Tag Archives: led

LED Headlights for the 350z? Maybe not such a good idea…

Posted by betterautomotivelighting on

I love the Z cars, especially the Nissan 350z, and when I saw that someone was making a FULL LED headlight assembly for the 350z I just had to check it out. I was really excited to ditch the factory projector HID headlights for some low power consumption / super-bright LED headlights for our Z car but I was SADLY disappointed! While the picture on the eBay auction looks promising the actual product experience was an epic failure…

They look awesome in pictures and cost about $275/pair. Just don't turn them on!

They look awesome in pictures and cost about $275/pair. Just don’t turn them on!

Here are the main reasons why these headlights were absolutely a waste of money:

1. CRAP light output – these were about half as bright as stock halogen headlights!

2. LED failure out of the box – one of the parking lights was dead immediately along with one of the low beam LEDs.

3. Poor construction – within 4 days of having them on the car the lenses were starting to show stress marks and moisture was building up inside the housing.

4. NOT WATERPROOF! Don’t believe what the sellers are saying, these are absolutely NOT waterproof!

5. VERY difficult to install! You will really need to understand how 12v automotive wiring works in order to even get these things to turn on properly!

So let’s start off with the biggest issue, the light output is garbage… When looking at the lights head-on they seem to be super bright, but when putting them into practice on the road they just didn’t do anything. In rainy or foggy weather they were down-right dangerous to use! You could kind of see where you were going in the dark on clear-sky nights but it was about half as bright as a regular stock halogen low beam headlight. Not only do they not focus the light output well but they create a lot of glare for other drivers.

LED Headlights installed - they look great but are unsafe to use on the road at night!

LED Headlights installed – they look great but are unsafe to use on the road at night!

In pictures they look incredibly bright, but the actual "on the road" light output is almost non-existent!

In pictures they look incredibly bright, but the actual “on the road” light output is almost non-existent!

The INSTANT these were installed there was an LED failure. Each headlight connects to the parking light wiring to turn on 3 small LEDs on the outside edge of each headlight, and right away one of the six didn’t work. I found that it was due to a poor wiring connection inside (all connections are crimped, not soldered within the construction) but to get to it I would have had to dismantle the entire headlight and it wasn’t worth the trouble so I left it.

Within 24 hours one of the main low-beam LED’s had quit working. I cannot confirm if it burnt out or if the connection became disconnected, either way it was really pathetic. Within 5 days of driving the car the passenger side low beam quit working almost all together. All that was left was a few of the LEDs would come on slightly. I opened up the housing to check it out and found nothing visibly wrong, so either something on the circuit board failed, or all the LED chips failed – it’s hard to say which happened for sure.

Here is the driver's side showing one burnt out low beam LED chip and one almost burnt out parking light LED.

Here is the driver’s side showing one burnt out low beam LED chip and one almost burnt out parking light LED.

Here is the passenger side low beam showing that SOME of the LEDs are still on but only glowing.

Here is the passenger side low beam showing that SOME of the LEDs are still on but only glowing.

One of the more disappointing things about these headlights is the fact that they seem like they COULD have been built really well but just weren’t… The housings themselves looked really nice and the design seems to be well thought out but the individual LEDs were all very cheap, the lenses showed signs of stress damage after less then a week of use, moisture started getting inside the lenses and the way they “seal up” in the back is just pathetic!

The back side of the housings use a rubber cap instead of the factory dust cover. This rubber cap has 3 holes coming out of it, a ground, low beam + and high beam + but this rubber cap does not stay in place! It fits very loose, and when it falls off it exposes the bare circuit board that controls everything – I have a feeling this is why the passenger side light completely failed. Aside from all that, the last issue (and certainly not a small one) is that the black paint on the inside already started to chip off in places and show chrome underneath – 5 DAYS AND THE PAINT FELL OFF!

Here is the inside of the housing showing the hot-glued LEDs in place and the bare circuit board with no protection - just flopping around with every bump in the road and no way to protect from water.

Here is the inside of the housing showing the hot-glued LEDs in place and the bare circuit board with no protection – just flopping around with every bump in the road and no way to protect from water.

Here's the wiring coming out and the loose-fitting rubber cap where the factory dust cap should have gone. This cap falls off very easily and does not seal very tight when it IS installed.

Here’s the wiring coming out and the loose-fitting rubber cap where the factory dust cap should have gone. This cap falls off very easily and does not seal very tight when it IS installed.

Again, these headlights are NOT waterproof. Even the seal around the lens isn’t done very well. The wiring comes out of weird places in the headlight and none of the components are encapsulated. We had these headlights installed for less then a week and EVERYTHING on them failed, largely due to not being waterproof. We even got some moisture inside the passenger side headlight housing. I guess one option would be to never wash the headlights and never drive the car in the rain…

Here you can see one part of the seam where the sealant wasn't done very well and moisture is getting into the headlight after only 4 days of being installed!

