Thread: New driving lights...which ones?

Just quickly - Whiter =/= Brighter

Lux and Lumens measure light.. colour doesn’t..

(In your case there likely is an increase in luminous output as you state - as you’re meeting power requirements)...


Those Ultinon are a solid unit... I have one in my M109R - it’s a toy - not a night runner so doesn’t matter for highway use just runs to work and back at night..

Don’t expect even with ADR approvals that they can go in a D1 - it isn’t self levelling so won’t comply!

Originally Posted by Tombie

Total output (within reason) matters little compared to CRI. "Those in the know" are smart to sacrifice total lumens in favor of increased CRI. Lumens provide a **** factor, but high CRI makes light useful.

There’s benefits with low CCT, high CRI in terms of reduced pupil constriction due to lack of blue which aids distance vision at night and the narrowing of the spectrum, especially with a wide pupil, this can enhance focus on distant objects.

Higher CCT tends to worsen and lower CCT tends to lessen discomfort glare for any given intensity; this means if CCT is lower the intensity can be greater without a perceived increase in glare, which in turn means greater safety performance.

Damned interesting points.
I never thought of pupil movements in response to colour.
I blithely assumed that a higher colour temp would be more like sunlight, which would be the ultimate outcome.
My first thought is, is it significant in the field ?

Can somebody (maybe a young person, as they’re more expendable) go for a standard drive, and get an offsider to measure their pupils, once whilst using low colour temp filament globes, then again with high colour temp LEDs fitted ?

To the OP:
LED headlights are fine if the vehicle is designed and built with them to comply with the ADRs.
Increasing numbers of new vehicles are made that way.
Putting them in headlamps designed for filament globes contravenes the ADRs as their output does not conform with intensity and safety rules.
Mounting extra lamps of any variety is virtually unrestricted, as long as they are connected to be able to operate only when your high beam is switched on.
Rearwards facing lighting is also permissible, as long as they can only be switched on when your reverse lights are on, and there is no independent switch available in the cab.

I’d highly recommend sticking as many LED spotties or floods or combo lamps out the front as you like, as long as you switch them from the high beam circuit.

Don’t go too far!!! Too much light cannot be resolved by the human eye either..

There is “too much of a good thing”

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Interesting discussion. Learning a lot. Thanks.
So does this mean all LED headlights are either illegal or a bad idea?
....

Technically, yes! they aren't ADR approved, but this is due to the older design types that used to prevail.
That never stopped the 'young and stupid' from fitting them tho.
My story of my mate with his LED globe and Harley hopefully shows we weren't young and stupid. It was obvious to both of us that those crappy old style LED globes just weren't worth the money .. even the current $1-2 they can cost.
They just sprayed light everywhichway but forward .. what everyone refers to scatter.
As I said in my reply they were removed immediately. Don't know what Chris did with them, but I suspect he may have chucked them out .. $50 down the drain.

But with these newly developed designs, it eliminates the need to renew your wiring, which is almost certainly the cause of any dim headlight situation.
Alternatively if you prefer whiter coloured headlight, then LEDs on the whole will provide that, whereas QH globes need a blue filter to give you that output.

If you do seek cheaper alternative LED globes to the $200 Philips, just be sure you locate specific measurements on the size of the entire globe, as the heatsink on the back may not allow fitment to a D1/D2/RRC type vehicle(that I know of).
The panel immediately behind the rear of the headlight is the major restriction. Lots of room there tho for the electronic control box.
On a D1/RRC, you could holesaw a hole to allow for the room in some heatsink designs, but for a D2 this is not an easy option on the driver side(battery box is hard up just behind it) .. so you'd have to holesaw the battery box too.

If needed I can go out and get some photos of how the Philips sit in my D1.

Originally Posted by AK83

They don't use the silly corn cob LED array that was initially available, they use a very small chip array which is shielded for low beam, and unshielded for hi beam. They don't produce the scatter that the old corn cob LED bulbs do, which more importantly themselves don't produce the light throw that the headlight is supposed too.

So the two reason the LEDs now appear brighter, is that they get their 1.something amp of current through the meagre wiring, that I didn't need to modify and that the light quality/colour is whiter .. ie. brighter.

I'd say that in the immediate future, those Philips Ultinon type designs will most likely get both EU and ADR approval(if they haven't been already).

Never heard of corn cob arrays in H4 format, sounds awful.
I’ve only ever known, used, tested and experimented with the H4 arrays mounted on opposing sides of the solid alloy billet, shielding and directors provided by the headlamp housing (luminaire).
Lots of other lights can use the corn cobs, as they spread their output around.

Corn cobs in headlamps ....... goodness .... yuk ....

Originally Posted by DrDeath

Never heard of corn cob arrays in H4 format, sounds awful.
I’ve only ever known, used, tested and experimented with the H4 arrays mounted on opposing sides of the solid alloy billet, shielding and directors provided by the headlamp housing (luminaire).
Lots of other lights can use the corn cobs, as they spread their output around.

Corn cobs in headlamps ....... goodness .... yuk ....

Not Corn Cob. He’s just referring to the COB versions!

Checking out the Philips and Speaker LED H4s referred to above in this thread:
They seem to be the same design as previous, but with a small reflector/director added.
Quality looks a bit uncertain, but hard to tell from afar.

Im dying to know what the spread is with the inbuilt reflectors.

Can some kind soul perhaps post a pic of these lights aimed at a large flat surface ?

I’d be very grateful.

Originally Posted by Tombie

Not Corn Cob. He’s just referring to the COB versions!

Thanks Tombie.
COB stands for “Chip On Board”, whereas the term “corn cob” refers to the format of LEDs mounted all around the outside of a central point or post, in a cylindrical fashion, resembling the edible item in question.

The H4s are therefore virtually all “COBs”, but I ain’t never seen no “corn cob” H4s ...

The mystery may be revealed to us heathen mob one day .....