HID vs LED Headlight Bulbs: EXPLAINED
Hi Paul with diode dynamics, and today we're talking about HIDs, versus, LEDs, when it comes to upgrading your headlights now there's a lot of regulations, state-by-state today, we're talking about how these two different technologies actually work, and what you can expect to get in your vehicle now. That's the first big note to mention when it comes to bulbs, and headlights, it, all comes together to make one optical, system, so the results, in the beam pattern is gonna vary based, on your specific headlight, design but. There's a couple things we can talk about that, are going to give you an idea as to what to expect when, you're considering LEDs, or HIDs we. Start with the actual bulb itself the, most basic is our halogen that's going to be a wire, filaments, so, just a coil of wire that's going to be emitting the power you can see on the bottom of the bulb the voltage rating and everything the. Voltage is going to be going straight through that filament which acts as a resistor, and it's, going to emit light so very basic very. Tried and true when. It comes to HID, instead. Of a filament, we have a capsule, and right in the middle is where there's going to be an arc generated. So the, light is coming from an electrical, arc and that's what makes things a little tricky we're, always going to have a returned wire to, connect it from one, side down back to the base and these, are gonna run at about 45. Volts, usually, AC power. So much different than a 12 volt DC in the vehicle we, have to do some, special things to get power to, these effectively, when. It comes to our LED bulbs we're, always going to have emitting, points somewhere with different types of LEDs but, these are gonna vary hugely in the way they're designed and constructed some. Of them are gonna have internal, regulators, for the power to come in but, the LED chips themselves are, definitely, not going to run on 12 volts so, we need to regulate that power in some way so, as we mentioned the halogen bulb is just going to use 12 volts from the vehicle very straightforward. HIDs. On the other hand are going to operate with, an arc in that bulb now, that arc is not an easy thing to generate, and maintain so. We need something called a ballast, which is going to keep that running smoothly, through the bulb the. Ballast. You'll find on the market now are these slim, style ballasts, one thing you'll note with them is that on the output, side you'll always have a box of some sort and what. That is is the igniter, so. We have to get the right power going to the bulb but to get that arc started, we, basically have to spark across so these are gonna generate up to, 25,000. Volts 22. 23 kilovolts, usually, and that's.
Going To get that arc started, so the light can start to come out that's the main reason why these older ballasts are so thick if you put this together you'll see it's, basically the same size all. They've, done is move these igniters. External. And that way the ballasts itself can be smaller but. What's in the actual ballast well it's, not easy to keep that arc of light running so, these ballasts, are basically, little processors. Little little computers, and what they're going to do is they're, going to analyze, this arc as it's running now when. You ignite, that bulb to get it started, it'll, spark for a second and then it'll gradually warm, up and what, that is is it's actually monitoring. The resistance, of this arc and the. Ballast is delivering more and more power so. That this arc can get bigger and bigger this is the same way it, works in stadiums and that sort of thing so in stadium, lights they're way bigger arts so we can take 30 minutes after a stadium light comes on and it slowly gets, brighter and brighter in. HIDs. For vehicles here much, lower power much smaller arcs it can still take 10 to 30 seconds to get fully warmed up but. That's basically how the HID, system, comes together as you, can see there's way more going on to them than our standard halogen bulb and the. Fact that we need to use this micro. Processor. In here to really regulate that arc the, igniter to get this arc started, it's. All just a lot of parts, coming together and the. Problem is a lot of these aftermarket ones are built, to a cost so you can buy you, know these kits for two three dollars for the whole set you're, not gonna get good components, so, with, good components, they can work well but, there's, always a lot more that has to go into them so. How, does that compare to LEDs, well, with LEDs, we, simply have the LEDs on a stalk, here and then going to the base of the bulb and most. Of them are going to have these little boxes coming off but. These aren't what we refer to as a ballast a ballast really, monitors, the arc of a power and so we use that term for HIDs. Fluorescent, lights that sort of thing these are what we would call drivers. Or regulators, most. Commonly, they're just going to take here 12 or 13 volts on the vehicle and convert. It down to, nine volts or whatever. Voltage is required for, the LED, bulb design, LED.
Bulbs Do require constant, current, going to them instead of constant, voltage so. We have to use a constant, current supply so we'll actually make sure that about one, amp 1.2, amps, is traveling, through those, LEDs, very, uniformly, to, keep them very reliable, still. It's much simpler, than, the complexity. Of maintaining, an arc of power so, these are generally, much, simpler, much more reliable, over time, and much, less expensive, versus. A whole ballast. Now. What's the difference in how these actually turn on and operate, well, with HIDs as we talked about it, uses an arc that needs a spark on and then gradually. Turn on now, even if you find a special ballast that's advertised, as fast starting, or fast bright it's. Gonna take a couple seconds, after, that initial spark which is one reason they're, not too great for High Beam use where you want to use them as indicators, it's gonna take a couple seconds, for them to get to full brightness once. They do get to full brightness they're, going to maintain that brightness, level no matter how long they're on with. LEDs, they, will instantly, turn on which is a big, advantage, but. One, thing that most people don't talk about with LEDs is that, it's gonna be a hundred percent brightness, only. At the instant, they turn on when they're nice and cool as they. Heat up they're, going to reduce and brightness down to maybe eighty eighty-five, percent of that original level, and with. Really cheap bulbs that aren't well designed it might only be 50, or 60 percent so, it's important, to choose an LED bulb that's going to maintain the output, at a very high level with, good thermal. Performance we. Have another video on this where you can see on camera, the actual LED, brightness decreasing. Is pretty crazy but. Once, it that reaches that steady operating, temperature it will maintain, that output, very, nicely so, once these are running how are they going to work overtime or eventually, fail well with a halogen bulb you might think okay it's just gonna go, out after a while that's not quite the case halogen, bulbs are going to decrease an output over, their lifespan until, they finally go out this, is actually why if you go in the store and look at house and bulbs on the shelf they'll say 30%. More output they're, not saying that the bulbs themselves are brighter they're saying that they're brighter than your worn-out bulbs, in your vehicle they've actually been sued for this type of marketing, it's a little misleading all.
Bulbs, That are brand new halogen bulbs are going to be about the same output level, and you. Can improve, your output if you replace your, worn bulbs, that, applies to HIDs, to some degree as well so, with HIDs, assuming. You've got a good balance it should keep running forever but. The bulbs, the, actual electrodes, are going to actually wear down over time and they're gonna spread, out so. That it takes more power and there's more resistance in generating, that arc what. That'll do is decrease, the output drastically. And it, might color shift or fade it to a bluish type color so. There's, a lot of vehicles now with HIDs from the 2000s. And a, lot of people come to me asking well my HIDs aren't as bright as it used to be the best thing to do is just try new, bulbs because, if somehow, those bulbs are still running you know eventually the, arc won't be able to be maintained, and it might flicker keep, igniting, but, if that thing's still running it might be really dim in the bluish color and you can fix that with a new set of bulbs, with. LEDs, these, do also degrade over time now. A good LED that's, running at the correct operating, temperature, should, last for, decades, but. With high-power, LEDs if, they're running too hot or if there's too much power going through them they, will quickly, degrade. So, that the, output today, might. Be way more than the output three. Years from now after. A lot of use this, is a huge, factor, for cities. Buying street lights they can't have the light actually less, output only two, years later. They have to make sure 10-15, years 20, years down the road they're going to be getting the same amount of output this is something called lumen, maintenance and it's a big factor in LED, design. Unfortunately. The majority of the LED bulbs on the market are running way too hot, and they, will degrade after, only a couple months of use there's only a couple of good ones out there they're going to maintain a nice, cool, operation, for the chips so, that they'll maintain, the output, for years and years of use so, we talked about how light is emitted now what determines the color of that light well, with HIDs, it's going to be determined by the halide, salt mixture, in the capsule, itself that's that yellow stuff if you look at an HID, bulb this will evaporate and actually. Allow. That arc to be generated, inside of it and that's going to determine the wavelengths. Of color, that are generated, by this archetype. Bulb running just, like fluorescent bulbs, HID. Bulbs are going to generate spikes, of color, and we'll put something up to show that the. Color. Is generated, are going to be a lot of UV. Light as well and that's why we have this second, tube around, it so, you might have heard how. The. Bluer an HID, bulb is the less real output you get and there's definitely truth to that because as you shift more towards blue you, also put more of the energy into, that ultraviolet. Wavelength, that's just going to get blocked and of course is not visible so, to get the most out put you. Want to use a nice pure, white color with HIDs i'd recommend no, higher than 6,000, K now. With LEDs, we. Only have one, choice unlike, HIDs where we had all the colors under the Sun we, only really have one choice of color with most LED bulbs, normally. It's going to be around 6000, K and that's just because that's, where the LED chips are produced, if you look at a factory, vehicle on the road om, LEDs are just, always made at that 6000, K level now, with cheaper LEDs you, might notice, that these blue, or chips or something and that's because with, the way LEDs, are manufactured. It's, actually more expensive, and less, efficient, the more and more white we get them so that's why all the, first LEDs in the, early you, know later later 2000s were a really bluish light and nowadays, we can finally get warm white LEDs everywhere, it just, takes more materials, and it's, harder to get a lot of output with a warm white color versus, cool light so still, with, cheaper LED bulbs that don't use automotive, chips you might get really bluish color output, even, with Cree LEDs these. Are gonna be well controlled they're not automotive, so there might be more variation, and of course this co, B type these, are basically custom made and those, are usually going to be really poor, in color performance if, you get good bulbs with automotive.
Style LED, chips on them you should have great color uniformity, over, the life of the bulb so, with the light that we're generating what's gonna determine the total output, or the intensity, of that light and where. It's shining from well, if you look at our halogen once again we know it's based around that filament coil it's, a very specific, amount of lumens or total, output that has to come out of a halogen bulb when. We compare that to hid, the. HID is gonna generate nominally. About 3200. Lumens, for a good 35. Watt bulb and that's one important, thing for. Our cheaper. Ballasts, they're just not going to output 35. Watts to the bulbs so you might only have 2000. 2500, lumens with. A good HID we're, gonna have thirty-two hundred lumens, coming, from this art and. We can see the arc has been designed to sit exactly, where that filament is the. Problem, with this is that the arc is still a little, bit taller and a little bit wider than that filament, so it's, not exactly in focus but it is centered, where it's supposed to be the. Main issue when, it comes to output, performance of HIDs and glare. Is that there's way more output. So 3200. Lumens, compared, to usually, about fifteen, hundred lumens, here W, output from the same point a little bit bigger means, much, more light that, your headlamp, might not be able to gather collect, and focus. Properly, now. When it comes to LEDs the. Big issue is that there's just a huge amount of variance so if we look at a, cheaper. Style of LED, here we, can see it uses the co B type chip. So. This is a much bigger omitting, area here compared, to our filament, and it. Might only be about 1200, lumens so. The output isn't higher and it's, out of focus which, is basically, horrible. In both cases, so, with, this something like this we're, just going to end up with something that's a blob of light on the wall and dimmer. Than, your original halogen, so, with LEDs we need to fix that by at least using chips, that, are designed to be the exact same size and intensity as that, filament. In the halogen bulb so, here we have nice.
Zes, LEDs, they're, designed to be the same size as this filament and we're. Going to make sure that this bulb is running, with high enough power to match, or exceed the output of the, halogen bulb so here with, a diode dynamics sl1 we get a true measured. 1700. Lumens of output and the. Halogen, with about 1500, lumens means we're going to get increased, output with, the same nice focus, now. The last thing I'll mention with LED, output is that you'll see ratings, of 10,000. Lumen LED is 5,000, lumen LEDs is it, one bulb is it two bulbs they don't really say and that's, one thing to be very wary of when it comes to output. Performance ratings, these. Bulb manufacturers. Very rarely, actually. Measure the, output of the bulb they'll just look at the chips on them and basically, give it a guesstimate, on what. That you can expect it's, very, very rare to see any LED bulb actually, outputting. More than about 1600. 1700. Lumens. There. Are some that are brighter but normally they're going to use bigger chips on them than two in order to get the heat out of those chips, so you, might find things that are brighter but, they're, not going to be focused meaning, that brightness doesn't, matter but, just be very wary when you see ratings, from people and ask did they actually measure it we're, fortunate to have facilities, here where we can actually put, these in something called an integrating, sphere and measure, that output so, we know what the true output of the LEDs the HIDs and the halogen really, is if someone's not measuring it then. Guesses, or recommendations. From the manufacturer, and most, cases is just marketing. Info and not correct now. I've looked at all this information on the, differences, of the technology, itself but how is it going to actually apply to your vehicle now as we mentioned the focal point and the geometry and the design of your headlamp is going to play a major factor but, another big factor is the electrical, system on your vehicle so, especially on newer vehicles, all the electronics, are powered through the BCM, or body control, module of the vehicle not, kuru just our relay in a fuse and that means they might have a flickering, signal, they might be monitoring. The power of going to the, bulb in most, cases that's really helpful for a halogen bulb we can actually sense, when the coil is breaking down and the vehicle can know when, the bulb is going to be out soon just because there's more and more resistance, as that, filament breaks down so, it's great but when we look at putting HID or LED into that it might not work perfectly. Now, HID, uses, a lot of power when it starts up it's because that ignition, that we mentioned it might draw in 7, 8 10 amps of power right. When it starts up and that alone can cause some issues especially. On older vehicles for, that reason you'll see relays, used a lot to basically add new, wiring to deliver enough, power straight, from the battery for, the HID system, there's. Not really that problem with LEDs because, we're only going to be drawing maybe 2030. Watts at most and we don't have that spike, of power going into them that's the big key so. We don't really need to worry about bulking. Up or beefing up our wiring on the vehicle but with.
Both Of these systems the. Other half is that monitoring, or the flickering, signal, so, with HIDs some, of them now have built in big, warning, cancel, errs or error, counsellors you might see they'll. Be called can bus very. Commonly, and all. This is basically, going to smooth. Out that power signal, before, it goes to the hid even. With this sometimes. That initial. Surge, of power might be too much and it might trip up the vehicle system there's, most common all of Dodge vehicles, these days where it can be really, tricky so, you can buy an extra little adapt, ters canvas adaptors they're called to fix that again, it just gets more complicated, with HIDs but, if you find something that's designed for your vehicle that's. What you know should work with, LEDs you, might still need that from time to time most, commonly, with flickering, signals, so if the vehicle is sending a flickering signal to the bulb you still need to add an extra adapter of some sort to smooth that out again. Check. It out for your vehicle but, in most cases it's not going to be quite as complicated as what you need to do for HID setups now, finally let's see how these really compare in a couple headlights now as I mentioned it really, depends on your specific vehicle and, headlight design to. Determine, the best choice for you but there are two major differences in elegent headlamps, the, first design you'll see is reflector, and that is when we have a light source that then shines into a bunch of mirrors just. Bouncing, once into, the road that's, very common, it's the cheapest, type of headlight to produce but these days with, advanced computer, design we can get really nice output patterns, the. Other type of headlamp is known as a projector, headlamps and that uses a lens we, actually have just a projector, right here so you'll see the lens on the front of it but, inside, we put our bulb, and then there's a bowl around it this is going to be a parabolic. Reflector and, it's, gonna function to essentially collect, as much light as possible and, shine, it forward into the lens to be distributed, so as you'll see we, can more effectively collect. More of the light with a design like this and let's. Check out now how these compare, with, LED, and hid installed, in each alright we've got our Dodge Ram headlight here this is a reflector, style headlight as you can see with the nice mirrored, surfaces, in here now, for these tests we're gonna be using a lux meter and just showing you the peak intensity, but we're gonna look at the whole beam pattern as well we're, gonna keep our camera setting, solid.
