Halogen or LEd

[preacherman]

100 w H3 bulbs vs Led h3.

Only my indicators and ignition are still filament bulbs.

[BaileyMex]

I've upgraded to LED on other cars, and just swapped out the Sidelight for LED, more of a crisp light and less current.

Will be doing some of the others at some point.

Some MOT testers may not like them as headlights though 

[chinkamon]

I was looking at LEDs but some are silly cheap, some are expensive, some apparently only work with certain set ups, i.e. flasher units etc, is it really that much of a minefield or am I reading too much into it

[BaileyMex]

I think most problems are CANBUS related on newer cars.

Some reviews on Amazon and ABD website say noticeable improvements on classics, I'd avoid the real cheap ones, try something mid range with decent reviews

I want to do mine, but not a priority, will do at some point over the next couple of months

[Vista]

5 hours ago, chinkamon said:

I was looking at LEDs but some are silly cheap, some are expensive, some apparently only work with certain set ups, i.e. flasher units etc, is it really that much of a minefield or am I reading too much into it

Flasher units on our cars rely on heat generated by current flow to operate the bi-metallic strip that makes/breaks the circuit to create the flash.....with LED bulbs using less amps, the current flow is reduced and the bimetallic strip may not operate.  

[mpdevelopments.uk]

Vista,

easy fix that , just change flasher unit for a led operated one, simples. ive done it on a few classics, work a treat, and cheap.

cheers mike

[Rally Pack 2000]

On 20/04/2021 at 05:39, preacherman said:

100 w H3 bulbs vs Led h3.

Only my indicators and ignition are still filament bulbs.

They certainly look good in that context but sorry its not really a fair test. Firstly you have to compare bulbs with equivalent colour temperatures. The Halogen you picture here are no more than 3200 degrees Kelvin whereas the LEDs appear up towards 5000. The whiteness factor is always bias against the one with the lower temperature in photo exposure. Then there is the wattage equivalence which clearly they are not equivalent either. Im surprised they were even 100w H3 that look more like 55s but photos are always deceiving. The thing with LEDs is that there is no consistency in them. Saying its a H3 replacement could mean anything regarding brightness and colour without offering accurate equivalency to a halogen. I have read your MOT inspectors are taking a dim view (excuse the pun) of LEDs being used in classics because of erratic beam patterns and unspecified wattage equivalences. The better branded LEDs like Philips do offer this to a certain degree but you will know nothing about the unknown Chinese generic ones you find on Ebay. You also have to factor in that many LED designs are not omni directional and that they dont direct light in directions that a halogen specified reflector is designed for. Im not totally old school on this and many know I do support LEDs in a variety of circumstances like Dash lights etc but for headlights and driving lights I have found that halogens give the most consistent and directed beam. So too its easier with Halogen to co-ordinate the colour temperatures between your headlight and driving lights. If you mix and match you can be sure they rarely will be the same. Often people will fit a very blue spectrum LED to their driving lights while their headlights are much lower and when combined give inconsistent beam. Because Halogen science and labelling is more accurate (mainly because Halogens are more often European manufactured and regulated whereas LEDs are a hotch potch of Chinese manufactured and inconsistent labelling with their dubious claims of power being free from regulation or oversight)  its easier to match different halogen bulb types like H4s and H3s to unify them for a consistent beam and colour temperature. LEDs are always a mix and match affair. I do believe that LEDs make batter parking lights and fortunately Philips deliberately make a T10 bulb that mates perfectly with its white 4000 K halogen H4 and H3 bulbs. You have to convert your standard loom though to accept T10 bulbs however. Using the example of Mk2 instrument lights, I have found the ideal LED replacement bulb for them and have been sharing them with members here but I have dozens of different ones all T10s with different brightness colour and beam direction that I had to discard till I found the right one. Its pot luck really. I did the same with Indicator, stop, driving and headlights and found that the higher quality halogen type were more fit for purpose. I still blow hundreds of dollars each year testing new LED bulbs looking for that jackpot like I did with the dash lights but there is an awful lot of waste in doing so. The short answer is that it cannot be said LEDs are always better.

