Any thoughts on Vision X VX-7RD replacement headlight housings?

psrivats

psrivats

Team green shackle
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Howdy Folks, what a great forum this is. I am happy to be amidst fellow TJ enthusiasts.

Been reading a LOT here for the past few weeks to educate myself. I love TJs and wanted one for a very long time since I was in undergrad. I finally bought my 1st jeep - a single owner black TJ rubicon '05 with 56k miles. Even after working for a long time now, my main car still is a 1999 Mazda Protege that has only 125k miles currenly. I have been driving this car for a good while now, I got it used when I was in grad school AGES ago but it had some repairs last year that got me too worried to take to my hiking trips on our forest service roads here in Oregon/Washington.

The TJ I got is pretty good overall with no major issues and importantly no rust. I was told it was never taken offroading but who knows. I am not very mechanically inclined and it's currently at my trusted mechanic's place getting some work done that I knew it'd need prior to buying- new AC condensor, new battery, all new fluids, new brake pads. I also bought and gave my mechanic a new crown OPDA after reading about this on this forum (the one in there is fine per my mechanic but why take a risk!). I am also getting the slightly leaky rear main seal replaced, and the suspension checked, engine tuned up, tires rebalanced and rotated. The prev owner had a 2.5" fabtech lift installed with 32" tires on 17" inch rims. I still think they are huge coming from a Mazda but I love how much visibilty I have driving this Jeep on the road.

One thing that I am not happy are the factory headlights. They were dimmer even compared to my old Mazda which most of my friends think is very dim, ha! I really want to get a new set of headlights installed in my TJ.

I went over the very detailed sticky LED headlight thread that admin @Chris has shared. While I well understand that LEDs are the norm today and are brighter, something about white LEDs on a TJ don't look right to me. I have a friend who has a JK replaced with JW speaker headlights and while he strongly recommends them, I am not sure I want LEDs on my jeep.

Has anyone here tried the below halogen setup (Vision X VX-7RD) in their TJ? If you were NOT getting LED headlights for your jeep, what would be your best option? I'd love to hear some thoughts. I apolgize if this has been asked in the past - please point to me to an older thread if it exists.

https://headlightrevolution.com/1997-2006-jeep-wrangler-tj-halogen-headlight-housings-kit/

I will definitely post some pics and more details of my Jeep when I get it back and install the soft top (I got both from prev owner, yaay!).
 
You're in luck, big time.

I run the Vision X Vortex headlights (Vision X VX-7RD) in my TJ. Here's a review thread I made on them:

My review of the Vision X Vortex 7" LED headlights

I've tried a lot of LED headlights, but these are by far my favorite. These things are so insanely bright it's almost unbelievable. More light output than my buddies JW Speakers (not by a lot, but by enough), and they look damn good as well!

If I wasn't running LED headlights in my TJ, I'd be forced to go HID. HIDs are becoming outdated though, as all auto manufacturers are slowly switching to LED headlamps. Lower power requirements, longer life, and they can be just as bright or brighter than HIDs as long as the headlight lens uses good optics.

There are some halogen options out there such as the Cibies and the Hella headlamps, but I can promise you neither of those options will give you as much light output as a good set of LED headlamps.

The more expensive headlamps like these Vortex ones have very, very nice light output patterns as well!

Check out that thread, I've got plenty of photos of them on my TJ. You can also find more photos of them on my TJ in my build thread here:
My 2005 Jeep Wrangler TJ Rubicon Build Thread: I Can't Stop Building It! (Formerly "Less is More")
 
@Chris I saw your thread earlier! If they made those lamps in a warmer color temp I'd be all over it.

(Also, great to see another Oregonian. I'm near PDX myself!)

I think I messed up and posted the wrong product name in the title. if you see the link I posted, the headlights look like the image below and come with a H4 lamp. Any thoughts on this model?

AWqSnVL.jpg
 
psrivats said:
@Chris I saw your thread earlier! If they made those lamps in a warmer color temp I'd be all over it.

(Also, great to see another Oregonian. I'm near PDX myself!)

I think I messed up and posted the wrong product name in the title. if you see the link I posted, the headlights look like the image below and come with a H4 lamp. Any thoughts on this model?