Just Set to the same level so you can get a nice comparison. So we've, got our halogen to start here when, we turn this on we, can see we've got a nice hot spot in the middle and width on both sides the maxx Lux that we've measured from this distance, is eleven, hundred and nine now. I switched over to the hid and when I light this up you can see how long this is gonna take to startup so of course some, bouts are going to take longer than others where we can see the effect of that here now as it warms up it's going to shift from a bluish up to a whitish, color as well so, we'll let this get up to full, operating, brightness and then, we'll measure the lux here too so. Now it's fully bright and we measured it and we got fifteen, hundred and eighty lux, so that's a big improvement from our halogen reading but, the problem is we have more light everywhere. Now and that includes extra, glare above. Our cutoff pattern, so, with reflectors, there's just no real good way of controlling, that extra glare because, we don't have any type of shield, like we'll see in the projector, so, reflectors. With HIDs we have to be very careful, because not. Only are, we shining more light in the hot spot, we, are also, shining more light above, it and creating, glare for other drivers now, let's take a look at the LED next. We have our creel, ad installed, and these, aren't even the worst type of bulbs like the CoV but. They're so out of focus still with that bigger cree LED on it in this, case you can see we don't have any hot spot anymore it's really just blurry and just out-of-focus. So, on this we only have 840, Lux which is a big, downgrade, from halogen, so, when it comes to LED bulbs the first step is you want to make sure you're getting a good LED, bulb that's focused next, we're going to be doing the diode dynamics sl1 and we'll, see how this performs, so. When we light this up you can see immediately a huge, difference, in the quality of, these two different LED bulbs this, is the diode dynamics sl1 which is using nice high intensity, chips arranged. Perfectly with a really good focus and the result is clear we have a nice strong, hot spot and that hot spot is actually sixteen, hundred and sixty lux which, is higher than the hid, in this headlight and that was a good hid of course it's a thirty five watt HID if we go to a higher power hid, like fifty five watt we. Might get more output from the hid but. Again, with that hid will get more glare in this, case because the LED is so well focused, we get a huge increase in output without added. Glare like the hid so. In most newer reflector, housings, the LED. Design-led. Is going, to be your best bet so now I've got our projector, headlight here and when, we flip this on you can see big difference, from reflector. To projector, headlights in the way the beam pattern looks mainly, because we've got a cut-off shield that's gonna block any light from, going over that cutoff line with. Our halogen bulb installed here you can see we've got a nice very, even, pattern there's no real strong hotspot, but there is a hot center, point in this projector pattern and from. That we are getting, 760, Lux with our measurement, here now, let's go to hid and see how it looks all. Right we're gonna flip on our hid and you can see again, it's gonna take a couple seconds to get up to full brightness you. Can see we maintain, the nice beam pattern the, projector, is really going to maintain the overall cutoff, no matter what we put in it so the, next thing we have to look at is how, intense the whole pattern is and with, an HID installed, you can see really. Nice pattern as we get a full brightness here and we have 800 lux totals so 10. 15 % brighter than that original halogen, bulb we maintain the whole pattern pretty nicely with, this set up now let's try out our LEDs starting.
With That crease tile LED with a bigger chip when we turn this on you can see yes we have a cut-off but there's no hotspot, at all anymore and when, we measure it we only get 280. Lux so that's, half, the output from that original halogen, these, bulbs are huge downgrade. So again for, the LED bulbs it really depends on the quality of the LED bulb let's put in a good one our dive dynamics sl1, and see how it does so. When, we have an LED installed, on this headlight with good focus, you can see our hotspot, returns, and on, this one we have 780. Lux which is a slight upgrade from our halogen performance, of course with, the LED will get much more lifespan, and the, modern color as well compared, to halogen this, is gonna really vary based on your projector good. Projectors, are gonna have really high Lux with halogens, so this, one is a honda they have decent projectors, Subaru's, not nearly as good but. In many cases HID, might, be a better choice in some, projectors, as LED. Continues, to catch up so what, you can expect for projector headlights is that LED bulbs will be, slight upgrade from halogen, with, all the features of LED, HID. It's, a complex, system but it, might give you better performance in projectors, as we, said for reflectors, LED, is the absolute, best choice because of the better focus, so. As you can see there's a lot of factors to consider when, choosing LED, or HID, especially. Depending on which type of headlamp, you have and the, quality of the design of your headlamp, or, just. The convenience, and lifespan. That you're looking for for your solution you. Can find more information at dire dynamics calm or feel, free to contact us thanks, for watching.
2019-06-22 16:21
Ordered the stage series bars. Can't wait to try them! You guys need to do a review on the stage series bars like this video!
I use the SL1's and all of your other interior led bulbs on my Camaro. Quality products top to bottom, for reals. The best! Thanks for also taking us to school with this video!
Thanks so much for your feedback and continued support!
Great honest information, thanks
Awesome video!
Extremely informative---thanks.
What a great informative video, thanks!
So, to install led lamps, no need any additional installations? Only change factory lamp to diode dynamics?
Hello! Yes, our SL1 LED Headlight bulbs are plug and play replacements for most Low Beam and High beam applications. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
Very well made and informative video!
This is why I get all my LED's form my cars from DD. I'm lucky you guys are close so it get here super fast and the quality is always top notch. Just got a new Subaru that has Halogen VS my previous one that had HID's. I've been waiting DD to have a good LED alternative.
Very informative except the comparison would be easier to illustrate if you dumped the Honda projector and compared a Ram projector to a Ram reflector.
Hi Joseph! We appreciate the feedback, and will be sure to pass that along to our media team!
If I put a set oh SL1's in my 2018 ram reflector style headlight, since I have the DRL turned on will it cause any issues with the LED? DRL in the rams is a lower power output, not sure on the actual voltage, but know it's not full power.
@Moose81 Thanks for your support!
Awesome, I'll be ordering soon
Hi there! That's a great question. While the included Anti-Flicker Modules will prevent any errors or "bulb out" warnings, the SL1 will operate at full brightness any time it's on.
I've spent hundreds of dollars and countless hours scouring online forums figuring out what works best for headlight upgrades over the past several years. This video pretty much sums up and confirms what I've discovered, but in only 25 minutes. I really appreciate how DD presents facts between systems right up until the end when they start naming and promoting their LED solution. No matter, as in my case LED's are the way to go at the end of the day. These guys need to do a head to head with their SL1 LED and TRS's Morimoto 2Stroke to see who's best. From my research those are the two heavyweight contenders for our Joe-public hard earned dollars. I still need to upgrade the high beams on my 2014 Mazda 6 - whose product should I buy next???
Do you have *L.E.D.s* for my *2019 Tucson* yet? [begging on my knees...] Also, you really didn't focus too much about high-beam usage??? How come? Don't I want them in my high beams as well?
Hi Peter! Please go ahead and give us a call at 314-205-3033 Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com, and our service team will be happy to see which of our LED upgrades are compatible with your Tucson! And great question! We focused on low beam output for this particular video because the majority of night time driving is done with low beams alone. However, we definitely recommend a quality LED bulb for high beams as well!
Always use led bulbs for high beam. The warm up time for HIDs is just a killer when you’re driving at night. Unless you have Bi-halogen (dual hi-low halogen projectors) in that case I’d go with hid.
Hi Jeff, thank you for the feedback! We will definitely pass that along to our media team. If we hear anything from them about upcoming comparison testing, we'll be sure to share!
Thank you!!!
Thanks for your support, Pete!
Quality HID are still king. At least in the aftermarket..
@Jason M Fairly reliable and cheap yeah, but I have flashlights from walmart that are brighter than a lot of stock halogen headlights lol.
wantsanewvehicle Halogen is really the king. Reliable and cheap
@Jason M I live in rural pennsylvania, so I like to be able to see. Whitetail deer are every where and I swear they are actually trying to get hit.
has anyone heard of GTR lighting? Sorta pricey but ive seen other reviews on other YouTube channels.
I purchased a set of your bulbs almost a year ago from headlight evolution for 2014 impala. The LEDs are growing dim and spotted.
very helpful video, thanks
You should test a Subaru housing.
Whats a really good led bulb for my brights, i still like h.i.d's 8000k
Sometimes cheap is boring..
Hell yea...
Big thanks to this guy talking us through these differences. Best comparison vid on YouTube!
Thank you for all these precious informations ❤️
We are very sorry to hear about that! Just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com so our Service Team can get this resolved for you!
Hey there! Just search your vehicle on our website to see the replacement options that we have to offer. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
@Diode Dynamics Hehe - why are you too *chicken* to say that you *still* do not have a low beam in *H7* /cry And no *ETA* either as of this writing... Honestly, I am not trying to throw shade here! I want to give you all my money! High Beams! Low beams! Fog lights! C'mon guys, what's the hold up???
Dude seriously looks like Tom Brady. Doubt he made $70mil for this video though.
Thanks for the kind words, James!!
We will definitely pass that request along to our media team!
@Peter Crockett Thanks for your patience! We are in the development stages of an H7 LED replacement option currently. Once we have a firm release date, we will relay that information on our social media pages and through our monthly newsletter. The H7 collar and plug are difficult to replicate, so that's why they will take a little longer to get to market than the other sizes we currently offer. For now, H7 HID Kits are the only replacement option we offer for that bulb size. If you need anything else in the meantime, just let us know!
Excellent video! Thanks!
Can/should I swap my HID bulbs/lamps to LED?
Very much informative. Thanks
HEY JUDE! Thanks so much for your feedback, we will pass that message along for you.
My car came with HIDs from factory, but with a reflector, and mine go from blue to white, to an almost yellowish tint when they warm up
Hey David! Just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com for information on replacement options for your vehicle!
Hey there! You should definitely switch to LEDs if you have after-market HIDs in a reflector housing. If you have an OEM HID setup though, you'll need to stick with that type of bulb. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
Great informative video. I have a 2019 Hyundai Sonata sel with projector headlights. I was thinking of upgrading to LED or any other type of bulb for a bigger output. Based off the video it seems like led was a good option but depending on the make of the car. For this type of car what do you think would be a good upgrade from stock? A good LED or switching to HID. Prior to this video I was convinced not to go down the LED route because some studies have shown that the main reason they’re brighter is because they scatter more light so they look brighter but their performance is not as good as a regular stock halogen
Hey Alex! You could go with an HID conversion kit for those projector housings if you want the most noticeable increase in brightness. If you prefer something that will last longer, try out our SL1 Headlight LEDs. They are still a big upgrade in output, and they are much easier to install. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
I won't use anything but GTR. I have GTR HID 5000k headlights in my pickup. So much better than my stock halogens. Pricey, but I want quality when it comes to headlights.
I feel asleep to him. Very informative not super easy to digest
Smart dude
Love my DiodeDynamics SL1's in my 2016 Charger. Thanks for the R&D guys, beauty products!
Very informative video on a subject I had no clue about. What I've garnered from watching this is that I will leave my cars lighting exactly the way it came from the factory.
Sorry, but no halogen automotive bulb puts out 1500 lumens. Even aftermarket halogens produce about 800 lumens at best. This is still a very informative video
@Jason M I use HID in my projectors and I haven't changed the capsule in eight years. Good HID's are very reliable, but more expensive and worlds brighter than halogen
Nice!! I would love to try this on my car and make new content for my channel. Thanks for sharing.
You might check your numbers again - almost all headlamp bulbs produce 1200-1600 lumens depending on type and test voltage. H11 is 1350 lm ±10% @ 13.2V, for example. Reference: page 52 of ECE Regulation 37 http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/R037r7e.pdf
I'm glad you woke up again to comment!
Thanks!!
@jason m which hid are you saying are reliable?
Jason M Reliable he says. Replaced 4-5 bulbs a year in my Subaru. Did an hid projector retrofit. Twice as bright. Haven’t changed a bulb in 6 years.
Are you related to engineering explained? Thanks for the nap.
@Diode Dynamics Zing!
Can you compare your bulbs to morimoto bulbs?
Hi Kenyon, thank you for the feedback! We will definitely pass that along to our media team. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
This is really educational. Thanks heaps for taking the time to discuss all the different scenarios and display examples of each. Much appreciated
This dude really knows his stuff, am impressed.
Alternate Universe Tom Brady...
Thanks for that feedback! If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
I love the HID light bulbs you can see the police alot Sooner !
Are you willing to test our headlight for free?
Thank you for all the in depth info. I have a 2012 Camry se I think a projector headlight. I think i'll stick with halogens. Money is more important to me than minimal improvement.
LEDs today are still purely designed they don't get enough cooling and they don't last as long as they should
excellent professional presentation. I guess I'll stay with my OEM solution for now.
this guy has like 10 wrenches on his slat wall, a ford shitstang grille, some tires strewn about, and a parts caddy... WOW, HE REALLY MUST BE AN EXPERT!!!!
oh, and a wally-world toolbox, and wire rolls (is that cat-5?? lol)
My LED philips lumiled ZES lasted about 2,5 years..
My HID headlights (Xenon) lasted 11 years. The other one is still going and still is bright as the new one.
Is LED overheating exclusively caused by design or could it be voltage? For example what if a half volt resistor or even less was tacked onto an LED?
Great questions! Both of those things are definitely contributing factors to premature failures. Without a reliable inline driver, voltage spikes can easily cause LED chip failures. We use a boost-mode circuit for our SL1 LED bulbs, which prevents thermal imbalances for the LED chips over time, so you won't experience those types of failures. The SL1 also has current-monitoring circuitry that mimics the electrical characteristics of a stock halogen bulb, so dash warnings should not occur after installation and resistors or capacitors should not be required. We do offer plug-and-play CANBUS Anti-Flicker Modules that can be used inline with our SL1 LEDs for pickier electrical systems though. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
Hello, this is Emma, the sales manager from Raych Auto Lighting Company. We are a manufacturer from China and we specialized in off road led light bars/led headlight/hid xenon kit for almost 10 years. Now we are looking for wholesalers and dealers. My whatsapp: +86 17820549917
These LEDs are way too bright to be at the eye level of drivers. Especially on the highways. States need to crack down on the maximum allowed brightness and issue tickets to vehicles that can blind people on the road.
I would like to see the SL1 vs GTR lighting gen 3 vs Stedi LED Lighting. See whos got better thermals and what not
Are the SL1 led available for the 2019 VW Tiguan sel r-line?
The only thing I care about is which one most quickly irrecoverably burns out the retinas of drivers in the opposing lane?
wish i found this video before buying my car's LED spotlight..thanks for the video!
No problem! If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
@Diode Dynamics Boost? What are you boosting up to? The ideal config would be 2 groups of 3 leds in series. zes max foward voltage is 3.2V (2.8V nominal) giving a total foward voltage of 9.6V max (8.4V norminal) @ 1200mA -1500mA. This needs a buck converter. I also like how you make out that a phosphore coating is so expensive to change, when there is no change in price from 2700K to 5700K. Cheap companies ues the reject batches of phosphore coatings with sub par wavelengths uv/blue leds which is why they are so bad. But Philips is the second best LED manufacture behind Fluence.
@joshweaver38 it's a stand off
bLu They can also see you a lot sooner!
how good or bad are LASFIT LEDS, i have them in a 2017 civic hatch and gmc terrain both with projectors lenses and mine seem super bright compared to factories, entire roads lite up and with fogs n reg beams on i get flashed alot thinking my high beams are on
How would these LED bulbs perform inToyota Camry halogen projectors?
So what type led do you recommend for my 2009 Chevy Silverado 1500 WT?
What would you recommend for a motorcycle (2001 Suzuki gxsr)?
Hey Caleb! We share your concern and that is the main reason we started making these instructional videos. You need to make sure that you are using the right type of replacement bulbs for your headlamps, and ensure that they are aimed/seated properly after installation to avoid that glare that everyone hates so much. Check out our video below for more information about that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb_AupXBhac If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
Thanks for the request! We'll pass it along and see what our team can do.
Hey there! It looks like that might be an H7 bulb size, which we do not have available for the SL1 at this time, unfortunately. We do offer Universal HID conversion kits for that size though. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
excellent professional presentation. I guess I'll stay with my Acura HID solution for now.
@Diode Dynamics Maybe he meant a singular bulb and you guys were referring to a pair?
Lots of info
I just drive during the day. Awesome info btw
What a gem of a vid.. alot of good info.
Do you guys not offer a h1 led kit? Didn’t see it on the site.