Here you can see one part of the seam where the sealant wasn’t done very well and moisture is getting into the headlight after only 4 days of being installed!

Here is where the wiring exits the headlight to hook up to the parking light wiring on the car. The silicone job looks messy and you can peel it back with your fingernail. It is not done very well at all.

Here is where the wiring exits the headlight to hook up to the parking light wiring on the car. The silicone job looks messy and you can peel it back with your fingernail. It is not done very well at all.

Lastly about these headlights, if you are not sufficient with automotive 12v electrical wiring you should not even think of buying these headlights, or if you do you should pay a professional install shop to do the install. Instead of having all the right connectors all you get are bare wires coming out – a total of 5 wires per headlight – 2 for the parking lights and 3 for the high/low headlight function. It may not sound like much but it will be left up to you (with no instructions) to test the original factory wiring and figure out how it all goes together.

Basically what it all comes down to is that it’s too bad that such a cool idea for LED headlights was created, but executed so poorly! I so badly wanted these to work but I’m afraid it was a waste of $275 that could have gone towards a nice set of 2006+ OEM HID headlights. Bottom line – if you want to see them and don’t care if they every work, fine – buy them. But if you actually need them to work for more than a week AND need to see where you’re going – STAY AWAY! Honestly for betting lighting performance I would just recommend you upgrade your stock headlights, which are very well built, with an HID conversion kit for ultimate light output. Don’t waste your money on these 350z LED headlights!

Toyota Tundra LED Reverse Lights – 2 Different Options

Posted by betterautomotivelighting on

If you have ANY type of truck one thing you’re probably wishing is that the reverse light function was better. I’d like to tell you that the Headlight Revolution has taken it upon themselves to offer a Tundra-Specific reverse light upgrade package that anyone can install! First in this video you see how to install LED reverse light bulb replacements and show you how much brighter they are than stock. Next you see how to add a high-power LED projector light onto the rear bumper of the truck for an absolutely astonishing amount of light. The great thing about the 9w projector light used in this video is that it has a 120 degree light output beam pattern which is perfect for backing up at night.

Check out the video and see for yourself, that you truly can see in the dark!

Are LED Headlights Legal?

Posted by betterautomotivelighting on

Many consumers are concerned with whether or not the headlights they are interested in will pass an inspection or be considered “DOT Approved”. It’s a safe bet that if your headlights are rated as “DOT approved” then yes they are legal to use. Many headlight products seem like they are just as good as others because of a certain Lumen rating or quality control, but a true head light should have two main characteristics:

1. Have a separate low beam and high beam (or only one beam)

2. Have some kind of focus of the beam pattern so it doesn’t blind other drivers

JW Speaker 8900

LED Projector Headlights from JW Speaker are among the best in the world!

If the LED headlights you are looking at do not advertise that they are certified or approved by the DOT then chances are they are not truly legal to use on the road. Another good indicator on whether or not the headlights you’re looking to buy are good quality is if they say “SAE Certified”:
SAE is an international professional organization of engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries dedicated to continuing education and standards development. It exists to advance the interests of the mobility and related industries through development of performance standards and administration of quality assurance, accreditation, and certification programs as well as related activities for the benefit of industry, government, and the general public.

If a product is listed as “SAE Certified” it means that it was sent to the SAE for testing and certification and the stamp basically means “This is a really high quality product!”. If a product is listed as “DOT Approved” or “DOT Certified” it just means that the manufacturers built it to spec and regulation to meet certain standards. Nothing needs to be submitted to the DOT to achieve this certification, it’s actually up to the manufacturer to determine whether or not their product meets the requirements.

Right now there are only a handful of companies that are producing LED headlights, such as JW Speaker, Truck-Lite, Pilot Automotive, GTR Lighting, United Pacific, Oracle and maybe a couple others. That’s just what I can think of off the top of my head. So, do your own research and look at what the manufacturer’s say about their own products. If they say it’s SAE Approved and DOT Certified, then take their word for it!

Is LED superior to HID?

Posted by betterautomotivelighting on

When trying to decide which auxiliary off-road lighting or headlights for your vehicle, nowadays it’s a tough choice whether or not to go with HID or LED. For HID there are some reasonable options that are cost-effective when comparing to LED. However, HID cannot hold a candle to LED’s power consumption and lifespan. For headlights, it all depends on the application and your desired effect.

