Why You Need A Brighter LED Headlight Bulbs

The traditional halogen bulbs are a lower brightness, visibility & safety light. It is not a safe drive, especial driving in the dark is demanding, you rely on your headlights only. vision

Poor light conditions when driving may always lead to accidents at night or when it is foggy. To get the best beam light, you should find one quality LED headlight bulb that will serve you longer.

Here is 11 step to Choosing the Best LED Headlight Setup For Your Ride

Step 1: How to Find The Right LED Bulb Size For Your Car

Before you get all excited and spending money on a headlight kit, you need to make sure you get the right bulb!  Check the LED bulb plug types and model numbers to see which best fit the car headlights. Consult with your vehicle’s handbook, look online or speak to a car headlight experts if you are unsure. 

Step 2: What Is The Difference With And Without Fan

Cooling systems may broadly be categorized into a fan and fanless systems the heat sink when you give the driver your 12 volts DC.  However, the manufacturer made it determines how much power goes to the LED bulb. The more efficient cooling method the LED bulb has the more power they can give which makes them brighter. So efficient high-tech cooling methods will allow the manufacture of the bulb to create a brighter and more reliable bulb.

Design with Fan:

Now, it’s a myth that people think if it’s got a fan then it is a failure point sure technically. If your fans fail, your LED lights will burn out. But so are each of the LEDs every piece of the bulb is a failure point. What’s the truth is that the fans generally aren’t the part that dies. In most applications, the fan isn’t an issue. Generally issues of fans come with poor fan construction the screws holding the fan the type of fan used but in general, a fan isn’t a bad thing on an LED headlight bulb. The faster revolutions per minute, The better heat dissipation

Design without Fan:

Eliminates the fan or fan style heat sink which can be restrictive and open to debris and moisture

The difference in temperature with and without a fan is quite huge.

Heat sinks with fans produce heats to around 90 degrees while non-fans produce around 120 degrees. It’s a thing to consider when buying one. Here are two temperature photos for your review

The consistent performance, high efficiency, and lengthy longevity of LEDs heavily rely on a cooling system. Fan systems run cooler, but fanless systems are quieter.

Step 3: What is the best color temperature for headlights for driving

Different bulbs produce lights with different tints, which either make the light appear cooler or warmer. The warmer lights are friendlier to the eyes. You can use them for extended periods without getting eye fatigue, but they’re not very bright.

This has led to different manufacturers offering a range of lights in different color temperatures, enabling you to choose the one that best fits you. These three color ranges are as follows:

• Warm (2,700 K – 3,500 K): Bulbs with this color temperature range are normally not used in car headlights but they are often used for fog lights.
• Bright (3,500 K – 5,000 K): This color range is brighter than the warm range and allows you to see further as well. However, they have a little blue tint and so do not cause eye strain after prolonged use.
• Super Bright (Above 5,000 K): Light bulbs in this range are very bright and provide the longest and widest views but their blue tints often cause eye strain after prolonged use. 

In general, the best-LED headlight kits tend to have color temperatures in the lower end of the cool white range, between 5,500 and 6,500 K.

When it comes to purchasing LED headlight bulbs, you will want to pay close attention to your state laws. There are laws that restrict street usage of bulbs that output certain colors (i.e. outputting blue light) or bulbs that are simply too bright. For example, in Indiana, there is a specific ruling for blinding lights as shown here.

Step 4: LED Lumens

While visibility might depend in part on the warmth of the colors, a large part also depends on the intensity of the light source itself. This intensity is measured in lumens. Different car makers use different intensity of lights, but they are all within the high visibility standards. While this was not a choice in the past, your current switch to LED lights will allow you this customization as well. LED lights are available from 6,000 to 10,000 lumens. Some of the high-intensity lights are available with warm color filters so that they are relatively less strenuous on the eye. Again, you can make the best choice based on comfort and convenience.

Step 5: What Is The Best Brand of LED Chip We Should Choose

Halogen and HID lamps are omnidirectional. That’s tech speak for the ability to emit light from the whole glass part of the bulb. LED lamps only emit light from the chip. You’d want to pay attention to the configuration and type (or brand) of the LED chip used.

CREE and Philips are two of the more popular brands.

• Cree’s high-power LEDs deliver the industry’s best lumen maintenance and color stability even at high-stress conditions to enable lower system cost and long lifetimes.
• Philips Chip based on automotive grade LUXEON technology produces a bright white, daylight-like beam. With clearer vision, you’re better able to spot obstacles and take the perfect driving line.