[mpdevelopments.uk]

7 hours ago, Rally Pack 2000 said:

They certainly look good in that context but sorry its not really a fair test. Firstly you have to compare bulbs with equivalent colour temperatures. The Halogen you picture here are no more than 3200 degrees Kelvin whereas the LEDs appear up towards 5000. The whiteness factor is always bias against the one with the lower temperature in photo exposure. Then there is the wattage equivalence which clearly they are not equivalent either. Im surprised they were even 100w H3 that look more like 55s but photos are always deceiving. The thing with LEDs is that there is no consistency in them. Saying its a H3 replacement could mean anything regarding brightness and colour without offering accurate equivalency to a halogen. I have read your MOT inspectors are taking a dim view (excuse the pun) of LEDs being used in classics because of erratic beam patterns and unspecified wattage equivalences. The better branded LEDs like Philips do offer this to a certain degree but you will know nothing about the unknown Chinese generic ones you find on Ebay. You also have to factor in that many LED designs are not omni directional and that they dont direct light in directions that a halogen specified reflector is designed for. Im not totally old school on this and many know I do support LEDs in a variety of circumstances like Dash lights etc but for headlights and driving lights I have found that halogens give the most consistent and directed beam. So too its easier with Halogen to co-ordinate the colour temperatures between your headlight and driving lights. If you mix and match you can be sure they rarely will be the same. Often people will fit a very blue spectrum LED to their driving lights while their headlights are much lower and when combined give inconsistent beam. Because Halogen science and labelling is more accurate (mainly because Halogens are more often European manufactured and regulated whereas LEDs are a hotch potch of Chinese manufactured and inconsistent labelling with their dubious claims of power being free from regulation or oversight)  its easier to match different halogen bulb types like H4s and H3s to unify them for a consistent beam and colour temperature. LEDs are always a mix and match affair. I do believe that LEDs make batter parking lights and fortunately Philips deliberately make a T10 bulb that mates perfectly with its white 4000 K halogen H4 and H3 bulbs. You have to convert your standard loom though to accept T10 bulbs however. Using the example of Mk2 instrument lights, I have found the ideal LED replacement bulb for them and have been sharing them with members here but I have dozens of different ones all T10s with different brightness colour and beam direction that I had to discard till I found the right one. Its pot luck really. I did the same with Indicator, stop, driving and headlights and found that the higher quality halogen type were more fit for purpose. I still blow hundreds of dollars each year testing new LED bulbs looking for that jackpot like I did with the dash lights but there is an awful lot of waste in doing so. The short answer is that it cannot be said LEDs are always better.

WOW. bit anal about bulbs i thinks. ha ha ha

[Rally Pack 2000]

2 hours ago, mpdevelopments.uk said:

WOW. bit anal about bulbs i thinks. ha ha ha

I guess some would say that about most of my posts as its just my way giving the most detailed explanation I can rather than non specific one liners. Some posts have been referred to as novels so I get the valid point that they appear long winded to some. In the case of bulbs since I test prototype flashlights for a couple of companies and in turn I try to apply that to car bulbs when I research them so as to give the best and most detailed advice and comparisons I can about them to members here on the forum. When my budget allows I try to send them out to other members. If anyone feels that time and effort is being wasted and im rambling too much they know they just have to say the word and I will happily call it a day.

[katana]

1 hour ago, mpdevelopments.uk said:

WOW. bit anal about bulbs i thinks. ha ha ha

Maybe but the geezer talks a lot of truth! I'm a used of Chinese H4 LED headlights but in my daily bike. The DVLA banned the use of non OEM fitted HID's and LEDs late last year but have just recently reversed this for bikes so mine is back to being 'roadworthy'. Personally I had to do something as the std. headlight with a halogen was so poor - anything would be an improvement. Mine isn't particularly well defined / focused but is good enough to pass the beam test and output is significantly better so i'm happy. I did purchase H4 and H3 HID's for my RS and with LED sides the light colour and output was excellent but are not not allowed so back to halogen candle power!