View attachment 43489
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Ahhh, my mistake. I didn’t realize you were talking about the halogen ones! I suspect they are going to be the same type of output as the Hella and Cibie lights, which are as good as you’ll get for halogen.

I will also add that Vortex is based in Washington and makes some really, really nice products! If you do get them, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts. Most people go for the Hellas or Cibies, but I also think that’s because most people don’t know these exist.

Nice to see another Oregonian indeed! There’s quite a bunch of us on here from Oregon and Washington as well!
 
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I ordered a set. Great to know that they are in WA. I'll post photos and my thoughts here after I get and install them.The stock ones really gotta go, they are so dim.

These are not too expensive to run while I mull over about LEDs. I see a lot of LEDs on road today and when the idiots don't install them right they look horrible. I will say that there are some *very* nice factory LEDs that look the part on some modern cars today (esp BMW, they do a great job and so does Toyota).

The photos you posted in your thread are remarkable in terms of how much light and how good the pattern the Vision X Vortex model puts out. It's not the cost that bothers me, but how the TJ looks with them on. I've seen you and other people say you grew to like them over time. If I am unhappy with the Vision halogens I got, I will bite the bulled and switch to LEDs and learn to like them. Better have good lighting than good looks :)
 
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Welcome aboard! I bought my first TJ late last year (a project), my family drives two '01 Proteges, and we live a few hours north of you. Just had to chuckle when I read your post because of the similarities. :) Again, welcome!
 
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jeepins said:
I have the same ones as in that pic.. not sure where I got them because it's been a few years.. but I love them (and a rock hasn't cracked a lens yet).
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Nice Jeep! How did you like them compared to stock? My set arrives Tuesday .
 
Squatch said:
Welcome aboard! I bought my first TJ late last year (a project), my family drives two '01 Proteges, and we live a few hours north of you. Just had to chuckle when I read your post because of the similarities. :) Again, welcome!
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Hello Neighbor!

My protege has been good to me and I've had a good run. It's good enough for the suburbs and getting tot work and gym and groceries. The engine and transmission are still in great shape but other parts around them are starting to break just door to age. My plan is keep my TJ for my adventures and winter driving and use the Mazda for mundane stuff.
 
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While I never had LED headlights, I did have LED driving lights for a while. I found that they were too white for me. It made everything look like the contrast was up too high, whited everything out. I went back to halogens and now I can see.
My headlights are halogen conversions, Cibie Z beam style. I did replace the 55/60 watt bulbs with 100/90 watt bulbs. They are as bright and the same color temp as my other lights now. I can't see myself going back to LEDs.
And no, the higher wattage bulbs will NOT require any change to your wiring harness.
 
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psrivats said:
Nice Jeep! How did you like them compared to stock? My set arrives Tuesday .
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Been very happy with them. I don't care for the LED's either (except for the interior lights). I think if I was off-roading more or lived next to a dirt mountain then i'd probably not have a problem with them but being more of an urban Jeeper looking for large potholes, i'm satisfied with the lights I have and would buy them again if needed.
 
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jeepins said:
Been very happy with them. I don't care for the LED's either (except for the interior lights). I think if I was off-roading more or lived next to a dirt mountain then i'd probably not have a problem with them but being more of an urban Jeeper looking for large potholes, i'm satisfied with the lights I have and would buy them again if needed.
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Great to hear. I don't think I will be offroading other than whenever I go hiking/camping. How do you like them in wintertime, esp rain? Also, Are you running the VisionX 55/65 H4 bulbs or higher wattage ones like @C.J. Roberts mentioned above?
 
I'm pretty sure it's the standard H4 bulbs that came with the set. I believe I even bought an extra pair that are tucked away. I never have a problem seeing the road in any weather and if I do then headlights aren't the problem!
 
Ok - I got them and finally installed them yesterday. I drove at night yesterday on some less lit roads in my area and these are much better than stock sealed beams. I can now drive at night inside the city. Will drive outside this weekend on some country roads and will update here on how I like them.

For the $65 for the pair from amazon (+ a bit more for bulbs), I am very happy with them. Here are some pictures for anyone searching for these in the future.

Next project is to replace the fog lights.

MVIMG_20180613_175216.jpg
IMG_20180613_175227.jpg
 
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They look great! I'm glad you like them too. It's safe to say that a god flashlight has better light output than the factory TJ headlights!
 
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