Thmanx

Still waiting for our order from TRS to arrive, when they do I'll have a side by side comparison of what they look like next to a set of 5500K XB35's and 4500K XB5Fives

Thmanx

Doing a pretty through comparison of

OE Halogen, vs PIAA vs PnP LED vs Highpower LED vs HID.


While the high power LED's do provide brighter then halogen output. Overall quality HID's still kill the LED designs currently available today.
Not to mention the color quality of the Morimoto HID's is far superior to LED technology.

OG Wagon

Wow , great post, thank you! ^^

What is the price comparison for the high-power LED kit versus the HID from Morimoto?

Thmanx

$100 for the Moto XB LED kit, and $170 for a full XB series (XB ballast and XB Bulb) 9006 HID kit.

Thmanx

Here we utilized the Morimoto XB LED kit as a benchmark lamp for output and white balance to compare the Halogen and HID competition.
For what its worth you can notice the XB LED kit provides a very-close-to-halogen style of output, with almost no output from the front of the bulb (as compared to the 80WCree and HID 9006)
This might lead to why (in some headlight housings) the LED kits provide marginally acceptable glare when compared to Halogen and HID alternatives (this was observed when we compared output on a 2008 Civic Reflector Housing)

[URL=https://imageshack.com/i/f02NsiZUj][/URL

spAdam

iTrader: (1)

That's a really cool picture because it demonstrates the light profiles and how differently they are shaped. The Moris actually are closer to the profile of the halogen than either the HID or the Cree, which explains why they are more effective.

The pattern on that Cree is retarded for use in a reflector housing, it's basically an LED flashlight that throws some ambient light at the reflectors... and the result show perfectly in the pic a few posts up.

Note that TRS is still not recommending them for use as low beams, which indicates to me that they know that performance and/or reliability for constant everyday use aren't quite there yet. I do like that they don't have any moving parts, those fans that you see on some of the other stuff definitely aren't very confidence inspiring.

94 accord typeR

those Cree are DRL (daytime running lights) thats why they produce 650 lumens (lowest of them all). why they use 80 watts is another question?

ss_zoidberg

Have you used/bought one or seen one in person while riding or driving a car using a CREE LED headlight bulb? Or just going by a couple mediocre pics that "perfectly" show the results?

LowTEC SaiMike

iTrader: (7)

Great ! Glad you had a chance to put them on . Hope you enjoy them

Thmanx

For reference, here is the output using 8th gen Civic Reflector Housings
*Updated 3/12/15 w/ True Wattage*

spAdam

iTrader: (1)

No, and I will reserve the right to stand corrected. But if you take a couple of minutes to look at the output profiles of the different bulbs pictured above you'll see pretty quickly that the output pic of the Cree-equipped housing correlates to the pattern shot of the bulb.

The standard halogen:



The area between the red lines is what lights your way down the road. The reflectors take those beams and fold them over at a very specific angle to shoot the beam down the road in the desired pattern. The blue area at the front is because the tip of the bulb is coated. there is also a shield over the nose of the bulb to keep any light from escaping because it would do nothing useful & would potentially cause glare. Cylindrical filaments do not throw usable light in that direction.

The Morimoto:



Looks similar to the halogen output, but the angles aren't 100% right so the reflector cannot possibly use its output 100%. The light itself is really white and noticeably more intense, but has a smaller radius of intensity, so you can expect mixed results all around depending on the size and shape of the reflector bowl. Some lights will probably net better lighting, some won't.

The Cree:



Is, for some reason, throwing light out the front. Completely pointless, as it is just thrown at the back of the shield. The intensity out of the sides is noticeably weaker than the halogen output (which is why I also colored it blue). Maybe with some luck or if used in an alternate dimension where different rules of physics apply, you might be able to get better output. But I doubt it, and correlates perfectly to this:



The HID is throwing a really intense sphere of light in all directions:



which, while some can be used by the reflectors, a huge amount of it is just going to bounce off of the reflectors haphazardly causing the typical glared output that we've all seen from PnP HID kits.