Subscribed Bro ...
Very informative. Wonderfully presented. Thank you
Excellent information and comparison.
Toyota already uses LED. They work great. But you will need an LED that's at least $50 to not cause glare and to have enough "throw" to see ahead.
Try a flare gun; you can reach out and touch then at 130mph of net speed.
Jimmy De'Souza lmfao
You may want to look at hid. Co. UK as they do hid s with a coating for reflecter headlights, I had some on mine and they were brilliant
What is the song in the beginning?
hid's
Hid
Piss take. U tight arse
Chinese are starting to sell spotlights with 200 watt HIDs in them. does anybody know if there are such HIDs? Cuz nowhere where on the market I could find them.
HID projectors with high flap in my Silverado and Camaro. Then LED in the stock high spot to match the color, but you can unplug the LED and not know it's missing as the light output is just nothing next to the HID.
45 watts not volts
D3 and D4 HID bulbs operate with 42-45 volts at 35 watts, as defined in UN Regulation No. 99. Page 26 of this document. https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/r099r2e.pdf
The sun gets the job done too!
We do not - H1 is an extremely small, high-power bulb, so it's difficult to design a reliable solution that isn't a drastic decrease in power from the original halogen.
Thanks for watching, John!
Check out our video on LED focus - it's possible you have a bulb that isn't well-designed for optical performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGmoDtdNqIk
Hey Joshua! Unfortunately, we haven't done testing on the Camry Halogen projector headlights just yet, but you can expect roughly a 30%-70% of light in focus at the primary hotspot. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
Hey Tracey! For reflector-style housings, we highly recommend our SL1 LED headlight bulbs since they will not cause glare to on-coming traffic like an HID kit would in that type of housing. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
Hey there! If you can fit one of our SL1 LED headlight bulbs inside of that reflector-housing, that would be the best option. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
@Manuel Nuñez thanks!
Might I suggest some Alla Lighting 10,000 lumen headlights in a reflective assembly? Works like a charm.
@Liam Cooper I don't have all of that information at hand, but if you email us at contact@diodedynamics.com, we can get more information from our engineering team for you!
Not everyone is a dumbfuck like you bro.
LoL, I always wondered when the package says 30% brighter and has the same watts as some of the other ones. Back when I bought these bulbs, I bought the ones that had the highest wattage. In one vehicle I changed the harness to except the higher wattage bulb.
Yep. A little misleading! Some are slightly more than others, but all of them, by regulation, have to be a certain output level. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/consumers-who-bought-sylvania-automotive-lighting-could-get-money-from-a-30-million-settlement-273557191.html
A 35W HID bulb can be driven at higher power levels, but will wear out extremely quickly. It's possible that they are just using standard bulbs. Though I would hope they have some kind of customized, larger HID bulb.
Can we get an H13 LED please?
diode dynamics only makes bulbs for Japanese cars? That's too bad.
Super well done video
@Garnet Suss , we do have a great network of installers all over the world! I have included a link to that map below. https://www.diodedynamics.com/find-a-dealer
@Diode Dynamics unfortunately I just bought a Morimoto/Hylux kit from a local TRS dealer. If I weren't a stickler about trying to support local shops I may have placed an order with you! Do you have any dealers in Winnipeg?
Thanks for the support Garnet!
ooh I see! Wow thanks for answering with that insight!
Well some of it. The LED stuff gets abit fuzzy.
That is a size that our engineering team is currently working on! Stay tuned into social media for any new product releases!
@Diode Dynamics Sorry. Liked your video and want to buy but can't seem to navigate around your site. I'm looking for a set of Led headlight bulbs for a 92 Ford Mustang. Can you direct me?
Not true! We have many different options for Ford, GMC, Chrylser, etc as well on the website!
This answers a lot of my questions! Thank you for the great video!
@D Evans, shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com and we would be happy to look into this further for you!
I want to buy led but what’s a good name brand
I just junked the Low Beam HID system for my Lexus IS300 Headlights. I replaced the bulbs with "Sylvania 9006 LED Bulbs" bypassed and threw away the "Ballasts" The feed for the 'Ballast"was connected directly to the connector pigtail provided with the LED Bulbs and an after market connector. Initial results are excellent.
Use fastbright and good quality hid also 4300k color temp bulb.
So this is more of a comparison of style of headlamps.
What about hids burning projector headlamps. Most projector headlamps aren't built for hid. Unless it's an actual hid oem projector headlamp
I've got the SL1 in my 2014 Silverado LT Z71. They work great. I aimed them down a little so they don't shoot out to far. If they shoot out to far that equals glare to on coming traffic. Make sure they are aimed right. They do have a very good cut off.
I purchased led bulbs with anti flicker adapters and the headlight will just turn off. I contacted the company and they said I needed to disable my drl's. Car is a 2015 300c. Question is should i just return the bulbs as the could be an issue, or should I disable my drl's (don't really want to)
Hey man where are you located? I trust you with my LED lights installation.
THE BEST OPTION WOULD BE HID, CHEERS
We are based out of St. Louis, Missouri, however we do not perform any installations. Take a look at our dealer locator map to find the installer closest to you - thanks for the support!
The purpose of the video is really just to help educate, as there is a lot of different lighting options, and equal amounts of mis-information out there.
When utilizing an HID conversion kit in the low beams on any projector style housing, you are limiting glare to oncoming traffic. When utilizing a 35W kit, there will not be any damage to a "halogen projector".
Glad to hear that you are happy with your SL1s!
Hello! Please shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com and we would be happy to look into this further for you - thanks!
Head on over to our website at at www.diodedynamics.com for some great LED replacement options!
You are very welcome - thanks for the support!
Not true with our SL1! Feel free to give ours a try, we think you'll be happily surprised with how bright and how long these will last!
Recommendation for led upgrade for 2011 f150? The h13 halogens just seem to be not as efficient as other vehicle's headlights on the road. Also can you do the same type of video but on fog lights? Thanks
Put a set in my 2019 Subaru Impreza Sport last night, low beams for now. Wow, nice improvement. I like the white light, not blue tinted at all. Good cut off in my reflector style housing. Install was not too difficult. I've submitted pics on your site. Now I need to do the Hi Beams, they literally pale in comparison to the low :) Thanks guys, always good stuff. ~peaty
One video, all the answers. I thank you
Those error cancelers are just filter capacitors to boost the output without allowing the current to spike. :)
HIDs are also known as negative resistance bulbs. They will pull as much current as possible for as long as possible. That’s is also the usage for the ballast to limit the current. Over time, that wider arc gap pulls even more current than the ballast is rated for so it tends to kill electrical stuff if neglected over time.
Probably going to have to switch my Durango from my recently installed LEDs to HIDs. Got good quality LEDs and they just arent quite bright enough. They are almost as good as factory halogen. The color is phenomenal but the total light output is just not up to par. Ready to get some HIDs. Seen several videos where they are far superior in Durango Projectors
For the H13 size, we do only offer HID conversion kits at this time. We are working on an LED for this size, however it is still in the development stage. In regards to fog lights, we do offer the same style bulbs for these locations. Head on over to our website under the "Choose Your Vehicle" section to see all of the options available there!
Thanks Pete!
@Diode Dynamics Another possibility is using bulbs from non automotive sources. spotlights being quite a bit bigger than typical headlamps maybe they are using the bulbs designed for video projectors or DLP rear projection TVs.
@David Kearns, this is certainly something we do explore on a regular basis! Our engineering team is always evaluating new chip sets that come to market to see if they would be acceptable for future products!
Great informative video. Question...I have a 2013 Kia Optima SX-L Turbocharged. I changed out my HID bulbs because I noticed one headlight was not as bright as the other. After changing both sides with new bulbs I still see the same problem. Could it be the OEM ballast? Thanks.
An excellent orator for a change. He speaks properly and clearly. Most informative, thank you.
Shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com with some more vehicle information and we can look into this further for you!
@Jerry Miller lick my frenulum
I had leds in my 99 Silverado but only for high beam it was drawing more power to the leds and it would make my low beam halogen glow yellow like it wasn’t getting enough power to the halogen bulb
Diode Dynamics I was using factory 9006 low beam with cheap led like the grey ones you had in this video it was like it was pulling more power then the leds needed and when I switched them out did factory high beams with led low beams it was the same
Hello! Feel free to send us an email with some more specifics about your issue (bulbs used, OEM bulb size, etc), and we would be happy to try and point you in the right direction of a better solution. We can be reached at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com - thanks!
Thanks for the support - we appreciate it!
They don’t offer that LED in H7
Very good!
Diode Dynamics will do once I get the money
@Marcus Tucker, feel free to give our 9006 SL1 a try - we think you'll be happily surprised!
Seems good
my halogen flickers but only when i play loud low bass
While we do not currently offer the SL1 in the H7 size, that is certainly something we are working on and hope to offer in the future!
Damn I own a Subaru. Type to throw the car away.
GREAT video, and amazing accurate information! i ended up watching every second
Glad to hear that you liked the video! Thanks for the continued support!
You said it creating glitter for other drivers it'll be a matter of time before the insurance companies I'll get sick of paying the amount of accidents these lights are causing you just need simple headlights I don't need lights that are 10 times brighter than the sun . Then you spend a hit the high beams.. and I'm blinded for a week...
Does diodedynamics have bulbs for 2006 Suzuki GSXR 1000 motorcycles? If so Where can I order from?
its a landmine of shit led bulbs on amazon. they are all the same with diffirent paint colors
very interesting video , but youve not talked about how the colour temp effects the picture of what you see .
Super informative. Great job.
So are auxbeam lights junk then? Cause I bought a bunch a little while ago
Sounds like electrical strain. Your electrical system cant output enough current to keep up with the high demand of the sound system, causing your headlights to flicker due to reduced output. This is why many sound system companies reccomend upgrading your alternator to keep up with the electrical current demand
@Carlos Alvarado I have headlights, fog lights and a light bar that are outstanding, the only reason I question them is because the "estimated" output of 8,000 lumens that my purchased bulbs have and whether or not they will degrade over time
WolfGang Automotive I have auxbeam head lights on my car and I love them
Understandably the popularity of the LED headlights is all the rage and for good reason.... but now there are people retro fitting them in older vehicles that originally came with halogen bulbs that have reflectors in them for their particular purpose, now its like there are on constant highbeams and even looking at them for a split second, close your eyes and its like burned into the back of you'r retina, should be illegal and no older vehicle shall pass inspection with them installed.
What about new laser LEDs?
Laser is definitely still an emerging technology that we continue to monitor, however for the time being, LED or HID will definitely be your best / most affordable options.
That's why growers like HID's
I call them wanker lights.
Please send us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com or give us a call at (314) 205-3033 and our service representatives would be happy to further assist you - thanks!
good grief ,,, i cant agree there ,,,
Hello Tom! For the most part, the color is strictly just a personal preference!
Thanks for the support!
Feel free to give our bulbs a try - we think you will be happily surprised with how they perform compared to any of the competition! :)
Halogen bulbs used to die really fast if you get your finger (oil) prints on them when handling them. Is that still true?
I learnt more in 25mins watching this clip than my entire research over the past few months on headlights. Not only are you solid in knowledge, I'm very impressed and comfortable with how all these knowledge is delivered. Hands down one of the very best and beneficial videos in You Tube so far. Just a little question, how do I tackle the warning light on my dash when any LED bulbs are installed instead of the original H7 halogen?
These extremely bright bulbs need to be outlawed! they are dangerous. when they are coming at me I am so blinded that I can not be sure of my lane position! So if I hit you head on! It is your fault!!!!!!!!!!!!
Any approved 4200/4300 kelvin LED's out there for cars? I have 4200k H7 HID, with some shielding, very nice. Doesn't look shit like the 6000k.
That is certainly the case with some generic LED bulbs that do not focus light in the same way the OEM bulb does. What makes our SL1 so unique is that it does mimic the beam pattern of the stock bulb, meaning no glare for oncoming traffic. Feel free to give our SL1 a try, we think that you will be happily surprised with how well it performs!
why do you want to blind everybody else on the road??????
The way he pronounces LED's drive me nuts! "ELLYDEES"
super video , very informative , very honest numbers . a top class effort ...congratulations and thank you very much.
That is certainly still true with halogen. The oils from your skin can cause the bulb to fail prematurely. Luckily, that isn't the case with LEDs!
Thanks for the support! With so much dis-information out there about other styles of LED bulbs, we really enjoy getting this information out that is easier to understand. In regards to the bulb out warning, you would more than likely just need to install a resistor / capacitor to that circuit. With that bulb size however, we would not have the resistor / capacitor needed to prevent this.
When placing the correct bulbs in the correct style housings, you really mitigate blinding oncoming drivers with glare. With the SL1 LED that we offer, you will not produce glare for oncoming traffic - more visibility and no glare!
Unfortunately we don't offer any in that color temperature at this time. Our SL1 LED is rated a 5700K, which is overall a very nice white light.
Solid knowledge great video
Glad to hear that you enjoyed it - we appreciate the support!
@Caleb Daniel Herman , feel free to try our SL1 for yourself - we think you will be happily surprised how well they perform! By designing this bulb from the group up with your concerns in mind, it is amazing how there is a complete lack of glare for oncoming traffic, with a great improvement in overall light output!
Halogen lamps only. No LEDs or HIDs. There is no advantage of having these lamps as headlights that trumps the priority of all drivers to be able to fucking see on the road. Recall all of them to be retrofitted with proper headlights.
I had hid in my kawasaki, they gave nothing but trouble, either struggled to ignight or maintain an arc, even after replacing expensive bulbs they still gave trouble so I went back to good old fashioned halogen.... Cheap and as bright as I'll ever need...... Very interesting video..
LEDs for the win.... You can't really go wrong with LEDs, I've used them on my last few vehicles and have yet to notice any reduction in light output. They are just as bright when they first kick on as they are 4 hours later when I turn them back off. That being said, thanks for not constantly bashing LEDs as somehow being inferior to HIDs. I cannot stand HIDs as in my opinion they should be considered inferior by requiring the usage of the additional components for use, the shorter life span, lack of instant on, and poor heat dissipation (more some than others).
The best factual report on lighting I have come across, thanks.
Thanks for the support Bob! We appreciate it!
7:50 I've noticed that HID bulbs tend to shift color towards red when they're failing.
As HIDs age with use, they will start to shift colors. In some cases, when they get closer to going out, they can certainly shift colors more dramatically.
We appreciate the support!
LS1 is a brand or a type of LED bulb?
I installed HID on my 2011 honda accord, what a difference. has been 2 yrs, no issues.
I want to upgrade but moving parts (cooling fans) make me concerned about longevity.
What led light would you recommend for hyundai elantra 2017 equiped with a projector
What LED do you recommend for 2018 dodge journey?
very nice explaination
Nice info
Our SL1 would be a fantastic option! https://www.diodedynamics.com/low-beam-led-headlight-for-2009-2019-dodge-journey.html
Thanks!
Hey there! The SL1 is our Headlight LED bulb that we manufacture right here in St. Louis, Missouri. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
The fan we utilize within this bulb has been torture tested to ensure that it lasts the life of the bulb (40,000+ hours) - no need to worry about the fan with this bulb! :)
Hey Mark! We'd suggest our 9005 SL1 LEDs from the link below: https://www.diodedynamics.com/low-beam-led-headlight-for-2014-2018-hyundai-elantra-with-projector.html If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
Thanks for your feedback and support!
Extremely kewl and informative ! That being said what would you recommend for a 2011 Taurus with projector headlamps ? Stock lighting almost seems dangerous.
Caleb Daniel Herman jesus child calm down. You can’t blame manufacturers for consumer ignorance. These people that do conversion kits never readjust the beam output and/or don’t research lights with good beam patterns for their housing style. No need to ban more reliable alternatives. Even the sheriffs office in my city converted all their police cruisers to HID bulbs.
I own a 2017 hyundai elantra, would it all fit if i close the cap? Or installing it would leave it open
what we need is a bulb that incorporates the bulb and projector all into one package. For cars that don't have the projector headlight system built into the lens assembly.
