LED headlights

[AUSMHLY]

Again, Roger has come up with an intriguing project that modernizes our Classic Healeys incognito.

In looking into Roger’s project and follow-on discussion, 2 main thoughts pop to mind.
I understand that each LED headlights require base cooling fans and ballast units. Will this additional power draw and space requirement create any difficulty to the Healey’s wiring and space limitations or be adversely affected by its hot engine compartment?

I am not trying to be negative as I am one that is intrigued by this type of project.

Ray (64BJ8P1)

Hi Ray, thanks for your kind words. Happy to see others chime in on this topic.

As I research car led headlights, I'm finding that some are self contained units, not requiring an external ballast. No additional space needed. A simple plug and play unit. Remove the current bulb in the headlight bucket, replace with this LED bulb. Use the existing H4 socket that's in the bucket.

Here's a link to Amazon and the write up plus photo of that LED.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L8G8IKE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AFCCAHNOW2XSP

This is first ever built LED head light / fog light with built-in all-in-one ( heat dispense, fan, resistor, decoder) ultra bright 3000 lumen (brighter than most HID on the market. best HID only has 2400lm). No ballast or resistor need. You just direct plug and play. You can use it as head light. It also has High-low Beam function.
View attachment 35144

As far as the additional power draw, LED's draw the least amount of power. (I'm running the stock generator. Reason I'm very interested in LED headlights being Headlights are one of the most power consuming items.)

Here's another LED that does have an external ballast. I'm including this one for it lists the specs.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MOR4CME/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1BWWDJZJI6NET

Our NEW Design LED Headlight replaces your standard halogen headlight bulbs or fog lights. These new LED bulbs produce 6400 lumens of light compared to 900-1000 lumens with regular halogen bulbs.
LED Headlight Features:
Plug & play, No need to cut and wires.
Low Power Consumption, Long lasting.
200% brighter than your stock Halogen headlights.
Low Voltage Protection, High precision Constant Current Driver Chip.
Built in IC Circuit (Current Regulator)-Prevents LED Damage From Voltage Variations & Spikes.
Up to 30,000 Hours Service Life.
Specifications:
Power: 80W/set
Voltage: DC12V-24V
Material: Aluminum
Color temperature: 6500K
Beam Angle: 180 degree
Size: Approx 19.6mm in diameter and 93.2 mm in height
Input: 2.6A ± 0.2A
Lumens: 3200lm/bulb
LED quantity: 2PCS Custom Cree chips
Certifications: CE, RoHS
Package included:
2 - Cree LED bulbs
2 - Micro-fans
2 - Ballasts

View attachment 35145

I look forward to hearing what others think of these two LED's.
PS. these can be purchased a lot cheaper on Ebay.

 

[John Turney]

Is there enough room in the headlight bucket for the back part of the bulbs (IC circuits, heat dispense, fan, resistor, decoder)? Would the fan do any good in the enclosed headlight bucket?

 

[Keoke]

RAC68 said:
I understand that each LED headlights require base cooling fans and ballast units. Will this additional power draw and space requirement create any difficulty to the Healey’s wiring and space limitations or be adversely affected by its hot engine compartment?

WELL YES;
There are a number of issues to be clarified however. For example, although LEDs do not emit heat as they light up, like halogen headlights for example, they do create a certain amount of heat at the bottom of the emitter (mainly the chip) when the electricity passes through, thus creating a potential risk for adjacent assemblies and connectivity cables. Reason why LED headlamps need cooling systems, like heat sinks or fans to keep them from melting.

Oh, and let’s not forget that these cooling systems are located in the engine bay, a not-that-cool area for some other system to maintain a decent temperature. Reason why, LED headlights are also harder to design and implement to a car, thus more expensive than HIDs.

 

[Keoke]

This is first ever built LED head light / fog light with built-in all-in-one ( heat dispense, fan, resistor, decoder) ultra bright 3000 lumen (brighter than most HID on the market. best HID only has 2400lm). No ballast or resistor need. You just direct plug and play. You can use it as head light. It also has High-low Beam function.

