Xan Presents: Everything You Need to Know About Automotive Lighting

[joeyearl]

What parameters did you use for aiming? 25ft away from a wall, with the cutoff X number of inches below lamp height?

 

[danbfree]

What parameters did you use for aiming? 25ft away from a wall, with the cutoff X number of inches below lamp height?

I used the "Well the X3 stock projectors hits that fence about that high while driving up so I'll shoot for that..." and then the "damn, those are still a little too low, let me aim them up a bit more so they JUST don't hit drivers going the other direction in the face"...

2 very effective methods at least, it was easy to compare to other cars out there and have never been flashed since I have a perfectly clean cutoff

 

[joeyearl]

I used the "Well the X3 stock projectors hits that fence about that high while driving up so I'll shoot for that..." and then the "damn, those are still a little too low, let me aim them up a bit more so they JUST don't hit drivers going the other direction in the face"...

2 very effective methods at least, it was easy to compare to other cars out there and have never been flashed since I have a perfectly clean cutoff

That’s pretty much what I did…

 

[XanRules]

Posting in this thread for the first time in years as I was just too annoyed with people cluttering it up with "nuh uh," but I also want people to know that I am capable of changing my views in the face of new information, a lesson many people could stand to learn.

As anticipated, there have been great strides in LED bulb technology over the last few years.

If I am reading the documentation correctly, it appears that the Osram Night Breaker LED H7, when paired with adapter 64210DA02, in left-hand-drive Euro projector headlights, meets ECE R112 regulations, which are far more stringent than DOT regulations regarding lighting performance and safety.

https://www.osram.com/am/night-breaker-led.jsp

These are Osram's own design, and as far as I am aware these are the only LED bulbs that have been tested to be safe and legal in our specific headlights. You still run into issues with the color rendering index, and there's a really interesting discussion about it here if you're into that sort of thing like I am: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/osram-street-legal-led-headlight-bulbs.482116/

I wish I'd gotten the "good at math and science" autism instead of whatever this is, but there you go. If I ever get around to installing my euro headlights I may try these out.

 

[JohnTheElias]

This whole thread was so much fun to read.
Also, I just ordered some depo headlight assemblies, and I can't wait 😜
I sent osram an email inquiring about the new nightbreaker led's, as there isn't a way to just straight up buy em off their website 🙄

 

[XanRules]

This whole thread was so much fun to read.
Also, I just ordered some depo headlight assemblies, and I can't wait 😜
I sent osram an email inquiring about the new nightbreaker led's, as there isn't a way to just straight up buy em off their website 🙄

Cool stuff - yeah, the Nightbreaker "Street-Legal" LEDs are not available stateside officially as they are for ECE lights rather than DOT and technically aren't street legal in the US, not like that stops anyone from selling them, but Osram is a reputable company and they likely won't want to step on any toes from a regulatory standpoint, if that makes sense.

I am preparing to pick up a set of the DEPO lights locally - I have a passenger's side of the Euro Hella lights sitting in a closet, but have never been able to find a matching other side, so I'm just buying a pair of the DEPOs. I believe the bulb you want for these is the 64210DWNB-G2, and adapter 64210DA02. I have been able to find both on Amazon and eBay, for what that's worth.

Again, as far as I am concerned, the regulating bodies of the European Union probably know their stuff and if they are willing to approve those bulbs for use in the projector headlights that this car comes with on that side of the pond, I defer to them. I am still a proponent of good halogens in the factory reflectors, and good halogens are probably as good as (or better than) the LEDs, but, if you want LEDs, that's how you should do it.

 

[XanRules]

New update posted to original post.

 

[XanRules]

Finally installed the Depo lamps and did an A/B test with a set of psycho bright halogens (the H11s mentioned in the original post) and the Osram LEDriving. My opinion is that the LEDs look way cooler but are not actually much brighter and I don't think they are an improvement across the board, at least not that justifies the expense - the sunk cost fallacy means I will be keeping them, but if they ever burn out I'll go back to the halogens.

 

[Volumetrik]

Finally installed the Depo lamps and did an A/B test with a set of psycho bright halogens (the H11s mentioned in the original post) and the Osram LEDriving. My opinion is that the LEDs look way cooler but are not actually much brighter and I don't think they are an improvement across the board, at least not that justifies the expense - the sunk cost fallacy means I will be keeping them, but if they ever burn out I'll go back to the halogens.

Thanks for the update. I emailed Daniel Stern about the Volsa's. I read through the post, but maybe I missed. What's your current recommendations for the halogen high beams for a stock US reflector housing?

 

[XanRules]

Thanks for the update. I emailed Daniel Stern about the Volsa's. I read through the post, but maybe I missed. What's your current recommendations for the halogen high beams for a stock US reflector housing?

I am using the Tungsram MegaLight +120 H1, which I also get from him. I think I'll probably grab another set of the Voslas from him - the last set I bought that I did my A/B test went into my dad's car, but I'm just not impressed with the Osram LEDs at this point. I had high expectations which they don't live up to, though I'm going to keep fiddling with the aim and see how they do in very dark conditions (rather than sunset/twilight) before I make a declaration.

They are CERTAINLY not worth 4-5x the price of the Voslas. I found an open box set of the LEDriving H7s on eBay for $60 shipped from Germany, and that to me was worth it for the sake of the experiment. But the MSRP is closer to $200, plus the adapters, and the Voslas are like forty bucks plus shipping. Easy choice.

 

[XanRules]

Alright, just a follow up after daylight savings/inclement weather now that it's dark and foggy and rainy - I cannot envision a situation in which the LEDs, even having passed UN safety regulations, are optimal in the euro headlights. The light is simply too "cool" to illuminate the road properly and it feels pretty dicey on back roads in the rain. I am switching back to the halogens.

 

[XanRules]

Unfortunately my phone camera overcorrects low light, making it impossible to get a good before/after of the LEDs vs the Halogens, but I put the recommended halogens from the first post back in and it's shocking what a difference it makes in inclement weather in particular. Sticking with my original point that you should be using halogens, though the Osram LEDs aren't unsafe. Also a typo in Post 88 - those are H7, not H11.