Audi R8 Driving lights

[mehansen50]

Does anyone know the details of these light or where I can something similar to a custom car I am building? Thanks Mark

 

[Gunner12]

I'm not sure about the LEDs used in the Audi, but I might be able to make suggestions about something similar.

What output?(at least 1500 lumen is my guess)
Beampattern?(I'd presume wide oval shaped hotspot)
Power?(probably 12v)

:welcome:

 

[jufam44]

This might be the wrong forum: There's a transportation/automotive lighting section that has a cars lighting sub-section. :welcome: and I see how you could get confused, the "headlamps" could mean both head-mounted lights and headlamps for cars, lol. IIRC, The R8 uses d2S HID's for the headlights, but I think the driving lights are Nichia DS's or similar 5mm. There's 24 of 'em (12 Left, 12 right) and they put out a substantial amount of light for what they are...

-Max

 

[Mark65]

As far as I know, "LED Day light" of Audi R8, A5, TTS are OSRAM's Advanced Power TOP LEDs.

OSRAM's "Super Red" Power TOP LED were used on tail and stop lamps.

Don't know yet about main head lamp.

I hope these info helps.

 

[Jarl]

Bear in mind that the beamshape will have to be configured so it doesn't blind oncoming drivers....

 

[LukeA]

In about a week I'll have a thread about my LED headlight project. (1500 lm per side on high, 3 modes, optics, passive forced-air cooling, and appropriate beamshape.)

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Mehansen,

Welcome to CPF.

I am going to move this thread over to the Transportation Lighting/Automotive section of the forum.

You can carry on there.

Tom

 

[MichaelW]

The normal Audi R8 doesn't have 'driving lights' certainly not in the traditional sense of the term.
It has bi-projectors with an HID light source, and has LEDs to perform a DRL function.

Audi has an optional LED headlamp system, with a low & high beam lamp.
It also has LED turn signals & DRLs
http://www.worldcarfans.com/2070813.004/audi-pioneers-all-led-headlamp-with-r8-model

Unfortunately it is of a way too high white point, 6000K.

The LS600H has a warmer white point (in the neutral white vs. cool white range) and retains the halogen high beam.
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/HONSHI/20070725/136768/fig1.jpg
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/HONSHI/20070725/136768/fig2.jpg


Traditional headlights
http://www.speedsportlife.com/photopost/data/1087/thumbs/AudiR8-2.jpg

 

[swxb12]

PIAA has an LED DRL option: http://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=19152/353.0

 

[IcantC]

PIAA has an LED DRL option: http://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=19152/353.0

Speaking of which, only review I have found.

http://www.4x4review.com/products/electrical/PIAA-Deno.asp

 

[swxb12]

Yet another option...

A member on another forum wired up a bunch of LEDs straight into a cut-out piece of the grill:






I have also known some to also add 5mm LEDs into the actual headlight housings. It works, but requires some decent technique to pull it off. Gotta check those state laws as well.

 

[Scott Packard]

From: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=126580

Audi AG on Friday said the optional LED headlamps, priced bracingly high at the equivalent of $5,564, are available immediately in Europe. Audi of America spokesman Christian Bokich told Inside Line in an e-mail message, "At the moment, no timing or availability info is yet available for the U.S. but it's not being ruled out for our market."

The new headlamp technology bundles full LED low/high beams, as well as full LED turn signals. Audi said it uses 54 high-performance LEDs.

Audi AG notes: "The prominent advantages [of the technology] are lower energy consumption and a color that more closely resembles daylight, provides greater contrast and is easier on the human eye." The setup also allows for "greater design freedom," the automaker says.

In the U.S., the R8 gets standard bi-xenon headlamps with LED daytime running lights.

Another article says they use Luxeon automotive LEDs.
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/4/2/27

 

[swxb12]

It's a good time to buy an Audi. I think I saw some photos of other upcoming Audi models having the same curvy LED DRL on the headlamps as well.

I saw what looked to be an S-class Audi as well as a Chrysler 300 with a horizontal row of LEDs below each headlight on the freeway the other day. The area of glow was really thick too, making the R8 drivers look like drawn-on fashion eye brows in comparison. The illumination was stunning and very effective. I confess I was probably paying too much attention to the cars as opposed to my own driving.

 

[-Virgil-]

The normal Audi R8 doesn't have 'driving lights' certainly not in the traditional sense of the term.

Correct.

