Best LED headlight bulb to use?

[tridentt150v]

Ok, I searched on here, didn't see much at all tbh.  

I just changed over the sealed beam headlight I had on my bike to an LED unit [had to buy a new lens as well, but nothing wrong with my old lens] and the difference was very impressive..so thought I might do the same for the Skyline.

I also had a look on ebay and there were so many LED headlight 'globes' it was overwhelming.  Most promise a gazillion watts/lumens/K but all look pretty much the same - admittedly some have little fans, others have heatsinks on the arse end, some have rats tail H4 connections, others the spade H4 straight off the back...………..but I have no idea if these changes are better or worse.  And it looks like you can get a pair of LED's for around $30 [and certainly under $50] delivered, so cheap really.

I am still using normal halogen bulbs, with the yellowish, not so bright light and so thought I'd try an 'upgrade'.  I know others have used 'white light' globes from the likes of Phillips etc that cost more than they are worth and I'm not that keen to go down that path anyway.  I also bought a HID kit years ago...and then never ever fitted it, its still brand new in the box [probably need to sell I guess].

BTW on the operating temp, there was a great test done by a guy on a motorcycle forum where he tested a normal globe, a Halogen globe, and an LED [with little fan]  setup using an infrared temp gun and the LED came out way cooler all round.  That has to be a good thing.

And finally { I have no idea on this] is it legal??  I can't see why not if they are a direct replacement, offer the same or better light, and operate much cooler than halogens anyway.

So does anyone have any experience at LEDs on a vehicle?  What did you end up with?  And was it a better light?  

 

 

[GTSBoy]

I do not think there is any such thing as an LED "replacement" globe that goes where a halogen came from and works worth a shit. The enclosures are not designed for LEDs and usually the cooling of the back end of the LED assembly is nowhere near what it needs to be for them to survive. Whilst the LED chips themselves are probably just getting to the point of being bright enough (in an H1/H3/H4/H7 sized array) they are nowhere near all collected into the same point that the halogen filament is to work properly in the reflector/projector optics of the halogen lamp body.

They are probably legal. Even complete replacement lamp bodies (like replacing the R32 projector with an LED projector) is probably legal, and is in fact the only way that using LEDs in any original halogen car makes sense.

Short version. Just because LED LED headlamps work properly does not mean that LED converted halogens will.

[tridentt150v]

I tend to agree with your reply, but is it actual experience??? 

And as for the projector setup, I can see your point, but are these LED replacements engineered for an LED headlight, or are they made for a halogen or normal projector...…...does anybody even know? 

And there is a thread on here about the legality...apparently its fine as long as it dips correctly to the left and there is no glare.

So short reply, I still don't know which ones to look at.  Maybe I need to be the lab rat and buy and try a set? 

[sleptema]

I bought LED bulbs for specifically this purpose, to try and see if it makes much difference to the light output. I don't drive much at night, but there is a noticeable lack of light even with high end halogen bulbs (in comparison to newer tech). 

I mocked them up in my car and found that the large back end/fan assembly of the LED looked to foul on parts of the headlight enclosure, and would require a little bit of modification/cutting, so I'd need the front end off and the lights off the car to move further with the project.

In the near future I plan on buying s3 headlights, so my s1 lights could be used to hack up to see how much modification is required, and is it worth it for light output.

ETA is unknown as s3 headlights are damn expensive, but will post updates & photos when it is completed. Keen to see if anyone else does this first though.

[niZmO_Man]

Go to HID planet and trawl through the LED section. Lots of info on there regarding chip design etc.

tl;dr - almost all junk, except Philips, which aren't an upgrade but a cosmetic change to 6,000k-ish colour. Very expensive as well.

[MBS206]

I haven't had LEDs in a skyline however I replaced the low beam in the cruiser.

My initial result:

My high beam became basically useless. The lows were awesomely bright and I loved them. The highbeam lotto no further down the road, and only lit more of the tree tops that were close by (adjusted properly). 

The only way I got to see further was to turn the light bar on. 

The end result: about twelve months later one dimmed and the other died completely. I pulled both out and have halogens back in there. 

Why do I have halogens: they were cheap and I needed them immediately. 

 

The lights I had were cheap eBay ones. 

$40 for both. 

I am however about to order a set through a supplier from work who make the LEDs we're now sticking on trains as their new headlamps etc. So these are a quality unit, direct replacement globe, with no need for head sinks etc on them. 

PS I'm sick of the shit halogens in my cruiser!!! 

 

Oh I also never had an issue with the cops up here, and that included when they went on a 4WD blitz! 

[niZmO_Man]

The sealed units going into trains are not the same as PnP 'halogen replacement' units you get from China via eBay.

Oh and having a bright foreground, which basically all LED PnP ones give you, is not an upgrade. Think about what's more important when you're doing 60 km/h, objects in front of your bumper or objects at the cut-off of your low beam.

Think of this, if you want more power from your engine, do you upgrade the turbo, injectors, fuel pump, or do you just screw the standard ceramic turbo to 20 psi and hope for the best?

[MBS206]

40 minutes ago, niZmO_Man said:

The sealed units going into trains are not the same as PnP 'halogen replacement' units you get from China via eBay.

Oh and having a bright foreground, which basically all LED PnP ones give you, is not an upgrade. Think about what's more important when you're doing 60 km/h, objects in front of your bumper or objects at the cut-off of your low beam.

