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LED headlights

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2018 5:14 am
by howsurjohnon
what is a good brand of LED headlights

Re: LED headlights

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2018 8:08 pm
by KuroNekko
howsurjohnon wrote:what is a good brand of LED headlights
It's hard to say as the technology keeps changing with these. Just because one brand is "good" with quality or customer service doesn't mean that the emitter and bulb design will be great from car to car. It really depends from kit to kit, car to car. That being said, I think brands like OPT7, VLEDs, Morimoto, and some others have a good reputation for aftermarket LED kits.

Re: LED headlights

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 12:10 pm
by motosonic
Found this today and I think I'm going to pick one up for the Bazooki and give it a try and install when my next bulb goes out.

https://bgr.com/2018/07/04/led-headligh ... bulb-size/

Re: LED headlights

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 3:05 pm
by Woodie
We need H7 bulbs. If you do order them be sure to change it to H7, the link provided is for H11.

"20 minutes at most" for installation is completely out of the question. You need to remove the bumper from the car, and then I don't think these bulbs are going to fit inside the housing. Something is going to have to be rigged to get them to fit.

Good quality LEDs are usually $60 and up, this might be a case of you get what you pay for. Maybe not, could be that technology has progressed and they can now be made more cheaply. Just be forewarned, it's going to take a few hours to put these in, you don't want some crappy junk that's going to quit two months later.

Re: LED headlights

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 7:02 pm
by KuroNekko
Woodie wrote:We need H7 bulbs. If you do order them be sure to change it to H7, the link provided is for H11.

"20 minutes at most" for installation is completely out of the question. You need to remove the bumper from the car, and then I don't think these bulbs are going to fit inside the housing. Something is going to have to be rigged to get them to fit.

Good quality LEDs are usually $60 and up, this might be a case of you get what you pay for. Maybe not, could be that technology has progressed and they can now be made more cheaply. Just be forewarned, it's going to take a few hours to put these in, you don't want some crappy junk that's going to quit two months later.
+1.
I have LEDs for the high beam/DRLs and HIDs for the low beams. These aren't 20 minute installations for the Kizashi and will require the bumper and headlights to come off the car to have the access to install them. You will also likely need to drill the dust caps on the headlights to run the wires out for the LED drivers. Also, like Woodie stated, you need to worry about clearance issues with LED bulbs with large heat sinks and fans. Keep in mind that the Kizashi's headlight is a sealed design so you'll want to keep it that way to prevent moisture and dust from entering the headlight.

That being said, with a quality kit, it's worth it. My Morimoto HID set has lasted me 4.5 years on the same bulbs and ballasts. My Acme LED kit has been problem-free too since I installed it about a year and a half ago with capacitors. These LEDs are always on when I drive as they are my DRLs.

Re: LED headlights

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 8:44 pm
by PittsburghJoe


I installed these this summer (as low beams) and they have been great. The install was basically like installing traditional bulbs, dropping the bumper etc. The one additional step was that I did have to rig a fitting because of the large cooling element at the back of the bulb. Basically I just tied them in tight with a wire. It's only been 6 months but I've probably driven 7k miles or so with no problems. I was probably right at the 1 hour mark for installation. I have replaced the headlights several times before so the bumper removal was familiar and therefore pretty quick.

Re: LED headlights

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:21 am
by n8dogg
I installed HIKARI off Amazon...one of a bazillion brands I'm pretty sure are all coming out of the same Chinese factory. No particular reason for these over the others, just wanted some that looked like they'd fit, which these did, plug-in-play. They are adjustable as far as how to orientate the bulb within the housing. They use fans for cooling, some use larger heat sinks without fans, but I thought they may not fit within the headlight housing. LED bulbs with large heat sinks/no fan would probably be good for the fog light location...plenty of room there and although there's moderate protection there, it's not sealed like the headlight housing and I'm not sure if water and dirt will get to the fans. My previous headlight bulbs (Sylvania Silverstar Ultra) both burned out on the same day leaving me in the dark for my midnight commute :evil: . Had to take the wifees care to work that night. I'm not entirely impressed with the illumination from LEDs...not bad, just different...may take a while before I decide if I really like them. However, if they last longer than the halogens, then I will be very happy! I'm so tired of taking off that bumper cover and all that jazz. While I was at it, I performed another restoration of the lenses. I still have Halogens in the daytime/high beam location. Those ones light well, seem to last fine and I wasn't ready to deal with capacitors to keep the daytime lights from flickering even though it seems the capacitors are also easily available. On a side note, I got an email from Amazon today stating that the NHTSA has issued a recall stating that the "bulbs may be too bright". I think that properly aimed projector lenses generally do a good job with LEDs but used in standard reflector housings are definitely annoying. I had no one flash me. These bulbs have already been taken off Amazon but I'm sure they are already back just under a different label!

