LED headlamp bulb

[RedMerle]

I seem to have wasted several hours researching halogen and LED headlamp bulbs today 

I want something that gets rid of the yellow halogen light, is at least a little bit more powerful and has a good service life. I don’t mind buying new bulbs, but I’ve settled on the remove-the-instrument-panel route to replacing headlamp bulbs and I don’t want to have to do that any more than is absolutely necessary!



I found that any halogen bulb that met my first two criteria had too short a service life, while any LED lamp was likely to not work at its best in a reflector bowl designed for an incandescent lamp, as (even if the LED’s where in the correct position) the LED’s only shine out left and right, whereas they ought to shine out at 360 degrees on dip to use the whole reflector bowl.

Any solution is going to be a compromise, but these seem worth a punt:






H4 LED Headlight Bulbs High Low Beam 70W 16000LM 6500K White with Fan Super Bright Waterproof Car Headlight Plug And Play All in One Conversion kit - 2 Year Warranty https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07WGZB6TF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_MY0eFb9TNKNCD

Any thoughts please?

[Coconut]

Thoughts :

As they are not "Road Legal" in the UK, you will still have to change them back
at least Annually for the MOT Inspection.

Although they have a built in fan for "heat dissipation" it's difficult to compare the
heat produced by these compared to standard Halogen, and where does the
"dissipated" heat go to ?  Is there a risk of melting the plastic headlamp unit ?

Also, to me, they look very ugly. ( Unless you are a fan of the Japanese Bullet Train  ).

Cheers 



 

[RedMerle]

Thanks for your reply Coconut.

The MoT issue is a point, as I don’t want to be having to change them before and after an MoT.

As for heat, with the heat sink inside the headlamp, it would be depositing the heat in exactly the same place as a halogen bulb. I’d be nervous about any heatsink that’s sits behind the lamp, in amongst the wiring.

I quite like the bullet train 

Are there any tried and tested solutions to my quandary?

[RedMerle]

On the subject of legality of LED bulbs, this makes for interesting reading:

https://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/blog/are-led-headlights-legal-in-the-uk/

[Schindawg]

I think the issue you may have is the same one I faced when trying an LED. The opening to the light housing is more narrow than one would think. It allows the halogen bulb to be inserted and seat properly, but I could not even insert the LED bulbs I tried; the opening was simply too narrow. Compare the red lines in your revised graphic - this is the issue I'm talking about; both H4 bulbs, but very different profiles:



Being that you have the light assembly removed, could you do us all a favor and measure the width of that opening? I'm still on the hunt for a replacement and having this info would be helpful!

[RedMerle]

It’s a real coincidence that you should raise this issue, as I came to the same conclusion yesterday (fortunately, before I bought them!).

I noticed the huge difference between the aperture on the Tiger 1200 and the Trophy:





Here’s a slightly less bulky option:



NOVSIGHT H4 LED Headlight Bulbs Hi/Lo Beam 55W/Pair 10000LM 6000K Car Replacement Lights of Halogen and Xenon Kit 2 Lamps https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07S178H9Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JBtfFb6BK0W0R

I’ll put the instrument panel back at the minute, but I suspect that it’ll be coming out again later - in which case I’ll get a measurement put up on this thread 

[Coconut]

RedMerle :

I read that article - Interesting comments indeed about the "MOT" Test !
( For those outside the UK this is an annual Department of Transport inspection
from Year 3 onwards, to ensure safety and compliance etc ).

While it's a given that LED bulbs in a housing designed for H4 and not "Road Legal",
the assumption in the article that it would NOT fail the Inspection on the grounds
that it is not practicable for the Tester to strip down a Headlamp Unit to examine the Bulbs
may be flawed, as the bulbs are easily visible through the front of the headlamp clear plastic.


 

[RedMerle]

This is very true. I shall consult my MoT chap...