LED Headli9ghts, 6v

[daveymc29]

So here's the Ace Mechanic with 6V LED headlight bulbs installed, pos, ground. In the garage, shining on a wall four feet away they appear very bright on high beam and a bit less so on low beam. Great! That's similar to my 21 candle power old fashioned bulbs. Waited til dark and drove around the block. On low beam hardly bright enough to cast a shadow 10 feet in front of the car. High beam wont have anyone blinking their lights at you to dim your lights. Stop sign reflection is minimal, a penlight will give similar results. Standing in front of the car looking at it, the lights appear quite "white." brighter than the 21 bulbs, but the night eats up the light. What have I done wrong? I can't believe the difference isn't greater with the LED being much brighter. LED 12V in my friends car lights up half a block away, Mine barely lit up a pedestrian walking beside the road. Could this be a matter of focus?

[updraught]

The darkness you have in the USA is very dark. Even the light bits are very dark. It takes more energy to run lights there and with 110 volts in your house it is a wonder you can see anything at all.

What sort of bulbs are they?

[mass A man]

Are your headlights pointed too far down? Focusing is not your problem here. The LED bulbs should cast light on the fluorescent signage WAY far up the road. The only problem I have is a flickering at low speeds/idle with the LED's because they're made to run at 8-12 volts. They don't tell you that when you buy them.

[Badpuppy]

Run a jumper wire between frame and headlight conduit and see if it improves. If so, your 21 CP's will be brighter too.

[MikeK]

The parabolic reflector in an A headlamp produces a parallel output beam to the back of the lens, which converts that to the correct driving beam pattern.

Parabolic reflectors re-fitted with LED's no longer have the emissive source closely confined to the focal point. As a result the output beam from the reflector to the back of the lens is not a parallel beam.

You have converted an engineered assembly which produces a far reaching and legal driving beam to a non-compliant in any jurisdiction floodlight. It sure looks bright up close and off-axis, but that is not where you want the light to go!

To add to the problem, 'white' LED's actually do not produce a complete mix of all light wavelengths (colors) They only make a variable mix of yellow and blue light. Varying that mix produces warm and cool LEDs (low and high Kelvin color temperature averages).

OK, So what? . . . LED's are sorely lacking in actual red light wavelength output. Stop signs and Red reflectors ONLY return red light that strikes them. That is why they look dimmer at a distance despite the deceiving 'big bright floodlight' look that reels in the $$$ for aftermarket junk.

LED's work in modern cars that were initially designed for them by using optics far different than the reflectors designed for incandescent sources.

[mass A man]

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Mike, I agree with you "BUT" I've found by careful aiming the headlamps while using the LED's I don't blind anyone, now they can see me too. Especially on some of these undivided back roads at night, NO street lights, narrow hilly tree covered lanes that go for miles, I used to see oncoming people swerve back into "their lane" at the last moment because they couldn't see my old bulb headlights. Same with kids racing up behind me, I was waiting to have one go right under my pick-up bed (no factory rear bumpers on the half ton's). I won't get into the savings on my poor old generator/battery trying to keep up with the old bulb headlights/tail lights. With the LED's my ammeter never even shows a "discharge" at night.

[Bob Johnson]

Judge for yourself

[Karl]

Originally Posted by MikeK

The parabolic reflector in an A headlamp produces a parallel output beam to the back of the lens, which converts that to the correct driving beam pattern.

Parabolic reflectors re-fitted with LED's no longer have the emissive source closely confined to the focal point. As a result the output beam from the reflector to the back of the lens is not a parallel beam.

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkRed] You have converted an engineered assembly which produces a far reaching and legal driving beam to a non-compliant in any jurisdiction floodlight. It sure looks bright up close and off-axis, but that is not where you want the light to go.........

Mike You are 100%correct . If tested on a properly calibtrated headlight machine they will fail -Mine did and i went back to halogen bulbs -Karl

[SteveB31]

What LED bulb did you use? There are many different versions that will fit in a Model A headlight. They are not all the same

[Keith True]

There are some bulbs being sold that have no business being used in a headlight.Then there are some that work great.I think what a lot of people miss is the fact that you can NOT aim them using a wall or a headlight machine for regular or halogen bulbs.There is a machine just for them,and the inspection stations here are now required to have them.After you adjust it to read off your car you look in the top and look at the colors in the slot.Then you adjust the headlight to come up with the right color combination in the window.The manual tells you in detail just how to do it.The machine is much,much simpler than it sounds like to set up.

[jimTN]

If you read the threads on both A and T sites about LED headlights, there is little definitive info given. I hear great compliments about them but no specific part numbers and sources. I know they do work because I have seen some in cars at night that lite things up nicely. There is an outfit called LEDlight.com that some say is a good source.

[alexiskai]

Originally Posted by Keith True

There are some bulbs being sold that have no business being used in a headlight.Then there are some that work great.I think what a lot of people miss is the fact that you can NOT aim them using a wall or a headlight machine for regular or halogen bulbs.There is a machine just for them,and the inspection stations here are now required to have them.After you adjust it to read off your car you look in the top and look at the colors in the slot.Then you adjust the headlight to come up with the right color combination in the window.The manual tells you in detail just how to do it.The machine is much,much simpler than it sounds like to set up.

I'll call around here in NC and ask about that. I ordered bulbs from LEDlight.com, but haven't installed them yet. It's P/N 74475, which they specify for headlights. Looks like what other folks have posted in some other threads. Does not look like the $40 bulb Bob Johnson posted, which seems to have a single point source.

[Y-Blockhead]

No comment on LED headlights. I have heard both good and bad. I still use Ron Francis "Bright Bulbs" 125/75 cp with Bratton's reflectors. Plenty bright and focus like original. 12v only tho. https://www.ronfrancis.com/product/645

[daveymc29]

So if an 8 Volt battery, say out of a golf cart is used, I may salvage my purchase? Bet that 8V is more than I paid for two Leds. I got mine from Mikes Wacky week end special. I am guessint the came from China, no mards on bag or bulbs.

[McMimmcs]

Originally Posted by daveymc29

So if an 8 Volt battery, say out of a golf cart is used, I may salvage my purchase? Bet that 8V is more than I paid for two Leds. I got mine from Mikes Wacky week end special. I am guessint the came from China, no mards on bag or bulbs.

I have a friend that runs an 8 volt battery for some reason and he is forever blowing and replacing light bulbs. He blames it on poor quality bulbs when in fact it is his own stupidity. If it needs an 8 volt battery there is something wrong.

[Herb Concord Ca]

McMimmcs is right! If you think you need 8 volts, you really need to find out what is wrong and fix it.

[jrelliott]

When running bulbs at higher than rated voltage, you decrease the life dramatically. That is why bulbs are rated for a specific voltage. It is like over pressurizing a system, Higher voltage higher pressure.

[ryanheacox]

Some of the LED replacements are much better than others but I don't think any beat the old standard 32/50 incandescent bulbs (at least not concerning amp draw). I swapped mine back to the stock bulbs and have no problem even on the darkest moonless nights.

[daveymc29]

I seem to be okay with the LED's everywhere but the headlights. I'm going to reverse course there and stick with my 21's with Bratton's reflectors. People dip their lights at me if I forget and stay on high beam too long, so I'm getting enough light out the front, Don't drive much after dark these days, well don't drive much during the day either. That's what held me back from a Burtz engine.