forum :D

p.s. I like your choice of colour on your D4 :cool:

[BMKal]

Arrrghhh... That Blueness is the PITA... :cool: Thats where you lose the definition of Grey on Grey/Black....

One of the worst limitations of high Kelvin temperature lighting

But I like blueness .................. :p:p:p

The spotties on it at the moment are even blue when they're turned off. :angel:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/01/90.jpg

One of my mates even reckons I've got blue hair .............. as in blew off. :confused::eek2:

[jonesy63]

But I like blueness .................. :p:p:p

50 shades of blue? :p

[Moon]

Fair enough, don't buy spotties then :cool: Thanks for sharing, and welcome to the forum :D

p.s. I like your choice of colour on your D4 :cool:

Thanks! I was talking more about the lightbar. Spotties I love. I want mine to look like a rally car.

p.s. i like your bike. I ride the touring version - a 'busa.