anyone have led headlights?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,454
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From: Port Charlotte FL
anyone have led headlights?
Hey guys I seen these LED headlight bulbs online, and they look just like hid's with the brightness and everything! Anyone try them yet, when I get some extra money I'd like to order a set. 
Night Owl for life
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From: Bugs Bunny should'a made a left turn here
led headlights are a very new technology only found on new cars.
i believe the top line lexus has them as an option and i read they are putting them in the new v10 audi r8 as standard.
it will be a long time until you can get a plug and play kit for regular cars though.
edit--
here's some pics and info about true LED headlights:
i believe the top line lexus has them as an option and i read they are putting them in the new v10 audi r8 as standard.
it will be a long time until you can get a plug and play kit for regular cars though.
edit--
here's some pics and info about true LED headlights:
The innovative R8 supercar from Audi is now available for the first time with full LED headlamps. In addition to the standard Audi-signature 24-LED running lamps it's always had, this extremely expensive option (£3,590 converts to $7,100 USD) adds LED high and low beam headlamps and LED turn signals to the front fascia of the mid-engine sports car.
The latest craze in automotive lighting, LED bulbs don't utilize a filament like halogen lamps or gas plasma like HID lamps. Instead, they create light from the movement of current across a semi-conductor chip. They are smaller, more vibration resistant, and much more efficient than traditional bulbs. According to Audi, the light from the LEDs has been designed to closely resemble daylight and provides a greater contrast to be easier on the human eye. LED illumination is also designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle. Audi is no stranger to LED lighting - it first introduced a strip-shaped fog lamp at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2003.
The latest craze in automotive lighting, LED bulbs don't utilize a filament like halogen lamps or gas plasma like HID lamps. Instead, they create light from the movement of current across a semi-conductor chip. They are smaller, more vibration resistant, and much more efficient than traditional bulbs. According to Audi, the light from the LEDs has been designed to closely resemble daylight and provides a greater contrast to be easier on the human eye. LED illumination is also designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle. Audi is no stranger to LED lighting - it first introduced a strip-shaped fog lamp at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2003.
First full-LED headlamp for the Audi R8
54 high-performance LEDs provide all lighting functions
Color similar to daylight offers advantages at night
Innovative lighting technology as an option
Ingolstadt – Effective immediately, the range of equipment available for the Audi R8 sports car now also includes the first full-LED headlamp. In addition to the daytime running light which now features 24 LEDs per headlamp, light-emitting diodes are also used for the turn signals, the low-beam and the high-beam headlights. The €3,590 option rounds out the list of equipment available for the high-tech, mid-engine sports car.
The earlier launch of LED technology at the front of the car required a waiver by the European Union. The prominent advantages are lower energy consumption and a color that more closely resembles daylight, provides greater contrast and is easier on the human eye. LEDs are also non-wearing, require a lower voltage, are compact and offer greater design freedom.
The new full-LED headlamp represents the pinnacle of Audi's lighting strategy. The use of LEDs already enjoys a long tradition. This innovative technology has previously been used in production vehicles for tail light functions, brake lights and daytime running lights. Since early 2003, Audi has also used the semiconductor technology in a number of concept cars to implement some or all of the lighting functions at the front of the car.
54 high-performance LEDs provide all lighting functions
Color similar to daylight offers advantages at night
Innovative lighting technology as an option
Ingolstadt – Effective immediately, the range of equipment available for the Audi R8 sports car now also includes the first full-LED headlamp. In addition to the daytime running light which now features 24 LEDs per headlamp, light-emitting diodes are also used for the turn signals, the low-beam and the high-beam headlights. The €3,590 option rounds out the list of equipment available for the high-tech, mid-engine sports car.
The earlier launch of LED technology at the front of the car required a waiver by the European Union. The prominent advantages are lower energy consumption and a color that more closely resembles daylight, provides greater contrast and is easier on the human eye. LEDs are also non-wearing, require a lower voltage, are compact and offer greater design freedom.
The new full-LED headlamp represents the pinnacle of Audi's lighting strategy. The use of LEDs already enjoys a long tradition. This innovative technology has previously been used in production vehicles for tail light functions, brake lights and daytime running lights. Since early 2003, Audi has also used the semiconductor technology in a number of concept cars to implement some or all of the lighting functions at the front of the car.
