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LED Headlight bulbs


Scotty72

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Fitted some LED H4 bulbs and what a difference! Nice crisp white light instead of the yellowish beam from the standard halogen.

20171002_102336.jpg

20171002_101711.jpg

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Are they legal? That beam pattern doesn't look very controlled by the lamp housing. 

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I did have them in my MX5...

Pros: Bright, white, and nice power... was like driving during the day.

cons: They will not pass a normal MOT AT ALL. If you have a guy... or if your car goes trhough the MOT "because kit car" will be fine.

         YOu are likely to disturb the people coming on the opossite direction.

 

If you play a lot with patern thing that they have in the workshops, even rotating the lenses to change the propagation, you may achieve something that will be a good compromise between safety for all the users Vs lighting.

 

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I had led bulbs in 5 inch headlights and the beam pattern was just fine. In fact probably more defined than the Philips bulbs they replaced. Unless there's stipulation at Mot for self levelling and or wash systems the same as HIDs then I don't see why they wouldn't pass?

Dominators don't have a very good beam definition but do give a flat pattern which again will also pass Mot.

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If you look in the MOT manual, there isn’t a stipulation for self levelling and wash, just the usual, if fitted they must both work.

(important to remember though, that while it may not be an MOT failure, certain things may breach the construction and use regs, and may not pass an SVA.)

That said, you’d need a pretty clued up copper, determined to make a point, to get caught out on some of these construction and use issues.

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4 hours ago, maurici said:

I did have them in my MX5...

Pros: Bright, white, and nice power... was like driving during the day.

cons: They will not pass a normal MOT AT ALL. If you have a guy... or if your car goes trhough the MOT "because kit car" will be fine.

         YOu are likely to disturb the people coming on the opossite direction.

 

If you play a lot with patern thing that they have in the workshops, even rotating the lenses to change the propagation, you may achieve something that will be a good compromise between safety for all the users Vs lighting.

 

When looking at a "normal" halogen bulb with low/main beam filaments they are placed at set distance/orientation from the back of the housing and also have little "shields" for want of a better name to stop the light going certain directions.  As long as the LED bulb replicates these parameters then it will pass an MOT. As long as the light pattern is as it should be and the beams are not too high then there should be no problems with oncoming drivers.

I'm not sure what you mean by a "kit car" or "normal" MOT, it should be the same wherever possible.

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7 hours ago, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Secretary said:

If you look in the MOT manual, there isn’t a stipulation for self levelling and wash, just the usual, if fitted they must both work.

(important to remember though, that while it may not be an MOT failure, certain things may breach the construction and use regs, and may not pass an SVA.)

That said, you’d need a pretty clued up copper, determined to make a point, to get caught out on some of these construction and use issues.

The key criteria for C&U regs is a light output exceeding 2500 lumens requires self leveling and washers. This, of course, is not testable for an MOT so as long as the beam pattern meets the correct criteria for reduced dazzle etc. LED lamps must pass, maybe with an advisory with regard to the lack of washers and self-leveling.

However, some police forces have been targeting modified cars and issuing tickets for high power, HID/LED lamps without any washers or self-leveling fitted as it is up to the vehicle owner to prove that they do conform with C&U regs, usually impossible! 

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16 hours ago, Yanto said:

When looking at a "normal" halogen bulb with low/main beam filaments they are placed at set distance/orientation from the back of the housing and also have little "shields" for want of a better name to stop the light going certain directions.  As long as the LED bulb replicates these parameters then it will pass an MOT. As long as the light pattern is as it should be and the beams are not too high then there should be no problems with oncoming drivers.

I'm not sure what you mean by a "kit car" or "normal" MOT, it should be the same wherever possible.

By The nature of a SMD led, Isn't possible. At all.

H4 bulbs, basicaly any incandescent bulb, lights with a perfect espheric patern from the center of the filament (but the shades). And optical gear for incandescent bulbs  is made to reflect perfect espherical light patterns.

And SMD Led, have only perpendicular lighting from the lense and about 45 to 60 deg. of propagation (in the best case). So, you wont be able to replicate (not even half near) the reflection of an incandescent bulb.

You may make it "work" to be in the patern and not being too high, but by nature you will have some sort of spots and shades here and there, and you will end puting them higher to actually take proffit of them.

About the MOT thing... whatever.

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19 hours ago, sdh2903 said:

I had led bulbs in 5 inch headlights and the beam pattern was just fine. In fact probably more defined than the Philips bulbs they replaced. Unless there's stipulation at Mot for self levelling and or wash systems the same as HIDs then I don't see why they wouldn't pass?

Dominators don't have a very good beam definition but do give a flat pattern which again will also pass Mot.

I will love to see that bulbs...

I've tried two different models (one is identical to the one of the link ) and another one that actually was trying to look like an H4 patern... and none of them were very good defining pattern in an Std mx5 headlamp.

Can you please put the link of the lights you had?

how Was the lighting intensity?

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There has been some discussion about LED bulbs in the classic car community.  The consensus seems to be that if you have LED bulbs, the whole light fitting has to have been designed for them to be legal.  This may happen for headlights, but if you want to use LEDs for your MG or Triumph brake lights to make them rather more visible, then that's not legal.  It seems unlikely that anyone will make LED light fittings for classic cars.

Geoff

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