29 replies to this topic

[riczito]

Hi all,

 

I just fitted these LED bulbs to my '94 Mini. They seem to work great, and are MUCH brighter than the stock H4s. However, I haven't had them on for any real length of time. Very straightforward installation - plug and play, more or less... I did have to drill a 4cm hole in the back of the black plastic headlamp bowl to create enough space for the wiring and the IC box, which I pushed through into the front inner wing area. But the heatsink itself is still pretty close to the bowl's plastic, just 2-3mm away. I'm concerned that it might melt the plastic or even burn it. I don't know how hot these things get.

 

Does anyone have any experience of LED bulbs? Do the heatsinks get hot enough to be dangerous?

 

Thanks,

Ric

 

https://www.classicc...t=8239030763615

 

[Pops_Guild]

Interestingly enough I fitted the same ones over the weekend! As you say they perform really well however I managed to get all of the kit to fit between the lens/rubber seal and the bowl, no drilling but it was really tight...so potentially even more heat worries I would say. I have Wipac Quadoptic lens and standard bowls.

 

In the instructions they do say their wiring is sufficiently heat proof to not be an issue for the heatsink, but they say to keep other wiring away from it. So the heatsink will get hot. I'm going to shroud my existing wire in heat resistant covering. I did consider drilling the back of the bowl so I could put the transformer outside of the bowl and create more space, still might do. 

 

I think the heatsink on it's own wont cause a fire issue but you should follow their instructions and make sure the existing light wiring is kept out of its way. The heatsink can be fitted two ways, I fitted mine so that the bulky side was towards the rubber seal.

 

I have also emailed them to ask if should be concerned and advice, they're usually very helpful. We'll see what they say. 

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[Ethel]

They claim to draw about a 3rd of the current. That can only be turned in to heat & light, but unlike a conventional bulb it'll be on the wrong side of the reflector. How hot they get will depend on how well they can dissipate heat.

 

If you can, mount the transformer  elsewhere. If it runs hot it'll be less efficient and exacerbate the problem.

[Pops_Guild]

I have heard back from Classic Car LEDs.

 

They've said that not much heat is generated by the heatsink  ("heat really isn't an issue"). I've got no reason to doubt them.

 

They run demo lights at shows with all the parts (inc transformer) in the bowl, between the lens, no airflow, no venting, with no issues at shows. They do recommend shielding your existing wires with heatshield, for heat and rub/vibration protection.

 

So, I'm going to just add the heatshield around the exiting wires on my install and not drill holes into the bowl.

[beardylondon]

I was reading this the other day

 

https://www.autobulb...egal-in-the-uk/

[riczito]

Thanks for the info! I've ordered some heat-resistant tape and I'll protect the wiring as you say. Also, I'll flip the heatsinks around like you have. Should free up some space. Well done for getting everything into the bowl without drilling, though. I couldn't manage it, probably because I had the heatsinks the "wrong" way around. Too late for my bowls, I guess. They're drilled now. Still, a little ventilation can't do any harm!

[sonscar]

Filling up with water may not help things though.Steve..

[Dusky]

I was reading this the other day

https://www.autobulb...egal-in-the-uk/

This. I refuse to sell these kits for road going cars. Modern cars are already bad enough. Ultra bright lights in housings that werent designed for them are even more of a nuisance.

[beardylondon]

I was watching that Vintage Voltage programme on Quest recently, as they "test fit" some LEDs headlights to a customers car, and said they wouldn't fit them until they became road legal, hence my finding the above article on if they are technically legal or not.

[Tornado99]

Heat sinks on LEDs are typically there to help keep temps where the LED needs for proper function, not so much to prevent heat damage on wires etc. Semiconductors are temp sensitive devices.

[Pops_Guild]

I left my LED lamps on for 10mins or so on full beam and then checked the temperatures of the heatsink and the control box. All temps look ok to me, will be a bit higher when everything is snuggled between the bowl and lamp.

 

I also added some heat shield shroud around the standard (non-LED related) wires for peace of mind on the heat and rub/chaffing side of things.

 

 

 

 

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[Tornado99]

I left my LED lamps on for 10mins or so on full beam and then checked the temperatures of the heatsink and the control box. All temps look ok to me, will be a bit higher when everything is snuggled between the bowl and lamp.

 

I also added some heat shield shroud around the standard (non-LED related) wires for peace of mind on the heat and rub/chaffing side of things.

 

Those temps are trivial for any wiring or plastics in the area. No added heat shielding is necessary. 

 

by the way, those infrared temp guns tend to be a bit misleading. They typically measure quite a wide zone around the aiming "dot"...and will average the temp across the detection area...not just the precise location of the dot.  

[beardylondon]

+1 on those infrared temp guns, I had to use one for work for checking peoples temperatures, granted it was a cheap Amazon one, but it under read by 4-5 degrees, meaning my colleagues would have had Hypothermia! They didn’t. Anyway point it to your forehead see if it’s in range!

[Tornado99]

+1 on those infrared temp guns, I had to use one for work for checking peoples temperatures, granted it was a cheap Amazon one, but it under read by 4-5 degrees, meaning my colleagues would have had Hypothermia! They didn’t. Anyway point it to your forehead see if it’s in range!

Yes you've got to fill the whole sensing area with the target you want to measure, And the dot isn't the whole area, just acts as a general direction thing. Best to get the gun tip right at/onto the target if possible. Any off-target surface in the detection zone will lead to misleading temp readings. 

[MiniTim71]

Interesting thread. 

I am interested in being seen at this point and headlights are not so much my focus. 

 

I would like to change Indicator and Tail/Brake bulbs to LED to give a brighter, fresher and more current look to the lights other people see, hopefully meaning they see me better.

Also the same for the front side lights with the possibility of hooking them and the tail lights up so that they come on when the ignition is in the running, effectively giving day running lights without the drain of the headlights.  This could also have a switch on the dash to switch this function on/off if you require it.  My '71 has a later switch panel so there is a redundant switch position to use.

Saving some power over the originals would be good as well.

Any thoughts?

Does anyone have any experience of 5w/21w etc etc bulb replacements with any good recommendations.  It is difficult to work out which bulbs are quality and which are crap.

 

Cheers guys #firstpost