It has bi-projectors with an HID light source, and has LEDs to perform a DRL function.

That's true only of the version sold up to now in the US and Canada. The Europe/ROW (Rest-of-world) version has had full LED headlamps (which, after initial production, are being made optional). LEDs produce the low and high beam functions as well as the DRL/position (parking) function; the latter two are LED even with the xenon headlamps in the North American version. Soon, the North American-version R8 will also have full-LED headlamps.

Unfortunately it is of a way too high white point, 6000K.

Keep in mind the difficulty of assigning valid CCTs to non-blackbody light sources (such as fluorescents, HIDs, LEDs...)

 

[-Virgil-]

PIAA has an LED DRL option

Or if you want real lamps built to a recognized technical standard instead of overpriced lamp-shaped toys built to the thoroughly un-technical whims of PIAA's marketing staff, Hella has a range of LED DRLs. Round, rectangular, strip-shaped...some of them have control circuitry to let them do both the bright DRL and the dim position (parking) lamp function; see http://www.tagfahrlicht.com .

 

[12Johnny]

Or if you want real lamps built to a recognized technical standard instead of overpriced lamp-shaped toys built to the thoroughly un-technical whims of PIAA's marketing staff, Hella has a range of LED DRLs. Round, rectangular, strip-shaped...some of them have control circuitry to let them do both the bright DRL and the dim position (parking) lamp function; see http://www.tagfahrlicht.com .

I also prefer Hellas to Piaas :thumbsup:

 

[twentysixtwo]

I work for an automotive company and last week saw the full LED Audi R8 headlights in person in a demonstration by the supplier. Very bright. I think he quoted 3500 Euro per headlight was the replacement cost.......

 

[artec540]

I'm not sure about the LEDs used in the Audi, but I might be able to make suggestions about something similar.

What output?(at least 1500 lumen is my guess)
Beampattern?(I'd presume wide oval shaped hotspot)
Power?(probably 12v)

:welcome:

The Audi's headlamps will have to comply with both US standards and European ones. Euro standards call for a very sharp cut-off, horizontal to the left of center and inclined up from center to periphery at about 15 degrees on the right. This is true regardless of whether they are tungsten-halogen, HID or LED. I don't know which, but most likely HID or LED.

I don't remember which FMVSS (Federal Moror Vehicle Safety Standard) covers headlamp beam patterns but you should be able to find out from NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).

 

[LukeA]

The Audi's headlamps will have to comply with both US standards and European ones. Euro standards call for a very sharp cut-off, horizontal to the left of center and inclined up from center to periphery at about 15 degrees on the right. This is true regardless of whether they are tungsten-halogen, HID or LED. I don't know which, but most likely HID or LED.

I don't remember which FMVSS (Federal Moror Vehicle Safety Standard) covers headlamp beam patterns but you should be able to find out from NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).

I think I remember reading that ECE headlamps are legal in the US.

 

[-Virgil-]

No, ECE headlights are either required or permitted in every country except the US, which permits only those ECE headlights that also comply with the SAE standards contained in US FMVSS number 108. The US standards permit but do not require an ECE-style asymmetrical low beam cutoff, flat on the left and rising up to the right at a 15° angle, or with the other ECE cutoff shape, a stair-step with a low flat cutoff on the left and a higher flat cutoff on the right, with 15° or 45° angles at the corners of the stair-step. Various other USA-only cutoff shapes are also permitted but not required: A stair step with angles other than 15° or 45° (90° is common), a symmetrical flat-across cutoff all the way across the top of the low beam pattern, or with no defined cutoff at all. The USA low beam standard permits a great deal more glare than is allowed in the ECE standard. Also, the USA high beam max axial intensity is about half what it's permitted to be everywhere else in the world. (Don't hurt yourself trying to figure out why the USA standard allows more glare on low beam but puts a strict cap on high beam intensity...)

The usual case is to have three different headlamps for a vehicle sold all over the world:

-ECE for traffic that drives on the right side of the road
-ECE for left-side traffic
-SAE for the US + Canada + Mexico (Canada & Mexico permit ECE headlights but mostly get USA lights)

Sometimes just one lamp will serve the first two types, if it is a projector type with a movable optic element that allows the headlamp to make both a LH-traffic and a RH-traffic beam pattern. And sometimes the first and third types can be made as one, since there is a window of overlap between the ECE and the USA headlight standards. But in most cases, it's three different headlamps to cover the world.