It's 2016.
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Alaric Darconville
Flashlight Enthusiast
My bet's been on HID going away-- I've never bet on halogen going away.
So far, it looks like I'm winning that bet, what with LED really taking off (we're seeing it even in purt'near entry level cars as the Corolla), as well as new halogen bulbs being developed (H18 & H19). See this thread for information on those new bulbs.
So far, it looks like I'm winning that bet, what with LED really taking off (we're seeing it even in purt'near entry level cars as the Corolla), as well as new halogen bulbs being developed (H18 & H19). See this thread for information on those new bulbs.
I like halogen. Simple and easy to repair. Parts are cheap when compared to HID or LED. (Plus I like a lower CCT light source anyway...easier on the eyes.)
majority of the cheaper cars anyway.
I am probably not the only one who thinks sealed beams make a lot more sense than styled headlamps on a heavy-duty vehicle. They don't necessarily have to be filament-type sealed beams, they could be LED sealed beams, but a standard-size lamp unit that can readily and (at least relatively) inexpensively replaced seems like an extra-good idea on a commercial vehicle. If I were a fleet buyer, it would irk me that I can no longer buy a pickup truck or (most) vans with a sealed-beam headlamp package.
I actually think standardized, easily-replaceable headlamps (on any vehicle) are an absolutely brilliant idea. I'm just surprised that there are manufacturers who will build a vehicle in such a manner that they can't ever sell you a $400 replacement headlight!
Alaric Darconville
Flashlight Enthusiast
I'd stay with "filament"-- LED units *should* be such that any impact that takes them out causes damage to the rest of the vehicle. I'd hazard a guess that it's just filament failure that necessitates most replacements, so the cheapest option is best.
I've seen odd choices by fleet purchasers. I'm not sure why a university needs every car to have the alloy wheel upgrade, but it's amazing how many alloy wheels I've seen on the cars in a particular motor pool.
I'd rather see LED headlights go away. No one has done neutral-white yet.
I'd like to see the Euro requirements for automatic leveling & washing in high powered HID headlights. This would then leave a hole that the lowered powered HID headlights can fill {25 versus 35 watt, 2000 vs. 3200 lumen}. D5S-D8S.
http://www.lumileds.com/uploads/504/1_D5S-leaflet-pdf
The new F150 could have been D5S bi-projector standard, with H15 highs/optical horn + DRL; instead it has lackluster H11 lows + 9005 highs, or terribly blue LED headlights.
The devolution of almost everything in today's society is heartrending.
I'd like to see the Euro requirements for automatic leveling & washing in high powered HID headlights. This would then leave a hole that the lowered powered HID headlights can fill {25 versus 35 watt, 2000 vs. 3200 lumen}. D5S-D8S.
http://www.lumileds.com/uploads/504/1_D5S-leaflet-pdf
The new F150 could have been D5S bi-projector standard, with H15 highs/optical horn + DRL; instead it has lackluster H11 lows + 9005 highs, or terribly blue LED headlights.
The devolution of almost everything in today's society is heartrending.
Alaric Darconville
Flashlight Enthusiast
They won't be. They are surpassing HID in performance and longevity.
I have a very convoluted hypothesis that suggests we may see a return to neutral white. Yes, I'd like to see that myself.
I'd just like to see the elimination of HID headlamps. But that'll happen.
More important than washing systems for any type of headlamp is just better lens material. Those washing systems can't wash the hazing out of a polycarbonate lens.
flamingspartan3
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Alaric Darconville
Flashlight Enthusiast
The 2015 Corolla has LEDs on *all* trim levels as the sole headlamp light source. Not halogen, not HID.
flamingspartan3
Newly Enlightened
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I agree. Halogen will have the 'lowest cost' advantage, and LED's are semiconductors which means they're constantly improving (efficiency, cost, etc.). HID's haven't changed/improved much over the years. I think automakers will gradually phase out HID's in favor of LED's.
The Corolla's LED are annoyingly blue, though, IIRC. I hope that doesn't become a trend. Or is that just the 'blueing' effect of the projector lens?
flamingspartan3 said:
That's because the automakers were greedy and dumb about it in the US. When HIDs first hit the roads in the early 1990s, the whole automotive lighting industry was crowing and patting itself on the back about how halogen headlamps would be a thing of the past in ten years. It didn't work out that way, because the automakers got dollars signs in their eyes and never let consumers buy just the HID headlamps -- you had to buy the top trim level of the top model, with the "technology package" or whatever they called it, which had the headlamps plus several thousand dollars of other stuff you probably didn't want in the first place. As a result, "peak HID headlamp" on US roads never went above about 20%.
H'mm. You sure? the '15 Corolla I rented last week had what I am pretty sure is standard equipment on all '14-up Corollas: LED low beams, halogen high beams. It was definitely not a Bi-LED projector, though it did stay lit with the halogen high beams.
jaycee88 said:
I agree. From the driver's seat they don't seem unusually blue, but viewed from outside they are quite blue. Unfortunately it is a trend and I don't foresee it slowing or changing course. It is both from the high CCT of the LEDs (around 6000K) and the lens effects.
That phase-out is already well underway and accelerating. The 25w HID systems are giving HID a "shot in the arm" stay of execution for a little while, but it won't last. HIDs are mostly not on the drawing boards any more for new vehicle designs.
Alaric Darconville
Flashlight Enthusiast
It's something of a trend that I hope reverses itself when the right people realize that the original impetus for these higher CCTs is that they were attempting to emulate the "luxurious/sporty/exotic" HIDs, which had the strong blue component as a side effect of the way HID works. Now that HID is waving goodbye, there's no real reason to try to color match them. Might as well as try to sell light bulbs that emulate carbide lamps
I do notice that from outside the vehicle, the Corolla headlamps do look rather blue. An automotive lighting expert friend 'lowed that they were "pretty good" without going into much more detail...
Alaric Darconville
Flashlight Enthusiast
D'oh, you're right-- it is ONLY the low beams (across all trim levels, still) that have LEDs. It's kindof what I meant but didn't mean well enough to *write*.
1DaveN
Enlightened
It seems like by now, we'd have lights that last the life of the car. Whether they're LEDs or something else, replacing bulbs is a pain that people would surely spend a little extra to avoid.
Alaric Darconville
Flashlight Enthusiast
Which, of course, was something that really gave the junk blue bulb its start. HID-like light in the reach of even YOUR poor wannabe tuner self!
I'm pretty sure it wasn't until the very early '90s that blue-tinted bulbs started making their way to the parts stores-- I'm not sure I'd seen any before '91 or '92. Sure, there were blue-tinted flash bulbs and such for photographers, and blue-tinted "plant bulbs", but nothing in the automotive headlamp bulbs and sealed beams. Once HIDs started coming out, someone must've figured out quick that they're so enamored with appearances, they'll go to AutoZone and buy a sealed beam that looks "just like expensive Mercedes-Benz vehicles costing thousands more than YOUR heap".