Step 6: What Is The Best Brightness For Driving

Driving at night can present a major problem for a lot of people, but LED lights help to illuminate the road ahead over greater distances. This is especially important if you often drive on country roads which are not well lit. So the brightness of the bulb is very important. To get a brighter bulb, you have to consider the lumens of the LED bulb. There are bulbs with as low as 3000Lm while others have as high as 8,000 lumens. The higher lumens mean that the bulb is brighter; hence the best picks. The more you can see, the better you perform, the faster you react and the safer you are

Most headlights offer visibility of between 50 to 100 meters ahead of you, which is plenty for the majority of average drivers. Many of these headlights feature some sort of anti-glare design to ensure that other road users don’t get dazzled by the light. As well as the issue of excessive brightness, there are also requirements which dictate the way that headlights should point; slightly downwards and away from oncoming traffic, so you need to make sure that they are not so bright that they contravene the law.

Step 7: Check Lifespan of the Bulbs

The minimum life expectancy for most of these LED bulbs tends to be 30,000 hours, which is by far and away better than the 6,000 hours which most Halogen bulbs offer. The standard 30,000-hour models tend to be usable for three years or more

Both the 30,000 and 50,000-hour models are more than enough for most car drivers because it means you won’t need to change the headlights of your car for years to come.

Step 8: Cost

LED bulbs have a higher up-front cost than other bulbs at the moment, but their long life usually offsets this cost. While price isn’t always an indication of quality, it can provide somewhat of a guideline.

Low-priced models tend to have reduced lumen counts, meaning that the light intensity isn’t as high, and they are also likely to have a shorter lifespan.

On the other hand, higher priced models often boast grater lumens and a longer lifespan.

Higher-priced kits use high-tech materials, such as copper for better heat conductivity, heat sinks, and a variation of the TSPS (Temperature Sensor Protection System) to regulate the brightness of the LED chip and fan speed.

Step 9: Warranty

Most LED headlight manufacturers will offer a warranty period of some description. Two years tend to be standard as most lights will last for at least three. If you are a normal driver, it is unlikely that the bulbs will go wrong, so you will probably not need to use the warranty. If a manufacturer has a high level of confidence in their product, they may offer you a warranty period of three years.

Step 10: Compatibility

It’s probably not surprising that this is the biggest concern you should have when buying new headlights. While these headlights are compatible with a wide range of existing car models, not all car types are supported.

For example. The heat sinks too big to install for the OEM Pick-up truck. Because of no space & clearance in the back of it. The heat sinks only flat, Not protruding back

Step 11: Legality

When it comes to purchasing LED headlight bulbs, you will want to pay close attention to your state laws. There are laws that restrict street usage of bulbs that output certain colors (i.e. outputting blue light) or bulbs that are simply too bright. For example, in Indiana, there is a specific ruling for blinding lights as shown here.

However, the bulb itself is not the main issue, it is the reflector. This is because if your headlight reflector has been designed for the halogen bulb, it will distort the beam pattern from the LED light. This has the effect of spreading the beam output, which can frustrate drivers on the other side of the road.

The likelihood of getting pulled over for using LED headlights is very unlikely as long as they are not blinding other road users. However, you should be warned that the majority are not DOT certified and may get you in trouble.

Conclusion：

No product is perfect and LED lights to have certain drawbacks. You need to weigh these with the benefits and determine whether LED’s will be an improvement to your current situation.

• LED bulbs have a higher up-front cost than other bulbs at the moment, but their long life usually offsets this cost
• LED’s brightness may blind to other drivers on the road, if it shines directly in their eyes, because of its intensity. Make sure you adjust your headlights
• LED lamps offer a more evenly lit area than halogens. The whole area in front of your vehicle will be lit by the same intensity of light, instead of seeing dark patches in between. This requires the LED’s to be positioned correctly, though
• LED Headlight bulb kit with a clearer vision you’re better able to spot obstacles and take the perfect driving line. And as you don’t have to strain to see the terrain ahead, brighter lights make for a more safe, comfortable and exciting night-time drive If you’re swapping old headlights with new LEDs, you run the risk of compatibility and installation issues. You need to be sure you choose the correct size headlamp. Professionals may need to assist you, which becomes an additional expense.

Please send us messages or email at sales@nvautoparts.com if you have any questions for LED headlight conversion bulb kits