Last edited by jdmvette; Apr 10, 2009 at 08:43 PM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2008
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From: Port Charlotte FL
Le Mans Master
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From: "This is not a psychotic episode, but a cleansing moment of clarity."
You're right. I "obviously" know nothing about this. I admit it.
Last edited by JMc; Apr 10, 2009 at 05:56 PM.
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Le Mans Master
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St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17,'19,'22
They will not be bright enough. Do not order them for your headlights if you want to see anything at night. I'm just looking out for you.
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St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17,'19,'22
Go ahead and get your LED fix in all of the other light spots in the car. I wouldn't do bulb swaps for the tails, but the halos are nice.
I will be carrying the switchbacks by month end for the front turn signals.
I will be carrying the switchbacks by month end for the front turn signals.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2008
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From: Port Charlotte FL
I put blue led's in the trunk and footwell's but they aren't very bright... I have white led's in the license plate, and i got pulled over for "no tag lights". The cop said he couldn't see it well because off the color, i wanted to ask when he last had an eye exam!
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From: "This is not a psychotic episode, but a cleansing moment of clarity."
By the way, those H11 bulbs probably wouldn't fit your 9006 retainer to begin with... And the manufacturer's claim of "200% brighter than stock" (which I did not see on their ad) is totally bogus. A stock halogen lamp will blow that thing that is pictured out of the water.
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St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17,'19,'22
I put blue led's in the trunk and footwell's but they aren't very bright... I have white led's in the license plate, and i got pulled over for "no tag lights". The cop said he couldn't see it well because off the color, i wanted to ask when he last had an eye exam!
Burning Brakes
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Don't mistake color temperature for brightness (Kalvin/Lumen). Even if they will look whiter your high output LED will put out about 100 Lumen which is 1/3 of a halogen bulb output. Another thing to consider would be the shape of the reflector mirror in the headlight, clearly it was not designed to focus the light generated by a multi point LED.
Last edited by zagger; Apr 11, 2009 at 02:32 AM.
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Melting Slicks
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St. Jude Donor '13
I have a 100 LED flashlight and a 230 LED flashlight and I could drive with either of them. But no way would they out do an HID setup.
I got stopped for a tag light violation in my Jeep for the same reason. I told him the law states you have to have the tag lighted but it doesn't deal with brightness or color. He let me off with just a warning. Thing is I was BSing cause I have no idea what the law says.
I got stopped for a tag light violation in my Jeep for the same reason. I told him the law states you have to have the tag lighted but it doesn't deal with brightness or color. He let me off with just a warning. Thing is I was BSing cause I have no idea what the law says.
Burning Brakes
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Here is some intresting facts about this technology. Dont think this would work by just exchanging a bulb in a stock housing.
Brightness, Power, Heat
Technological development is rapid in white LEDs, and already there are products boasting emission efficiencies of 100lm/W, surpassing that of florescent, HID and other lights. Many designs offer 100lm or more optical flux from a single white LED, accelerating application in lighting uses. The new Lexus headlight uses five white LEDs with optical fluxes of 400lm, providing sufficient brightness for the low beam (Fig 1a).
According to Koito Manufacturing, getting the idea to market was not a trivial task, thanks to problems like ensuring sufficient brightness, reducing power consumption and handling generated heat. They resolved them through joint development of a white LED with Nichia Corp of Japan.
Brightness needed to be at least 20Mcd/m2, equivalent to a halogen light. Existing white LEDs only output several Mcd/m2. The solution was to mount four large (about 1mm square) blue LED chips in a single package, with 2.5W (700mA input current) per chip, for a total of 10W (Fig 1b). This design pushed the brightness up to 25Mcd/m2 (Fig 1c).
When significant wattage is pushed to a single chip, however, emission efficiency drops. Compared to an HID light, the actual performance of the headlight was only 40lm/W, increasing power consumption. Koito Manufacturing improved optical utilization efficiency by providing each white LED light with different flux distribution characteristics to create a distribution pattern (Fig 2a). Optical loss is considerably less than when a complex distribution pattern is created using a single light.
