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...I like LEDS because they generate no heat and use extremely few watts...
Doug
They stay cool at the business end, but feel the base of a LED home lighting bulb after it has been on for a while. The lens doesn't get hot, and I don't know about the LED itself, but the electronics that make it work definitely heat up. That's why a lot of them are not suitable for completely enclosed fixtures.
a lot of these aftermarket headlights are criticized because the beams at poorly focused and blinding to oncoming traffic
This is due to use of an LED bulb in a housing designed for a traditional halogen bulb. The geometry is different. Bulbs have a filament inside a clear glass tube.. LEDs radiate from the surface.. So it de-focuses the beam.
I tried an LED set in my C5 - they were cheap.. $30 for a pair.
They were nice and bright (and white), but the beam was de-focused.. causing a taller dispersion. Ended up going back to the OEM bulbs...
Here is a photo showing the problem:
As long as the housing is intended for the LED bulbs, it should be OK.. I eagerly await Frankie's feedback!
The LEDs are in -- quite the wrestling match as the electrodes must be thicker than stock/OEM bulbs. Took a liberal coating of dielectric to get them to slip into the socket. I haven't decided if I'm a fan of these yet or not. They look a bit weird as the bottom 1/2 of the bulbs are a bit dark (I assume I installed them right-side up}.
Bottom line though, they DO fit -- without cutting anything... They are stunningly bright and make the aftermarket halogen lights look yellow..
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 05-08-2018 at 06:50 PM.
After dark, point the car at something white (like a garage door) and snap a photo from about 10-20 feet away.. I'd like to be sure the dispersion is 'normal'.
The car isn't moving off the lift until I get the trailing arm bushings straightened out...but this is about 5' feet away. I haven't adjusted the lights yet. My I/R gun shows they are 30* cooler than the halogen bulbs (94* vs 124*), but that may be due to the internal fans - which you do hear running inside the lights bulbs.
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 05-08-2018 at 07:24 PM.
are your pictures on high beams or low (probably a dumb question as all 4 are on...) I would like to see a picture on low to see how well the light dispersion is clipped so that it doesn't blind oncoming drivers
Or the Tremec 5 speed overdrive.... You would have to circle the earth about 5 times for the increased gas mileage to achieve an ROI.
Yup -- I get it...
Originally Posted by Mr D.
Glad someone did the math on that, I could never get my brain around that upgrade.
Originally Posted by Jackfit
I always laugh when someone puts in a 5 speed for gas economy . Less wear on an engine maybe......but $ 3-5 K to get 19 mph instead of 15 or 16.....
Jack
Wow Why is it that folks who dont't have a particular mod feel free to criticize those who do?
Understanding the 5 spd upgrade doesn't require that one be a rocket science. It's NOT about fuel economy - it's about reduced rpm and the associated reduction in noise and increase in comfort when cruising on the highway. There is a BIG difference between doing 3000 rpm at &0 mph with the 1:1 4th gear vs 2000 rpm with the .67 5th.
It's really no any different than spending your money on other mods like after market AC or Detroit speed headlights or Flaming river rack and pinion steering or a hundred other mods. Or even the economic justification for owning a C2 Corvette itself............
Besides, if I want the higher noise level I can always just downshift to 4th gear.................
Not a criticism of 5 speeds, just the gas part.... I have cruise control in my car...and no matter ....if you are going fast enough to use 5 th gear ...you’re my kind of driver
Wow Why is it that folks who dont't have a particular mod feel free to criticize those who do?
.....
I installed the 5-speed OD Tremec in my 61 and drove with it for seven years. My remark was supporting your statement. The upgrade has no monetary ROI.....it just lets you run with the 'big dogs' at 75 and 80 without thrashing your engine incessantly...
I installed the 5-speed OD Tremec in my 61 and drove with it for seven years. My remark was supporting your statement. The upgrade has no monetary ROI.....it just lets you run with the 'big dogs' at 75 and 80 without thrashing your engine incessantly...