If you have a Jeep Wrangler, semi truck or an older vehicle that uses sealed beam headlights, then you can use LED headlights, or several different HID options. Starr HID makes vehicle specific projector HID headlights that are very high quality or you can just use a GTR Lighting HID conversion kit. If you have a 7″ round, 6″ Round, 4×6″ Rectangular or 5×7″ Rectangular sealed beam setup then you can use a full LED headlight from a company like Truck-Lite, JW Speaker or GTR Lighting. The differences will be this:

  • HID Headlights will Be Brighter, by about double
  • HID Headlights will not last as long. LED Headlights last 10x longer than HID
  • LED Headlights are the new technology, they look cooler and draw 1/10 the energy to operate
  • LED Headlights are brighter than stock
  • HID Headlights are available in a range of different colors
  • HID Headlights can be used in any application
  • LED Headlights have a narrow application range
  • LED Headlight Bulb replacements are not bright enough yet to be safe (as of this date)
JW Speaker makes some of the world's best LED headlight and LED off-road products.

JW Speaker makes some of the world’s best LED headlight and LED off-road products.

When looking at off-road lighting and comparing HID to LED it’s not quite as difficult of a choice but here are some things to keep in mind:

  • HID Headlights will be much cheaper. A 6″ 35w HID off-road light will run anywhere from $150 – $500
  • 35w HID will produce 3,000 – 3,600 Lumens of output. 55w HID will produce 4,500 – 5,500 Lumens of output.
  • LED is available in many configurations running from 900 Lumens (a single 10w LED product) all the way up to 35,000 Lumens (Vixion X XIL-PX7240)
  • LEDs will traditionally draw less energy than HID
  • HID and LED can both be found in long-range configurations

Overall, in terms of which is better for headlights, it’s a toss-up because the LED technology has not been developed far enough to be a universal application. But I predict in the future LED headlights will take over the world – they are the future.

In terms of LED off-road lighting, hands-down LED takes the cake, compared to LED off-road lighting, HID is old news. You will never find a viable HID option that will make over 40,000 Lumens (even that is stretching the imagination) and with LED it’s already easy to put 100,000 Lumens on the front of your truck.

Dodge Ram HID Lights

This 2010 Dodge Ram has a total of 9 HID lights on the front end! Talk about creating a wall of light! A total of 31,500 Lumens of light output!

 

What are LED Headlights?

Posted by betterautomotivelighting on

LED stands for “Light Emitting Diode” and the technology has come leaps and bounds in just last last couple of years, and every 6 months or so the potential for LED forward lighting proves to be more and more the new industry leader. 10 years ago the idea of an LED headlight was unheard of because the only thing LEDs were being used for were indicators in electronic devices and they didn’t make nearly enough light output to be used to actually see anything with.

The original style LEDs are not suitable for headlight applications.

The original style LEDs are not suitable for headlight applications.

Back in the day, way back when, one of the first types of automobile or carraige “head lamps” were glass jars which held a candle inside. This probably didn’t do a whole lot in terms of being able to see a long distance, but the vehicles of that age didn’t go very far so it didn’t matter. As automobile technology and average speed increased, the need for brighter and more reliable headlights did as well. The evolution of the headlamp started at that very rudimentary candle setup to incandescent halogen, then to HID and just recently LED technology has begun to overtake all other options. This is because of lifespan, durability, power consumption and ever-increasing Lumen production capability. LED tech is quickly proving to be the lighting source of choice for everyone.

Jeep Wrangler JK no flashing problems

The JW Speaker 8700 LED headlights will replace any existing. 7″ round housing.

Today there are several companies specializing in high-power LED headlights, and most are even DOT approved for use on city streets and highways. JW Speaker is probably the best known LED headlight manufacturer because currently they produce what is considered to be the best LED headlight in the world. The JW Speaker LED headlights are brighter than competitors, and are quite nice looking overall. Next you have Truck-Lite who is also a pioneer in the LED headlight market, when they came out with their Phase 6 7″ round light several years ago. Today, Truck-Lite LED headlights are much brighter than stock lights, cheaper than JW Speaker and use new parabolic reflector technology. Lastly, GTR Lighting has recently entered the LED headlight market with a 4×6″ and 6″ round products that are far cheaper than the others, but GTR Lighting LED headlights are still brighter than stock.

Jeep Lighting

The Jeep Wrangler is a fantastic platform for using LED headlights because many manufacturers sell the 7″ round size of LED headlight.

If you’re interested in upgrading the forward lighting of your vehicle, I would strongly encourage you consider the LED headlight option due to it’s superiority to halogen incandescent or in some cases even HID. I suspect that within the next 5 years HID technology will be obsolete when compared with LED in terms of the best fit for automotive lighting.

 

The Revolution is Here!

Posted by betterautomotivelighting on

So, this will be a short post, I just wanted to tell you about a new website called the Headlight Revolution:

The revolution is here!

The revolution is here!

