HID light too dim. Swap with LED bulb?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › HID light too dim. Swap with LED bulb?

Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#305993 19-Jun-2023 08:46

I am getting smashed by cars with LED lights coming towards me at night on the open road. Makes my HID light way too dim and difficult to see the road right in front of me.

I read somewhere you can buy a bright LED bulb and swap it and make the HID headlights brighter.

Anyone done that?

hsvhel

1237 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#3091862 19-Jun-2023 08:51

Yes, but what you want to achieve may not be suitable/WOF compliant for your application

What replacements have you been looking at?

Referral Link Quic

Free Setup use R502152EQH6OK on check out

Senecio

2710 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#3091863 19-Jun-2023 08:51

I don't believe it's legal to replace the bulb. LED lights normally need to have self levelling and washers installed. If your car had an option of LED lights you could try to retrofit the whole assembly but may not have the wiring loom to run them.

Bung

6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3091880 19-Jun-2023 09:28

It isn't legal to change the type of bulb. " A headlamp must be fitted with a light source that is specified by the vehicle manufacturer or the headlamp manufacturer."

A complete LED lamp might include self levelling but AFAIK levelling and washers aren't mandatory.

I'd check that your HID lights are adjusted correctly. I've struck VTNZ zealots at WOF testing time that wind headlights down lower than the permitted level for that vehicle.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3091881 19-Jun-2023 09:29

My HID is projected, not reflected, has self leveling and has washer.

I know bulbs fade over time, these are new bulbs from the dealer. They are 200 bucks each. Yet I can't see anything when cars approach that are LED

Senecio

2710 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#3091889 19-Jun-2023 10:03

Countering that with an LED of your own isn't going to help that.

How clean is your windscreen, particularly on the inside? Smeary windscreens make it awfully hard to see at night as the incoming light is dispersed all over the place. Is it still the genuine factory windscreen or has it been replaced? Some aftermarket windscreens are awful quality and can really distort the light.

Bung

6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3091906 19-Jun-2023 10:33

My worst years of night driving ended with a change of glasses. I still rant about fog and spot lights.

djtOtago

1149 posts

Uber Geek

#3091908 19-Jun-2023 10:36

When was the last time you had your vision checked?

One of the first signs your long distant vision may be failing, is on coming lights look bright and stary, like you are looking through a wet wind screen.

Equinox IT

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

linw

2849 posts

Uber Geek

#3091924 19-Jun-2023 11:12

I wish this discussion wasn't resonating with me!!

Handsomedan

7281 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#3091952 19-Jun-2023 12:04

I have LED headlights on my near-new SUV (company car).

I occasionally drive either my son's car or my wife's car which have older-style non-projector lights. It's like trying to drive by candle-light.

To be honest, nothing really compares to the bright white LED experience and while I would love to be able to convert their lights to something brighter at effectively no cost, I still struggle when someone in a car equipped with the same style of lights as I have drives towards me at night - the LED headlights on modern cars and SUVs are overly-bright and they leave you temporarily blinded no matter what you're driving.

Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale

*Gladly accepting donations...

Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3091992 19-Jun-2023 13:36

i have no trouble seeing. I have trouble with contrast. It's an age related thing. Dynamic range is poor.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29760 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3091994 19-Jun-2023 13:38

Handsomedan:

I have LED headlights on my near-new SUV (company car).

I occasionally drive either my son's car or my wife's car which have older-style non-projector lights. It's like trying to drive by candle-light.

To be honest, nothing really compares to the bright white LED experience and while I would love to be able to convert their lights to something brighter at effectively no cost, I still struggle when someone in a car equipped with the same style of lights as I have drives towards me at night - the LED headlights on modern cars and SUVs are overly-bright and they leave you temporarily blinded no matter what you're driving.

Pretty much. My other car has LED too and it's a bit better when facing SUVs and Utes with LEDs but still temporarily blinded. Thinking I'm going to join the crowd and get a tall ute with the brightest LED.

tweake

2391 posts

Uber Geek

#3092017 19-Jun-2023 14:41

led swaps are generally illegal. there is legal ones which meet the standards but they are rare.

what you can do is find a later model or even different brand car with the same lights but led. your are allowed to swap lights, its just they have to be approved lights.

the other thing often overlooked is many headlamp covers tend to go cloudy with age.

make sure lights are adjusted correctly and your windscreen is clean inside and out.

get eye sight checked. its surprising how much change sneaks up on you.

a lot of modern vehicles lights tend to have a sharp edge to the light. at times it looks like they are flashing you when they go over bumps in the road. that means as they go past you go from low light to bright light faster than your eyes can adjust, and your blinded.

Eva888

2427 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3092168 19-Jun-2023 18:44

Cataracts can make night driving difficult so best to get eyes checked.

I developed a cataract straight after eye surgery. It was Christmas and I was admiring a tree outside that had these huge sparkling star lights. In the morning decided to take a closer look at them for future purchase and they were just ordinary light bulbs. The star effect was via the cataracts.