Very helpful
Thanks Michael! If you have halogen bulbs, both our SL1 LED or an HID conversion kit would give you an increase over stock. Check out our other video below detailing some more of those differences! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb_AupXBhac
@Jon Domz, correct!
@Diode Dynamics including the driver?
Hello Jon! In the majority of cases, the SL1 will fit behind the dust cover just fine, without any modification.
Hello Lakario! While it is nothing that we offer at this time, there are some options on the market that offer LED projectors that you can custom retrofit into your headlight assembly.
Great video
HiDs are the best for headlights led are not good I never gonna use LEDs for headlights .
+1 from Diode Dynamics. The Retrofit Source makes and sells multiple LED projector retrofit kits to suit different budgets and applications. They offer aftermarket retrofit solutions as well as retrofit kits using OEM products found in vehicles like Toyota's.
My mazda has projectors and led's just wouldnt put out a good beam pattern found hid to have an acceptable pattern but the light output is amazing
That heavily relies on the manufacturer of the HID system in question and thus their specific design and materials used in the production of their bulbs. It seems that earlier generation HID systems tend to shift towards the red wavelength with age whereas newer HID systems tend to shift more towards the blue wavelength with age. Hope this helps.
Tom if you are referring to how the color temperature of emitted light affects what you see on the road, it would be best to run as white of light output as possible. White light is closest to what you see during the day, therefore the road environment at night will appear similar to daytime viewing. Higher color temperature bulbs do not provide as good of visibility on the road at night because the environment catches and reflects blue light different than white light, so you will notice certain elements on the road blending together. White light will give you the clearest night time viewing. Also keep in mind for fog lamps the yellow light penetrates fog a little better than white light as it's closer to red on the spectrum which produces little to no glare. Hope this helps.
I use Lasfit bulbs in several areas on some of my vehicles. They make fantastic LED's as does DD. Seeing as both of your vehicles contain projector lamps, you may need to adjust the lenses down slightly to move the cutoff below other driver's eyes. I'm not sure exactly what lens style your fog lamps are, but that could be what is glaring up at other drivers. Projector cutoff does not change whatsoever no matter what bulb system you are using. So next time you're driving at night turn your fogs off and pay attention to where your low beam cutoff point is on the road and in relation to other vehicles and adjust where necessary. Also just my .02 most if not every motorist should know by now that fog lamps cannot run while high beams are on so if yours are on and you're getting flashed, either the low beams are aimed too high, or the fogs are glaring. Either way, nothing major just some adjustments may be necessary to avoid any future flashing. Hope this helps.
David I'm guessing your vehicle is either a Toyota Prius, Sienna, or an Acura TL or RL. Regardless, factory HID systems have to conform to DOT regulations and thus must produce a certain wavelength of light from the factory. They appear slightly yellow because they are trying to replicate standard halogen color temperatures. Technically any blue light that emits from a civilian vehicle is illegal as it can be seen as "impersonating an emergency vehicle" and so manufacturers go to great lengths to ensure their factory lights do not emit any blue light whatsoever. Specifically the color temperature of most factory HID systems runs around the 4300K to 4800K range, and halogens usually run around 4000K to 4300K. Hope this helps.
what is the best headlights bulb for a FORD S-Max 2012 ??
I bought led kit from you guys and only after 2 weeks they stop working. Going back to HID kit (good quality) and I’m very happy with it. HID is the king forever.
"It's not easy to keep that arc running." Nope.. very easy. Just keep the voltage above a certain point, and it arcs. What takes a little work is regulating the arc so you get a constant light output. The extra cost comes from generating a regulated AC voltage - it's essentially an inverter. DC will light them, if the voltage is high enough, but the electrodes will wear out a LOT faster.
This has to be the most informative video to date on headlights. Your abilities to speak clearly, concisely and utilize examples to help consumers better understand the complexities of various bulbs was amazing. Thank you. I now know which direction to go instead of wasting money on trial and error.
The issue HID is blind others with its light
HID HEADLIGHTS SUCK!!!, THEY ARE OVERPRICED AND ARE NOT BETTER THAN HALOGEN BULBS!!!!
surprised you guys don't have LED headlights for the JL wrangler yet. Or the JK, holy crap, big market missed there. if you do have them, they are not showing up in the vehicle selector.
U need a 180 degree LED for headlights with lens,they are called G8L and we need another video on it
Very informative video, thank you! But how to deal with radio interference caused by HIDs? The minute I turn on my HID I get so much static the radio becomes unbearable to listen to ☹️
Thank you for this video! It is very informative and I now know what is best for my '02 Monte Carlo. I've been wanting to upgrade the headlights for quite some time now, and now I have my answer instead of trial and error!
Can we get a list of all the led brands you temperature tested and how hot they got?
We will be sure to pass your request along to our team to see if we can get something like that arranged for the future!
The dual filament bulb sizes are certainly something we are hard at work on - don't worry! :) Stay tuned into our social media, as we will be posting it there as soon as it does become available!
@Diode Dynamics if its really mimicking halogen bulbs that means 50% of the light is still wasted by the lens lid inside , please correct me if I am wrong ,and sorry for my bad grammar, I also made a scetch https://ufile.io/yhw4dxpg
The SL1 bulb does a fantastic job at mimicking the beam pattern of a stock bulb. Feel free to give it a try, we think you will be happily surprised! :)
Our ballasts that we offer have an extra ground wire, specifically for eliminating radio interference that happens with some vehicles. That should help dramatically! :)
Hello! Feel free send us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com with some more specifics on your vehicle, bulb size, etc., and we would be happy to let you now what options we have available!
Shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com and we would be happy to assist you with your LEDs!
Thanks Richard! :)
Feel free to give our SL1 LED a try - we think you'll be happily surprised with how well it performs!
In America, we use the letters in the acronym rather then calling them "leds."
Excellent information, thank you. Unfortunately you don't make an H11 that will fit my 4runner, so I'll have to go elsewhere.
So reflector is better haha
My autofather Leds lasted about 3 mos :-(
Hats off to you 'Sir'..for making a complex & little difficult to understand topic so easy to understand with your ability to explain without using any heavy & complex words. Your simplicity is remarkable. Congrats & please keep it up...
Unfortunately no 9007/HB5 LED options available.
You did not show the Cob leds lux demo. Why?
With the sheer number of LED bulbs out on the market, it is hard to show all of them unfortunately. That being said, we have seen that through our testing, COB style LED bulbs are some of the lowest performing units out there.
Thanks for the support David! We greatly appreciate it!
very good
I want to emphasize the importance of good projectors, factory projectors on your average car are typically not that great. Unless you're buying a high end vehicle, you can't expect it to be all that great, especially with the advanced technology going into creating a more efficient reflector housing. Aftermarket projectors are your best option if you can afford it, brands such as Morimoto for example, make outstanding projectors that can drastically improve light output.
What an awesome explanation. Thanls
I used the auxbeam LED in my 93 Silverado they are so bright I had to adjust my driver's side toward the middle so I will not blind oncoming traffic.
Are their 24V led for trucks?
Wow!
Firstly great video, I thought I knew all there was to know yet I learnt a lot more after watching this. Secondly, I would say that most European cars with halogen projectors have what we call “squirrel finders” each allows abit of light above the cut off line to illuminate road signs, so glare is still an issue with HID/LED “upgrades”.
I seriously want to buy headlight (LED) compatible for my Mazda 3 2011. Would you recommend the transition or just to stay halogen?
I'll stick with halogen bulbs.. changing to led or anything rise is illegal where I am anyway
Any brighter light source will create more glare unless the light distribution is altered. Having LEDs be a little bit brighter is alright, but adding a lot of brightness will always add glare and I have had to modify drivers in the past to reduce the current to more acceptable levels.
@Diode Dynamics That is true as long as the SL1 are not too bright. In my experience, up to 13W LED power per bulb is somewhat close to halogen. The 20W of the SL1 (including the driver and fan losses) are probably okay, I assumed it was way higher power because of the large cooling solution (which must yield excellent thermals with only 20W to dissipate). Ill be buying a pair. For future revisions I would love to see an adjustable mount to get the light pattern just right with any headlight. I think philips did something along those lines with their excellent but expensive led retrofits.
As long as the bulb does a good job at mimicking the beam pattern of the stock bulb, it should limit glare greatly. Luckily, with our SL1s, that is not an issue at all!
to be honest id rather use the OE bulbs from the factory.
Hello Brent! Unfortunately the 4Runner is one of the new vehicles we have had reports of fitment issues due to extremely tight clearances where the bulb is inserted - sorry!
We appreciate the support Jimmy!
While we do not offer any LEDs in that size at this time, that is certainly something that we are currently working on and hope to offer in the future! Stay tuned into our social media for all new product updates!
where you buy them i have a 2012 honda accord SE
Really informative video. I've gone from Halogens to HID to LED. My headlights are standard Peugeot coupe type which were designed for halogen. 55w HIDs were a big improvement, but a lot of cost for the best gear as well as the space. Long delay on mainbeam was a worry, which was what prompted the change to Philips LEDs. I would just say that masked HID lamps are the thing for reflector units. Always buy the best.
Led is better hid is for morons
Diode Dinamics, why IPF LED Headlights bulbs producing 2500LM each? Last longer and much brighter than your led bulbs?
Very informative video. There is I think, still along way to go to get good aftermarket Led lamps for older vehicles, and the cost and agro with changing to HID is unreal, the lamps are about $130 in NZ each. I wanted to upgrade the lamps in my 1995 Mitzi FTO, I looked into Leds, but nothing suited my lights, I purchased a set of Hella Ultra Plus 110% halogen lamps, they are , excuse the pun, bloody brilliant, the light output is amazing, I had already used a headlamp restoration kit from Rainx, a very good product by the way. I fitted the new lamps, and drove down the country lane in which I live at the dead of night. Well ,I thought I was in a different car, the results are amazing. They are not cheap, about $35 each, that NZ dollars, it worked out to about $200, well worth it. I had replaced the lamps about 13 years ago with Ring halogen bulbs, they were good for the lamp technology of the time, but , nothing stays still in todays world, they really worth looking at if you want to upgrade your lights And no, I'm not on commission to Hella. The lamps are actually made by Osram, a very well respected name in the electrical industry, and Im an industrial Sparky. Just saying.
Very good video. ✌
Thanks for this video it was very informative! I hope you will answer my question. I have an '07 Camry and had the yellow film cleaned off the headlamp a couple of times but the lights were always dim. Couldn't see 5 ft in front of you even after trying LED lights. The round headlight had a bluish color to it (the bright lights worked just fine). Is there a projector in these that go out and won't work no matter how clean the head light component is or does the lens get dirty on the inside or degrade after time? I replaced the whole headlight unit with an aftermarket assembly and it works great now with the LED bulb. Being a woman, I went through so much grief from the men in my life that said all you have to do is clean the headlights or adjust them and all would be okay. I was told I'm wasting my money replacing them and mechanics were just trying to rip me off. I found a body shop that replaced them in 30-45 minutes and charged me $80 labor with no mark-up on parts instead $350-$1000. Thanks much.
Amazing informative explanation. Thank you
Great video, I thought I knew a lot but you have certainly increased my understanding. I run LED (focused Cree) and a quality HID driving lights. The purpose was to reduce the current draw from my original high wattage lights. Works a treat, but your vid has explained very well the operation of these systems. My vehicle is an 80 series Landcruiser that does huge amounts of desert and off road driving. The HID's are headlight and driving light conversions and the LED's are also driving lights. The HID's are used separate to the LED's for wide long distance vision. The LED's are for forest or tight bush tracks. Its a great combo, I hope your viewers get to benefit from your vid Thanks I have subscribed.
Awesome video. Very well and consicely explained with real time demonstration. Keep up the good work.
In the unlikely event of an EMP, both HID and LED lights would die, correct? Due to being operated by microprocessors?
wow a actual person speaking clearly ... more info than ever... I have a GMC ACADIA DENALI w/ HID and switch fog lamps to LED and yikes bad idea did not last 3 weeks lol... went back to regular - maybe ill try HID foglamps? ummmm
Awesome video! Thought this was going to be typical YouTube crap marketing "review"
You mentioned 55W Xenon bulbs. Is that a better option than my 35W D1S bulbs in my ML350?
why would you put all that expensive junk on your car , only to blind on coming traffic . Do you think if you see farther you can go faster ? what about turns , you can't see around them .put a halogen bulb in it and make sure your batteries is OK .
Great video
I hate HID lights. Meeting them on the road is like staring at a couple of arc welders coming at you. I think they make night driving really unsafe as oncoming traffic gets blinded.
This is good to know. What is the LED output and range RGB, thank you.
I have H4 conversion headlight bulb envelopes with LED bulbs, in my 50 year-old car, and they kick ass, with stock wiring.
You say Subaru projectors "not so good" - aren't they Hella E55 projectors?
Each headlight can differ depending on the the model year, trim model, etc. What we were referencing was just referencing them in general.
My xenondepot depot HIDS lasted 3 years l, couldn't believe it. Insane quality and great customer service
Thanks for your support!
The actual projector within the headlight is certainly a factor to consider as well!
Actually it has everything to do with it if adjusted properly LEDs in a reflector light are bright as F and will not blind oncoming traffic .
That has nothing to do with brightness that has to do with you putting an LED bulb in a reflector housing which is the cheapest way to do it
Hey there! Our SL1 LED headlight has an operating voltage of 5-16V. If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
Thank you for the kind words! We're always looking to further inform our customers, in addition to providing you with quality LEDs. Also, thank you for the information! If you have any other questions, or need some assistance adjusting your headlights, please feel free to give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
Hey there! Here is a link where you can find our SL1 LED headlight bulbs to replace your stock Halogen bulbs: https://www.diodedynamics.com/by-vehicle.html/?no_cache=1&find=2011-mazda-3-hatch-317697 If you have any other questions, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com!
If you got the cash get some nive hids if your on a budget get leds
That sounds like a plan! Just let us know if you need anything else!
@therealnightwriter you sound like a disgruntled negative person that has nothing positive to say about anything, especially towards those that are trying to educate the public. Go troll the porn site Instead. Your commentary is better suited for the gutter.
Yes, being below youboob standards is a good thing (those standards include loud, useless background music, narrator appearing on screen in a weird way, stupid forced quips and jokes, umms, ahhhs and all around malarkey). Just like classical music, this is better, but lost upon the mindless masses.
@Diode Dynamics How was this "torture test" carried out?
@teamfab xenondepot HIDs come with a 3 year warranty and their from Canada so you know they'll take car of you
@gabrielgalaxygh they weren't cheap crap plus they came with the bike...
Don't buy cheap crap, mine lasted over 3 years
In Germany (the self-pronounced driver of innovation) retrofit LED bulbs (only for cars of course) are simply not allowed. They might be more reliable, have better focus and reliability. But if you use them, you'll be fined and your vehicle is deemed not safe to operate. And it probably woun't change for the next 5-10 years. It sucks major ass driving my old car when it's raining in the dark while most other cars blind you.
Thank you for the video on the different types of lighting available. It has been my experience that the CRI (Color Rendering Index) of all types are not properly explained. Your target of 6000K for color temperature in my opinion is too high. Humans see best (see color best) at 4500K. Halogens are the only type of light that can output a 100 CRI. Everything else that is blue shifted (including those Halogens marketed for the blue shifted light) have a CRI that is much less than 100 including the LED's which operate at about an 85 CRI. The worst driving condition is that of a rain that becomes a fine mist on a dark night. HID's perfom horribly, and LED's create so much glare, especially with projector style headlights as to be dangerous to oncoming traffic. Halogens made to be extreme white in a reflector headlight assembly to me are still the safest bet for driving.
Very good video.
So which one is brighter
high volt = shorter life too many parts
Stadiums are replacing their night game lights from HID to LED. That alone tells you what's in and what's out. LED bulbs consume much less power for the same brightness and last much longer. On top of that, the price of bulbs are getting cheaper and cheaper.
