HIDs or leds
DIY
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,325
Likes: 11
From: South Florida and NYC part time
check the hella website... you can see there the patterns and compare driving lights with led and without leds.... leds looks great but the light dont go far...
most leds are being offered as "High visibility for other drivers"
and the leds that go far, are over $600 for the set of lamps versus comparative lamps with/without xenon for $200
most leds are being offered as "High visibility for other drivers"
and the leds that go far, are over $600 for the set of lamps versus comparative lamps with/without xenon for $200
Last edited by picaflor; Jun 14, 2012 at 09:32 AM.
Problem Solver
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,223
Likes: 358
Or, as I've seen on "there I fixed it" duct tape two LED maglights to your hood. Output is pitiful, range is pathetic, and I'm sure it only legal in a few parking lots.
But! It beats none at all. Which was the case in the aforementioned pic.
But! It beats none at all. Which was the case in the aforementioned pic.
Junior Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
It's not so much that LED output has yet to rival HID's.
It's more so the reflectors that the lights are placed in. For long range light throw you want a nice deep, polished reflector that can focus a lot of light and send it down range. The HID's typically have a very nice deep reflector which allows the light to be projected further, but you lose close range intensity.
LED light bars have shallow reflectors that don't allow the light to be focused as efficiently and thrown down range. The LED light bars are actually brighter than a majority of the HID lights, but they simply do not have the throw to project further than the HID's.
Another huge factor is the optics on the LED's and whether the light is being emitted at an 8 degree viewing angle or a 40 degree viewing angle. If they're comparing HID's to LED's when the LED's have a flood beam optic that's like comparing apples to oranges.
It's more so the reflectors that the lights are placed in. For long range light throw you want a nice deep, polished reflector that can focus a lot of light and send it down range. The HID's typically have a very nice deep reflector which allows the light to be projected further, but you lose close range intensity.
LED light bars have shallow reflectors that don't allow the light to be focused as efficiently and thrown down range. The LED light bars are actually brighter than a majority of the HID lights, but they simply do not have the throw to project further than the HID's.
Another huge factor is the optics on the LED's and whether the light is being emitted at an 8 degree viewing angle or a 40 degree viewing angle. If they're comparing HID's to LED's when the LED's have a flood beam optic that's like comparing apples to oranges.
