LED headlights?

freddyfender · May 7, 2009

Hey there.

I was on Mustangproject.com today and came across this ad. It is for an LED headlight for classic mustangs.

Can it be possible they have better range and illumination that the systems people use now? I know original bulbs suck and people have been converting to new modern replaceable bulb systems like reenmachine sells.

I just want to know if anyone has an idea about this LED style headlight.

Thanks

70grande · May 7, 2009

Well, LEDs have always been brighter and better than bulbs and they last far longer and draw far less current. I dont know if the difference is significant enough to increase horsepower like the ad claims thought. They will probably look really good at night, but I'm not really a fan of that star shape for the day time. They would be nice, but if they are really expensive, I would rather just grab some halogens.

ForceFed70 · May 7, 2009

HID would be a far better choice.

Cheaper, More energy efficient, and better light quality.

latamud · May 7, 2009

I saw those LEDs on the Humvees in Iraq a couple years ago. They are BRIGHT!.

tx65coupe · May 8, 2009

I think it looks weird. I wouldn't put it on my Mustang.

blown65 · May 8, 2009

ForceFed70 said:
HID would be a far better choice.

Cheaper, More energy efficient, and better light quality.

Wouldn't the LED's be more energy efficient?

Anyhow, I dont really care for them. Looks weird on a classic IMO. I can see it now, custom headlights with different color LED's, the new rice feature. heh

ForceFed70 · May 8, 2009

blown65 said:
Wouldn't the LED's be more energy efficient?

No, they wouldn't.

LED's really arn't that efficient. They are more efficient than incandescent lighting (traditional light bulb), but are less efficient than florescent lighting or HID (which is actually one of the most efficient light sources).

This is why you don't commonly see LED's used in household lighting.... florescent lighting is more efficient and cheaper to produce.

Having said that, there are companies that have been developing more efficient LED's that are starting to give the other technologies a run for their money... but these LED's are very expensive, arn't mass produced yet, and I really doubt they are being used in the headlights pictured above.

calpolymustang · May 8, 2009

I have a hard time believing that it would get any better range than a halogen or HID. Range would be a function of the lens design, not the light source. Perhaps they're claiming that brighter lights mean longer range, but halogens also come in brighter intensities. With LEDs, there is a lens in the epoxy its encapsulated in, and then any lensing in the glass housing. I would like to see a night shot of these lights shining down the road to support their claim of range. I find it hard for them to claim a better lens design than many of the modern halogen conversion lenses.

Efficiency? I'm not worried about my alternator having to supply another few watts for my halogen bulbs. As long as you arent overloading your wiring with too much current, and aren't blinding head-on traffic, halogens work fine. I dont see this as a sales point.

I designed and built Gallium-Nitride LEDs in grad-school, and am a big fan of LEDs in the right application, but this isnt one of them. However, I think LED brake lights are great because they turn on quickly and alert the driver behind you.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone seen a price on these?

ForceFed70, what makes you think that fluorescent bulbs are more efficient than LEDs? I agree for "cost per watt", but LEDs have better "lumin per watt" efficiency, which measures light output per watt.

wicked93gs · May 9, 2009

oh yay, yet another super-bright headlight to piss me off when I am driving home at night, making you wonder why I am flashing my lights at you even though you dont have your high beams on, come on, there are other people on the road, those other people dont like to go blind as they pass you, I hate HID headlights and think I might hate these more, if you need more light, use your high beams(which you can turn off) I vote for regular headlights any day of the week, add a relay to the headlight wiring and call it done

p.s. Sorry if I sound like an ass about it, but it really does piss me off to be driving down the road and have my night vision ruined by some dousche with HIDs that just thought they made his car look cool and doesnt think about other drivers, I personally dont understand why even HIDs are DOT legal, they shouldnt be, at least with standard headlights you can use regular low beams as you pass someone

p.s.s. if you live in the city and never drive at night in the country, the night vision thing isnt as big a deal

ForceFed70 · May 9, 2009

For all of those who can't believe that LED's really arn't that efficient, take a look at this webpage. They have a comparison chart: Lighting Efficiency Comparison

HID headlights use Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium technology depending on the color, manufacturer, etc.

DJCarbine · May 9, 2009

wicked93gs said:
oh yay, yet another super-bright headlight to piss me off when I am driving home at night, making you wonder why I am flashing my lights at you even though you dont have your high beams on, come on, there are other people on the road, those other people dont like to go blind as they pass you, I hate HID headlights and think I might hate these more, if you need more light, use your high beams(which you can turn off) I vote for regular headlights any day of the week, add a relay to the headlight wiring and call it done

I agree, you can drive in the city without headlights and still see plenty good.

Idiots are giving HID's a bad name because they swap out their normal halogen bulbs for HID's, and keep the OEM lens that is not made for HID housing. This causes unacceptable levels of scatter and can blind other drivers.

