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  #1  
Old 12-29-2018, 02:14 AM
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Has anyone tried these headlight bulbs?

I was looking at putting Euro lights on my car maybe 2 years ago but it was so complicated that I finally just bought replacement bulbs and put them in.

I just happened to see these which were interesting. The video shows these giving a lot more light than standard bulbs, but I wonder how these bulbs compare to Euro lights like the Euro or Hella brands where you replace the whole entire light assembly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-yZYz3yzkk


Last edited by jbach36; 12-29-2018 at 10:03 AM.
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  #2  
Old 12-29-2018, 05:29 AM
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What do you mean by "Euro lights"?

LED replacement bulbs are widely available and used here in Europe - they give quite a harsh light
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Old 12-29-2018, 08:59 AM
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From what I have heard the LED headlight bulbs don’t exactly replicate the light distribution of the stock incandescent bulb, so this is what creates the harsh light.

An incandescent bulb has a linear filament that gives off light in a 360 degree cylindrical pattern (subject to the geometry of the bulb and the filament supports). The reflector and lens combination in a vehicle is designed around this particular light distribution, based on the point source from the bulb filament.

LED replacements attempt to mimic this 360 degree pattern but they can’t, since they are an array of chips that individually only give light in one direction. So they try various arrangements on a cylinder to match what the filament is doing, but cannot match it exactly. The focal length between the glowing filament and the array of LEDs is not the same, so it throws the entire optic system out of focus.
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Old 12-29-2018, 09:29 AM
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I just put a set of LEDs in my 300E. I had them in my Amazon wish list and I must have put them in my cart by accident because they shipped them just before Xmas. It's a hassle to return anything so I decided to install them. The only thing I really like about them is that they don't trigger the bulb failure light on my dash. The xenons I had in before would cause that light to come on. I haven't done much night driving with the LEDs yet, but you definitely don't get the sharp cutoff of incandescent bulbs so I'm worried they might blind other drivers. The other thing is that the high beam is just an extra LED on top of the bulb. It doesn't seem to take proper advantage of the focal characteristic of the reflector or the fresnels in the lens. Testing them in my driveway, something about them just seems off. Again, I haven't done much night driving with them but I'll probably end up taking them off and going back to the xenons. Those did give the proper cutoff and are really effective when aimed correctly.

Another thing about these bulb "upgrades"...LED or xenon, I wouldn't take a road trip without carrying a spare because you might not be able to find a replacement at a Pep Boys or whatever. They still seem to be mainly an internet order product.

It's a shame that a lot of tech sites have been touting these as a great way to bring modern LED lighting to older cars. Dazzling, white and blinding doesn't make them good.
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Old 12-29-2018, 09:59 AM
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By Euro lights, I mean.....

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stretch View Post
What do you mean by "Euro lights"?

LED replacement bulbs are widely available and used here in Europe - they give quite a harsh light
What I was referring to was these bulbs as compared to the Depo or Hella brands where you replace the whole entire light assembly.
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Old 12-29-2018, 10:35 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbach36 View Post
What I was referring to was these bulbs as compared to the Depo or Hella brands where you replace the whole entire light assembly.
The LED replacement bulbs I've seen have got the standard H4 (for older cars) or H6 connections so they will plug into "standard" "Euro" light units (if that's what you mean)


I hope that helps
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Old 12-29-2018, 10:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbach36 View Post
What I was referring to was these bulbs as compared to the Depo or Hella brands where you replace the whole entire light assembly.
I have the Hella e-code lamps in my 300D. Even with standard H4 bulbs, they work great.
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  #8  
Old 12-29-2018, 11:16 AM
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Post Improved Headlight Bulbs

If you wish to retain the original seal beam look, just go order in some 6014 or 6016 bulbs, they're for trucks and shed quite a bit more light .

European headlights are nice and thrown much better light than seal beams plus they have a sharp cut off of the light's path that prevents blinding on coming traffic .

I tried some Chinese high output H4 headlight bulbs, they were nice and bright but only lasted two years and didn't have the nice cut off of light like Hella and other top quality Germans bulbs do .
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  #9  
Old 12-29-2018, 11:26 AM
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All aftermarket drop in LED headlight bulbs are garbage. Just because the base mounts into your H4 or H7 base doesn't mean the light output will match your halogen bulb. The only headlight swap worth doing is HID projector.
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Old 12-29-2018, 01:13 PM
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How about a purpose built 7” projector lamp?

https://www.amazon.com/GENSSI-Round-Projector-Headlight-Approved/dp/B01DLANFIO

If you don’t mind your car looking like a transformer

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  #11  
Old 12-29-2018, 04:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sixto View Post
How about a purpose built 7” projector lamp?

https://www.amazon.com/GENSSI-Round-Projector-Headlight-Approved/dp/B01DLANFIO

If you don’t mind your car looking like a transformer

Sixto
98 E320s sedan and wagon
02 C320 wagon
Check out the pics of the beam pattern in the customer reviews. It's garbage. A good quality projector is much deeper than a 7" round housing.
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Old 12-29-2018, 06:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tjts1 View Post
All aftermarket drop in LED headlight bulbs are garbage. Just because the base mounts into your H4 or H7 base doesn't mean the light output will match your halogen bulb. The only headlight swap worth doing is HID projector.
Pretty much this.

Skip anything that changes the light source. HID or LED in a halogen housing = nope. Skip anything with a blue coating. At best it only costs more and lasts less time and doesn't degrade performance too much(Sylvania Silverstar), at worst it's a dangerous nuisance to other drivers and damages your own night vision(all LED or HID on halogen base products). NONE of these are upgrades.

HID projectors done right can be a fantastic swap.

If you have sealed beams, you're particularly fortunate. Cibie and Hella make European beam sealed beam replacements which take H4 bulbs that are very good and inexpensive. Several LED sealed beam replacements are available that are fantastic too. BEWARE, there's more junk than good in this realm. If you're paying $20 on Amazon or eBay, you're getting garbage. JW Speaker is a great brand. Do expect to pay for quality.

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