[wb5dx]

2012 4th gen LED headlight bulbs (updated - again)

After researching a fair amount, reading countless reviews (knowing some are fake), I may have found a pair of LED headlight bulbs that work - with DRLs . Bulbfacts.com noted that the "Kilakila H4" (who thinks of these names?) were compatible with 6 volt DRL. So, I took a chance and ordered a pair (Amazon).



In the photo, the left light is a Osram Xtreme Vision halogen (supposedly 130% more than stock - really more like 30%) and the right is the new LED. I did have to lower the beam about two full turns. So far, there is no DRL flicker. Of course, they have only been installed one day. The low beams are definately brighter. I am not sure if the high beams are much brighter than the upgraded halogens as I have not had much of a chance to test them.

Coming from a 2001 CRV with no DRL - I really wanted that feature to function properly. I will update if something changes. Now to modify the fog lights to stay on with the brights ... anybody performed that mod?

Update 4/11: I had a chance to briefly drive at night and test out the high beams. Unfortunately, I have to report that, in my opinion, they are worse than the prior upgraded halogens. So, low beams are superior, but high beams - not so good. The search continues.

Update 4/13: The KilaKila bulbs have been removed and returned to Amazon. The High Beams were virtually useless and the DRLs started to flicker just a bit. So, I have installed a set of Katana H4. They are MUCH more focused with a better upper cut off. So much so that I adjusted the beam upwards a bit. The high beams are as they should be, bright and effective. And, so far, the DRLs work - no flicker! But, the others did at first also. We will see !

Update 4/19: The Katana H4 bulbs, so far, are performing beautifully (hopefully I didn't just jinx them). The low beam upper cut off is excellent, distance is quite good and the DRLs are still working! The DRL is brighter than the previous halogen. Also, no FM interference. NOTE: The picture above is of the prior KilaKila bulbs - the KATANA versions have a better cut-off.

Update 9/24/2020: The Katana bulbs are still running strong (so far). One of the fans briefly started to whine. But, that went away after about a week or so (possibly dirt). I am quite pleased.

 

[newbie99]

Great work. And, thanks for sharing with us....

BTW... Can you also show pictures how you adjusted your head light aim for us as well? Not everyone knows how to re-aim their vehicle's head lights.

 

[newbie99]

.

Also.... I see Amazon sells 2 different flavors of "HIKARI LED Headlight H4 Bulbs".

Did you buy the ones in their RED box or buy the ones in the WHITE box?

Just wondering....

 

[wb5dx]

.

Also.... I see Amazon sells 2 different flavors of "HIKARI LED Headlight H4 Bulbs".

Did you buy the ones in their RED box or buy the ones in the WHITE box?

Just wondering....

Kilakila H4 ... not Hikari. Those reportedly don't like our DRLs.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[wb5dx]

Great work. And, thanks for sharing with us....

BTW... Can you also show pictures how you adjusted your head light aim for us as well? Not everyone knows how to re-aim their vehicle's head lights.

I may need to adjust them a bit lower. So, I'll try a picture then. But for those in a hurry, there is a bolt on the upper/outer portion of the housing. Counter Clockwise lowers the light.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[wb5dx]

I just noticed that Amazon raised the price for the KilaKila H4 by $20 to $69.99. So, if you are interested and can wait, put them in your wish list to be notified when the price drops back down ($50 is reasonable).

 

[wb5dx]

The photo shows the back of the right headlight housing. The bolt located in the upper right (closest to the fender)is for adjusting the light up/down.

 

[wb5dx]

As the edited first post notes, I have returned the KilaKila bulbs and are now trying Katana H4 bulbs. So far - so good.

 

[newbie99]

thanks for keeping us informed of your progress and light assembly "aim adjustment" screw...

 

[wb5dx]

thanks for keeping us informed of your progress and light assembly "aim adjustment" screw...

Check the updated first post. The Katana bulbs are working well.

 

[newbie99]

On my wife's 2014, I've:
- Replaced factory front H4 Halogen bulbs with H4 LED bulbs. Manually adjusted their aim and confirm "cut off" line.
- Replaced factory FOG H11 halogen bulbs with H11 LED bulbs. As per factory design, they work with Low Beam only. And, cannot be enabled with high beams. very sad face.

Great upgrades but I feel the high beam still fails to illuminate the short distance area immediately in front of the vehicle. Thus, short distance blind spot area.

My next planned upgrade?

For me, installing "parallel wiring" (via Add-A-Fuse, "optional" switch, H11 connectors) is easier to install and "roll back" (if needed) compared to Dexter's FOG light wiring change. Luckily, lots of different 12V wiring parts are available on ebay/amazon.

For more details, surf: https://www.crvownersclub.com/forums/24-do-yourself-mods/198119-fog-light-mod-simple-version.html

Hopefully, your new H4 LED bulbs (for H/L beams) continue to work great.

