LED Headlights

[Timeless]

Most are color rated at 6000 K but some have 6500, 7000 or even higher. I think the higher numbers would look more blue.

They are. After 20 years of auto lighting experience I have seen the best balance of color and output at 5500-6000K. Anything past 6000K and output is less and more blue/purple.

[mr_maxime]

I know mine never really felt hot anymore. From my thread you can see that they are also way brighter than the hids which I had that were also brighter than stock.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I tested my Silver star currents low beam.

12.0 volts = 2.512 amps
12.5 volts = 2.568 amps
13.0 volts = 2.618 amps
13.5 volts = 2.673 amps
14.0 volts = 2.723 amps

So the Silver Stars run 38 watts and my LEDs run 20 watts.

Note LEDs run a switching regulator so LED power it about 85% of input power due to the regulator inefficiency.

High beam (this powers both high and low beam elements) which are connected internally in the bulb.

14.0 volts = 4.857 amps.

My mistake. I was using the same pin connections as the H4, so those currents were for the high beam. The low beam at 14.0 volts is 3.477 amps. So the low beam uses a higher power filament.

[Bitsyncmaster]

So now the way my car is wired in stock form the outer bulbs run the high beam elements when low beam is selected. Maybe I'm confused. Can someone else check this for me? Now the high beam seems to run the way the H4 socket with both elements on.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I just plugged the Silver Star back into the car and measured the current flowing through the black ground wire. Engine running (my car charges at 14.6 volts) I get 5.04 amps on low beam and 3.80 amps on high beam. Voltage on the light terminals was 13.2 volts so the car wiring drops 1.4 volts. Maybe I should rewire that front end with larger wire.

I bench tested that bulb wired like the car is wired and I get 4.71 amps and 3.37 amps at 13.2 volts. The slight error in currents from the car test must be my clamp on amp gauge error or voltage noise not in my bench test.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Well I wired the passenger side socket for the H4 LED. Note the ground wire looks about 14 AWG and the two light wires I think are the 19 AWG. The British wire is not the same size as US AWG, they go by stands of wire.

Just turning the lights on, light is defiantly more white than the Silver Star bulb. I will back the car out and get some comparison photos of the light shining on my garage door later this evening. The drivers side is still wired stock so low beam on that side still drives 5 amps (I think both high and low beams) when low beam is selected.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Here are two photos with the center two headlights taped over so they don't affect my high beam test. The photo with the two points of light is the low beam. The one with the pretty much same pattern is the high beam. So I think I can rotate the LED so the two points of light are the same height and I would have to adjust the aiming lower (is there no adjustment for height?)

I wonder if other LEDs have a better low beam pattern. I think the LEDs are brighter then the Silver Star bulbs but it may just be the whiter light from the LEDs.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Here is a photo with the first LED installed in the passenger side inner light. Drivers side still has the Silver Star. Note the Silver star draws 4.7 amps at 13.2 volts (about three times the LED). Outer bulbs taped over.

One bad thing with these new housings is the "standoff" is a little to short at 0.84" where as the Silver Stars are 0.94" and the light surround does not clamp the housing tight. So I need to hot glue a spacer on each stand off or you will get a rattle of the bulb when driving. I've seen a few other stock looking housings so you may want to try those but these were the least expensive.

I'm thinking my LED is causing the aiming to be a little high because this LED is a little offset from center. I guess with the new LEDs when I get them will not be offset since the four sided LEDs look centered.

[DMC-81]

Here is a photo with the first LED installed in the passenger side inner light. Drivers side still has the Silver Star. Note the Silver star draws 4.7 amps at 13.2 volts (about three times the LED). Outer bulbs taped over.

One bad thing with these new housings is the "standoff" is a little to short at 0.84" where as the Silver Stars are 0.94" and the light surround does not clamp the housing tight. So I need to hot glue a spacer on each stand off or you will get a rattle of the bulb when driving. I've seen a few other stock looking housings so you may want to try those but these were the least expensive.

I'm thinking my LED is causing the aiming to be a little high because this LED is a little offset from center. I guess with the new LEDs when I get them will not be offset since the four sided LEDs look centered.

That's a significantly lower amp draw. Cool. Speaking of cool, I wonder what the thermal (heat) difference is around/above the housings, i.e. would the LED version be more or less likely to cause heat deformation on the fascias?

[David T]

That's a significantly lower amp draw. Cool. Speaking of cool, I wonder what the thermal (heat) difference is around/above the housings, i.e. would the LED version be more or less likely to cause heat deformation on the fascias?

Just my guess but the problems with the front facia has nothing to do with any heat from the headlamps, rather, the main problem is from the sun. I believe that is what cause the deformation and the fading of the paint. As for current draw, anything you do that reduces the current draw can only help the headlight switch last longer. Especially for the running lights.