The structure of white LEDs used for high beams was also reviewed. These headlights need a light distribution pattern slightly below the horizontal. Conventionally the light is partially blocked to create this distribution, but engineers instead use a mirror called a beam shaper to shift the light beam slightly above the horizontal (Fig 2b).
Through these and other measures, at least half of the total beam flux of the white LEDs is emitted from the headlights, which is dramatically higher than the efficiencies of HID or halogen headlights usually achieving only about a third. As a result,
power consumption is the same as the high-end HID headlights used in the Lexus LS460.
The service life of the white LEDs was also extended through innovations in handling heating. The LED headlight module had to fit into the same mounting space as the HID lights used in the LS460, which meant that only a limited volume was available to handle heat. First engineers improved the LED chips so that bond could withstand temperatures of 150*C. The chips are encapsulated on top with glass to minimize thermal degradation when in use. Compared to more commonly-used materials such as epoxy and silicone resins, this provides stable brightness for 8,000 hours of operation at a bond temperature of 115*C. Competing products are said to show a performance drop-off of at least 10% after only 5,000 hours.
To allow heat to escape from the white LED, headlight bodies are provided with radiation fins and heat pipes. Many LED headlight prototypes feature both fins and cooling fans to radiate heat, but the addition of a cooling fan requires a larger headlight module. The solution was to use a heat pipe full of distilled water, transferring the heat without the need for a cooling fan.
Brightness, Power, HeatTechnological development is rapid in white LEDs, and already there are products boasting emission efficiencies of 100lm/W, surpassing that of florescent, HID and other lights. Many designs offer 100lm or more optical flux from a single white LED, accelerating application in lighting uses. The new Lexus headlight uses five white LEDs with optical fluxes of 400lm, providing sufficient brightness for the low beam (Fig 1a).
According to Koito Manufacturing, getting the idea to market was not a trivial task, thanks to problems like ensuring sufficient brightness, reducing power consumption and handling generated heat. They resolved them through joint development of a white LED with Nichia Corp of Japan.
Brightness needed to be at least 20Mcd/m2, equivalent to a halogen light. Existing white LEDs only output several Mcd/m2. The solution was to mount four large (about 1mm square) blue LED chips in a single package, with 2.5W (700mA input current) per chip, for a total of 10W (Fig 1b). This design pushed the brightness up to 25Mcd/m2 (Fig 1c).
When significant wattage is pushed to a single chip, however, emission efficiency drops. Compared to an HID light, the actual performance of the headlight was only 40lm/W, increasing power consumption. Koito Manufacturing improved optical utilization efficiency by providing each white LED light with different flux distribution characteristics to create a distribution pattern (Fig 2a). Optical loss is considerably less than when a complex distribution pattern is created using a single light. The structure of white LEDs used for high beams was also reviewed. These headlights need a light distribution pattern slightly below the horizontal. Conventionally the light is partially blocked to create this distribution, but engineers instead use a mirror called a beam shaper to shift the light beam slightly above the horizontal (Fig 2b).
Through these and other measures, at least half of the total beam flux of the white LEDs is emitted from the headlights, which is dramatically higher than the efficiencies of HID or halogen headlights usually achieving only about a third. As a result,
power consumption is the same as the high-end HID headlights used in the Lexus LS460.
The service life of the white LEDs was also extended through innovations in handling heating. The LED headlight module had to fit into the same mounting space as the HID lights used in the LS460, which meant that only a limited volume was available to handle heat. First engineers improved the LED chips so that bond could withstand temperatures of 150*C. The chips are encapsulated on top with glass to minimize thermal degradation when in use. Compared to more commonly-used materials such as epoxy and silicone resins, this provides stable brightness for 8,000 hours of operation at a bond temperature of 115*C. Competing products are said to show a performance drop-off of at least 10% after only 5,000 hours.
To allow heat to escape from the white LED, headlight bodies are provided with radiation fins and heat pipes. Many LED headlight prototypes feature both fins and cooling fans to radiate heat, but the addition of a cooling fan requires a larger headlight module. The solution was to use a heat pipe full of distilled water, transferring the heat without the need for a cooling fan.