 

[Kurbel]

After researching a fair amount, reading countless reviews (knowing some are fake), I may have found a pair of LED headlight bulbs that work - with DRLs . Bulbfacts.com noted that the "Kilakila H4" (who thinks of these names?) were compatible with 6 volt DRL. So, I took a chance and ordered a pair (Amazon).

View attachment 129605

In the photo, the left light is a Osram Xtreme Vision halogen (supposedly 130% more than stock - really more like 30%) and the right is the new LED. I did have to lower the beam about two full turns. So far, there is no DRL flicker. Of course, they have only been installed one day. The low beams are definately brighter. I am not sure if the high beams are much brighter than the upgraded halogens as I have not had much of a chance to test them.

Coming from a 2001 CRV with no DRL - I really wanted that feature to function properly. I will update if something changes. Now to modify the fog lights to stay on with the brights ... anybody performed that mod?

Update 4/11: I had a chance to briefly drive at night and test out the high beams. Unfortunately, I have to report that, in my opinion, they are worse than the prior upgraded halogens. So, low beams are superior, but high beams - not so good. The search continues.

Update 4/13: The KilaKila bulbs have been removed and returned to Amazon. The High Beams were virtually useless and the DRLs started to flicker just a bit. So, I have installed a set of Katana H4. They are MUCH more focused with a better upper cut off. So much so that I adjusted the beam upwards a bit. The high beams are as they should be, bright and effective. And, so far, the DRLs work - no flicker! But, the others did at first also. We will see !

Update 4/19: The Katana H4 bulbs, so far, are performing beautifully (hopefully I didn't just jinx them). The low beam upper cut off is excellent, distance is quite good and the DRLs are still working! The DRL is brighter than the previous halogen. Also, no FM interference. NOTE: The picture above is of the prior KilaKila bulbs - the KATANA versions have a better cut-off.

THANK YOU very very much! You singlehandedly saved me so much trouble-I looked for switchback bulbs, add-on DRL strips, brighter halogen bulbs...
The Katana's work amazing in both low and high beam, and DRSs are actually noticeable-white rather than church candle-yellow!
Also cut off is perfect, matches halogen exactly.
Again, THANK YOU for biting the bullet and trialing something different. And also for sharing your success with the rest of us!

 

[Roque03]

For my V i installed these and so far they work great.
H4 LED Headlight Bulb, Aukee 9003... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V24CL6Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[2ndHonda]

For my V i installed these and so far they work great.
H4 LED Headlight Bulb, Aukee 9003... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V24CL6Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share View attachment 136466

You don't have any before pictures do you?

How long have you had them in there?

Do they get too hot?

 

[Roque03]

You don't have any before pictures do you?

How long have you had them in there?

Do they get too hot?

i dont have any pictures of before, but they dont get hot fans are quiet and DRL works fine. But definitely much brighter than before

 

[Fibber2]

Calling out to the OP: wb5dx...... A few questions.

1) It's time for an update! Still like them?

2) When you say that the high beam performance is better, are you just talking about the distance projection? I'm ideally looking for more light in the near-field portion, like you get on a true 4 bulb system. On my old Honda Odyssey, I did the mod that allowed BOTH filaments to be on at the same time when high beams were selected. Near and far field illuminated. I would think that a savvy LED maker could throw in one emitter to light the near space when the high beams are on.

3) DRL function. I kind of hate looking into the 'high beam' in the early evening of those that have 4 bulb systems and have put an LED into the high beam socket. Too often the DRL seems to be at 100% output. Do yours drop the output at all, or is it full power?

4) How hard were they to install? Some earlier LED's had such a large rear extension (fan, heat sink) that you could not insert them without taking off the bumper and moving the headlight housing.

 

[newbie99]

Not too sure if OP ( wb5dx ) is still around. His above post was 8 months ago with his recommended Amazon "KilaKila H4 LED bulb".

For me, I simply bought H4 LED bulbs from Amazon and installed myself. Yes. In my own driveway. There's lots of U-Tube videos how to remove H4 Halogen bulbs and replace with H4 LED bulbs. Took me 5 minutes on the one side and maybe 10 minutes on the other side - which was tight space for my fat fingers. Took me longer to watch videos than to do the job. After LED light install, do adjust their aim. Thus, best to do "aim" checks the night before and the night after. And when adjusting, always adjust the driver's side bulb down 2 inches - to adjust for the natural crown shape of paved roads. Some folks don't adjust their aim and get flashed at. Or, they adjust on a flat ground instead of taking the natural crown shape road into consideration.

Give above a try. If your high beam light beam has a dark void in its short range area, simply convert your vehicle's FOG lights to LED bulb and parallel wire to separate off-on switch - like I did. Thus, allowing you to use its FOG (short range) light with both load and high beams. This easy task can be done on one's driveway as well. IMO, this setup should be factory build.

This works for me....

 

[Fibber2]

I'm still hoping wb5dx sees my 'BAT Call' on the clouds tonight...

His first attempt with the KilaKila H4 bulbs were a bust. I have a set of Katana's in my Amazon basket right now, but was hoping to get more feedback before moving forward. What set did you buy newbie, and what do you think?

