LED headlights

[Argentimage]

Are these bulbs blinding oncoming traffic by not projecting an OEM beam pattern and/or having to high of a lumen output?

Ford has a solid history of blinding oncomming traffic dating back to the 90's, nhtsa complaints, so your question is irrelevant, as if the OEM was or is blinding as a current F150 is today, what's the difference??? NONE.

 

[94Eddie]

Ford has a solid history of blinding oncomming traffic dating back to the 90's, nhtsa complaints, so your question is irrelevant, as if the OEM was or is blinding as a current F150 is today, what's the difference??? NONE.

Actually there is a big difference. The bulbs you are using spew light everywhere and are exceptionally blinding to oncoming traffic. Add that you are using very high lumen output lights that don't produce a proper beam pattern and you are absolutely endangering people coming at you in the opposing lane. If you have designed headlights then you should be aware of the danger to others of using LED headlights of this nature.

 

[Argentimage]

Actually there is a big difference. The bulbs you are using spew light everywhere and are exceptionally blinding to oncoming traffic. Add that you are using very high lumen output lights that don't produce a proper beam pattern and you are absolutely endangering people coming at you in the opposing lane. If you have designed headlights then you should be aware of the danger to others of using LED headlights of this nature.

Sorry, you are way out of line with false assumptions, go back and reread, I spent over 100 hours analyzing bulbs to get good ones.

 

[keptman]

THIS IS TOTALLY FALSE. Sunlight is around 4300K and OEM HID's use 4300K bulbs. "True White" is 5000K. Anything beyond 5000K has a bluish tint to it. Most aftermarket LED's are 6500K CRAP. Don't confuse sunlight with daylight.

The biggest problem I have with the higher K rated bulbs is when it's raining. The '21 model I drive has factory led's and they suck when it's raining. There too blue which diffuses in the rain and leaves hardly enough light to see in a area not well lit.

Then you need to tell majority of companies making LEDs and selling LEDs they are wrong in how they are labeling color temperature. BTW, what is the difference between sunlight and daylight. The typical reference for cloudy conditions moves the color temperature past 6000k.

Most legit companies have to list these as fog lights. Don't confuse what sale jargon they use to sell something illegally. Daylight can be diffused through clouds, trees, and blue skies.
Quoted from Google search
Daylight would be the clear, bluish light coming in through a north facing window. No direct sunshine coming in, just the light from the crisp, blue sky.

Sunlight, on the other hand, has a warmer, yellower quality to it - imagine the soft, early morning sun rays streaming in through your windows.

 

[94Eddie]

Sorry, you are way out of line with false assumptions, go back and reread, I spent over 100 hours analyzing bulbs to get good ones.

Good ones are not multi-faced LEDs that output way too many lumens. I am not making assumptions. I am just going by what you have stated.

 

[TechGuru]

The biggest problem I have with the higher K rated bulbs is when it's raining. The '21 model I drive has factory led's and they suck when it's raining. There too blue which diffuses in the rain and leaves hardly enough light to see in a area not well lit.

Does your vehicle have fog lights? If yes install some selective yellow bulbs in them and use them in the rain.

These are the ones I recommend for the Explorer's that have fogs (I wish mine did).

https://www.amazon.com/Optilux-H71071112-Xenon-Yellow-Halogen/dp/B002E2SJAA/

Daylight would be the clear, bluish light coming in through a north facing window. No direct sunshine coming in, just the light from the crisp, blue sky.

Sunlight, on the other hand, has a warmer, yellower quality to it - imagine the soft, early morning sun rays streaming in through your windows.

Exactly, and that's why factory HID's are 4300K. 4300K was determined to be the best color for optimal vision for the human eye.

 

[94Eddie]

If you want to add LED headlights to a old vehicle then buy a old vehicle that uses SEALED BEAM HEADLIGHTS.

I personally don't like them, too blue for me at 6500K.

I didn't know they offered sealed beam LED headlights. I don't have any vehicles old enough to use them. I think 5500k-6000k is the sweet spot for LED bulbs. LED headlights have come a long way in the past five years. Their design has been refined and many companies have gone out of their way to offer bulbs that work very well as replacements for halogen bulbs in reflector housings. Also, many have moved away from offering super bright bulbs and stay close to the 3000 lumen per bulb intensity.

 

[TechGuru]

Ford has a solid history of blinding oncomming traffic dating back to the 90's, nhtsa complaints, so your question is irrelevant, as if the OEM was or is blinding as a current F150 is today, what's the difference??? NONE.

So does GM, lol. Pretty much all the American makes do. Euro has higher lighting standards so imports tend to have better lights.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

 

[J_C]

This discussion could go on forever and is an example of why the retrofits are illegal, because it shouldn't be a matter of consumers making their own subjective choices for what benefits themselves the most, rather than an objective choice of what is safer for public roads.

