About the the operating voltage of the headlight

I always feel the headlight is not bright.(hyundai's elantra).so I have a idea to make them LED headlight.But as I know the operating voltage of them is 9-32v,hoe can I make them to fit with my car?and also ,these is a other question,what is the color temperature?Can these headlight can be used as the fog lights?Hope to get all the idea about it.Thank you!

Re: About the the operating voltage if the headlight

Ann1991ss said:

I always feel the headlight is not bright.(hyundai's elantra).so I have a idea to make them LED headlight.But as I know the operating voltage of them is 9-32v,hoe can I make them to fit with my car?and also ,these is a other question,what is the color temperature?Can these headlight can be used as the fog lights?Hope to get all the idea about it.Thank you!

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Unfortunately there is no legal upgrade for your car. Any modification of your headlight to add a different light source then what it was intended for, will not yield the same output characteristics as the intended light source.

I would suggest looking into Philips Xtreme Vision halogen bulbs, or see if there is a legal OEM HID upgrade.

Re: About the the operating voltage if the headlight

Welcome to the CandlePowerForums, Ann1991ss.

Unfortunately, the modification you want (to make the factory headlamps into LED headlamps) is not possible.

What year and version (hatchback, sedan, coupe) Elantra do you have?

Ann1991ss said:

I always feel the headlight is not bright.(hyundai's elantra).so I have a idea to make them LED headlight.But as I know the operating voltage of them is 9-32v,hoe can I make them to fit with my car?and also ,these is a other question,what is the color temperature?Can these headlight can be used as the fog lights?Hope to get all the idea about it.Thank you!

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Renting a 2014 Elantra right now on business. They are truly awful headlights. Based on the limited total light coming out, I would expect long life bulbs and perhaps even a low voltage at the bulb base. To others point, only legal, safe, and most importantly effective way is with a proper bulb upgrade (halogen) and perhaps look at the voltage at the headlights.

SemiMan said:

and perhaps even a low voltage at the bulb base.

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That would be a step back for Hyundai; their wiring is actually pretty decent. Perhaps it was a "long life" bulb selection whose lower filament luminance may have made it look poor, unless the light color was really that indicative of low voltage.

I had occasion to drive an '05 Elantra for a few days, and couldn't really fault the headlamps except for maybe having a too-sharp vertical cutoff1​
The front turn signals, on the other hand, were lacking compared to my Corolla's turn signals. I'm sure they were all good enough, but maybe it was just that it was so different from my own vehicle.

The high beams couldn't hold a [beam]candle[power] to my HIR1s.

To others point, only legal, safe, and most importantly effective way is with a proper bulb upgrade (halogen) and perhaps look at the voltage at the headlights.

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And we won't know which bulb until we know the year and style.

Keep in mind, too, Ann1991ss, that part of your lighting problem may be badly degraded headlamp lenses. If that is the case, new factory headlamps (never aftermarket!) is the only fix.


1​Yes, the cutoff line is horizontal, but because the gradient is in the vertical direction (dark above, bright below), in the very formal and technical discussions it's a vertical cutoff. Just like a lawnmower blade is horizontal, but it cuts off the blade of grass such that it doesn't exceed a maximum vertical height.

In addition to using a better bulb, many of us have found safe, legal and effective lighting by adding auxiliary lights such as Cibie with h4 bulbs.
This is not the LED answer you requested, but such an addition will give you the much better lighting you are seeking,

fastgun said:

In addition to using a better bulb, many of us have found safe, legal and effective lighting by adding auxiliary lights such as Cibie with h4 bulbs.

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A side effect of newer cars' aesthetics is that there aren't that many good mounting options for auxiliary lights. They either have a hard time finding a place to go without blocking existing light functions, or without just looking ridiculous. This is often especially true on the more car-like cars (trucks and vans and SUVs usually have a better 'nose' area for mounting such lights).

Auxiliary lights must be carefully chosen and even more carefully used. On my Previa, I'm loath to use the auxiliary low beams around other traffic, almost as if they were high beams.

.........

Second Elantra rental ... this one is a 2015 (Hint, if you renew your rental Tuesday/Friday you get the best overall rates!). Brand new car ... truly awful headlights. Unless a lot of the light is going off into space, then the total light output is just not very much.

Semiman

Remember, though, that subjective opinions of headlamps and their objective performance don't always align.
Still, if you *feel* like you're not seeing well enough, it's almost as bad as not seeing well enough.

Things that don't cost any money to do to 'upgrade' your nighttime driving experience: Make sure the windshield isn't tinted. Make sure it's clean inside-and-out, and dim the instrument panel. Keep interior lights off!