[colr6]

RPs posts are a novel full of well researched and informative info, I know I couldn’t find so much detail and put it into terms we all understand. Keep em coming RP 😍

[Rally Pack 2000]

23 minutes ago, colr6 said:

RPs posts are a novel full of well researched and informative info, I know I couldn’t find so much detail and put it into terms we all understand. Keep em coming RP 😍

I promise I have gotten more brief than when I first joined but nobody has noticed! LOL

[colr6]

3 minutes ago, Rally Pack 2000 said:

I promise I have gotten more brief than when I first joined but nobody has noticed! LOL

I have 🤓 seem to remember commenting on the info contained in your posts before, always a pleasure to read.

[chinkamon]

12 hours ago, Rally Pack 2000 said:

They certainly look good in that context but sorry its not really a fair test. Firstly you have to compare bulbs with equivalent colour temperatures. The Halogen you picture here are no more than 3200 degrees Kelvin whereas the LEDs appear up towards 5000. The whiteness factor is always bias against the one with the lower temperature in photo exposure. Then there is the wattage equivalence which clearly they are not equivalent either. Im surprised they were even 100w H3 that look more like 55s but photos are always deceiving. The thing with LEDs is that there is no consistency in them. Saying its a H3 replacement could mean anything regarding brightness and colour without offering accurate equivalency to a halogen. I have read your MOT inspectors are taking a dim view (excuse the pun) of LEDs being used in classics because of erratic beam patterns and unspecified wattage equivalences. The better branded LEDs like Philips do offer this to a certain degree but you will know nothing about the unknown Chinese generic ones you find on Ebay. You also have to factor in that many LED designs are not omni directional and that they dont direct light in directions that a halogen specified reflector is designed for. Im not totally old school on this and many know I do support LEDs in a variety of circumstances like Dash lights etc but for headlights and driving lights I have found that halogens give the most consistent and directed beam. So too its easier with Halogen to co-ordinate the colour temperatures between your headlight and driving lights. If you mix and match you can be sure they rarely will be the same. Often people will fit a very blue spectrum LED to their driving lights while their headlights are much lower and when combined give inconsistent beam. Because Halogen science and labelling is more accurate (mainly because Halogens are more often European manufactured and regulated whereas LEDs are a hotch potch of Chinese manufactured and inconsistent labelling with their dubious claims of power being free from regulation or oversight)  its easier to match different halogen bulb types like H4s and H3s to unify them for a consistent beam and colour temperature. LEDs are always a mix and match affair. I do believe that LEDs make batter parking lights and fortunately Philips deliberately make a T10 bulb that mates perfectly with its white 4000 K halogen H4 and H3 bulbs. You have to convert your standard loom though to accept T10 bulbs however. Using the example of Mk2 instrument lights, I have found the ideal LED replacement bulb for them and have been sharing them with members here but I have dozens of different ones all T10s with different brightness colour and beam direction that I had to discard till I found the right one. Its pot luck really. I did the same with Indicator, stop, driving and headlights and found that the higher quality halogen type were more fit for purpose. I still blow hundreds of dollars each year testing new LED bulbs looking for that jackpot like I did with the dash lights but there is an awful lot of waste in doing so. The short answer is that it cannot be said LEDs are always better.

I enjoyed that mate thank you very much👍

[chinkamon]

2 hours ago, colr6 said:

RPs posts are a novel full of well researched and informative info, I know I couldn’t find so much detail and put it into terms we all understand. Keep em coming RP 😍

Yep I second that 👌

[Monza]

RPs posts are a novel full of well researched and informative info, I know I couldn’t find so much detail and put it into terms we all understand. Keep em coming RP [emoji7]

I'll second that....
RP deffo keep 'em coming!! [emoji106]

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