To me that CAN be a ROI if you do not have to replace a worn or blown engine. This is the reason I would do a 5 speed, that and the higher operating temp due to the engine speed.
Where you immediately get ROI is when you buy the car AFTER a PO installed it. I got the 5 speed transmission, Detroit Speed headlight conversion, power rack and pinion steering, tilt wheel with emergency flasher, Duntov built 3:55 rear, bolt on knockoffs, big block hood, Classic Auto Air a/c and heat for under $50k and got free delivery to my home. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I feel like cruising down the road at 70 mph at close to 2000 rpm is a pretty good return.
Where you immediately get ROI is when you buy the car AFTER a PO installed it. I got the 5 speed transmission, Detroit Speed headlight conversion, power rack and pinion steering, tilt wheel with emergency flasher, Duntov built 3:55 rear, bolt on knockoffs, big block hood, Classic Auto Air a/c and heat for under $50k and got free delivery to my home. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I feel like cruising down the road at 70 mph at close to 2000 rpm is a pretty good return.
Dropped in some LED replacement headlight bulbs this weekend. My hands are full with other projects so I haven't brought the car down from the ramps yet, but my out of car lamp tests were very positive!
I run Hella 5.25" German H4 glass headlamps and a few years ago installed PIAA Xtreme White 60/55 (DOT approved) H4 bulbs which claim similar output of a 110/100-Watt bulb. I'd done the direct power headlight relay mod years ago, so the headlights get great power too.
But last fall, heading back at night through the desert from my SEMA trip I found these PIAAs were really starting to fall off in brightness. The intense bulb heat took a toll on the Lectric Limited (now 17 year old) headlamp sockets. This weekend's projects were tagged for the Corvette so I wired in new sockets and replaced some of the cracked plastic headlamp adjuster/holders (yes four of the damned screws snapped off inside the housing pegs, DOH!)
My understanding is big heat and short life are common with higher-output bulbs, so I've been watching LED headlamp designs evolve. I found something very similar to these LED bulbs below on eBay. Price was just $15 ea and shipping was free as I ordered LED lamps for other vehicles (Airstream, Boat and Truck) at the same time. Designed for compact spaces like in motorcycles, if they work out it will be nice to see the current draw drop to 25 watts from 60 watts each.
These new LED lights are 5 COB, giving the LED a light source position very similar to the halogens, so the reflected lamp output is pretty much unchanged (very little scatter in my tests.) The motorcycle design definitely fits better within the C2 buckets. No long, bulky backsides or braided heatsink ribbons to contend with.
Since the combined wattage is so much less, I'm actually going to try an option of running all 4 on low beam instead of just the two outer. If they appear obnoxious or dangerous, I'll clip off the middle low beams and just run the outers. I'm mostly just curious at this time to see how twice as many bulbs looks from my seat as well to oncoming traffic. Who knows, it just might be a great compromise with better lighting for the twisty bits and other times you can't run high beams.
Here's the LED lamp I bought (I'll post pictures of mine once I've had the chance to test them better.)
Hey - does anyone have a tip or maybe a link to the mod that gets the parking lights to stay on with the headlights, that would be appreciated! Save me some searching
H4 5 COB HID White Motorcycle LED Headlight Kit Hi/Lo Beam Light 2500LM 25W
Hi Paul, to keep the parking lights on with the headlights, you move the plug on the light switch from #8 position to #9 I think,.....when you pull on the light switch , a copper contact slides along a track hitting the different plugs....the one that feeds the parking light must be moved so that it is in contact with the slider ...from the start (parking light) to the full extension (headlights). The parking light feed now continues to get power in both positions.
When you look at switch you will see what I mean..
a lot of these aftermarket headlights are criticized because the beams at poorly focused and blinding to oncoming traffic
and; seeing as they say the bulbs are both hi and lo, would you use 4?
3rd thought... I see a European 'light' and a non, which one?
Bill
Yep, and for oncoming cars that have these high intensity, blinding lights (and some fog lights are even brighter), I hit my high beams and leave them on until they pass!!!
05-04-2018, 10:26 AM