Think of this, if you want more power from your engine, do you upgrade the turbo, injectors, fuel pump, or do you just screw the standard ceramic turbo to 20 psi and hope for the best?

Err when I have my low beams on and it gives more light in close, and further light, with the same spread. That's better

Secondly, the replacements we're selling in H4 and H7 are actually from an automotive range of LED halogen replacement. They aren't the same as eBay in the essence that the workmanship and quality of parts is far greater. (Psst, electronics distributor with the BENH background to go with it to understand the differences )

[tridentt150v]

I'm interested Matt...will wait on your installation on the 4wd and appraisal here if you can thanks.

[MBS206]

4 hours ago, tridentt150v said:

I'm interested Matt...will wait on your installation on the 4wd and appraisal here if you can thanks.

Will do. 

The ones I'm going to put in an test are NOT your cheap ass everyday eBay spec ones, but are still well priced. 

I'm even looking at swapping out the light bar I have with a new one from them as the light output is wayyyyyyy better than I have now. 

I'm actually a bit disappointed the new main headlamp that goes on trains is 24VDC to 110VDC.if it went down to 12V they'd be on the cruiser already as the light output even when they're on "lowbeam" is freaking intense!

[niZmO_Man]

Please post details of this fancy LED PnP bulb. I'm curious to see it.

What you don't want is this:

 

To answer the OP's question, the best on the market so far is this: https://www.4x4truckleds.com/crystalux-g11-series-led-headlight-fog-light-conversion-kit/

I found the supplier on alibaba, but it's minimum 10 orders for around $30 a pair.

[Robzilla32]

Will do. 
The ones I'm going to put in an test are NOT your cheap ass everyday eBay spec ones, but are still well priced. 
I'm even looking at swapping out the light bar I have with a new one from them as the light output is wayyyyyyy better than I have now. 
I'm actually a bit disappointed the new main headlamp that goes on trains is 24VDC to 110VDC.if it went down to 12V they'd be on the cruiser already as the light output even when they're on "lowbeam" is freaking intense!

I am interested in the outcome also.

I have tried a couple of LED headlights in my R32 GT-R but results have been underwhelming. Better than halogen though but not by much.

I currently have JW Speaker Model 4000 and previously bought another brand from SA LED but I don't have the model number for those.

Rob

[tridentt150v]

2 hours ago, niZmO_Man said:

Please post details of this fancy LED PnP bulb. I'm curious to see it.

What you don't want is this:

 

To answer the OP's question, the best on the market so far is this: https://www.4x4truckleds.com/crystalux-g11-series-led-headlight-fog-light-conversion-kit/

I found the supplier on alibaba, but it's minimum 10 orders for around $30 a pair.

Sounds like a group buy Ravi

[niZmO_Man]

On 12/06/2019 at 11:34 AM, MBS206 said:

On 12/06/2019 at 10:50 AM, niZmO_Man said:

?

Err when I have my low beams on and it gives more light in close, and further light, with the same spread. That's better

Bright foreground is not better. Do you turn your foglights on as well while on the highway? But hey, not my vision and safety that's affected, unless you drive past me of course, then I'd get pissed at the glare.

[MBS206]

2 hours ago, niZmO_Man said:

Bright foreground is not better. Do you turn your foglights on as well while on the highway? But hey, not my vision and safety that's affected, unless you drive past me of course, then I'd get pissed at the glare.

Fog lights don't give a bright foreground. 

They provide a low power yellow light that isn't reflected by mist. 

And if you don't want bright foreground from low beam, I'm not sure where you're trying to light up. 

[niZmO_Man]

You want light at the cut-off, not in front of your bumper.

Do you walk at night in the dark with your torch pointed in front of your feet or further up?

[MBS206]

On 6/17/2019 at 1:30 PM, niZmO_Man said:

You want light at the cut-off, not in front of your bumper.

Do you walk at night in the dark with your torch pointed in front of your feet or further up?

We're talking about the exact same thing you're just thinking I'm talking purely directly right in front of the car. 

Note how I actually said the low beam LEDs were lighting up further down the road than my Halogen highbeams?

[Robzilla32]

@MBS206

 

Do you have any results to share?

 

 

[MBS206]

14 minutes ago, Robzilla32 said:

@MBS206

 

Do you have any results to share?

 

 

Haven't ordered the lights for the cruiser yet, been playing with the skyline instead. 

[niZmO_Man]

On 02/07/2019 at 11:40 AM, MBS206 said:

We're talking about the exact same thing you're just thinking I'm talking purely directly right in front of the car. 

Note how I actually said the low beam LEDs were lighting up further down the road than my Halogen highbeams?

Yeah, how shit were the halogen bulbs?

Headlights themselves makes a big difference. E.g. dad's Camry (last of the Australian made ones) has shit projectors in them. Upgraded H11 to H9, marginal. Threw in a "good" LED bulb, looks great/bright up close, is meh while driving (so if you're after just colour upgrade and output is same as standard, I can suggest a H11 for your projectors). Can't believe we didn't get the good Koito H11 projectors here.

Oh and that "group buy", the guy wanted me to transfer money to him directly instead of going through alibaba, no deal.

 

But yes looking forward to the output photos, I would love to be proven wrong but I haven't seen one single LED bulb that's an actual upgrade here in Australia.