22 replies to this topic

[Mini Manannán]

I've got new OE lights with LED bulbs, very bloody bright!!

 

Which LED bulbs Steve?  There are a gazillion of them out there, finding the decent ones is the thing.

[Steve220]

I got them from eBay, cheap Chinese things without the heat sink behind. There's a lot more appearing on the market that I don't think would fit the headlight bowls. I'm not sure on the spread and the car never saw an MOT with them.

[Steve220]

Having a flick through t'interwebs:

 

http://www.lightinth...tml?prm=1.5.1.1

 

These are similar/same to what I have for the spotlights.

[JBW]

Well worth fitting a relay kit (see Wired by Wilson website) I had nearly 1 volt more at the headlights, plus it protects all the switches from heavy loads.

I just have Wipac Quadoptics & Night Breaker bulbs, drove back 25 miles late at night, in heavy rain on mainly rural roads last week, really good, far better than when I used to do club rallying way back when, I might have been faster with modern lights instead as the old sealed beams & Cibie Oscars.

 

One of our guy's has some dual LED seal beams, expensive but very bright,

 

http://www.maxxima.c...ml#.WR8foVTytdg

[toplessmini]

Cibie Oscar H180 and Night breaker bulbs on their way in the post .......  

[toplessmini]

Well worth fitting a relay kit (see Wired by Wilson website) I had nearly 1 volt more at the headlights, plus it protects all the switches from heavy loads.

I just have Wipac Quadoptics & Night Breaker bulbs, drove back 25 miles late at night, in heavy rain on mainly rural roads last week, really good, far better than when I used to do club rallying way back when, I might have been faster with modern lights instead as the old sealed beams & Cibie Oscars.

 

One of our guy's has some dual LED seal beams, expensive but very bright,

 

http://www.maxxima.c...ml#.WR8foVTytdg

 

I was very tempted by these but i'm not paying £385 for a pair from America......

[tiger99]

Unfortunately there are legal complexities when retrofitting LEDs. They have to be Type Approved with the car. You may need an integrated wash/wipe system, depending on light output. I forget how many lumens, but most LED headlights will achieve the figure when new., and need it. The Chinese variety are unreliable and degrade badly, losing up to 25% light output in 1000 hours, those that don't fail completely, that is. I would stick with Cibies, which are legal, if not using extremely powerful bulbs (save these for off-road rallying etc) and arguably the Rolls-Royce of headlights.

 

The day will come when LED headlights are a good thing. Right now, they are mostly badly designed trash, and that includes some of those fitted to certain new cars. A new approach is needed to the way the LEDs are used, and the design of the optics. It isn't rocket science, but trying to emulate what you do with a bulb by replacing it with a semiconductor device is plain folly. The power density is all wrong. Give it about 10 years, and when politicians are sick of being dazzled by oncoming vehicles using LED headlights, there may be new legislation which will provoke the manufacturers into doing it right. It will not increase vehicle costs.

[Steve220]

Unfortunately there are legal complexities when retrofitting LEDs. They have to be Type Approved with the car. You may need an integrated wash/wipe system, depending on light output. I forget how many lumens, but most LED headlights will achieve the figure when new., and need it. The Chinese variety are unreliable and degrade badly, losing up to 25% light output in 1000 hours, those that don't fail completely, that is. I would stick with Cibies, which are legal, if not using extremely powerful bulbs (save these for off-road rallying etc) and arguably the Rolls-Royce of headlights.
 
The day will come when LED headlights are a good thing. Right now, they are mostly badly designed trash, and that includes some of those fitted to certain new cars. A new approach is needed to the way the LEDs are used, and the design of the optics. It isn't rocket science, but trying to emulate what you do with a bulb by replacing it with a semiconductor device is plain folly. The power density is all wrong. Give it about 10 years, and when politicians are sick of being dazzled by oncoming vehicles using LED headlights, there may be new legislation which will provoke the manufacturers into doing it right. It will not increase vehicle costs.

Buzzkill ;)

Edited by Steve220, 20 May 2017 - 10:36 AM.