Well I do not think these will fit the Healey.

Product Dimensions11 x 9.2 x 2.9 inches

Additionally, as expected led lamps are expensive.

 

[andrea]

This is first ever built LED head light / fog light with built-in all-in-one ( heat dispense, fan, resistor, decoder) ultra bright 3000 lumen (brighter than most HID on the market. best HID only has 2400lm). No ballast or resistor need. You just direct plug and play. You can use it as head light. It also has High-low Beam function.
Well I do not think these will fit the Healey.
Product Dimensions11 x 9.2 x 2.9 inches
Additionally, as expected led lamps are expensive.

Sorry at the moment my LED HL experience are limited to my Norton Commando-The Couple for My MG TD aren't at moment NOT arrived from Cina-
But I will tray to debunk LED new product (NO Personal Interest) advantages, on oldest electrical systems

This couple (confirmed by Cina exporter), is NOT sensitive to Ground System- this is very important to avoid any problem for car that have the ORIGINAL Positive Grounding https://www.ebay.com/itm/111352030430?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&fromMakeTrack=true
this is Plug and play as a NORMAL H3 or H4 lamp
The FAN run at very fas rpm,9000 but I haven't see a consistent heat amount during my Norton Test, lamp can be touched by finger after 10 min time, this indirectly confirm the low consumption and absorption, I tink it was added only for precaution
Norton HL have aprox the same dimension of the AH Headlamp BOWL and the LED system haven't any problem to be logged in it, on a protect position if gromet are carefully
installed -NOTE the LAMP rubber protection must be eliminated to permit the FAN cooling but LED lamp is sealed when in side- carefully also the power contact must be sealed
to avoid any problem from wet- water and mud and oxidation
This photo from my external Power supply confirm the low Ampere 1,5 (at 12 Volt) Cosumption
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jUPup98XTZUdb7Grr5-SMcOqp_2K03OwchQoZ6Y4GrM?feat=directlink
Price are High at the moment - (this product are on the market from this summer) but are decreasing week by week
At the moment I don't project to mount the LED on my AH , it is Negative Ground MOD - Have a powerful ALTERNATOR- NEW wire system (oLD switches)- but probably in the future when prices are lowered I will fit a couple of this LED
Different are my MG TD and Norton situation, that have power less generators and old wiring system -LED represent the ideal solution of the majority of my electrical problem
(NOT forget that low electric charge level, involve also your Distributor and sparks efficiency, Norton have also little capacity battery)
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QM8PYoXDIvx7ohlsqpG7YsOqp_2K03OwchQoZ6Y4GrM?feat=directlink

 

[AUSMHLY]

This is first ever built LED head light / fog light with built-in all-in-one ( heat dispense, fan, resistor, decoder) ultra bright 3000 lumen (brighter than most HID on the market. best HID only has 2400lm). No ballast or resistor need. You just direct plug and play. You can use it as head light. It also has High-low Beam function.

Well I do not think these will fit the Healey.

Product Dimensions11 x 9.2 x 2.9 inches

Additionally, as expected led lamps are expensive.

When clipped in the bucket, the tail end of the led (the all-in-one unit) will stick out 54mm - 2 1/8". The width will be 42mm - 1 5/8"

I'd make a mock up of the tail end of any LED I was thinking about putting in the bucket to make sure it fits. I also have concern about the heat in the sealed bucket.

As far as being waterproof, there are videos on Youtube where they submerge an LED bulb assembly in a container of water. You can see bubbles from the fan turning and the led is lit. Pretty amazing.

LED's are expensive as are HID's. Early adopter price now, they'll come down in time. Some may question is the increased price worth the difference in light brightness and clarity, plus the low electrical draw. Just as some may question the expense of replacing the stock sealed beam with a Halogen. Then there are good, better, best halogen bulbs and they get expensive as you go up the line. It's all relevant. (cheap tires or expensive tires, they'll both get you where you need to go.)

