You research like me. You mention how high beams are used to flash and generally not stay on continuously, but I've actually used them continuously before on long night drives. I wonder how the flash works once they're warmed up properly? I know both German cars I've driven with factory HID actually have a halogen high-beam.KuroNekko wrote:Glad you brought this up. After my last post, I did some serious investigation into LED retrofitting for low/high beam headlight purposes and not just DRL use or fancy light strips.
First, let me answer your question of why not HIDs for high beam.
HID are not suitable for high beam because they require a warm up time. All HIDs (factory and aftermarket) pretty much require a warm up for the optimum operating output. If you ever watch a HID turn on, you will see the light get brighter and stronger over about 30 seconds from the initial activation flash. HIDs work by a chemical reaction inside the xenon gas bulb. They are similar to street lamps on roads, but those use argon gas which requires even more time, but they last much longer and are brighter. This is why if you watch street lamps turn on, they take time to get to their operating light output (about a minute or two).
Because HIDs require this warm up time even if it's a mere 20~30 seconds, they are not suited for quick flashing or intermittent use like how high beams are commonly used. HIDs are great for low beams which turn on and stay on for the most part of your trip. High beams are used more temporarily so HIDs are not good as they can be pretty dim when you need them for just a few seconds when they have not warmed up. Cars that do use HIDs for high beams actually have a system called "bi-xenon". Those don't have a separate high beam HID bulb. They merely use the low beam bulb, but it gets tilted up or unshielded for high beam use. Cars that use this system are the ones without a dedicated high beam reflector in the headlight like the 2nd and 3rd generation Mazda3.
However, the very use of high beams makes LEDs optimal. LEDs light up faster and brighter than filament incandescent bulbs like halogen. They are suitable for flashing, long duration, or varying wattage. All these characteristics actually make them the ideal automotive light over HID or incandescent bulbs. They also have a very long lifespan. For these reasons they are the best brake lights.
While OEM LEDs for headlights are making their way more and more into cars, aftermarket kits have not been viable... until now it appears. My research tonight has revealed that finally, there are kits that can perform at roles beyond just DRLs or show use.
I've found this interesting thread on a Subaru Legacy forum regarding the matter.
http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.p ... 08860.html
This kit looks rather promising and is very different from the low wattage, low lumen H7 LED replacement bulbs that merely provide accent lighting.
http://store.ijdmtoy.com/High-Power-COB ... lights.htm
The idea with these high performance LED retrofits is that where a normal halogen bulb would have its filament give off light in the headlight reflector, the LED would do the same. While the implementation is questionable, I'm very interested in the results and may actually buy a kit just out of curiosity.
Many cars these days use either a low beam or high beam bulb as the DRL. Our Kizashis use the high beam bulb at low wattage for the DRL. Changing them to LEDs would give the car that elite LED white color instead of the incandescent "yellow" for DRL use.
I'm thinking about starting a new topic thread on LED H7 bulbs since this thread is originally for someone's bulb failure issues.
So you can see how the LED retrofit market almost mimics where we were with HID retrofits about 10 years back, right? I think the technology will catch up in the next few years. The coolers and heat sinks will be the biggest issues, but so were the ballasts back on the first HID kits.
I'd LOVE to see what you find out Japan has for this. I'm sure there's a few products out there already if Taiwanese and Korean manufacturing are already shipping products.
I didn't realize the DRL use the high beam on the Kizashi--learned something new. I actually never end up using the DRL since I manually turn the head lights on and off every time. The only time I see the DRL is when I don't do it fast enough and they flash for a second.
I think it's a little too late to start a new thread.