91LSMAN

Well, I've been thinking about LED headlights lately. There are a lot of different bulbs online, but I don't see anybody trying them in headlights on C5s, and I'm curious as to why?

I'm hoping I can learn something in this thread, and that maybe others can as well.

I don't drive much as night, so it's not a bid deal-it's more of a curiosity thing.

I started thinking about it after installing Cree LEDs in my reverse lights. My reverse lights are tinted so I wanted something brighter. When I tested the LEDS before putting them in the housings, they were so bright that they made me think of LED headlights.

It seems like there are kits out there that have "HID Like" wiring, and I'm wondering why, when other kits are just bulbs that are marketed just for fog lights or DRLs?

Why wouldn't one of these sets work in a C5 headlight?




Again, this is more of a curiosity thing than anything else. I had an HID kit in the stock housing and part of it went bad. I'm running silverstars now. Those cree LEDs that I installed in my reverse lights, without the blacked out housing looked brighter than headlights

Discuss...

NemesisC5

The advertised 1600 lumens from the bulbs pictured is very misleading to the point that it is almost a lie. I guarantee the mini projector bulbs forward output through the lens is easily less than 1000 lumens from the 4 led chips behind the lens. The manufacturer is adding the lumen output from every square led chip on the perimeter of the aluminum cylinder and the ones behind the lens to give a total lumen output. I've researched the topic extensively and purchased many for evaluation.

Silvania Silverstars Ultras output better, last as long (likely longer) and are manufactured to a higher standard. LED's with output of 2000+ lumens are available through VLED's or Putco and have heat sinks/fans on the backside however the construction of the LED "tower" that emits light on two sides will not work well with reflector housings and will blind oncoming traffic worse than HID bulbs. They will however work great in a projector housing with sufficient open area at the back for the heat sink/fan.

2016 Chevy Silverados come with HID's in base model and work trucks with LED's as upgrades or in LTZ models. LED's are durable, energy efficient and the technology is quickly coming of age to be cost effective.

jackthelad

Candlepower (Google them) can provide Philips HIR replacement bulbs. Put them in my wife's car - definite improvement over Silverstars.

LoneStarFRC

The possible physical mounting problems due to size, etc is the first hurdle that must be overcome. I have considered LED high beams and the possible size limitations has kept me from proceeding further at this point. The need for cooling is critical and the massive heat sinks and/or cooling fans (albeit small ones) MUST to be accounted for.

91LSMAN

Yeah, in looking at it further, the brightness isn't there or they wont fit.

TheRadioFlyer

Also, the headlight will not raise/lower because the headlight controller doesn't see enough draw on the headlight circuit.

NemesisC5

That's a deal killer.

huesmann

So how do you solve that issue on your headlights?

NemesisC5

His headlights have HID lows with LED's as an option for the highs since the lights are already opened (up).

TheRadioFlyer

Our HID ballasts draw sufficient power to trigger the headlight control module to open/close.

barkingowl

Hmm... My headlights open & close just fine & I have LED low beams. What I like most about them is that they are much brighter than the HIDs that I had before. I'm looking around right now to see what's out there for high beams and fog lights. It really boils down to a matter of personal taste. I had HIDs and hated them. I like the LEDs better because they're instantly on and they're brighter. YMMV...

02GoldVette

What type of led's are you using? Plus did you require any extra equipment?

David Shiel

the Phillips HIR bulbs are a simple plug and play on the C5. The HIRs would be my second choice behind the much more expensive upgrade options like Sun Guns, etc. I don't do much NIGHT driving but, as all know, when one does, the stock lights just don't get it.

Thanks,and thanks for the post.
Dave

TheRadioFlyer

Much cheaper option than the sun guns (which as far as I can tell are no longer available) are the Radioflyer Bi-xenon ACA headlights.

http://shop.radioflyerinnovations.co...lights-015.htm

- Complete PNP Bolt-on installation
- HID powered Bi-xenon projector (HID low and high beam from a single HID bulb)
- LED dedicated high beam
- Normal headlight raise/lower function
- 3x lumens projected over 10x road surface:

go from this:


to this: (Bi-x low beams)


And look really slick:

LoneStarFRC

Which LED Hi beams are you using in these kits George? I didn't see them shown or listed in your link.

TheRadioFlyer

We use Cree/Epistar 16-chip LED bulbs. They average 700-800 lumens each and are meant more for signaling oncoming traffic than illumination. Most of the high beam power comes from the Bi-xenon projector.

LoneStarFRC

Tnx.

knewblewkorvette

Holy cow Batman! What a difference

NemesisC5

LED's that can replace HID's are not conventional in design and have large heatsinks or fans on the backside which may cause install issues. On VLEDS website they have high quality LED setups designed to replace HID and produce around 2700 lumens. Base 2016 Chevrolet Silverado comes standard with HID (even in base "WT" work truck)but you can upgrade to full LED headlamp and foglights...no more halogen in 1500.