 

[Keoke]

Well this has been an interesting discussion but maybe we should just wait until laser lights hit the market.:highly_amused:

 

[GregW]

You laugh, but BMW already ships the I8 with them. Just not to the US.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/ca...t-works-the-bmw-i8s-laser-headlights-16905044

 

[Keoke]

You laugh, but BMW already ships the I8 with them. Just not to the US.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/ca...t-works-the-bmw-i8s-laser-headlights-16905044

Hey that was good I was not aware that anyone had implemented them yet as there is a potential hazzard associated with them based on other articles I have read.-Thanks for the heads up,

 

[Randy Forbes]

You laugh, but BMW already ships the I8 with them. Just not to the US.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/ca...t-works-the-bmw-i8s-laser-headlights-16905044

We saw an I8 last night going around St Armands Circle (Sarasota); it was probably the hdlts that got my attention to notice it__very futuristic looking__we sure weren't alerted to its presence by any sound!

NEVER thought I'd get excited about an electric (or hybrid) car, but I sure wouldn't mind one of these in the garage__even if it would be an incredible pain to wash/dry/wax! Too bad they cost about $135k

 

[RAC68]

Over this discussion I have been impressed with the variety and intensity of the LED headlight configurations available today. It seems to me that, if I were going to convert to LEDs, purchasing and modifying new headlight bowels would be part of the overall conversion expense (I always want to be able to revert to original). I would modify the bowel by drilling to extend the LED’s heat sink or cooling fan to the outside to provide sufficient clearance and cooling aeration.

I guess I am getting old but I have personally experienced increased difficulty with being blinded by on-coming traffic equipped with increasingly high powered headlights. It seems to me that if this condition is further accentuated by the considerable lumen increase of these new LEDs, I see little benefit when the equipped driver is hit head-on by his blinded counterpart. Since proper headlight aiming does not seem to satisfy this issue, maybe we need a complementing new windshield technology to handle the oncoming light. Aren’t there legal limitations that would restrict headlight output?

Ray (64BJ8P1)

 

[GregW]

Aren’t there legal limitations that would restrict headlight output?

There are, both Federal and State. Virginia's car inspection included checking the angle of the beams. That was a couple decades ago, I don't know if they still do it. California only inspects emissions, but you can get a ticket for using non-DOT lights. For more reading than you may want, try HERE.

 

[John Turney]

.... For more reading than you may want, try HERE.

That's cruel and unusual punishment!

 

[GregW]

Be sure to read all of it John. There may be a quiz next week.:rolleye:

 

[GregW]

__we sure weren't alerted to its presence by any sound!

The neighborhood BMW dealership was loaned 3 I8's for test drives a couple months ago. I found out when one went by my house a couple times. Even though it only has a 3 cylinder engine, it has a wicked sound to it. That was what I noticed first.

 

[andrea]

There are, both Federal and State. Virginia's car inspection included checking the angle of the beams. That was a couple decades ago, I don't know if they still do it. California only inspects emissions, but you can get a ticket for using non-DOT lights. For more reading than you may want, try HERE.

Tanks Greg
Now I have understand the finality of the FAN on LED lamps
to allow the temperature don't overpass the critical junction temp

 

[Randy Forbes]

The neighborhood BMW dealership was loaned 3 I8's for test drives a couple months ago. I found out when one went by my house a couple times. Even though it only has a 3 cylinder engine, it has a wicked sound to it. That was what I noticed first.

They can run on either the 3-cyl engine, the electric motor or both. I guess this one was in pure electric mode, as there was no exhaust noise...

I have read a couple of reviews (Bimmer & Roundel magazines) and they both were impressed by the exhaust sound, so I'll have to keep my ears open for the next one. If we were still in Toledo, no doubt I could've kept one over a weekend, but I doubt I'll ever get the same rapport with the one in Sarasota...

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