Grandhustleman86

I have been looking around here on Honda-Tech and online elsewhere seeking "proof" on the benefits of LED vs. Incandescent bulbs. This idea/question crossed my mind as i was sitting in traffic last night in my 99' Accord LX 4cyl Sedan. I had the head-lights on, radio up to a appropriate level, with the windows down. (It was a 72 degree night in North Florida last night) I decided to roll up the windows and power on my A/C...when it kicked on my lights dimmed slightly for about a second (maybe millisecond lol) which is normal operation i believe. It just kind of irritates me, and it got me thinking about how to reduce the load on the electrical system by possibly converting to LED. So here we go...



Naturally you hear LEDs are more "efficient". With that being said I've made a quick list of LED benefits/shortfalls:

PROS
1. require much less power to run
2. are much brighter
3. instant full illumination
4. most are cool to the touch.

CONS
1. cost more than Incandescent bulbs
2. sometimes aren't compatible or cause "weird" electrical issues
3. wiring is sometimes required for "proper operation" IE "hyper-blinker issues"
4. Not as readily available as incandescent or available in as many sizes

I am pretty convinced in LEDs, and am doing a full interior LED light conversion. (minus any lights that require soldering or wiring up) IE- Door Courtesy Lights - Glovebox Light - Instrument Cluster Lights - Map Lights - Dome Light - Trunk Light - and Installation the of LED Footwell Lights. Here soon i will also be converting the Parking Lights - Brake Lights - License Plate Light as well.

Now someone with Knowledge of electrical systems can definitely chime in here...i want to know if there is truly any benefit to my electrical system for running LEDs in our accords over Incandescents? Like Voltage/Ohms gains and losses (led vs Incandescent) - a difference in load on the alternator/fuses - could it extend the life of a battery?

Just a couple of ideas and thoughts. thanks for any input guys.

uberEFtuner

When the A/C compressor turns on it slows down the engine. This makes the alternator produce less power and the lights dim. Its normal and the ecu speeds up the engine to compensate. Installing LED lights WILL NOT help this. LED lights will actually almost turn off instead of fading out, when you turn on the A/C.

But LED lights do look nice, and are brighter in most cases. If you install QUALITY HID headlights they have capacitors in the ballast and will not fade out. Strong emphasis on good quality HID lights. Cheap HID will also flicker or turn off when the A/C kicks on.

Grandhustleman86

thanks man, yeah i kinda understood that it was normal operation. Happens in my 13' Chrysler 200 convertible as well, just not as noticeable in that car. I'm really not trying to combat that certain aspect here.

Im really trying to find out if there is any gain at all "efficiency-wise" vs "Looking good" on our cars electrical systems. It really does have to help some-what reducing the draw on our alternators and wiring harness' and battery by utilizing the LEDs over the Incandescents. Im just looking for "numerical proof" or testimony from someone with experience in LED technology

Now HIDs are a totally different subject than LEDs...I'm pretty sure HIDs have a "Big" draw on the electrical system IE these "Plug and Play" kits. The ones with Relays/Fuses/Fail-safes are much easier on our electrical systems by what ive read up on.

19Accord97

IMHO you should just do some more research on both LED's and HID's.

The hyper blink on led's are super easy to fix and if you get correct leds that are for 12v systems it should have a correct resistor in it to prevent that.

HID's only have a bigger power draw on start up. Once they are lit they are much more efficient than halogens.

Grandhustleman86

I dont have an issue im trying to repair...this more a preventative maintenance idea i had. My thought was converting what lights i could from incandescent to led might lengthen/strengthen the life/power of my electrical system. I havent found anything but speculation that converting to led anywhere on a vehicle that came equipped with incandescents has any major energy saving benefits at all. Logically youd think itd be beneficial in some way, kinda like in your house going from traditional 60watt bulbs to CFL-CREE energy saving bulbs. Kind of puzzling at this point.

As for HIDs i have no interest as of yet in installing them in my cord. I have owned a few sets of 100watt 6k and 75 watt 10k "plug n play" kits. I want to finish this install of leds and possibly add the Apexi Super Grounding Kit before i move onto HIDs.

jollyhonda

If you install LEDs, install an LED friendly flasher, don't use resistors, this totally defeats the low draw aspect of LED lighting. I have thought about this a lot on older vehicles. I have an old pickup that has a charging system that in perfect working order is subpar. I have thought about converting it to all LED, because I think it would truly benefit. Another thing to look at is battery size. Years ago I had a Cavalier with a big system. At night the lights would dim when the bass hit at idle. When the group 75 battery died, I replaced it with a group 78 battery. No more idle dimming. I haven't driven my accord in too long, so I am not sure of any headlight dimming issues, but it has a group 24 battery I believe. This thing is huge! Having a bigger battery won't fix something that is not operating properly, but having that little bit of extra reserve power can help out those times of high demand. You gotta think, when the A/C kicks on there is electrical current to the compressor clutch, the condenser cooling fan and the blower motor, the last 2 being big hogs of juice. Couple that with a momentary drop in rpm at the alternator, and you are going to see quite the discharge. A bigger battery could help absorb some of that "shock" to the system

Rob

19Accord97

They are more efficient but any sort of "gains" will be minimal because of Hondas ELD. The ELD prolongs the life of the alternator.

As far as the HID kits go, I am suspecting your wattage is WAY off. Most kits are 35w and some people go with a 50w kit....though those can melt small headlight housings such as fog lights. Also, why the 10k? That produces far less light than 5k and I can only imagine how ugly 10k looks...im thinking that is green or purple.