Headlight upgrade from halogen to LED

MadMaxBargainRoad on 25/06/2020 - 17:14

Hi guys,

Pretty new to automotive diy obviously and I am considering a small project to upgrade my car's low beams and fog lights to LED.

A few basic questions:

  1. When buying a conversion kit, does it always come with led drivers in addition to the bulbs?

  2. My current low beam H7 lamps have a power rating of 55w. What's the LED equivalent? And what's the maximum lumin is allowed (VIC) if I want a brighter light?

  3. My fog lamps simply say H16. Is that all I need or do I also have to figure out wattage?

  4. What brand of LED kits represents a good balance of reliability and value?

Any suggestions are welcome.

TIA!

Automotive

Comments

  • Brian McGee on 25/06/2020 - 17:43
    +5

    They are all illegal for road use as they don’t pass ADR requirements.

    • Snake 4 on 25/06/2020 - 18:20

      All? Not the vehicles that come OEM.

      • AdosHouse on 25/06/2020 - 18:29
        +1

        If they were OEM then you wouldn't need to do a conversion.

        • Snake 4 on 25/06/2020 - 19:55
          -3

          I know conversions are illegal but that is not what you said.

          My HID headlight conversion is illegal but, having projector lenses the beam is controlled and adjusted with a perfect cut off. Never been flashed so no one has been blinded.

          My two spots and two wide beams on my bullbar are illegal as the protrude 2cms above and forward of the bullbar. Been pulled over many times for RBT. They were never mentioned.

          The chanc of being defected is astronomical unless you are a hoon or have an attitude.

          BTW, They have been on over 300,000ks

          • AdosHouse on 25/06/2020 - 21:16

            @Snake 4: Yes projector lenses does make it better, but that does not mean no one has been blinded. I don't flash drivers who are blinding me, because I am trying to see the road.

            Also just because you haven't been defected for it doesn't make it okay. You're just giving your insurance a reason to not pay.

            • Snake 4 on 25/06/2020 - 22:09

              @AdosHouse: Please not the old insurance red herring.

              • AdosHouse on 25/06/2020 - 22:54
                +1

                @Snake 4: Oh the insurance thing isn't the main problem, not for me, that's your problem. The being blinded by people fitting illegal headlights is my problem.

  • Baa on 25/06/2020 - 18:12

    I don't have all the answers for above, but some suggestions that may point you in the right direction regardless of legalities:

    • MadMaxBargainRoad on 25/06/2020 - 20:21

      My car doesn't have an any OEM led available unfortunately. Legal issues are indeed a concern.

  • Headless on 25/06/2020 - 18:56
    +1

    I tried to replace my headlights with LED, but the enclosure it sits in was just too small - check the dimensions before you buy!

  • Euphemistic on 25/06/2020 - 19:01
    +2
    1. Will need to have ADR approval or will be illegal. Illegal lights may mean an insurance claim is denied.
    2. May not provide enough difference to be an advantage.
    3. LED may improve light spread up close but they seem to have less throw, so does not improve driving experience.
    4. Buying ‘better’ halogen globes may get you a colour closer to LED without the disadvantages.
    • mapax on 25/06/2020 - 19:08
      +1

      I’ll second this. I’ll also add what may be a subset of point 3 is that some after market leds suck in the rain.

      • AdosHouse on 25/06/2020 - 21:24

        Pretty much any light with a high kelvin rating (above 5000k-ish) will suck in the rain and where there are plenty of objects that reflect light, like signs.

        Also the reason why true fog lights are very yellow-ish. A whiter light would make you see even less.

    • MadMaxBargainRoad on 25/06/2020 - 20:07

      Wow thanks. Learnt a lot from your comment. Yeah, the whole reason I wants to upgrade is for better looks and better night vision.

    • MadMaxBargainRoad on 25/06/2020 - 20:56
      +1

      Looks like Phillips Racing Vision would do the trick.

  • Blue Cat on 25/06/2020 - 19:06
    -1

    I bought a set of these LEDs for low-beam headlights for my 2000 Toyota Corolla and they have installed wonderfully. Same procedure like replacing regular halogen lights and no extra "drivers" needed. Easy plug-and-play installation.
    However, after 9 months they have developed a "buzzing" noise because of cheapo fans, but it is not any louder than the engine, so you won't hear anything when the car is running.
    Also at one point, one of the lights just stopped working, so I took it apart and had to resolder a wire because it got loose somehow.

    You already know your low-beams are H7 socket type (mine takes HB4), so just pick S2Plus 48W and 6500K color temperature and I say you will be good to go!

    Illegal (NSW)? Probably yes, but cops stopped me a couple of times for RBT and nobody cared. Plenty of fancy luxury cars that are shinning a lot brigther than me with stock OEM options.
    Unethical? I don't feel like that as I keep getting blinded by all those ute and truck drivers whose headlights are always at the height to blind regular car drivers.

    Keep my regular halogens in the glove box anyway, in case the police give me a fuss one day so I can easily replace them back.

  • cker on 25/06/2020 - 23:23

    Has anyone replaced their Rav4 fog lights to LED?

    • BBear53 on 26/06/2020 - 05:29

      I did it on my WRX but it was just for looks. I've left the standard globes in my RAV4 fog lights as it's supposed to be better for driving through fog but it would just be a regular globe swap over.

  • GG57 on 26/06/2020 - 14:48

    Did no-one ask why?

    • Euphemistic on 26/06/2020 - 15:35

      Indeed there are plenty of other car mods you could do that are actually worth the money.

      • John Kimble on 26/06/2020 - 15:36

        Some examples please? Looking for inspiration.

      • MadMaxBargainRoad on 26/06/2020 - 15:53

        Thanks for the recommendation above Euphemistic. Do you also know if getting the small running light (parker light) swapped to LED would also cause legal concerns? and how about T16 LED fog lights?

    • MadMaxBargainRoad on 26/06/2020 - 15:50

      My headlights are not as bright as they used to be so while I am changing them I might as well get a pair of nicer looking ones. Anyway, it seems like the Phillips RacingVision is legal and looks pretty similar to HIDs.

      • GG57 on 26/06/2020 - 16:09

        Is your current headlight brightness legal (in that they would pass a roadworthy inspection)?
        Do you drive in situations where the current headlight brightness (and other ambient light) is insufficient?

        • MadMaxBargainRoad on 26/06/2020 - 16:13
          1. Yes they passed Roadworthy 3 yrs ago when I bought the car (2nd hand).
          2. Sort of…There is noticeable drop in lumen specially in short throw and the one on the right seems to degrade faster than the left side.
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