Modern halogen reflector housings like the Civic ones used above are actually really good, but they are VERY specifically tuned to having halogen bulbs in them. If you put a bulb with a different output profile in them it's doubtful that you're going to get anything good out of them. What I see up there in those output pics demonstrates that. If you look at the first, there is clean, usable light with a pretty decent cutoff line. Move to the Cree and it's really dim and fuzzy, with a big dead spot right in the middle of the beam. The Mori is the closest to the halogen but is wider and has a huge flare of the top. The HID is blown out and flared all over the place.

ss_zoidberg

These are the CREE ones I'm using, similar to the Morimoto LED. I'll try and take one out and compare it side by side with a halogen as far as the reflection and light pattern goes.

Thmanx

[QUOTE=spAdam]

Nice explanation and paint skills. +1000 points for that sir.

MattGold

What cars are running LED headlights from the factory now days? I wonder what THOSE bulbs look like fired up outside a housing.

N.Farris13

Wow, this thread has been extremely helpful in learning the differences about halogen vs LED vs HID! I've been thinking about replacing the bulbs in my car for awhile and LEDs have gotten my interest lately.

Here's some 9005 LED's on Xenon Depot that are a fanless design. If the quality is right, this may great since it may require less modification during installation.

94 accord typeR

Acura RLX, Lexus Hybrids
factory LEDs use a lense to project the LED light further but are rated for 10,000 hours of use or whatever .

spAdam

iTrader: (1)

....Toyota Corolla, etc. A pretty huge chunk of the Toyota lineup is on LEDs now.

Thmanx

So we tried out the 45W/ea 4500lm (9000lm total) D2S LED's you can get from VLED's


Even though these were the best ones I've seen to date, with adjustable bases and all, they just don't perform as well as quality HID components do.

Theres enough raw light sure, but its just not being directed/focused correctly for the best output.


5K 45W VLED D2S Kit left vs Osram CBI 5Five Morimoto D2S Kit Right



Granted the 5K VLED's are a true-true 5000K. I can't fault them for that, its hard to find true neutral white in LEDs and they nailed it.
However there light isn't focused in the right spot, causing output to look very distorted, especially with the high beam shutters open.

This is with the Morimoto 3.0 mini D2S's against a wall in real world conditions.

spAdam

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the test!

OG Wagon

Thmanx, just now coming back here after a while being away from the thread since I created it a while back.

Man, thanks for the invalueble posts and really making this thread come alive! You certainly have the skills (and parts) to do it, so thanks for "stepping up" for all of us.

I agree, HID's still reign supreme when it comes to light output. But it's neat to see the LED technology exploding right now. It's just getting better and better by the month.

Still happy with my LED set. In my EG (OEM) projectors with fluted lenses, for me, it was just the best option. A halogen-type light pattern with a cool color, and a bit more output then halogen.

Good to know that there is a light choice for all, especially now that Denji's have made a resurgence for EG owners...

Thmanx

Indeed, LED's are on the rise getting more powerful and better designed. Maybe in a few more years they will be ready for a PnP quality upgrade.

As an update, I picked up a metered power supply so I can test the true wattage of these units and clear up the confusion thats going on in the lighting world.



The 80W Cree DRL, actaly pulls .33A good for 4.5W or about 550lm



The Morimoto XB 9006 LED's pull 1.1A which puts them at 15W each, meaning each bulb is only really good for ~1500lm, or about the same as a halogen


Even the mighty 45W LMZ's actually pull 2.76A at start up which is slightly less then 40W, then drop over time as they heat up.

spAdam

iTrader: (1)

Nice power supply.

Thmanx, looks like I'm crossing the continent to live in your neck of the woods in a few weeks. Unfortunately that means I'm prolly selling my '00 (can't register it in Cali), so no lighting projects in the near future.

Thmanx

Cant register the car here? Why not... #BecauseRaceCar?
I'm sure you can pick up another one down here for cheep, Its SouthernCalifornia after all...

spAdam

iTrader: (1)

Beacuse B20.

I'll probably pick up something new or newer before I go, I'm not going to have time to worry about a daily that needs so much attention. I'm keeping my '94 coupe though.

soundguybob

Will definitely be keeping an eye on the thread!

@Thmanx - Are you metering the actual light output of these lamps, or guestimating their output based on their current draw?