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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!!!
I'd never want to be "that guy" with the distracting or blinding lights. Not only is it unsafe, but on the road I'd rather blend than stand out (particularly when it comes to enforcement!) Which is why I'm only going to default my new setup two (not four) headlamps on with low beam and to ensure they are all well-adjusted.
That said, I am considering adding a hidden switch that would bring it up from a 2 to a 4 low-beam option, which as mentioned I would use as an "in-between" high and low modes while out on twisty or country roads.
Here's some pics of the Hella lamp and the actual $15 motorcycle LED bulb from Ebay. You can see the COB light element is positioned right where the halogen source would be. The cooling fan is quiet and low profile so no problem fitting these in. It's the power supply that inline with the cord that seems to heat up the most, which is why it has a metal disc to dissipate. Time will tell how well they work, or how long they last, but I'm already very happy by the increased output and the much lower amp draw.
One other thing - These LED bulbs use 5 "COB" elements.
In addition to the compact motorcycle packaging, this is definitely their biggest advantage..
from the web... What is a COB LED?
COB (Chips on Board) , is a new technology of LED packaging for LED light engine. Multi LED chips are packaged together as one lighting module. ... LED(light emitting diode) is new technology with advantage of saving energy and very long lifespan.
What is the difference between COB LED and SMD LED?
This means these chips can produce between 50 and 100 lumens per watt depending on the particular chip. The most recent LED development has been "Chip On Board" or COB technology. COB and SMD can be similar because like SMD, COB chips have multiple diodes on the same "wafer" or chip.Jul 19, 2017
One question tho - if I am reading and viewing your post/pics correctly, I do not understand why a LED set up requires a cooling fan? My experience with LEDs is that they produce essentially no heat. That is why the current draw is so low- no energy wasted procucing heat instead of light.
So what am I missing here- am I understanding your set up correctly?
One question tho - if I am reading and viewing your post/pics correctly, I do not understand why a LED set up requires a cooling fan? My experience with LEDs is that they produce essentially no heat. That is why the current draw is so low- no energy wasted procucing heat instead of light.
So what am I missing here- am I understanding your set up correctly?
Thanks!
Yeah, it's weird as LED's "feel" cool (because they produce no infrared) so you'd think there'd be no need for a cooling system, but there is. In fact, LED lamps are less desirable to use in Winter ice since they won't melt away any ice on the lens.
It's actually the electronics that build the heat, and it can be quite a lot. I'll let the internet provide the full answer:
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!!!
I used to do that too but I don’t anymore. I figure it’s bad enough that I’m blinded by his lights. Blinding him in return just makes us both blind when we pass and increases the chance of an accident.
I DO blip my brights on and off, though, just to let the guy know he’s a menace. If he doesn’t dim after doing that a couple of times, he’s just not going to.
Yeah, it's weird as LED's "feel" cool (because they produce no infrared) so you'd think there'd be no need for a cooling system, but there is. In fact, LED lamps are less desirable to use in Winter ice since they won't melt away any ice on the lens.
It's actually the electronics that build the heat, and it can be quite a lot. I'll let the internet provide the full answer:
Update on my cheap, chinese motorcycle LED headlamp bulbs: I LOVE 'EM!
Installed the bulbs early June and they’ve lasted/performed very well over the season. For the price I had my doubts, but so far so good!
I still keep my old PIAA H4 halogens as spares in my travel tool bag just in case, but if one or both of the outer LED bulbs fail I could easily swap over from the high beams as they are the exact same bulb. When I changed the lights I wired in fresh new lamp connectors and used H4 three prong for all. I’d considered the possibility of also running the inboard lamps as low beam too (e.g. running four lamps on low) but the light from just the two usual outboard lows is already so bright it’s totally unnecessary and would just **** everyone off. Still thinking in the future I may figure a way to run a switch that would allow a “middle mode” so I could go 2 low in the city, 4 low on the highway or 4 high with no traffic.
BTW I did do the simple headlight switch mod to run my front parking lights while headlights are on. I think it helps to be noticed and it's more distinctive to drivers in modern cars looking in their rear view mirror.
The fans have no issue keeping the necessary LED heatsinks cool (and they DO get hot.) With the engine off you can hear their very faint whir, and that's good as with the covers on I now listen for any change in their sound due to debris or restrictions. It's remarkable how instant the lights switch on and OH MAN does FLASH TO PASS ever get attention! It's almost strobe-like if I'm fast with my left foot. There is such a low electrical draw that I can turn the car off, my headlights can remain on with no change in brightness.
As discussed, the common problem using LED bulbs in lamps designed for halogen is their high-vertical dispersion (creates high dazzle reflection in rain/fog and distracts oncoming drivers.) Since the COB elements on the bulbs I received have elements alternately positioned mid and high on the stalk (see my pics above) I was able to reduce the high dispersion just by rotating the bulb. That helped, but they're so damned bright I still need to keep the lamps pointed down a bit further than usual as a compromise. The high beams however are kept up and make for an incredibly bright combination. I also have a small cordless screwdriver in my travel bag to make adjustments, but I really haven’t needed to fuss with them once I got'em right.
Jan 2019 Edit (deleted LINK to my original bulbs as seller has changed the bulbs on that link)
Last edited by PaulUptime; 01-21-2019 at 11:05 PM.
Thanks for updating this. I have the Hella H4 conversion lamps for my ‘64 and I will be ordering some of your motorcycle LED lights instead of using the H4 bulbs!
