4wd4runner
New member
Does anyone have LED headlamps? If so, are they better than HID?
LED headlamps
- Thread starter 4wd4runner
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By better do you mean legal? It would be difficult, but not impossible, to obtain a legal beam pattern since there were no factory HID or LED options from the factory that you could retrofit.
Unless you're talking off road, then anything goes. I wouldn't say one is better or worse than the other, it's completely dependent on the design of the optics as far as lighting goes. LED would use less power, but either one would use less than halogen.
Unless you're talking off road, then anything goes. I wouldn't say one is better or worse than the other, it's completely dependent on the design of the optics as far as lighting goes. LED would use less power, but either one would use less than halogen.
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KatRider05
New member
What do you mean neither are legal? Does it depend on local laws?
Federal laws. FMVSS 108. Technically you could design and build some that would be legal I think, but it would probably be cheaper to buy a car that came with them.
You could do a projector retrofit, and while technically still illegal you'd probably get close enough that nobody would complain.
the great him
Elite Member
PIAA makes SAE and DOT compliant h4 LED bulbs... they are like $300 though
D Farms
New member
https://www.hidplanet.com/forums/fo...n-aa/43942-laws-on-hid-s?45175-Laws-on-HID-s=
its quite simple, as long as your headlights are white and correctly aimed they are legal. that being said they also need to comply with the dot beam pattern, all projector retrofits do this, an hid pnp kit in a normal housing does not. and there is a specific reason why.
a reflector headlight reflects an image of the filament onto the road. the reflector is designed for a halogen filament which is basically a 1mmx8mm cylinder. because its small its very easy to make a tight beam pattern with a defined cutoff and concentrated hot spot in the center. if you were to use an hid bulb in a housing meant for a halogen bulb the pattern would be out of control. the light output for an hid is an 8mm diameter sphere. the reflector would take all that extra light and scatter it around where its not supposed to go, causing glare. glare is bad, but whats worse is the beam pattern is now has an improper gradient and your eyes cannot see as well because there is too much foreground light and not enough going down the road even though there is more light.
the retrofit source is a good place to get your projectors from, if you look into the closeouts they have a few led projectors from muranos or corrolas which can be retrofitted into your headlights. i did a set of corrola headlights and they came out awesome in my dads 5th gen. the murano projectors are round and will be easier to put a shroud on though.
let me know if you have any questions.
its quite simple, as long as your headlights are white and correctly aimed they are legal. that being said they also need to comply with the dot beam pattern, all projector retrofits do this, an hid pnp kit in a normal housing does not. and there is a specific reason why.
a reflector headlight reflects an image of the filament onto the road. the reflector is designed for a halogen filament which is basically a 1mmx8mm cylinder. because its small its very easy to make a tight beam pattern with a defined cutoff and concentrated hot spot in the center. if you were to use an hid bulb in a housing meant for a halogen bulb the pattern would be out of control. the light output for an hid is an 8mm diameter sphere. the reflector would take all that extra light and scatter it around where its not supposed to go, causing glare. glare is bad, but whats worse is the beam pattern is now has an improper gradient and your eyes cannot see as well because there is too much foreground light and not enough going down the road even though there is more light.
the retrofit source is a good place to get your projectors from, if you look into the closeouts they have a few led projectors from muranos or corrolas which can be retrofitted into your headlights. i did a set of corrola headlights and they came out awesome in my dads 5th gen. the murano projectors are round and will be easier to put a shroud on though.
let me know if you have any questions.
D Farms
New member
actually im a jeweler and i do have one. also all of the laws I stated apply to the us, i have no idea what the laws are for canada. furthermore go ahead and back up your claims, cite at least one instance where what you state has occured for the reasons you have given, and also the specific law that it is breaking.
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The laws are the same for Canada as US, except in Canada it's called CMVSS 108.
What do you mean what laws are being broken? Cars must meet certain criteria in order to be operated on public roads, FMVSS/CMVSS 108 being one of them. If your car has been modified so that it no longer meets that standard, you don't think there would be repercussions? Say you got some of those fancy black out tail lights and then someone rear ended you because they couldn't see your brake lights. Same deal.
There is no part of the law that makes all HIDs and LEDs illegal.
