carid

The incandescent bulbs haven't really developed that much in the 140 years they have existed, while the development rate of LEDs is very rapid, with LED performance being doubled every 36 months, a development rate that is similar to the fast pace of computer development. There is no doubt that the future of automotive lighting belongs to the LEDs. What is LED? LED is short for Light Emitting Diodes. This is a form of transistor, doped with a substrate that emits light when current is applied. The LEDs have a number of advantages over incandescent lighting that are very attractive for automotive use:

- They are very insensitive to vibrations
- They last for the life of the vehicle (does not apply to headlight LEDs yet)
- They can be baked into moisture proof casings to be installed in all kinds of harsh environments
- They light up much quicker than incandescent bulbs
- They are extremely compact
- They can be made to emit different colors
- They run cool
- They give more light per supplied watt than incandescent light bulbs.

All these was combined in LED bulbs, made by Lumen. To read more about this brand and check all featured products, you can visit this page: Lumen Off-Road Light Bars, Day Running Lights & LED Bulbs at CARiD.com
Their high-quality replacement LED bulbs and first-rate sealed off-road lights are designed to upgrade and customize all exterior and interior light sources on your vehicle. The mirroring that the large number of compact transistors within an LED bulb creates is a sparkling, jewel-like effect that's dazzling to the eye, no matter what color light is produced. Their ability to illuminate two-tenths of a second quicker than traditional incandescent bulbs pays dividends that can save your life on the road. Lighting up a fifth of a second faster allows motorists behind your vehicle to see your braking or turning actions quicker. Check all the types of bulbs, available for your vehicle with this link: Mazda Miata MX-5 LED Lights & Replacement Bulbs at CARiD.com








Also make sure to check the led bulbs comparison here.

What do you think about these LED bulbs?

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

Do you also have the proper retofit headlight housings for these? The light source position and direction is different than standard halogens so you cant just drop them your stock reflector housings and have them work correctly (same issues as HID in stock housings).

JasonC SBB

Do these things have a switching power supply with them, or a simple dropping resistor?

samwu8k

iTrader: (3)

are these actually bright or is this some ricer ****?

carid

These bulbs are equipped with load resistors. They match the size and shape of your vehicle's original equipment and install easily without modification. To check how they should be installed, you can check an article on our website: What do I Need to Know About Installing LED Bulbs into my Car?

JasonC SBB

I was talking about the internal current regulators, not the "load resistors".

In any case I found out that vast majority of retrofit LED bulbs use series resistors.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Given the absence of any visible heatsink, I'm pretty sure there's no local regulation going on.


I'm actually quite curious to see a side-by-side comparison of these (or any other aftermarket) LED-based headlamps against the OEM or OEM-equivalent halogen units which they replaced, preferably in an '01-'05 Miata. Same night, same exposure settings, etc. Install one in the left headlamp socket, install a new 55w HB4/9006 halogen in the right socket, park the car, and snap two photos each with one lamp covered.

The introduction of halogen headlamps, in the aftermarket, followed the OEM market. Aftermarket suppliers took advantage of the R&D and manufacturing base driven by OEM customers.

Same happened with the shift to projectors.

And the shift to HID lamps.


It's interesting that we're not trying to turn that dynamic around, and blanket the aftermarket with LED headlamp kits at a time when, to the best of my knowledge, no mass-produced road car is equipped with them.

Makes me suspicious.


Frankly, I'd love to try the above test myself, but I'm not going to pay for the privilege.

Ben

iTrader: (33)

According to Daniel Stern, the average 55w 9006 produces 1000 lumens of output. According to carID, their brightest (white) Lumen branded LED retrofit for 9006 bulbs produces 420 lumens. Presumably this is at max rated operating voltage 24VDC as there is no evidence of regulation.

I'm not thinking that a test is warranted at this time.

y8s

iTrader: (8)

There are companies selling $200/pr 2000+ lumen bulbs but they only use two diodes and probably have a pretty goofy beam pattern.

Stealth97

iTrader: (5)

LED headlamps on the Priua are a $$$ option. Once you buy all the required packages you are almost up to $40k

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

I'm sure that, just as with the transition to HID lamps, different optics will be required to achieve am optimal pattern from an LED source.

y8s

iTrader: (8)

Of course. Generally though the whole idea of omnidirectional light is pretty hard to work with and in/direct sources are much preferred.

But that's just my experience working in the architectural lighting industray for several years. I'm no expert now.

I mean look at how inefficient the sun is in lighting the earth. It's like half a billionth or less of a percent that gets to us. slightly more if you count moonlight.

NW Bill

Also according to Daniel Stern, no automotive bulb should be used in a housing not designed for that type of bulb. The amount and pattern of light emitted when there is a mismatch makes the lights ineffective and unsafe. He specifically includes LEDs in this; they should only be used in OEM housings designed for LEDs.

Bill

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

That's kind of where my thought process was heading.

Frankly, I have low expectations, and yet am extremely curious to see how one of these performs, due both the the low rated total output and the fact that a large portion of that output would appear to emanate from an area other than that typically occupied by the filament in a halogen lamp, and be aimed in non-useful directions, especially on the lower-priced units.

My intuitive reaction is to think in terms of concepts such as "useless" and "dangerously inadequate", however I try very hard to avoid making such sweeping generalizations absent any empirical evidence.