Re: LED headlights

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:51 pm
by KuroNekko
n8dogg wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 11:21 am I installed HIKARI off Amazon...one of a bazillion brands I'm pretty sure are all coming out of the same Chinese factory. No particular reason for these over the others, just wanted some that looked like they'd fit, which these did, plug-in-play. They are adjustable as far as how to orientate the bulb within the housing. They use fans for cooling, some use larger heat sinks without fans, but I thought they may not fit within the headlight housing. LED bulbs with large heat sinks/no fan would probably be good for the fog light location...plenty of room there and although there's moderate protection there, it's not sealed like the headlight housing and I'm not sure if water and dirt will get to the fans. My previous headlight bulbs (Sylvania Silverstar Ultra) both burned out on the same day leaving me in the dark for my midnight commute :evil: . Had to take the wifees care to work that night. I'm not entirely impressed with the illumination from LEDs...not bad, just different...may take a while before I decide if I really like them. However, if they last longer than the halogens, then I will be very happy! I'm so tired of taking off that bumper cover and all that jazz. While I was at it, I performed another restoration of the lenses. I still have Halogens in the daytime/high beam location. Those ones light well, seem to last fine and I wasn't ready to deal with capacitors to keep the daytime lights from flickering even though it seems the capacitors are also easily available. On a side note, I got an email from Amazon today stating that the NHTSA has issued a recall stating that the "bulbs may be too bright". I think that properly aimed projector lenses generally do a good job with LEDs but used in standard reflector housings are definitely annoying. I had no one flash me. These bulbs have already been taken off Amazon but I'm sure they are already back just under a different label!
Interesting about the NHTSA and the "recall". Did these bulbs have some sort of accreditation or something? I assumed any and all LED and HID drop-in kits were not street legal given the way the DOT law is written. Basically, if the bulb is not original in type and design to the vehicle's factory headlight, it's illegal for street use. The loophole in how these things are allowed on the market is for "show usage" or offroad usage.
That being said, as you know, many LED bulbs are better than ever and actually designed to work in halogen housings. By replicating the position of halogen filaments and allowing designs for proper indexing, some bulbs have become ideal upgrades to halogens without causing much glare. The LED bulbs I have in my motorcycle are amazing in completely replicating the pattern of the halogen bulbs while easily being 3x brighter. There is absolutely no doubt these bulbs are a huge upgrade to my safety.

I've always been wary about LEDs in halogen projector lenses like the Kizashi's low beam so I favor HIDs for those. HIDs simply have a bulb design more similar to halogens and seem to put out a more reliable and consistent light pattern and output through the projector, IMO. I find that LED bulbs are a hit or miss while HIDs are a consistent noticeable upgrade in brightness in halogen projector lenses. While many LEDs are marketed has having higher lumen outputs, HIDs don't require the cooling fans and heat sinks that make LEDs harder to fit inside sealed headlights. I've been happy with my HIDs in the low beams and they've lasted several years. Next time I have my headlights off, I'll have to experiment by putting the LED high beams into the low beam projectors to test the output. I wish I just had the time like I used to...

Re: LED headlights

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2021 11:59 am
by n8dogg
KuroNekko wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:51 pm I wish I just had the time like I used to...
I know what you mean! That's why I was hoping the LEDs would be good...was looking for an easy long term solution to bulbs burning out so regularly. Now that I've had them for a few days, I found their fatal flaw that I didn't initially read about in my hasty decision to replace my halogens...they suck in rainy conditions! Great when conditions are dry, but I'm in Washington state so it's regularly damp here for months on end! The road surface almost disappears. Now my regular commute has a lot of street lights and reflectors that still illuminate so I'll get along just fine for now, but I'm now wishing LEDs were available in warmer color temps. I would agree that HIDs probably would have been the better solution. I'm in no hurry to change them right away and maybe Ill just change the fogs back to see if that'll do.

Re: LED headlights

Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2021 8:50 am
by KuroNekko
n8dogg wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 11:59 am
KuroNekko wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:51 pm I wish I just had the time like I used to...
I know what you mean! That's why I was hoping the LEDs would be good...was looking for an easy long term solution to bulbs burning out so regularly. Now that I've had them for a few days, I found their fatal flaw that I didn't initially read about in my hasty decision to replace my halogens...they suck in rainy conditions! Great when conditions are dry, but I'm in Washington state so it's regularly damp here for months on end! The road surface almost disappears. Now my regular commute has a lot of street lights and reflectors that still illuminate so I'll get along just fine for now, but I'm now wishing LEDs were available in warmer color temps. I would agree that HIDs probably would have been the better solution. I'm in no hurry to change them right away and maybe Ill just change the fogs back to see if that'll do.
What Kelvin color temp are your LED bulbs? I know what you mean when the color temp is too "cold" and in rainy conditions, you get less visible light output. While LEDs are totally capable of a range of color temps from warm to cold (4500K to 7000K), many kits go for the colder white color rather than the warmer tone that resembles halogens. My LED headlights in the motorcycle are 6500K and I like them but any higher in Kelvin temp (colder) would be an issue. Warmer LEDs offer a better Color Rendering Index (CRI) and are easier on the eyes. Colder LEDs have higher lumen outputs and are often better for long range illumination. It's no surprise why LED kits would use the colder emitters to pump up lumen claims.

Also keep in mind that LED color temps don't align much at all with HID color temps in terms of visible light output. A 4500K LED is rather warm (yellowish) while a 4300K HID is more pure white though not cold. OE HID bulbs are 4300K. It seems that factory OE LEDs in new cars run about 6000 to 6500K but the color output on the road between factory HIDs and LEDs aren't too far from each other.

While I don't personally have issues with my 5000K HID low beams in the rain, I always use my 3000K HID fog lights when it's dark and wet. These are amazing at lighting up the closer areas and the sides in dark conditions. I also really like the gold/yellow fog light look popular with the JDM scene. It's highly functional while allowing Japanese cars to stand out and have that JDM look.

If you get HIDs, I recommend getting 4300K for optimal performance. 6000K offers a more pure white output but any higher K temp will get noticeably darker on you with blue and purple hues.