LED headlight bulbs

[odub 0]

Has anyone fitted led direct replacement headlight bulbs without an uprated headlight loom? I have an uprated loom already but would like to remove it and just run LED bulbs to clear the wiring etc

[fendervg 32]

Don't do it. Won't be street legal anyway.

[stuarttaylor37 13]

Don't do it. Won't be street legal anyway.

 

Why not,I thought it was the HID projector style that weren't mot compliant?

[fendervg 32]

The head light reflector is designed for incandescent bulbs, not LEDs. It will not work properly.

 

What's wrong with a decent updated loom and good standard bulbs? That's what I have and it is more than enough on dark winter nights on back roads provided the lights have been correctly aimed.

[stuarttaylor37 13]

The head light reflector is designed for incandescent bulbs, not LEDs. It will not work properly.

 

What's wrong with a decent updated loom and good standard bulbs? That's what I have and it is more than enough on dark winter nights on back roads provided the lights have been correctly aimed.

 

I agree that nightbreakers and a loom is more than enough. I was just unsure whether Led's were illegal

[odub 0]

just a general question as LED lights are becoming more and more common, even standard fitment on some new vehicles. Being the same shape and fitment as the standard bulbs, I don't see why the light pattern would change much. I have an uprated loom but was thinking that it would be neater without it in place and then to bring the light output up again, Led bulbs would be good as they require a far lower wattage

[fendervg 32]

It's up to you - but I would be of the opinion that you need headlamp units and projectors that are designed for LEDs (maybe some of the aftermarket units)- they are not just a simple retrofit like the ads would make you believe. Having said that, I haven't tried LEDs, so any feedback on this is welcome. It would be good to know.

[GlosterOx 0]

I'm guesing that LED Sidelight bulbs would be OK though?

 

Ian.

Edited August 18, 2016 by GlosterOx

[Thursdave 10]

just a general question as LED lights are becoming more and more common, even standard fitment on some new vehicles. Being the same shape and fitment as the standard bulbs, I don't see why the light pattern would change much. I have an uprated loom but was thinking that it would be neater without it in place and then to bring the light output up again, Led bulbs would be good as they require a far lower wattage

 

Standard fitment LED headlights aren't just the standard halogen headlamp units with LED bulbs in, they're specially designed for LED's, and usually use something close to TIR (Total Internal Reflection) in order to get the correct amount of light on the road. This is easiest to see on the Mk3 SEAT Leons - you can see that the full beam LED's actually point towards the rear of the car, then the reflectors in the headlamp bounce and shape the beam back towards the front.

[fendervg 32]

As above.

[odub 0]

that's good to know and kind of what I was getting at. I'm going to have a measure up and see if there is enough depth in the light unit to fit the bulbs and if so, i'll invest in some even if just out of curiousity

[Tigerfish 10]

I ran LED bulbs in mine for a while. They looked great, the colour temp was so much cleaner looking. As far as performance of the actual light output went, it was adequate, but nowhere near as good as the uprated loom and night breakers I usually run.

 

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[odub 0]

thanks for the pictures, which bulbs had you fitted?

[Tigerfish 10]

I'll dig out a link later as I can't get to my eBay history at the moment. They were about £30 for the pair, made in the USA. They were a tight fit!

[stuarttaylor37 13]

http://woodypeck.com/

This site had a feature on a set fitted to a Corrado