LED headlamps -your views?

LED headlamps -your views?

Author
Discussion

theonlys3onexmoor

Original Poster:

17 posts

99 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
quotequote all
Hi all
I'm sure this is well covered but I'm not too good with navigating PH threads - must be age!
Having thought of high wattage bulbs, but being warned that TVR wiring is a little slender, my thoughts have turned to LED replacements.
But there are just SO many on fleabay. Any bright (excuse the pun) suggestions please?

phillpot

17,105 posts

182 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
quotequote all

Guess it all depends how much night driving you do?


I don't do a lot so has happy to settle for a pair of these and a bit of sorting out in the wiring department to make sure they're getting a full 12v!

theonlys3onexmoor

Original Poster:

17 posts

99 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
quotequote all
phillpot said:
Guess it all depends how much night driving you do?


I don't do a lot so has happy to settle for a pair of these and a bit of sorting out in the wiring department to make sure they're getting a full 12v!
As ever Mike, most helpful - thank you!;)
Tony

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
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Do you really mean LEDs?

ChimpOnGas

9,637 posts

178 months

greyhulk

989 posts

105 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
quotequote all
I attempted a HID headlight conversion last December (,not sure if there same as LED) & kept getting one work the other flicker, had a bad earth somewhere..
When they was working they would only come on after about 2-5minutes or so of the engine running, £50 kit = cheap China rubbish!

My advice like phillpot said, go with some good H4 bulbs, Phillips diamond vision will be my next choice, have Bosch ultra daylight 120% in at the moment (still haven't tested them on the night laugh)

Edited by greyhulk on Thursday 16th June 07:47

phillpot

17,105 posts

182 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
quotequote all
ChimpOnGas said:
I thought op meant some proper LED headlights?... wink

greymrj

3,316 posts

203 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
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I went with the Philips X-treme Vision 60/55w H4 fairly recently and I must say it has been a small but worthwhile improvement. But we have to be realistic here. We have cars fitted with very basic 7" round parabolic reflector headlights. 1950's technology, I had them on my A35! Take a look around modern cars...technology has moved on not just in bulbs but in the whole understanding of lighting. If you want modern lighting you will just have to drive a modern car. You can make marginal improvements to the S lights but you are just going to have to drive within their limitations.driving
My 'daily diesel' is faster than the TVR, both day and night. But it isnt as much fun!!! biggrin

v8s4me

7,234 posts

218 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
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Ultra bright, badly adjusted headlights are the work of the devil! Keep your friends and stick to H4's soapbox

ChimpOnGas

9,637 posts

178 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
quotequote all
phillpot said:
ChimpOnGas said:
I thought op meant some proper LED headlights?... wink
Not really sure what you mean by that comment but you do seem quite happy with yourself for making it so congratulations for that.

The key advantage of the LED replacement bulb units over a set of the ones you linked to are that they dont change the look of the car, this is the S forum and the S is quite a classic design, I'm not sure owners would want to spoil that by fitting a set of the very modern looking LED Land Rover light units you linked to.

If people want to learn about the pros and cons of replacing incandescent bulbs in a reflector type headlamp with the new generation of drop in LED replacements so keeping their S looking original I recommend they read my post where over a period of two years I conducted extensive real world testing sharing the results on Piston Heads to the benefit of the TVR community and as it turns out owners of other vehicles who dropped in to show interest.

I'm not going to repeat the post here, just direct you back to it again to save repetition, suffice to say even when compared with the latest range of uprated H4 incandescent bulbs from Philips and Osram these new generation of LED bulb replacement units give a massive improvement.

Not only do they retain the original look of the car, they are also as easy to fit as a set of regular H4 bulbs, inexpensive, consume less energy and following some basic headlight adjustment light the way ahead like never before.

I always say... "Try Before You Snipe" wink

So it's well worth taking the time to read the post.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=145...



phillpot

17,105 posts

182 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
quotequote all
ChimpOnGas said:
Not really sure what you mean by that comment.........................
I can assure you no offence was intended, I've always thought the little winking smiley was a sign of something being said in jest, in humour?

Time now to get reading, perhaps by the time I get to the end I'll understand how fitting a pair of bulbs can run to 23 pages wink

greyhulk

989 posts

105 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
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v8s4me said:
Ultra bright, badly adjusted headlights are the work of the devil! Keep your friends and stick to H4's soapbox
^^^^ his right, look at what they did to me.. VAPOURISED! i am no longer here in the flesh, but my spirit lives on laugh


mk1fan

10,507 posts

224 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
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I'm happy with my LED lights. Have both replacement bulbs and complete lamp units.

Not fitted bulbs to the S. My only concern would be there being enough space in the mount bowl behind the lamp unit to fit the heat sink of an LED bulb.

NaCl

286 posts

177 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
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phillpot

17,105 posts

182 months

Thursday 16th June 2016
quotequote all
NaCl said:
Read this, very similar I think.....
ChimpOnGas said:

Top Gear TVR

2,244 posts

153 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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I think it's age but long posts are beyond me.

Advice is:
Fix reflectors
Good high power, std wattage H4s
Or
Led H4s

Questions:
Are LEDs subject to the self levelling mot requirement that HiDs are?
And with LEDs: might you need to buy 2 kits just in case one component fails, whereas with filament lamps this is an easy fix at most service stations?

DamianS3

1,803 posts

181 months

Friday 17th June 2016
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I have the full LED headlights on mine.. Way better that just shoving some bulbs in IMHO..

Ok some purists may not like the modern look.. But they don't have to use them..

The only decent headlights my TVRs ever had and because they are LED they are more voltage tollerant and use less power then conventional.

If you are going to do it the JW speaker units are the best quality but getting up there in price.

Proper LED headlights rock smile also allowed me to remove indicators as the are built into the halo on mine.

Cheers

Damian

mk1fan

10,507 posts

224 months

Friday 17th June 2016
quotequote all
Current issue with LED bulbs is getting the beam pattern right on both dipped and full beam. You can set the lights to be great on dipped or great on full but the other is compromised.

Not an issue if the headlamps are dipped only / don't do full beam. In this case then using LED bulbs is an appropriate upgrade.

LED lamp units don't have this dipped / full beam issue. They don't like the stupid 'dim-dip' function fitted to some TVRs and can flicker on side lights.

The above summarises the LED thread in the chimp cage linked to above.

greyhulk

989 posts

105 months

Friday 17th June 2016
quotequote all
DamianS3 said:
I have the full LED headlights on mine.. Way better that just shoving some bulbs in IMHO..

Ok some purists may not like the modern look.. But they don't have to use them..

The only decent headlights my TVRs ever had and because they are LED they are more voltage tollerant and use less power then conventional.

If you are going to do it the JW speaker units are the best quality but getting up there in price.

Proper LED headlights rock smile also allowed me to remove indicators as the are built into the halo on mine.

Cheers

Damian
hi damian, got any pics of the halo headlights in the ol tvr s?

DamianS3

1,803 posts

181 months

Friday 17th June 2016
quotequote all
I don't as the bodywork is a mess but am going out tonight and will take a couple.

I use the halo is a DRL (I I like it) and switches to flash orange for indicator duties then goes back to halo.

The low beam is just fantastic.

Damian