As stated already, you are just as safe (even more so) with stock bulbs and housings and only driving the appropriate speed for the conditions, rather than driving faster with illegal headlights, blinding others, and being in a worse situation when you do end up in a collision, even if not from your own fault but rather because some other driver was blinded by excessive headlights and it's their fault, even if from some other vehicle. Getting away with doing it for a while is not a proof that it is safe to do long term, especially the more vehicles that there are out there with blinding headlights.

If you had time to read this topic, your time was not so precious that you needed to shave a few seconds off your commute by having blinding headlights. I mentioned it previously, that vehicle fatalities are at an all time high. We have better brakes, tires, airbags, traction control, collision avoidance, and these effin' blinding headlights AND other sources of excessive glaring blue light pollution. Headlights are not the only variable, source of blue light pollution, but it's a variable under your control.

Don't be part of the problem.

 

[94Eddie]

To wrap up. Not all LED headlights are blinding. If you use them then do your homework when choosing a bulb.

 

[TechGuru]

I'm seeing a different problem in my city. People driving around in traffic (and with the assistance of street lights) with their high beams on! Starting to wonder if COVID damaged people's eyes.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

 

[94Eddie]

I'm seeing a different problem in my city. People driving around in traffic (and with the assistance of street lights) with their high beams on! Starting to wonder if COVID damaged people's eyes.

Look up "long term covid issues." It's a real thing.

 

[mountaineer2004]

I'm seeing a different problem in my city. People driving around in traffic (and with the assistance of street lights) with their high beams on! Starting to wonder if COVID damaged people's eyes.

Haha. People are idiots...it's that simple.
I still use basic halogens and they're just fine. I could upgrade to brighter Xtravision or Silverstar but don't need to.
I believe this situation to be the headlight version of a dic waving contest.

 

[94Eddie]

Haha. People are idiots...it's that simple.
I still use basic halogens and they're just fine. I could upgrade to brighter Xtravision or Silverstar but don't need to.
I believe this situation to be the headlight version of a dic waving contest.

LEDs do provide better night vision than halogens. It isn't even a contest between them.

 

[TechGuru]

Haha. People are idiots...it's that simple.
I still use basic halogens and they're just fine. I could upgrade to brighter Xtravision or Silverstar but don't need to.
I believe this situation to be the headlight version of a dic waving contest.

The Philips 9011/9012 HIR upgrade I mentioned is the best upgrade you can do. They are brighter than Xtravision or SilverStar.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

 

[TechGuru]

LEDs do provide better night vision than halogens. It isn't even a contest between them.

No they do not. The CRI of LED's is horrid. HID would be better than LED but Halogen still has the best CRI. There is a reason jewelry shops use halogen quartz lighting.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

 

[J_C]

LEDs do provide better night vision than halogens. It isn't even a contest between them.

The question becomes why do you need to drive faster, to need that better night vision, at the expense of blinding others more?

This isn't all that different than the wattage limitation imposed years ago on halogens, to limit excessively blinding other motorists. The intent not to do that was there all along, you just want to find some loophole to do it, which isn't even a loophole since the retrofits are illegal.

You cannot have better night vision with the most perfect of LED headlights, without also blinding other drivers more. Everything you see better, is having more glaring light cast upon it.

LED bulbs could be designed better, for example a dual array of LEDs with a warmer, not so bright, color temperature array for low beams then a cooler array for high beams, but that still won't work well with a reflector designed for halogens because it puts the greater # of LEDs that much further away from the focal center of the reflector. Same situation as always, that the housing/reflector/optics needs to be designed specifically for the bulb.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

I'm seeing a different problem in my city. People driving around in traffic (and with the assistance of street lights) with their high beams on! Starting to wonder if COVID damaged people's eyes.

interesting, yeah seen that too. some cars these day have auto high beams but thats only when no streetlights/approaching car.

 

[94Eddie]

No they do not. The CRI of LED's is horrid. HID would be better than LED but Halogen still has the best CRI. There is a reason jewelry shops use halogen quartz lighting.

You're wrong. I have made direct comparisons and there is no doubt that LEDs provide better night vision.

 

[94Eddie]

The question becomes why do you need to drive faster, to need that better night vision, at the expense of blinding others more?

This isn't all that different than the wattage limitation imposed years ago on halogens, to limit excessively blinding other motorists. The intent not to do that was there all along, you just want to find some loophole to do it, which isn't even a loophole since the retrofits are illegal.

You cannot have better night vision with the most perfect of LED headlights, without also blinding other drivers more. Everything you see better, is having more glaring light cast upon it.

LED bulbs could be designed better, for example a dual array of LEDs with a warmer, not so bright, color temperature array for low beams then a cooler array for high beams, but that still won't work well with a reflector designed for halogens because it puts the greater # of LEDs that much further away from the focal center of the reflector. Same situation as always, that the housing/reflector/optics needs to be designed specifically for the bulb.

It is laughable that anyone would say LEDs are less effective than halogen. Make your arguments against them in other regards because properly designed LEDs providing better vision at night than halogens is a ship that has already sailed. If they didn't then so many people wouldn't use them to include auto manufacturers.