The DRL (low net voltage either by a voltage divider or 50% PWM) makes conversions a little more difficult. When we first bought the 2013 CR-V LX for my kid in 2016 I upgraded the stock bulbs to Philip's European (ECE) "Rally Off Road" bulbs purchased overseas. These were mildly overwatt with a higher lumens rating (they used the burner from the HIR design), but they were particularly susceptible to damage by the loss of the normal "Halogen Cycle" from the DRL function. Brighter in all respects at first, but even these didn't address the near-field dark zone issue. But after a few months they totally blackened and hot spot bubbled.... High performance halogen's DO NOT LIKE reduced voltage operation!

As I mentioned, I solved this on my 2002 Odyssey with a wiring hack allowing both filaments to burn at the same time. Those older housings, sockets and wiring could stand the heat and additional current draw, and the mod solved all issues. Drove that way out in the country for years with no apparent downside.

It's harder to do this on the CR-V, again, due to the DRL function. Yes, I could insert a double throw relay to disconnect the DRL and selectively power the low filament from a battery tap when the high beam filament is active. But the housings, sockets and wiring don't seem to be as robust as they were in 2002. Or, as you said, use a relay to light up the Fog lamps (first I'd have to install Fog lamps on the LX model!) when the high beams are on.

I used to run 6 bulbs on my old Subaru Outback thru a relay (low beams, high beams & fogs with HIR 9011 (brighter than a normal high beam bulb)) during 'deer hitting' season!

Or, investigate the LED option. And again, explore the powering of both sets of smd emitters via a relay, assuming the buck-boost module can handle that.... if I'm left with a dark hole. From the way wb5dx spoke, the dark hole might not be as bad as it was.

What did you have to move to make room to get these in newbie? Another poster with earlier, larger heatsink/fan assemblies had to go the headlight enclose removal route.

 

[newbie99]

For Headlight LEDs in my wife's 2014 CRV, I simply used "Sealgitht H4 LED headlights Xenon white " - from Amazon. Was able to make them fit - even with my fat hands. For more details, surf: https://www.crvownersclub.com/threads/fog-light-mod-simple-version.198119/ It's that simple....

Note: If you buy something from Amazon and it doesn't work properly (for your liking), simply return it. And, get refund - to try a different product. I've return some stuff to Amazon and its easy to return - if you don't like it. Or, it doesn't perform the way it should.

 

[Roque03]

I'm still hoping wb5dx sees my 'BAT Call' on the clouds tonight...

His first attempt with the KilaKila H4 bulbs were a bust. I have a set of Katana's in my Amazon basket right now, but was hoping to get more feedback before moving forward. What set did you buy newbie, and what do you think?

The DRL (low net voltage either by a voltage divider or 50% PWM) makes conversions a little more difficult. When we first bought the 2013 CR-V LX for my kid in 2016 I upgraded the stock bulbs to Philip's European (ECE) "Rally Off Road" bulbs purchased overseas. These were mildly overwatt with a higher lumens rating (they used the burner from the HIR design), but they were particularly susceptible to damage by the loss of the normal "Halogen Cycle" from the DRL function. Brighter in all respects at first, but even these didn't address the near-field dark zone issue. But after a few months they totally blackened and hot spot bubbled.... High performance halogen's DO NOT LIKE reduced voltage operation!

As I mentioned, I solved this on my 2002 Odyssey with a wiring hack allowing both filaments to burn at the same time. Those older housings, sockets and wiring could stand the heat and additional current draw, and the mod solved all issues. Drove that way out in the country for years with no apparent downside.

It's harder to do this on the CR-V, again, due to the DRL function. Yes, I could insert a double throw relay to disconnect the DRL and selectively power the low filament from a battery tap when the high beam filament is active. But the housings, sockets and wiring don't seem to be as robust as they were in 2002. Or, as you said, use a relay to light up the Fog lamps (first I'd have to install Fog lamps on the LX model!) when the high beams are on.

I used to run 6 bulbs on my old Subaru Outback thru a relay (low beams, high beams & fogs with HIR 9011 (brighter than a normal high beam bulb)) during 'deer hitting' season!

Or, investigate the LED option. And again, explore the powering of both sets of smd emitters via a relay, assuming the buck-boost module can handle that.... if I'm left with a dark hole. From the way wb5dx spoke, the dark hole might not be as bad as it was.

What did you have to move to make room to get these in newbie? Another poster with earlier, larger heatsink/fan assemblies had to go the headlight enclose removal route.

If you dont mind not using the DRL you can disable by unplugging fuse# 21 I believe from under steering column.

so far my headlights are working great. They are so bright that i dont need high beams at least I haven’t use them. When the DRL’s are active the power is definitely lower compare to when i turn them on. When i installed them i had to cut the rubber a little bigger so the fan can fit through it, other than that everything worked perfectly and the installation was easy.

here is where i got them from:
H4 LED Headlight Bulb, Aukee 9003... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V24CL6Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

this is a picture of the DRL’s

Front

From the inside

Low beam with fogs

High beams

From inside the hood