Kick ass video!!! I have a Infiniti QX70 with stock Hids that are great for me at least, but the fog lights are crap. What LEDs do you recommend to match the color of the stock Hids? Thanks and keep up the good work!
Diode dynamics produces some of the best switchback turn signal bulbs money can buy.
We appreciate all of the support!
i like LED consume less power
*This video was made for stupid boomers who never wanted to try the HID's because they were scared of them, ignoring the fact that almost all cars now come standard with it. So this video is mainly for them and also r/projectcars*
Overall a fairly good video. The only factor really not touched on is the disadvantage of optical alignment/glare and lack of throw for LED's, which probably is why they didn't do the beam pattern testing in a dark room. But that is understandable, since they are trying to sell LED's here lol :P
@Diode Dynamics thanks. Maybe I will try them for my high beams, but for my low beam projectors I prefer my HIDs
Hello there! Feel free to give the SL1 LED a try, we think that you will be happily surprised with how well it performs within a stock housing. :)
Presenter is cute
Diode Dynamics I am using H11 DD led bulbs in Prius 30 with new Koito headlights, they work good. On my second Prius also new Koito headlights installed, I’m using IPF H11, XX series. They work amazing! The pattern on both brands are good. But! IPF has much more light output, which is not getting dimmer after 2-5 hours of use. DD is like dimmer from the start. DD has light output the same level as Philips LED bulbs. You guys trying to extend the lifespan to of led chips?
Even i the rating is accurate (probably not), more light from the bulb does not necessarily mean a better beam pattern. To get more output, the bulb will likely be out of focus, and it will be overpowered. Please check out our video on "are your LEDs too hot?" to learn more. Thanks!
Thanks for the support Barry!
Thank you!
In the event of an EMP, there would potentially be electrical issues with many vehicle components, including HID and LED.
For fog light applications, I would recommend one of our LED bulbs, as it really can come down a lot to the overall quality of the bulbs. With our Diode Dynamics bulbs, you will not have to worry about a bulb burning out prematurely. For instance, our SLF LED bulb is a great option!
Thanks for the support Roger! :)
In this specific case, we would recommend sticking with the stock D1S bulbs, as modifying that could cause issues down the line.
@ken reese, feel free to give ours a try, we think that you will be happily surprised with how these perform! While what you had described is certainly the case with some generic LEDs that are not properly designed, that is not the case at all with Diode Dynamics - thanks!
@Diode Dynamics look in to your head lights then look away , you are blinded by that artificial light for at least three seconds ; is that what you want to do to on coming traffic , blind them so you can see more .Not only that , they are more money and can't survive the harsh environment of a car head light .They are just junk .Thanks for the reply , drive safely .
When placing HIDs in projector based housings, or LEDs that are designed to properly mimic the beam pattern of a stock bulb, you will not blind oncoming traffic at all! More visibility with a proper beam pattern is never a bad thing!
Thank you! :)
When HIDs are placed in the correct style housings (like projector based housings for instance), glare is not going to be something you would need to worry about. Unfortunately, not all people do this, and the glare is often caused by placing an HID in a reflector based housing.
@Dana Vixen check out our video on our reliability testing below! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eytcPqKD4k0
If it's a WRX STI I'll throw two old 90's cars your way a B13 and a Neon for it, deal?
hahahaha f..... LED XENON its the best and strong!!! :)
THANKS FOR SUCH IMPORTANT INFO AND REAL EXAMPLES WITH THESE HEADLIGHTS
Tfw my car has both
very interesting and informative. I've got a 13 year old BMW with factory fitted bi-xenons. When i got the car i was very underwhelmed by them, especially full beam. I was a bit shocked at how much you can spend on bulbs so i have to admit i cheaped out. The bulbs i took out looked to be the originals so the life of them is amazing but the output had obviously reduced gradually over the years. The new ones were a lot brighter but a year on i think these are losing they're brightness so i'm going to slash out on some nightbreakers soon. Buy cheap, get cheap.
I usually see that LED headlights are brighter. But I also find that the wavelength of the light seems to not penetrate as well. The light tends to be more focused, rather than a nice bright spread, in my opinion. Brand new cars have better designed. I assume it's more to do with lens design. I see quite a few folks throw in HID or LED bulb into their original OEM headlights. But the LED or HID isn't in the correct position as the original Halogen bulb. That makes the light focused in a different spot whether you have older glass lens headlights or plastic clear lens ones with a very specific reflector design. This makes the headlight perform horribly no matter how bright. In the end I found to just stick with the headlight type that your vehicle was designed to use. Or you might get lucky with a bulb that fits perfectly and is positioned perfectly in the lens as per OEM design for the reflector or the glass lens.
Thanks for the info! What are good brands for LED bulbs that will last? I was gonna swap out the halogens in my wife's car for LEDs
23:02 vs 23:39 Shows that a good HID in a projector is better than many of these LEDs because of the arc giving off 360 degrees of light. Manufactures are now making their headlights with LEDs in them, but specifically designing the projector lens to work with the LEDs. I run LEDs as high beams (instant full brightness). And HIDs in a projector for my low beams, it was a retrofit so I used quality Morimoto components.
This one is a Honda shi... -khm 'decent projector, producing half the lux as reflector mirrors.
I'm so glad you bring up the glare. Now I can respect the fact you want bright lights because you are blind. I can even respect the fact that you want a good light for night time clarity. The problem that I do have is when you want a light so bright that you can see into the future. You're future is seeing someone veering from the oncoming side of traffic and both your ketchup packet a××es being killed because you dont understand glare.
great info!
Here's a quick question: Why do led and hid bulbs in the correct variant for my vehicle (Mercedes R500) (h8) not fit in the same way as the halogens? According to most of the info I get from sellers, they need to be used with an additional "trim ring". I've tried several times to get them to fit, but they don't stay in place with the trim rings and don't fit at all without them. I really want to upgrade to hid since my vehicle has projectors that cut down on the precieved amount of light that hits the road.
@Schlo 7G I'm in Australia mate... It's a police state
Illegal in what way? According to the FMVSS regulations you're allowed up to 4 front lamps to be on at the same time, and anything that falls between certain color "temperatures" (yellow-white to blue-white) and of course there's a limit to the lumens of the low beams, but otherwise it's all "legal"for headlamps in all 50 states. Trying dumb stuff like putting 55w HID's designed for off-road use into your low beams or neglecting to adjust your headlamps after adding a 4" body lift is asking for a ticket (and getting you a shot of other drivers high-beams to let you know that you're blinding them).
Diode Dynamics, So, without contaminating myself with further watching this video, I will invest in buying all the old style bulbs and former lights that are instant and safer for the longer duration of lighting for my vehicles. Stupid scientific advancements, are not good for anyone. Does not matter what "good" You claim, does not make it any safer or righteous. Just Bad.
Finally I found a really informative and useful video about this. Pretty hard these days.
Great video! Good info and entertaining as well. I'm proud to be running your HIDs in my Mustang. Over 2 years and not one issue. Do you also sell replacement bulbs when the time comes?
ok i'm going to ask a noob question i dint see video completly yet. but you state that led louse brightness aftersome time. this is not to debunk your statement. is that why some of them have cooling on them?. i dint see led on your table with cooling. or is that cooling just for show?
ok some minutes further i sa a led with cooling on you table. but my question stands do leds with cooling on the keep more brightness?
Well said mr diode a lot of help thanks.
I have a 2013 Toyota Corolla, that I bought new. Where I'm currently living, because at night it's blacker than a well diggers asshole, we have to use our bright lights every night, to go anywhere!! When I was living in South Florida, until 18 months ago, it was so lit up at night, I never used my brights. What can I do to increase the brightness of my headlights to light up the road like daylight, not only on the sides of the road, but far ahead and what product do you recommend, and what does it entail to do that? I.E., do I need any additional electronic items, and a more powerful battery? I'm almost at the point of putting an off road light bar on the roof, I know it would look like shit, but i want to be able to see a gnat at a 100 yards!! Yes, that's an exaggeration!!! But I'm sure you get what I mean, and want. Thanks for your help. Sincerely, Jay Andre.
good video/info but not unbiased as you are selling your LED for $150! You forget to mention FM radio interference with LED (on cheaper models - do yours have this ?) I replaced low/high on 2014 Prius with $15 COB Cree one (10x cheaper than yours) and they are SO much better than the dimmed yellow 5 years old bulb that were there - no glare issue and I can see 2-3x further out. Modern white color too. On my Acura MDX I replaced the HID bulb (cheap) but didn't replace rest with LED due to radio interference...
Why would I use HID if my TV is LED with HRD and 4K ?!!!! But why ?
I have a 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse what led would you recommend? Your store doesn’t have LEDs for my car.
I was always told and later tested to be true, you should never put HID in reflector style headlights. So much blinding going on, granted, there are exceptions but it takes a very good designed reflector housing to work. Most US based reflectors are not in this category. Most European designed reflector headlight housings will have a cuttoff similar to projectors and you might get away with it. Plus most European housing cuttoff have the nice "notch" in the cuttoff so you are not blinding oncoming traffic but have increased lighting to the side of the road, just make sure you are not getting them designed for Right Hand Drive countries if you are not in one.
Well, that explains a whole lot about car lights!!!! SUPER!!!!
A very well produced as well as a wealth of information in a short video. I had an electrical supply for years and sold all kinds of lighting products. I learned quite a bit regarding LED vs HID lighting. Thanks for the education! Great job!
I have an 07 camry aswell and jeez do I know exactly what you mean. Mine had become so yellow and gross. I couldn't see at night under any conditions. So I replaced the headlight unit myself and it's a world of a difference. Then I put xenons in from OPT-7 , which have the best in my opinion and I've never had a problem again with seeing at night.
Truck Lite led head lights are DOT approved.
I installed led bulbs to my 98 grand cherokee laredo headlight housing. After I polished the lenses I'm getting stronger lighting in from of me. I would like to try the ones you talked about. I'm intending to change the original lenses and instead glue back clear ones after I install a 3 inches diameter reflector unit, for that project I might need the ones you recommend.
very informative, thank you
This is the best information that I have found so far in one place regarding headlights. Thank you. Tried a few different LED lights for my 2010 Nissan Murano that were very disappointing. Now I have a good knowledge base to make a better decision for upgrading my headlights without causing glare for other drivers.
Amazing video. Very informative. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the support Tim!
Thanks for the thorough explanation, well done! Your vehicle selection option, on your website, does not include Toyota Tacomas. I found few items for 2010 Tacomas. This is odd! Please reply.
Hello William! Please shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com and we would be happy to look into this further for you!
Thank you for the support! :)
Thanks for the support! We do offer just the replacement HID bulbs on the website in the event one burns out or if you wanted to change the color.
good video/info but not unbiased as you are selling your LED for $150! You forget to mention FM radio interference with LED (on cheaper models - do yours have this ?) I replaced the low/high on 2014 Prius with $15 COB Cree (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DZ551P8 which are 10x cheaper than yours ) and they are SO much better than the dimmed yellow 5 years old bulb that were there - no glare issue (I checked as they are so bright) and I can see 2-3x further out. Modern white color too. Affects FM radio but daughter doesn't care (iphone music). On my 07 Acura MDX I replaced the HID bulb (cheap like $17 a set) but didn't replace rest with LED due to radio interference...
@Diode Dynamics thanks, and I understand. I tested in the real world and am happy with my LED purchase. It's hard to justify $300 for light replacement on a base Prius... I had one side with LED and one side with 5 years old bulb, and covered the headlight with a towel and the difference was phenomenal on a straight road, and checked for incoming traffic glare at a distance as well. LED were pretty much same price as new regular bulbs so no brainer for me...
While we do offer many LEDs for sale on our website, the point of this video was to explain many of the differences out there and help educate. In regards to radio interference, that is certainly an issue we see with cheaper LEDs. The SL1 that we offer factors that into the construction of the bulb, and the vast majority of vehicles will not experience radio interference at all. Through our extensive testing of COB style bulbs on the market, as while they appear to be bright, that style of chip and the placement of it are not ideal for headlight applications.
For headlight applications, HID is still a great option for getting more light output over stock! :)
While we do offer a number of different LED options for the Eclipse, unfortunately LEDs for the headlights is not one we have right now since the bulb is a dual filament. That being said, that is one item that our engineering team is hard at work on and hope to release in the coming months! :)
Thanks Ron! :)
@Diode Dynamics i know bro LED ist fast start but (never ever cen by stronger then Xenon) :) and thank you for video and if i like to beay that ELD SL1 you dont have shiping for my pure contry! ;( pozdrav from Montenegro MNE
Feel free to give our SL1 LED headlight a try! We are confident you will be happily surprised with the output and beam pattern it produces! :)
Thanks Jose! :)
Problem is a mirror inside of your headlight. Not the bulb itself.
@Diode Dynamics that's great news. I'll see if I can find an Australian supplier
While that may be the case with many LED bulbs on the market, the SL1 that we offer was designed to mimic the beam pattern of a stock bulb so you will not run in this issue. Feel free to give it a try - we think that you will be happily surprised with how well it performs! :)
Head on over to our website at www.diodedynamics.com, as we offer a number of different LED options! :)
When placing a properly designed LED bulb like our SL1 into a reflector or projector style housing, you will not get any glare, due to the bulb mimicking the beam pattern of a stock bulb. With many other bulbs on the market, they spray light in a way that does cause glare unfortunately.
@Diode Dynamics Do your h7 hid bulbs match the ring connector for the halogen bulbs? If so they would fit mine without any problems.
With some Mercedes models, you may need an additional ring or collar to help secure the bulb in place. Unfortunately this is not something we offer - sorry!
The overall brightness of the bulb is only part of the equation. How the bulb projects the light and the beam pattern is equally important, if not more so!
We have designed the SL1 with both brightness and longevity in mind. All of our LED bulbs that we offer will be rated at 40,000+ hours with of use.
Generally, we do not recommend an RGB bulb that acts as a headlight. While generally plenty bright for show and off-road use, they will not give you any usable light output for the road.
Cheap made in China hids led cause bad glare to incoming verhicles and should be ban
totally agree excellent vid
What we expect from cheap headlamps?a good quality?lifetime?nice color?
very nice video and very informative.
Shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com with your vehicle information and we would be happy to look into this further for you!
Glad that we could be of help!
@Schlo 7G, unfortunately we would be unable to confirm that, as sometimes Mercedes models might need an additional holder / clip / etc. Please check out the listing below, as it will have some photos of the bulbs - thanks! https://www.diodedynamics.com/cnlight-replacement-h7-hid-bulbs-pair.html
@Diode Dynamics Do you know whether or not it was a case of the dust cap being the issue? Or is the housing just too small to accommodate the cooling portion of the light?
@Diode Dynamics Thank you very much for the information. I'll likely be purchasing one later on in the week.
@Brent Bluhm, trust us, we wish the SL1 didn't have this issue! Overall, the SL1 fits in the overwhelming majority of vehicles, as this is one of the few exceptions to that rule. It is certainly something hope to explore in the future. In regards to the HID kit, that will fit just fine and is available on our website!
@Diode Dynamics Well that is unfortunate. Your HID kits fit alright though?
@Brent Bluhm, the fitment issue is with the housing itself, so there is no way to fully lock in the bulb.
i bought cheap leds on amazon for my previous car and they did great, i ran the car for like 3 years with the leds, i hit a deer with the car and rebuild the whole front end, and kept the same led bulbs from the crash and they lasted another year of driving.. they still work now even now that the car doesnt work haha I cant say all of them are good but the ones i had got are good.
my leds have different colored lens you can interchange on it, its clear white without lens but i put blue tint lense on them
Both HIDz and LEDz?
I have to concur completely. Excellent, well presented and balanced.
Wow. I didn't realize how little I knew about these. Excellent content.
I just returned an inexpensive pair of LED halos for my E39 BMW (1999 528i). The original owner chose the HID factory option. Any suggestions for halos? Definitely get HIDs? So cheap LEDs will suck after time so it seems.