Thanks for updating this. I have the Hella H4 conversion lamps for my ‘64 and I will be ordering some of your motorcycle LED lights instead of using the H4 bulbs!
All four lamps are Hella? In my case, I put the Hella Lamps only the outboard Hi/Low position. I was experimenting with another lamp style for the high beams, different from the Hella in that they don't use a focusing lens but rather a built in focusing reflector. I found the undesired LED dispersion ("scatter") to be worse with this type of design, but they do make for amazing brights! Just don't use 'em with anyone approaching. Like I said, you might need to angle your hi/lo beams down a bit to compensate, but overall you should be happy with this style bulb.
Found these on Zip's Website. Do these require fabrication for installation? They are HALOGEN.
Probably not.
Those look like regular plug-in sealed beam lamps, the 5.75" round types you can get anywhere. They'll provide decent, basic lighting and look good at shows, but you won't be able to change the bulb inside (that's the "sealed" part.)
Now if you also travel with your car, and want brighter headlamps, upgrade the wiring with relays that send the current direct to the lamps instead of through the switch.
After the wiring upgrade you may want to try more powerful H4 bulbs and open lamps that you can swap bulbs in.
After you consider the current draw and heat of those higher power H4 bulbs, you'll want to start looking at LED.
.... or you can skip straight to going to LED.
Right now I'm still messing around with LED bulbs and quality lamps. Fully engineered, complete 5.75" LED lamps are coming up in the market but still expensive and limited in style choices. I that improving over the next few years, and will probably be my step until perhaps LASER?
I think the goal for most is to have fantastic lighting that doesn't make our car look or "ricey" asian-import accessories. Lighting has really progressed and if you do night driving the safety advantage is substantial.
I thought I would offer a follow up on my headlight project. It works great. The LEDs on high beam are brighter than the "ultra white" halogen high beam bulbs (bulbs with a blue shade). The LEDs pull about 12 Watts on low beam and 25 Watts on high beam.
I purchased four H4 housings with halogen bulbs from Octane lighting (~$80 delivered), and two of the motorcycle LED bulbs (~$40 delivered), a total cost of ~$120.
I am thinking of buying two more bulbs for the high beam lenses. The only drawback to the LEDs is that there is no IR heat on the face of the lens to melt ice or snow if you live in a cold climate.
My only problem is project creep, to replace the headlight housing motor mount bushings that have aged over the past few decades.
I thought I would offer a follow up on my headlight project. It works great. The LEDs on high beam are brighter than the "ultra white" halogen high beam bulbs (bulbs with a blue shade). The LEDs pull about 12 Watts on low beam and 25 Watts on high beam.
I purchased four H4 housings with halogen bulbs from Octane lighting (~$80 delivered), and two of the motorcycle LED bulbs (~$40 delivered), a total cost of ~$120.
I am thinking of buying two more bulbs for the high beam lenses. The only drawback to the LEDs is that there is no IR heat on the face of the lens to melt ice or snow if you live in a cold climate.
My only problem is project creep, to replace the headlight housing motor mount bushings that have aged over the past few decades.
Snow/ice buildup on my C2 is not a concern, but if it becomes an issue on my '75 Silverado, I'll change bulbs over to Halogen in Winter LOL!
Look forward to seeing your results with those Octane lamps. They do look good.
As to project creep, well, while in there you might as well....
In my case it was replacing the melted/worn headlight connectors with fresh ones. No problem!
Just stumbled across this thread and thought I'd provide an update following my cross country, mid-October road trip to Arizona from last fall.
The LEDs worked out great on the trip. I do keep the the low beams aimed a bit lower to reduce offensive brightness to oncoming traffic, but the high beams out in the desert or up in the mountains are spectacular, and the "instant" on effect of switching modes is pretty cool too. JackFit you can see I did the headlight switch mod that runs my front parking/signal lights same time as my headlights.
I'm right on Lake Ontario in Toronto and ironically until just this week the only measurable snow we've seen (and one of only 3 times this car has EVER seen snow during it's 20 years with me) was in northern Arizona, of all places and dates - October 15! Really wasn't expecting this but it sure was pretty!
You can see from this shot that I not only keep the low beams adjusted down, but also to the right. I've approached several friends on the road and asked if they found my oncoming lights too bright and all have said it wasn't an issue. As a driver, the only problem is the crazy bright reflection from modern road signs when using the brights. The pic below was taken by my passenger, and I'm pretty sure this was low beam. You can see the LEDs tend to put quite a lot of light right in front of the vehicle, and though I'd prefer that concentration of light was more focused and perhaps another 30 feet forward, I'm staying with this setup until I find some really good focus-designed-for-LED lamps.
I've been occasionally checking-in on this thread as I really want to improve my '66 headlamp system without having to add the control relays. With all the interest in LED lighting, you would think one of the Vette part suppliers would jump on it and come out with a complete conversion kit for the C2's, and others. One that eliminated the need to throw away un-needed halogen bulbs, incorporated lens specifically designed for LED lamps that provided appropriate beam focus, and because of the LEDs much lower power draw... circumvent the need for electrical system upgrades. Or am I just to forward thinking??
66Turnon, you're certainly forward-thinking there. I too believe the low amp draw of LED bulbs eliminate the need for direct to battery headlight relays Given that 5 3/4" are standard, and popular with so many older cars, there are many choices available the extend well beyond the C1/C2/C3 market, but that market alone is pretty substantial.
06-11-2018, 09:28 AM
There is such a low electrical draw that I can turn the car off, my headlights can remain on with no change in brightness.