HID retrofits using a projector housing keep all the light BELOW the other drivers vision. The only way to swap in HID's into a car that came with halogen standard, is to get a new lens/housing or retrofit projectors in

Proper HID cutoff

Improper HID cutoff using a halogen housing

Notice the hotspots in the center, right in other drivers field of view.

Notice the clean cool cutoff of a proper HID projection lighting system. Even light output, safe.

Johnny ricer puts HID's in his halogen housings and yeah, it looks a ton brighter, but the usable light is less than a proper retrofitting, and I dare say dangerous and less efficient than halogen

calpolymustang · May 9, 2009

For newer "high-brightness" LEDs, 140-160 lumens per watt is not uncommon. The MGE chart may be a few years old, and likely refers to low-power LEDs. Modern electronic packaging allows for much better heat disipation, which in turn lets the LED run at higher power levels without overheating.

Platonic Solid · May 13, 2009

A few things to keep in mind:

1. In the US, an automotive lamp must be DOT approved or it is not legal for street use.
(I wonder what the legal liability is of a driver using "non-DOT" headlights - blinding an oncoming vehicle - resulting in a head-on collision... I don't think it's worth the risk to find out.)

2. Those high LED lumen per watt figures are measured at 77°F ambient with properly heat-sinked assemblies. Higher temps = decreased efficiency and life.

freddyfender · Jun 2, 2009

LED headlights discription and price.

Well the LED headlights are being advertised on Mustang Projects sight.
Mustang Project - Product Display

Below is their sales discription for these new style headlights. i think the price is going to scare people away from trying this. What are your thoughts????

Retail Price: $499.95
Our Price: $289.95

MP-LED-HD A worlds first!! Manufactured for Mustang Project by Truck-Lite. This new and exciting LED Headlamp innovation provides a new level of performance for 7” round forward lighting 12 volt applications, offering the extended life and energy efficiency of light emitting diode technology. Sold in singles -- buy two for a car one for a motorcycle etc. Fits any 12V applicaiton for a 7" headlight.

The translation of forward lighting to a 12 volt LED headlamp application means brighter, crisper and whiter light output than incandescent alternatives, while offering longer life and greater dependability that has since become standard for LED signaling and marking products. The 7” round LED Headlamps feature solid-state circuit board assemblies for unrivaled shock and vibration resistance and hard-coated polycarbonate lenses that offers 30 times more impact strength than glass. All of these key features work toward a desired goal among end user’s, achieving a maintenance free system.

Warranted for the life of your car by Mustang Project!

The US Military has acquired more than 100,000 Truck-Lite 24 volt 7” round LED Headlamps since the release in 2007 for use on both new and existing wheeled and tracked vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan. The LED Headlamps have also undergone extreme weather testing at military installations in Panama, Arizona and Alaska with exceptional results! From this success, the 12 volt version is being introduced.

The 7” round white LED Headlamps meet or exceed all applicable Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements pertaining to headlights, one of the most difficult standards to achieve. The new LED headlamps are designed to replace any standard 7-inch round headlight within 12 volt applications. They can be aimed using standard mechanical aiming equipment.

Made in the U.S.A., each headlamp uses ten high output LEDs as its light source, with a light output brighter than traditional glass beam headlights, which results in better visibility. The LED technology used in these Headlamps will offer improved visibility over conventional incandescent, as the color temperature of the assembly is around 5000K, far closer to sun light than incandescent or halogen lamps.

No new wiring is required at all you simply replace the lamps just as you would a regular normal. It just plugs in to the existing socket using the original bezel assembly and screws already on your car. Plug-n-play!

tx65coupe · Jun 3, 2009

I hate all these newer style lights anyway because they give off false colors.

StangDreamin' · Jun 3, 2009

I think I've seen those lights at Yuma Proving Grounds down here, just a few months ago. One early spring Saturday night about 830PM, I was coming back from the new GM test track on AZ95 - had been working on the phone stuff out there prior to the track opening - when I came upon a coupla Humvee's headed north; like out to one of the North Cibola test areas.

Their headlights were - weird. Bright white but not really glaring; and they didn't "show" like a Halogen/HID..... just a big white-filled 'dot' that, as I got closer, "resolved" into a tightly-packed bunch of smaller "dots". Kind of like the tailights on the newer Linc's and Caddies.
Since this was '12+ hour workday #4' (and was supposed to be my 1st day off in a week); I chalked it up to being tired and hungry, and I didn't think about it again 'til I saw this thread.

No idea how well the lights worked for the drivers - too busy concentrating on the road in front of me; it was that time of year when the wild burros start moving around a bit, and they don't really care about cars on the road they want to cross.

But, at least I know I wasn't imagining things.

LED headlights?

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