Kind of late to the party here, since I converted from halogen to HID in my projectors last spring. Looks like I made a good choice from what I have seen here. As others have already said, I found this to be one of the best videos on YT about headlight options and the pro's and con's of each type. Very well presented. Even though I made a good choice on what HID system to use, I sure could have used the info in this video last spring. Took me literally weeks (months?) to gather up all the info I needed. This video pretty much covers everything I needed (need) to know. Great reference tool for anyone looking for headlamp options.
Thanks for the kind words!
Thanks for your support, Micah!
Hey there! Any of our HD Halos from the link below would be a good option to retrofit! https://www.diodedynamics.com/accents/hd-halos-strips.html If you have other questions, please give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com and our service team can assist you!
How do i convert my xenon hid head lights to led? My car came with xenon and every led head light kit i get never plugs in right
@Diode Dynamics Very welcome. You earned them. :)
@Diode Dynamics That's what I figured. Are there different HID lights I can get? Like brighter whites then stock.
Hello Fred! Unfortunately, if you have factory HID, you would be unable to easily swap to another style of bulb like halogen or LED - sorry!
@Fred Williams, while not brighter, we do offer different colors of the bulb on our website.
I greatly enjoyed the video, and it was very educational for me. Thanks.
THIS is how infomercials SHOULD be done. GREAT job! (& I HATE advertising in general)
So many cheap after market conversions now which tend to dazzle oncoming drivers, as stated here it's obviously the focus. The bad ones should be declared illegal
What a comprehensive video! Love it. Thanks.
Yep, excellent and comprehensive video. Nice job guys.
Thank you for epic review
I would like better-brighter bulbs in my JD tractor. Not that I mow at night, but would be nice for finishing that last strip if it takes longer than planned.
Do you know what bulb size you use? We do offer bulbs in most standard sizes. Feel free to shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com with this information and we can let you know what we have available! :)
Very informative, thx.
This is the best bulb video I have seen. The explanations are terrific and very easy to understand. The testing part with the values shown is top notch. The moderator is a pro. Great/fantastic job on this video. 2 thumbs UP!
16:21 What about a capacitor/supercapacitor? With some added programming to the microcontroller, HID manufacturers could add a delay when you turn on your headlights for the cap/supercap to charge up... Then it can draw all that initial power for the strike from the cap/supercap, eliminating the errors on newer vehicles when doing a retrofit. (That's my theory anyway.) (I still think I prefer LEDs though.) EDIT: I forgot to mention (although should be obvious) you/manufacturers would need to ADD a cap/supercap to the kit, since there's not a system with one that I'm aware of.
Wow, so educational. Thank you!
No H7 SL1?
We only have HID conversion kits available for the H7 bulb size currently. Sorry about that, Mark!
Reflector - halogen: 1190 LUX Projector - HID: 800 LUX No way these numbers are correct! That would be 50% more light to the halogen.
It's surprising, but those numbers are accurate! Projector housings offer better overall beam pattern and width, but reflector housings are more efficient in regards to putting light on the road. Reflectors don't cause the same transmission loss that a lens does for a projector housing either. Thanks for bringing this up, Viktor!
Thanks for your feedback!!
Thanks so much for your feedback, David! We truly appreciate it!
Diode Dynamics Oh wow! Cool!
That's exactly what our CAN-BUS Anti-Flicker Modules (inline capacitors) were designed for!
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching!!
@Diode Dynamics ok, thankyou.
Job well done. This is how videos should be made.
Great stuff thanks for the detailed explanations. Scotty Kilmer still likes the old glass headlight bulbs for vehicles. I don't think he's too off center as they lasted, didn't UV down and were easy to change. But alas that's progress. Wasn't thst long ago that LED was in an electronic circuit and most had no clue what it was or for. Edit: BTW I'll watch this again several times as that was a lot of information.
Great explaining video
I wish there were "blue headlight" cops. There job would be to slap those driving around with blue headlights. The human eye sees blue as uv and pupils constrict causing you to see poorly at night, possibly causing accidents.
@B, trust us, we wish the SL1 didn't have this issue! Overall, the SL1 fits in the overwhelming majority of vehicles, as this is one of the few exceptions to that rule. It is certainly something hope to explore in the future. In regards to the HID kit, that will fit just fine and is available on our website!
@B, the fitment issue is with the housing itself, so there is no way to fully lock in the bulb.
Great video, I have a set of SL1's for my 2019 Fiat 500 Abarth. I installed them briefly (10 minutes or so)and then pulled them out. They just weren't bright enough. I was thinking of going to HID's, I already bought a set from another company and they didn't work at all. So, $300 later and I still rock stock headlights and feel a bit foolish. I noticed the craftsmanship on the SL1's was the best I have seen, certainly not Chinese junk. Would I see better performance with your HID's over the SL1's?
Very good and informative video, thanks for taking the time to make this.
so reflector headlight gives more light then projector headlights?
without that background music would be much more better!
@Diode Dynamics Sorry but it looks like you just found the crappiest HID kit on the planet. :) And i am not talking about the HID vs LED numbers. LED is the future thats for sure. But reflector better than a HID system? Seriously?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KbZBgrEk_w
Sorry but Led is bright then regular bulbs...
Most commercial HID bulbs are fully bright in about five minutes.
This video is LONG overdue. Tight, informative, professional. Bookmarked as a long term reference. Thanks!
The best review I have ever seen regarding HID vs LED comparisons I have seen to date. I had a 55 watt XenonHid.com kit (looked like 10x brighter than stock) that was perfect on my 2017 Honda Ridgeline RTLE Awd but due to the canbus system, I had to frequently turn the switch on and off just to get them to turn on. I ended up switching to Headlight Revolution S-V.4 led and they are excellent. Not quite as bright (still looks 3x brighter than stock) and definitely more reliable on my end.
Whick led bubble should i take? which one is good?
Thanks for your feedback and support, Otto!
Hey Marko! You can see a higher measured lux rating for reflector-style housings since they don't suffer transmission losses like a projector lens does. Just because the light source is brighter, that does not mean it will all be focused on the road. Thanks for watching!
Hey Chris! An HID setup would defeinelty be brighter than any LEDs that we offer. If you want to discuss your options, just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com and our service team can assist!
Hey there! Just give us a call at 314-205-3033, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com so our Service Team can help decide the best option for you!
I was super excited but $150 is a no go.
What would u recommend for a 2016 Ford fusion se?
Tom Brady knows a lot about light bulbs!
Hello Trevor! Our SL1 is a great option for your Fusion! https://www.diodedynamics.com/low-beam-led-headlights-for-2006-2019-ford-fusion-pair.html
awesome video! super helpful!
If the components do not have DOT or SAE labels, and certs, the stuff is illegal, it matters, OPTICS, ya can't put different lamps in the housings designed for other lamps, totally illegal unsafe crap
I had this problem on my Honda 954RR motorcycle, I used a programmable parking brake video bypass module of all things. They are used in cars to get video when driving on Alpine radios. Basically everytime I started the bike the bypass was programmed to do a on/off/on sequence that triggered a relay that turned on the ballast. I couldn't believe a $15 parts solved it. This was an FYI just in case someone who aren't fans of LEDs just yet.
This infomercial reminds me of CNN. Presenting some facts with an obvious bias towards what they are trying to sell you. When you see HID vs LED in the video title and right below that is a link to buy LED bulbs you can pretty much see where its going. The way he speaks of the "complicated" ballasts for the HID then lights them up on a weak 12v power source to make it seem like they take forever to light up. I have been running ebay HIDs in my car & ATV for 5 years without a problem, takes about 2 secs for them to hit max bright when turned on cold. Other drivers do not flash their lights at me because my lights are aimed correctly. Then he downplayed the fact the HIDs are brighter by only talking about the glare.
I am not sure if those LEDs are legal on any roads really. My biggest concern would be having them in a reflector that is not designed for them and possibly causing an accident. If your car came with HID you may be better off just sticking with those and if if it came with halogens you may be better off with those. You can get a ticket for weird headlights maybe even your car impounded.
These bulbs were designed over a 2 year period by our engineers to have a DOT complaint output pattern, so you can place these in reflector or projector based housings without any issues at all. Don't worry, we did our homework on these bulbs! :)
Was considering to upgrade my HID which are kinda turning to a blueish white to LED but now thinking will upgrade to a new set of HID.
A R Satish
@Fred Williams You shouldn't be having problems with the brightness of the xenons since HID is one of the brightest forms of headlight technology. Just buy new capsules that are as white as possible. The more color is added to a white color, the less bright that light is. This is because non white colors "darken" a light output (yeah, I learned all of this in a college class). So a neutral white color (5500k or 5000k) should be brightest. Also, you can have you lights adjusted to aim further down the road. And if you tried all of that and the lights are still not bright enough, you can add led fog lights to your bumper if your bumper has spots for them. Just be careful not to allow the bumper lights to be brighter than your main lights (many countries have laws against that, so you will have to check your state laws if you are in the us).
Hi. Is there any future problem if i install HID kit on my halogen projector?
great informative vid only spoiled by the pointless and distracting background music
@Social Justice Warrior my stock ones are kinda bright with a slight blue to it. I like the realy bright white headlights I see on some cars like what the led provide.my car is a 2008 Infiniti M45 Sport. And can't find better lights then what the stock provide.
Hi there! Depending on the vehicle and the HID kit, there can be additional considerations, such as glare and heat. If you'd like any assistance selecting a headlight upgrade, please feel free to give us a call at 314-205-3033 Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com, and our service team will be happy to help!
This is all bullshit If you don’t have a projector made for leds or hids then don’t use them Your light output will be shit and it will scatter the light causing glare No reflector housing is made for led...halogen only and if your projector is for halogen bulbs then only use halogen If you want to use led or hid you need to get projectors retrofitted that are designed for those types of bulbs respectively Stop trying to think you are smarter than the engineers that built your cars by making stupid “enhancements”
man ! that was a great scientific experiment iv'e learned everything about car lights, thank you very much
An excellent explanation of automotive lights.
interested in reflector diode dyn sl1
The SL1 performs fantastic in both reflector and projector based housings! :)
I agree with people here, you have a very nice and informative demo here and, best of all, you went straight to the point. :) HIDs have served me well in the past, installed in my winter beaters within a few minutes. I compare them to the old THX sound test (starts small then gets BIG and LOUD!) and made everything better on those drives to work on eternal winter nights. My vision is great, it's just I've always disliked the yellow/orange hue from OEM halogens. And streetlamps. Yuck. Now I'm waiting for some LEDs for the first time and can't wait to try them out.
Did I really just sit through this?
No need to spend $150 for a pair of DD SL1 (with cast zinc heat sink... why?) that are not that much brighter than OEM halogens, when a pair that use the latest CREE Multi-core LED chips (with claimed brightness of 10,000 lumens per pair; actual brightness about half that, more than double the OEM halogens) and an aluminum heat sink, that sell for $40 on Amazon. Even if they don't last as long, breakeven is ~ four sets of them.
Excellent video
The color of the HID is determined by the filament on the return wire.. not the gas inside the hid bubble.. and what you were showing a brown filament gives 4300k which is the pen light color.. while 5000k and 6000 will have blue and white filament respectively..
Is there a big difference in brightness when buying a 35w or 55w ballast?
Clear, concise, knows what he's talking about. No sales pitch, either.
Great vid. Very informative. I thought LEDs didn't emitt any heat?? Or is it only certain types?
Thanks, that is just first rate in every way.
HID in my opinion will always be better thanks to the generated lighting being very shiny and clean. Unlike LED which is a very unpleasant diffuse and opaque brightness. Good quality HID has been proven to last 8 to 11 years, and 25 years to ballast. Hardly could the LED reach this mark without first having a driver failure long before 3 years of use HID is superb as long as it has a good projector, LED is a good choice for reflector headlights, but overall it's better to retrofit and install Xenon.
Thank You, Great Video. This helped me a lot. I could never understand LED differences
Great video, although the halogen claims are vs stock models , the gas type and pressure in a Philips XtremeVision is different from the standard model, the distance claims are light design dependant. LEDs from OE brands like Philips and Osram are tested and rated as per EU regulations. The Canbus just adds resistance to the system , the ballast and LED show as lower than expected power consumption , leading to light out errors.
Do they make an LED that is plug and play that fits a D2S socket?
HID Bi Xenon bulbs are not all made the same. Cheap ones like Lumens and even good ones like those from Murimoto will not work. The best bulbs are from OSRAM Xenarc a Sylvanie brand.
Very concise. What LED brands do you recommend?
Both my original low beams went out at the same tone so I decided in LED but I wish I had seen your video first as the ads were confusing and I only got steered to what I bought by ease of install and price on my Ford Fusion hybrid 2011
Basically what I took away from this video is stick with tried and true halogen.
Gosh - Really good, clear information. I learnt a lot. Many thanks !
I subbed to get an answer to my question below.... WHICH IS THE BEST LED BULB TO GET?
We recommend taking a peek at our website at www.diodedynamics.com, as we offer a number of great LED options! :)
Both are great options for upgrade, and really comes down a little bit to personal preference and what style of housings the vehicle has. Luckily, LED technology has come a long way, and the overall reliability of our Diode Dynamics bulbs is rated at over 40,000 hours worth of use.
Unfortunately we do not offer anything to make an LED compatible with a D2S socket - sorry!
Hello! Head on over to our website at www.diodedynamics.com and check out all of the options we carry! :)
Unfortunately the claim of 5,000 lumens per bulb is going to be very much an inaccurate claim, as many of those generics you see on eBay and Amazon do that, with nothing to back it up. Our engineering team spent well over 2 years designing this bulb, and are very confident with the design and performance compared to anything else on the market - feel free to give ours a try and compare them to the bulbs you had mentioned. We think that you will be happily surprised with how well the SL1 performs compared to anything else.
Diode Dynamics thank you!!
While there will be a noticeable difference in brightness between 35W and 55W, you will also run into a few issues with 55W setups like potential damage to the housings, and a much shorter bulb lifespan. For these reasons, we do not offer any 55W systems.
If you look at this video. They took the three different types of bulbs and measured their heat after 10 minutes. (chart at 1:35) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FwdoXpNBSI
They definitely emit heat. It is very minimal compared to traditional bulbs. The problem is the heat they emit can kill them (high output LED's, not indicating LED's), so you have to cool them. This is why they will come with heat sinks, fans, or mesh that protrude out of the back of your headlight. Poorly designed heat sinks will guarantee a shorter lifespan.
LEDs will emit some heat, however is pretty negligible in most cases.
Too many people riding around with the wrong lamps, poorly aimed, and I've noticed a lot just leave their High beams on unless you high beam them. I see a large light bar in the future.
Halogen bulbs are the cheapest and LEDs are very dangerous for eyes for oncoming drivers. So I removed my new LEDs and put strong GEs instead. They are very bright but their light don't hurt others.
I want to switch out my halengen bulb unit to LED unit for my 2017 Nissan Altima but not sure if it will run down my battery. Also HID bulbs are $100+ per bulb.
very good information! I have been using HIDs in all my vehicles for over 10years and tried numerous LED bulbs but nothing ever came close to the HIDs. Sure the ballasts burn out this and that but the in terms of good light output it beats older Halogens by a leap. On point with you get what you pay for. whenever I buy cheap $10 ballast they usually fail within year, on the other hand a good quality fat ballast from 7 years ago is still running strong.
HID is safe, LED is the smart agenda.
Great information for the laymen (me). However you didn’t talk to the thermal aspect. Will any of the options you give over heat the plastic headlight module?
Glad that we could be of help! The bulbs themselves are just plug and play, and will not need anything else. Thermally, you should not have any overheating issues either!
Always wondered why ppl ran 10k!
Not necessarily true! There are many great HID or LED options out there, and a lot of it comes down to what style housings you have, and personal preference on what style to go with.
Thanks Paul! :)
HID IS STILL KING
Really excellent class on headlights. Exceptional presentation. Thank you.
Wonderful job , thank you so much
My 2016 Corolla s led works great. Plug and play
The best video about car light . I have seen a lot of YouTube videos about car lights. This one is the most viewer friendly with most useful infos and clear my 3 years of alot of confusion about car light. My respect.
I have an 09 Acura TL I love my HID headlights been thinking of switching the fog lights to plug and LEDS.
Believe me everyone, for the lenses the led is the worst light pattern, simply because light by led comes from two sides only not from all sides, someone clever could say there are leds with four sides, but unfortunately this type of led will have poor lumens because the power will be divided by four, anyway i advice everyone not to buy led and waste your money, i have tried many types of leds and i just waste my money, also there are many reasons to not buy led.
Have often wondered about the differences between the various types of headlights. My bike has HID's fitted. At first I was lighting up London, then after a few weeks it wouldn't start until attempted a few times. So I put a different make of HID and it has worked fine for a couple of years with no startup probs. the LED (SL1) looked fantastic though. Possibly the way of the future. Thanks :)
Thanks Tony!
@Diode Dynamics No, it is not like that. I had two new cars with factory installed premium leds and most people complaining about their sharpness (causing eye-fatigue and pain). It's the nature of that technology. They are good for night-driving (not all, but higher quality are) but they are really harmful to other drivers. Also, it is bad decision to put them in street lamps.
It really does depend on the style of LED bulb that you put in your housing. If a poorly designed bulb is placed in your housing, it can cause glare for drivers. That being said, our SL1 LED bulb mimics the beam pattern of a stock bulb, and does not distract other drivers at all.
There should not be any battery drain with installing an LED bulb, as they use significantly less power than stock.
Humans see GREEN best... what does the spectral power profiles looks like? I jus see you measuring the wideband intensity.
SL1 I would like to install these in my 2019 Can Am Outlander. However the back side of the light assembly is exposed in the fender well leaving the Maglev fan exposed to mud water and dirt. How tough/crucial are these fans? Does SL1 make a sealed version for wet dirty locations?
no 9007?
Fun fact: LEDs are used for landing lights on light aircraft. Apparently due to the cost of regular replacement.
I have a honda accord and had to change headlight bulbs twice a year, tried different ones all the same. Also they I could hardly see in the dark. I paid around 100 quid for a quality hid conversion around 5 years ago. For the first 3 years I'd sometimes have to turn the lights on and off once as only one light would fire. It was random but strangely over the last 2 years they fire perfectly every time. Maybe my battery wasn't great I'm not sure and have changed it since then. Overall 5 years in on all the original equipment I cannot recommend them enough and they are still going strong no issues touch wood! Also I don't like the idea of butchering the original headlight back enclosure to get the led bulb in. Hid is the same figment at the headlight case at least.
Really good highly detailed info, no marketing sales nor adds. A lot of thanks buddy.
Not a problem Mario - glad that we could be of help!
Would have been nice if you included halogen housings for every single pos truck on the road that runs HIDs and blinds everyone around them.... Good video though. On my car the halogen bulbs barely light up the road, while the HIDs emit light for a mile down the road... at the same time LEDs barely light up half the road due to the projector.
Hey Fabian - both LED and HID are still great options over a stock bulb, and it really comes down a little bit on what type of housings you have.
Glad that we could be of help! :)
Glad that we could be of help Joseph! :)
LED fog lights are a great upgrade that will give you more usable light output, as well as a better match in color to your headlights! :)
Give your SL1 a try - we think you will be happily surprised with how well it performs compared to other cheap generics online! :)
no way LED had no say better over HID even in non-projectors HID rock
I would like to correct something... The 6000K LEDs are that way not because it is whiter, but because that is close to the temperature of Sol. Thus making them close to daylight. But there is another important factor you are forgettting. The R number for the bulbs. R85s which are industry standard(ish) means they render color at 85% the same as Sol. 6000k lights are fairly orange (like Sol) while 9000k lights are very white.
I buy the cheapest fucking shit for my fucking winter beaters. Fucking fuck it.
Great video very interesting and clearly presented and informative, thank you very much.
I did send you an email with a picture of the lamp you did send me back an LED replacement that’s for my ATV 40 bucks cheap but the specs said it wasn’t too much brighter than my original bulb so I don’t know yet thank you let me know what you think I want it bright bright
I sent you an email my email is PVP 927@aol.com
Sounds great! Our service representatives will be back with you shortly!
Hi: Great video, very clear in plain english! See a high beam LED bulb listed for 2014 RAV4 but no low beam even though both are 9005 (HB3). I have tried several LED and none works the are very dim much dimmer than the halogen bulbs they replace. HID have worked much better. Is this because of the headlight design, bulb goes like from the side instead going from the back of the headlamp as in "normal" ones. Would this High beam LED listed work well in the side "loading" headlamps of the RAV4? Regards
Hello! As long as the bulb is a 9005, our 9005 SL1 would be a direct plug and play replacement. If you have any other questions about this or anything else, please send us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com - thanks!
Do you have an LED bulb for CEC 896 12 v
Shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com with some more specifics on what application this is for, and some photos of the bulb, and we would be happy to further assist you!
@Joe Duke We will be sure to pass your concerns forward to our engineering / product development team, however there are no plans currently to offer anything like that by us.
@Diode Dynamics Really? So even though humans are far more sensitive to 500nm green light, you wouldn't want to exploit that?
Hey Joe - for headlight applications where you are lighting up the road, a white light will really be the standard.
While the SL1 is very robust overall, we do recommend using it in locations where mid / dirt will come into contact with the back of the bulb on an everyday basis. The bulb can can certainly take splashes of water, however dirt and rocks could lead to issues down the line.
We do only offer our LED in single filament sizes at this time, however we are currently working on LED options for our dual filament friends! :)
@Diode Dynamics LED technology is progressing but it still has a way to go to be considered the aftermarket standard.
@Diode Dynamics Even if you have really good housings, aftermarket I'm assuming, and you're trying to fit a LED light bulb in there, aftermarket I'm assuming also, they are just too big/bulky that they don't fit properly. A lot of the times you cannot put the bulb cover back on. If the vehicle comes with OEM LED lights then you won't run into these kind of problems. We know that HID kits are bulky as well but the bulb itself fits into the housing and you are able to put the bulb covers back on. You don't have to worry about the bulb heating up and degrading due to heat.
I'm often working on my lights... Either replacing bulbs, soldering failed wire harness, adding aftermarket fog lights. I have 2 or 3 cars. My Uber car gets the most problems. It seems only one fog lights is working now. But I use HID fog lights on that car. It didn't come with fog lights. Course the "factory" halogens aren't good enough. But with HID fog light, it was %300 brighter
@nunchaku101 thanks
@missingremote Good for you, you I like, halogens are not bad lights. Subbed
I use halogen in cars that use halogen. *PIAA Xtreme White* 55 watt low & 65w high beam. Because the lamps are designed for halogen for aiming the foward beam of light down low. For incoming traffic safety
Led is the future hid to much trouble to install
Having to rais your voice over music that you are playing. Tell me, as soon as someone speaks to you, do you hit the play button and then respond or when you answer your phone, does your phone automatically play music in the background of your conversation ? Analogy, do railway stations in the US start to play music and then announce the arrival/departure of a train ? If an audience wants to hear music and listen to you, they cam play their own music. Try listening to your video wearing hearing aids. The next step will be Mr Larry King yelling over background music during his interviews, then TV and movies with continuous music, abandon ship announcements to music. Without background music, your video would be less distracting and more pleasing. I hope I've clarified my concern.
I had a high quality HID in the bike. It did not cause dazzle and solved the frankly dangerous halogen”s poor performance. When it failed I went to LED it was at least as good. The LED emitters are hardly any bigger than the Halogen filament cool so lamp focus was good.
I was able to use an LED H7 bulb in a BMW motorbike headlight. It was needed because the halogen bulb was so poor it was dangerous in wet conditions. However while supposed to be a direct swap the LED would cause dazzle unless the light was angled to its lowest setting. I have tried H4 LEDs in a car but could not set the lights low enough so had to revert to bulbs. At least these are adequate. I expect LED bulbs are technically illegal though the bike always passed its mot (annual safety test).
This is a great video! Thank you man.
Very well explained. I came to the conclusion that your DD HID system was more effective than your SL-1 LED bulbs for the projector lamps on my 2016 RAM. Your closing summary confirms my experience. Very pleased with the result. Just wish this informative video was made before I went through the experimental process myself. All good
Why do vehicle makers use LED and HID if there's no advantage in output? There has to be a reason!
Thank you for your video. I have a Mazda 2014 CX9 with projector headlights. Here there’s not very many street lights. So what kind of LED can I purchase to make the street brighter in front of me. Thank you again. Roger
With your led and that particular projector, you lose all your ground lighting
I've been using opt7 for years now.hands down thee best system out there
I just want to know which type will blind the most people, thanks
Well I for one know about the major issue with Cree L.E.D. light bulbs. I ran them for a week and had to remove them for two major reasons. One, the glare towards oncoming drivers was huge, Second, absolutely no focus beam which essentially means although the headlamps were on, there was no effective light being produced down to the road level. As for the SL1 L.E.D. headlamps, I'd love to give them a try except the specific bulb fitment for my vehicle the (HB5) 9007 does not exist which means I'm stuck with dim lit halogen bulbs. My 2003 Ford Crown Victoria uses a bulky composite reflector which means no options for changing out. I'm stuck with what the factory made for my vehicle.
I’ve used these guys 6kHID system for my 2006 sonata, and only bought 6K bulb for my Mini Cooper since it already came factory with 43k HID build... ... the output of their 6k HID system i believe is leading in headlight technology and I will continue to use all of their lighting systems and builds
really good info, now i have a better idea when choosing bulbs, but one thing is hope he would have stated is the distance of the bulb from the wall.
i purchased led with 360 sided, what's your opinion on this? is it same concept as halogen bulb?
What about a LED bulb inside a projector?
HID's work like old time arc movie projectors.
Hey there! LED and HID will both be options that provide increased brightness over traditional halogen bulbs!
Hello Roger! We would recommend our SL1 bulb at the link below! https://www.diodedynamics.com/low-beam-led-headlight-for-2010-2016-mazda-3-sedan-1.html
The SL1 will give you a great increase in brightness over stock - feel free to give our SL1 a try, we think you'll be happily surprised!
Hopefully you are not blinding people at all! Check out our SL1 LED headlight, it mimics the beam pattern of a stock bulb, eliminating glare, and giving you a great increase in output over stock.
Hey James - we do hope to release dual filament option here in the next couple of months that should be great for the 9007 bulb size. Stay tuned into our social media for updates on that! :)
Hey Kevin - We'll be sure to pass your concerns along to our marketing team!
Thanks for the support Stuart!
Hello Pat - unfortunately with some less common bulb sizes, we may not offer the SL1 at this time. Sorry!
@Fabian Armendariz, feel free to give our SL1 LED replacement a try - we think you will be happily surprised with how well it performs!
Thanks for the rundown appreciate it!
I do recommend hid for projector headlights..6k its right on the nail.. I do have hi/low aftermarket projectors behind the grill and those are awesome, .
long story short just keep your regular bulbs dont add hids or leds if your car didnt come with them in the first place..
I wish everyone watched and understood this so they could stop blinding other drivers just because they thought their chosen bulbs look cool.
Excellent video. Extremely helpful and educational. The honesty and lack of a sales pitch is much appreciated. It definitely deserves a thumbs up. I can't understand why some people disliked this video.
I have a 2k5 Silverado with factory smoke colored headlight lenses. I have halogens, but want an upgrade. I have had hid's in my wife's GMC which are clear lenses and I don't like the output of them. My question is do you have any suggestions or recommendations?
how about considering LED vs HID for 2016 Veloster Turbo?
My neighbor had hids and when he went to start his car one morning it caught on fire. Why did it happen was it not installed properly or it was a bad ballast?
More than likely that was due to an electrical short or an improper installation.
really like that even tho video is from diode dynamics not once did he try and sell his product just clear concise information
Glad you liked it Curtis!
Nicely done. Im a broadcast engineer and your explanations where in depth enough for a technical level and the lay person that doesnt want to get into the nitty gritty.
Glad to hear that we could be of help! :)
I learned somethings today,.. Thank you,... thank you very much.
so a HID isn't that complicated...a voltage transformer/booster/regulator, capacitor and bulb... got it. AC systems cost like $50 for a good 55W kit, easy to install and takes about 1 second to warm up and i think it looks cool. Bulbs last a few years for me. But you need a projector lens. The ones you used in the video sucked... All the ones I've used were awesome. I like the "30% brighter" statement you brought up lol, nice. Serves them right. Great video.
Very comprehensive (aka long), but not too difficult to get through, especially if you're a techie like me. I learned something new about automobile lights. Still, I couldn't help but notice you left out the one minor detail that I did already knew: HID = high-intensity discharge. Great video.
Glad to hear that you enjoyed the video! :)
@Diode Dynamics i'll keep that in mind, thx
25ft is often a great starting point when adjusting your headlights against a wall.
With the SL1 LED we offer, it is designed to work great in both reflector and projector based housings. This will not necessarily be the case with all other LED bulbs, as they do not always mimic the beam pattern of a stock bulb, resulting in poor performance.
Yep, they're not just the longest lasting, but the most energy efficient to run.
Especially the dim ones on the other teams they crush.
Or stick to halogen
HID sounds rubbish and Energywasting.....why even f...ing bother with that Crap in 2020....LED is best..lasts forever and Energy saving....
Brilliant, literally!
Fuck HID Kits... cause too much hassle
The difference is 2 letters, they’re both a pain in the azz!
I installed Boslla led in my 2013 Corvette projector high beams, whiter & brighter. What do you think? Also these have 4 settings high, fog, flash and one other. They change color. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPWIXao5tpo Really would like your feedback, thanks. Froggy
I'll stick with halogen
LED are safer and less power hungry, HID is more power hungry and more dangerous to handle.
Alex Animals and Gardens Aruba Alex Transport Aruba 297 735 0444 Thank you very much. Very good and detailed explanation.
@diode dynamics .. Interesting. Very. But why did the measured outputs for all bulbs drop in the projector system? I thought it was supposed to collect and focus the light better than the reflector system?
Information well shared! Good job guy!
I liked the presentation and got a lot out of it but noticed 2 things that I have questioned. CANBUS is the vehicle communication protocol and that box might be an interface (or maybe simply labeled inaccurately from a chinese manf) , The " flickering" is most likely a PWM driver as used in Chrysler vehicles on low beam. Based on the quality of the presentation I'm sure you are aware of this, I'm curious why you presented those points in that way.
Hey there! Many of the things we addressed in this video is based on the 12+ years of questions and feedback we get from customers on a daily basis.
Your infrared camera example at 9:12 of cool running bulbs was deliberate deception. It is impossible for an LED to produce enough light and stay that cool, unless you had first put the whole assembly in a freezer and only measured for the first few seconds till it warmed up.
Not a deception at all! When you have a properly designed bulb and heat sink, it is possible for a bulb to remain quite cool.
Do you know of any state that allows you to place aftermarket non-DOT and non-SAE approved LED bulbs into the headlight housing? Not very scientific in this video. Stating that a headlamp cant handle more lumens?
That would be something that you would need to check with your local municipality, as often times they can vary greatly on where you are located. Check out some of our videos below, as we have many more that are more detailed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eytcPqKD4k0&t=206s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZebE6DpLLg
Wtf..so many information in this 25 minutes video. Nice explanation and background music was not too loud either.
Fantastic! Thank you! Well spoken and good looking!
Amazing information! Everything is great about this video but the annoying background music. With such great information dissemination, the music crutch was not needed at all.
What powerful LED would you recommend for a Toyota Corolla 2020 European model, made in Turkey, with 9005 LED lamps? I am looking for 10,000 lumens or more.
Hey Mark - check out our website below, as we have great options for all makes and models! www.diodedynamics.com
Just want to share particularly for those in South Asian country. The light projection by LED lighting is poor through smoke or fog especially thick burning smoke. It is only visible from opposite side of the road along burning bush fire from either side is less than 20 feet comparable to HID or Halogen light. Halogen or HID light is visible through thick smoke as far as 20 meter or more. Base on this experience, please dont overtake a car in front of you by assuming there is no potential car coming from opposite side
Hi Paul, Thank you so much for a very nice informative video. Learnt a lot. One question, I have a HID 9005 6000K 35W setup. I am planning to increase the setup to HID 9005 6000K 55W. Do I have to upgrade both the bulb and the ballast or just the ballast? Look forward to your reply. If the answer is both, what happens if I connect a 35W HID bulb to a 55W ballast apart from the obvious (blow up)?
Hid crap
Thx for explanation Could you explain about 2018 mustang headlight?
G D IT 12 MINUTES IN & STILL ((NO)) NAMES MENTIONED ,, HEY! WHO WHAT WHERE TO BUY & COST! WHAT R BEST BRAND MAKE !!!!! I KNOW ITS 'EXPLAINED" BUT WHY NOT GIVE US SOME SOLID HELP
Wow, I had no clue that my LED bulbs decreased in brightness. This was an extremely informative video.
Amazing video! Great job
HID's run in the kilovolt range.
Videos are too long
To bad that none of this is legal in europe -_-
Excellent explanations
very good play..thanks for passing the ball
great video,,,very informative and easy to understand..
@Jpkrao last forever is a figure of speech...led certainly have the longest lifespan compered to anything else and in this day and age coupled with low energy usage it has to be the choice made as a lot of hdi users still blinding the crap out of the rest of us....by the way very good video...was like a lecture at uni....
Well, this video shows that LEDs still have some catch to do, when comparing their performance to that of HID bulbs. I like my HID headlights ... Smooth and bright pattern of light. None of them "lasts forever". What video did you watch?
10,000 or more lumens? Are you than blind
@Ab-47
@Sweeney Dunston tbh I've seen setups where the HID was used as the main and the old as a secondary, so you could have your normal bulbs running then turn on the HIDs whenever you need them.
@Ab-47 always a tough choice. Too bad their isnt a one bulb/one housing fix-all.
I ride a motorbike with standard halogen bulbs, but they appear bright and white and most car drivers think I have my high beams on, I've lowered the position to point more to the ground and get less drivers flashing at me but some still do. So now I'm at that point where I'm choosing to upgrade to a HID for one purpose, tell those shitty drivers to fuck off ;) Oh and mainly because I ride on side roads, when it's dark it's pitch black and I cant see the road ahead of me doing 60 on a single carriageway.
@Paul Niles for real. Stupid 04 impala housings are fogging up pretty bad lately. Time to ask for a polish kit for xmas.
Sweeney Dunston stick with what the engineers designed for your type of headlight and change the bulbs sooner to keep them bright. Oh, and clean your damn headlights.
Its a lamp!!!!! F*ck
Best ever place to buy your bulbs. Thanks DD!
So, is the degradation of the LED lights related to the scintillator?
I had my HID lights for 11 years now, and put them on two different cars over that time I only replaced the ballast on 1 of them so far I'm still happy with them.
thanks ordered new headlights from headlight depot
Excellent video start to finish, super informative! Somehow the info comes across as non-biased even though it's a marketing video for their own products, really nice job and makes you want to look for this companies products specifically. Side note - please please make something special with a bazillian watts or 2 for the Chevy Colorado, the stock projectors are so horrendous! Maybe a 1.21GW HID upgrade with LED's all around it, and a halogen on top for good luck.
No D3S LED available on your site ?
Saybulb, oncemore
ABulbeisathingyouputintheground
Great job Paul ,you have come long way with this company I remembered when you started it on newtib
You explain amazingly well. Good job!
Here in the UK, you need projector clusters if you want to run aftermarket LEDs or HIDs. Otherwise it's not legal.
what an excellent video, from an absolute pro in his field. So its not about look, it should be about light.
yeah, if you are in USA. Try that in Europe, where small country roads have no light and there is oncoming traffic. HID+projectors are the only choice
Ah, fear. Lights keep getting brighter. People still leave their brights on. The glare causes even dims to appear absurdly bright but this is america. Blame someone else :)) You win, my eyeballs are fried.
nos interesa conocer su informacion, pero no todos entienden el ingles
I strongly suggest that you use more of tables , graphs and written/drawn informations comparasions to help the audiance to not to fall asleep.
Thank you. Good video.
19:13 light comparison
what about the lumens when you have the brights on on LEDs . I do not think they increase the brightness but they just change the area of where the beam is directed a little higher. Does anyone else know if there are good LEDs where the brights are real brights?
HID is horrible technology - don't even think about it. LED is good as long as you NEVER CHANGE THE SOCKET! Best bet is just to buy a set of Silver Star Ultras.
I’ve had both as headlights. HID is better for actual visibility.
HID bulbs are horrible! I have them o n my 2009 PRIUS and have changed them many times because the burn out and are very expensive. When they come on, they are bright, then lower in intensity making it hard to see at night. Won't own another car with this system.
With stock halogen bulbs I've seen cases where they've caused the bulb socket & wire harness get brown & brittle over some years. This was due to them getting too hot & drawing too much current. LED bulbs resolve this problem, but at times they require a special relay when used as signal lights. In some cases a diode is needed when an LED bulb is used to replace a stop/brake filament bulb in order for it to work properly.
Best of the Best on the subect
Steve Armendariz sr that’s definitely more than 2 letters!
@Ronald Johnson there's enough regulations we don't need to be like Europe and told what headlights we must buy for our vehicle. Driver blinds you blind them back. Or if it's there low beams any driver should be able to see the white or yellow line. If you can see one you know where your car should be from either line or shouldn't be driving. I don't run super bright headlights regular halogens work good enough and I'm up in a f250 so my lights are literally head high drivers of most cars
CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT ARE THE LIGHTS THE TESLA USES?
No 9007s?
Damn, it's beyond me that people are even allowed in other countries (I assume the video is for the US market) to change the type of lamp/bulbs. Here in Luxembourg (normally also counts for the whole EU), you're not allowed to change a hallogen bulb with an Led or xenon (we don't call them hid) as the whole projector wasn't designed to work like that. That cheap LED for example wouldn't even be allowed on the market as it isn't bright enough. Hid and Led system also need to have an automatic height regulation to be authorised. The laws for the headlights are quite strict here, you're not even allowed to change headlights with those BMW angeleyes ones. Only systems that have been conceived for that specific car and that has a so called TÜV certificate are allowed to be installed.
I under write Mk Hy 's comment below.
thanks
I care nothing about looking cool. I want the brightest bulbs possible. I want to see that moose standing on the fog line.
@Paul Niles cant see shit with my stock halogens on a unlit road at night. Almost run into a cyclist last week because they had no rear light. If you install proper components the right way there should be no problem.
@James Smith There are already regulations. I don't believe I mentioned needing more....... But you do mention the position of most of these trucks nowadays are much higher. And that is why there is also a regulation of their height I think is 42 inches. Whatever I don't care but there are drivers that do make theirs brighter for no regard of others.
LED headlights have very poor light distribution and cutoff. They're illegal in most states because they don't meet DOT codes. Crap products. Projector HID's are vastly superior in the real world.
Leds sound a bit rubbish
Wish I would've seen this a week or two earlier. I just installed LED bulbs from superbrightleds.com in my 2002 Super duty reflector housings, and they're ok, at best. The scatter is wild, and it looks like I have 5 or 6 small hotspots with some very dim spots in between. I've been playing with adjusting the bulb depth in the actual housing to try and get a better beam pattern. So far, haven't had anyone bright me, so I assume I'm at least not being "that guy".
you are most welcome, keep up the great work.
I have a Kia Niro with Projector Beam factory HID's. They reach what appears to be full brightness in about 5 seconds. The on road lighting performance is fantastic and this vehicle won a Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS. It's overall lighting performance and lack of glare to oncoming drivers which garners that + rating. Even on low beam, the light directly in front of me projects out to a great distance BUT the light is substantially reduced in the oncoming lane so other drivers are not blinded. Brilliant design! I've been similarly impressed when testing other vehicles employing factory LED headlights. I would suggest that in any modern vehicle, leave the factory lighting alone. All manufacturers are now TRYING to garner that Top Safety Pick+ award.
Amazing Video!
Hi there! Please go ahead and give us a call at 314-205-3033 Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com, and our service team will be happy to answer any questions!
Happy to hear that, most of the 9007s out there are what you say to avoid.
Hi there! We plan to release more LED headlight bulb sizes in the coming months!
You got it!
Thank you!!
Thanks Matt!
Hi Andre! We don't currently offer a D3S-size LED upgrade, sorry about that!
Well deserved ..........You might remember my screen name as NOLFOL
Thanks for the kind words, Nolan!
Thanks for the kind words, David!
Hi Haritha! Thanks for the kind words. Please go ahead and give us a call at 314-205-3033 Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com, and our service team will be happy to help you with your HID upgrade!
Hi there! Did you have any specific questions about the 2018 Mustang's headlights?
Hi Stephen! Thanks for reaching out. This video is intended to discuss the technological advantages and disadvantages of the various bulb designs. If you'd like assistance selection an upgrade for your ride, please go ahead and give us a call at 314-205-3033 Monday-Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST, or shoot us an email at contact@diodedynamics.com, and our team will be happy to help!
Thanks, James!
Thanks, Ben!
Very informative. Awesome video my friend.
Thank you Tom Brady.
Real question though, what was the lux in the glare zone? And what are the government standards for those measurements?
You guys don't sell H7 SL1 bulbs ):
Thank you, James!
Hids are amazing ... the light beams out and is dense...LED is just pure crap crap crap in every application ... artificial light.
The sharp cut-off wit projector lights is only good in theory. In practice, they are super annoying, both for the driver and the oncoming cars. If we only drove on flat, level roads, they would be fantastic. We don’t. On roads that are bumpy or hilly, the cut-off line is bobbing up and down constantly and that is very annoying. I have had projector light cars behind me and I thought they were flashing their high beams at me when it was just the car going over a large bump or dip. I much prefer the more diffuse light from HIDs and reflector LEDS over projector lights, but as a driver of the vehicle with the lights and as the driving of a vehicle approaching or ahead of the projector equipped vehicle.
Very Informative...and Helpful... Thanks... (Y)
Excellent explanation on the pros the cons of all the available systems utilized in today's lighting systems and what the actual difference really is.!.What it really comes down to is the application (Reflector or Projector housing) and choice of actual light source (Halogen vs HID vs LED) and of course the price of the set up of the individual system of choice. I experimented with an older 1997 vehicle and upgraded it to a HID kit (Mishimoto) and replaced the headlight lenses to newer clearer ones without the OEM diffused ones...With the correct professional alignment of the lens and light beam.. the difference is phenomenal..!
Thanks for the kind words, Gerald!
Sorry! We only offer HID Kits for that size currently.
Wow you are the first person I’ve seen that’s noticed what’s going on! These lights out here are out of control!!!
So in a reflector put only incandescent bulbs, in a projector about anything, my opinion exactly.
The SL1 that we offer is also a great option for reflector based housings, as it mimics the beam pattern of a stock bulb. This will not be the case with all LED bulbs however.
Great very informative video.
The best explanation of car lighting Ive ever seen , your clear you know your stuff , thanks for clearing up questions I have had for years about lights . for me I'm sticking with the good old halogen I like the simplicity of just having a bulb and it seems a good halogen in real terms is not that far behind.
An exceptional video. Clear explanation and excellent production! Well done!
This is essentially a commercial for their LED bulbs, although a very informative one.
You're welcome! We're glad you enjoyed!
Thank you so much!
@Matthew Lahman they need the auto dimming mirrors for windshield. They have it for sunglasses forever. Just change it to adjust opacity based on uv light no? Sounds simple. Had a broken headlight once in my Mazda. The projector housing bounced around internally and the flicker of light it created made my feel like I was getting pulled over for the 3 days it stayed broken. Had no other choice really other than disconnect the bulb. Next time I'll do that cause I must've pissed off this one guy across from me in a intersection, cause suddenly he threw the switch to 2 led bars and I thought I had a stroke or died n saw the white light lol now that is way more of a problem. Nothing screams pull me over more than driving around in a coal rolling Ford Diesel with the dual 36 inch led light bars ON.
Sam S wow yeah I with you that there is a significant difference in the HID beams and the LED bulbs. I like the HIDs no matter how bright they are because like you said it’s a projected beam you can easily move off indirectly and the light is more natural. I drive a 06’ BMW 330i and have had several newer BMWs which all had the auto adjusting xenon HIDs. With the HIDs the new cars have gotten much brighter (ok) but also more white / blue (more damaging to eye) and what I only started noticing the past year or so is they are aiming then higher...seems 3-5x brighter than even HIGH beams were a few years ago. The top level of the HID projector beam should be like not that far ahead of the vehicle and never project in the windshield level. BMW has self dimming rear view mirrors (awesome feature) so it’s mainly the oncoming / at an intersection lights that are disruptive. Like you said too the biggest problems on the road are the dirty LED totally artificial unpleasant unavoidable light. It’s really an unbelievable situation unfolding.
@Matthew Lahman what vehicle do you drive now? all I know is I've had HIDs in several (more than 5) vehicles since 2005 back when a single kit cost $500-700. So I'm maybe one of those you wouldn't like on the road- maybe my eyes just suck too - but I can't see a fkin thing with regular halogen bulbs, ESPECIALLY if someone else's lights are double blinding me and my lights already are sub par. Atleast with better, brighter, more visibility on my end (the controllable side) I can squint my way through the blinding effect created by others because I have more visability from my own car as well. I've only noticed others drivers lights unbearable if they had high beams on as you can't direct your eyes away from a spot light or flood light vs a projector beam. Not really anyway. Get brighter lights, you'll thank your self in the long run. Ps- I wear glasses already and prescription is current
Sam S the German cars have gotten brighter and whiter ... but the real offenders are the japonesa Toyota and honda with the headlight angled so high up now and new trucks and SUVs are ridiculous ....somethings changed because all the lights are brighter and higher up directly in my eyes
I think the most blinding lights are the ones that come on German vehicles to be completely honest
Excellent presentation, thank you.
Nice to hear an educated person for once. All these new idiot liberal freak shows have got to go .
Glad that we could be of help Juan!
Granted LEDs are cool, but given the reflectors of today, might there be any damage ? Thanks ,,,, Cheers From NJ
No worries about any damage whatsoever. The LEDs will run much cooler than a stock halogen bulb will, and the LEDs also use much less power as well.
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Thanks man, I've been looking for this information for years. Everyone else is just a sales pitch only!
My 2015 Audi S4 had HID and they were brighter than my 2018 Audi S4 LEDS, same thing with the back up lights, LED were not bright at all
Wow, best video seen on this topic!! Great job guys
The ONLY solution for bright headlights is... install 10 headlights on each side of the car.
Call me crazy, but that lux test seems a little disingenuous. I don't care how bright the light is at the bright center spot, right? As far as I can tell, even a new halogen bulb is good enough at showing me what's down the road. I want to know how bright they are at the fringes, 30 and 45 degrees off axis (where those god damned deer are always hiding to ambush me). That's gonna tell me what I want to know about a usable beam pattern. As far as I can tell that overly focused light is just good for blinding the snot out of other drivers. Or am I wrong?
Thank you, Charles!
But do I need Headlight fluid with this upgrade?
Use the words "less expensive" instead of the word "cheap" or when you use the word "cheap", qualify the intent of how you're using the word "cheap". -- Thanks
Thanks for the kind words, Ramon!
Very informative
It really depends on what type of bulbs you are using and what type of housings they are being used in. If done properly, you won't see the glare you're speaking of, and the upgraded LED or HID will improve the output of the light shining on the sides of the road as well!
Xenonhids let's you customize them a little I got them for my other car.
What brand of HID do you use or recommend?
I've wondered about HID for years. I'm sorta glad I didn't go that route. I'm going to be installing my SL1 Low and High beams hopefully this weekend. Very nice product for sure. Lots of great info in this video thanks for show us.