This new website is designed to help people break the chains of conventional and boring halogen lighting and introduce the newest, most powerful, cutting edge lighting options for different applications in the world! If you ever need to find the hottest and wildest new lighting products, they WILL be hosted at the Revolution!

Check it out here:

www.HeadlightRevolution.com

The Headlight Revolution is here!

The Headlight Revolution is here!

Nissan 350z LED Driving Lights – Vehicle Specific

Posted by betterautomotivelighting on
Nissan 350z LED Driving Lights

Nissan 350z LED Driving Lights

 

 

 

 

Finally, there’s a product available to add a classy and super-bright LED driving light to your Nissan 350z. The kit (made by GTR Lighting) comes with everything involved to do the install, including vehicle specific brackets to hold the DRLs in place. Just remove your bumper and install the lights and you’re good to go!

Here is a video showing you exactly how to install the lights with step by step instructions to help you make it REALLY easy!

Components to the LED Kit

Components to the LED Kit

Wild New Headlight Technology – Lasers and LEDs!

Posted by betterautomotivelighting on
Here is a new design from Audi

Here is a new design from Audi

The Feds don’t know what to make of Audi’s new LED headlamps!

Audi has built a better automotive lighting system, known as the matrix beam LED headlamps. Matrix LEDs promise better, more precise lighting for the driver, less blinding light to dazzle oncoming motorists, and a kind of mid-beams for roads with only a little traffic. The Matrix lighting technology is ready to go on the 2013 Audi A8 big luxury sedan, but don’t hold your breath if you live in the US — when Audi asked the National Highway Transportation Administration for a ruling, the NHTSA demurred, unsure how to fit the square peg of a variable-output, matrix headlamp array into the round hole they call low and high beams. The issue is that in America we’ve never seen a “Mid” beam before, only high and low.

Audi Matrix LED Headlights with "Mid-Beam".

Audi Matrix LED Headlights with “Mid-Beam”.

Audi’s matrix lighting, first shown on the Audi A2 concept car (above) at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, comprises multiple segments that can be turned on or off as conditions warrant. Some elements could be steerable to help drivers go around corners. Combine it with next-generation GPS and the steerable lamp could swivel before you even begin to turn the wheel. Not to mention these headlights may be paired with a photo light sensor that will automatically dim the headlights when approaching other cars on the road at night.

Matrix beams are just a start — the NHTSA needs to prepare itself for more new tech. Audi competitors BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Opel are working hard also on the field called “smart lighting systems”. BMW is even developing laser headlamps. No, not superheated beams like in the movies designed to obliterate other annoying drivers on the road ahead of you…, but white lighting that can be precisely modulated and, unlike death rays, hardly uses any energy.

LED headlamps are only just trickling onto the market — mostly on high-end cars — but now it seems a certain German automaker has plans for laser headlamps. “Laser light is the next logical step in car light development … for series production within a few years in the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid,” says BMW. Lasers have the potential to be simultaneously more powerful, more efficient, and smaller than other headlamp types. Before you get too excited, though: the output of laser headlights will be modulated for safety so you can’t, for better or worse, come up close and bubble the paint of the car in front that won’t get out of the left-hand lane on the interstate.

Prototype Laser Headlights from BMW

Prototype Laser Headlights from BMW

The benefits of a laser headlamp are compelling: a near parallel beam of light (i.e. no glare) 1,000 times more intense than conventional LEDs but with less than half the energy consumption; 170 lumens of output per watt for laser headlamps, compared to 100 lumens per watt for LEDs. Both are phenomenally efficient compared to a standard household light bulb.

The history of headlamps of the past generation has gone from one extreme to another, from the yellowish tungsten glow of incandescent halogen headlamps, to the semi-updated quartz headlamps (longer-lived, brighter) and then to xenon or high-intensity discharge headlamps. Now all of a sudden we are moving into new technology faster than ever, first with full LED lighting, and an immediate quantum leap into lasers! Normally automakers develop and release these types of products in Europe first and the states later on down the road, so don’t hold your breath to see these headlights driving down the streets of Minneapolis, MN anytime soon.

Truck-Lite Versus JW Speaker – A Comparison of LED Headlights

Posted by betterautomotivelighting on
Here is a motorcycle sporting the Truck-Lite 27270C LED headlights and the matching #80275 LED fog lights!

Here is a motorcycle sporting the Truck-Lite 27270C LED headlights and the matching #80275 LED fog lights!

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Jeep and Harley communities, one of the latest hot topics are replacement LED headlights. The two most popular items being the JW Speaker 8700 and the Truck-Lite 27270C 7″ round replacement LED headlight housings.

Watch this video review of the Truck-Lite headlights I did where I compare it to the JW Speaker variant. You’ll get a good idea about this new headlight and if you think the JW Speaker 8700 is worth the money when compared to the Trucklite product: