General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "bulb"

Andyinchville

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General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "bulb"

Hi All,

Lots of interesting reading and information here. Hopefully, I can get a few general lighting questions answered that I have been trying to wrap my head around.

I do a lot of night driving for a delivery company and unfortunately I see (and probably don't see) plenty of deer on country roads and even on the interstates ... sigh).

Being that it's nearly impossible to "avoid" what you can't see , I figured getting my lights / lighting system "better" would be a good way to help prevent deer strikes.

I have tried the standard deer whistles and the roof mounted strobe light doesn't seem to deter many (if any?) deer.

Anyways, I typically drive an older1996) Toyota Corolla at night.

In the search for better lighting this is what I have done so far ....

1) had the lenses of the headlights polished to look like new (reflectors seem good too).
2) Had the lights aimed.

I did the following and wonder if you had any direct experience with the following...

1) I know the general feeling is that drop in LED bulbs is typically frowned upon BUT (before seeing this forum) I had ordered some Supernova V.4 LED high beam bulbs for the car .... the videos put out by the seller (headlight Revolution) seemed to make a pretty convincing promo that they put out lots of light in the right pattern .... Any body here familiar with that particular bulb and is it good ?

Firsthand I KNOW all LEDs are not the same since I have previously experimented with LED brake lights (the theory I had was night time vision is hindered if a person BEHIND you follows too closely and ruins night vision) so I decided to try different tail / Brake tail lights to keep people "off my bumper" .... some LEDS were actually dimmer than stock bulbs but I found a really great set that really kept people at bay and that is what I run in the rears on my other car (I have some in the mail coming for this car so hopefully that will help).

2) I think the prevailing thought on the site is that a sharp cutoff is a good thing .... why is that in terms of trying to see down the road?
I had driven a car with more "modern" lighting and a sharp cutoff and , while the lighting in the field of view, was bright and great up to the cutoff, everything just above that cut off was pretty much not illuminated for practical purposes .... would it not be "better" to have a cut off that was NOT sharp so things could be better illuminated in a larger area (in may case Virginia is hilly and banks are often on the sides of roads so seeing deer higher up the sides would be or could be helpful.

3) I did buy dot approved or at least dot spec LED cube lights from Rigid Industries but have not had the time to install them yet ....
Being that they are "DOT" spec would they be any "good" ..... seems like if you really want to see, off road lights are the ticket but I really don't want to get a ticket since I drive on public roads.... but then again driving in the wee hours of the AM means sometimes I don't see cars for 15 to 30 minutes at a time depending on where I am headed to (the record I think I had for not seeing a driving car was about 43 minutes)...

4) This may just be a courtesy question but when I drive down a 2 lane road, if a car is on coming I will dim my high beams (obviously since they are so close and I don't want them blinded and hit me or run off the road ... I now also dim lights on roads where I have 2 lanes going in my direction separated by a median of grass and 2 lanes going in the opposite direction if there is on coming traffic BUT , more recently I am thinking on such larger roads I would keep my highs on with oncoming traffic ....

The reason being despite some additional glare if the oncoming traffic keeps their highs on I can see MORE overall still rather than dimming down and I assume the same would hold true for the other driver as well (i.e. they should keep their high bean on too so despite glaring me a little bit more they can overall see more too) .... of course this assumes stock / legal lighting and not good off road lights ....

anyways, what do you think about keeping high beams on in the latter case?

Admittedly, I tried that the other day on the larger roads and only was flashed once or twice but maybe they were overly sensitive since their highs really didn't bother me ??

Other things I have done so far ...

Oh, I also tinted the rear windows so glare from other cars behind / near me is cut down and I made a removable / hinged tinted windshield screen that covers about the bottom 40 or so percent of the windshield so my headlights near the car are toned down to promote better long distance night vision .... last thing, I cut some plexiglass and window tinted it so I could dim my GPS and gauges ....oc course my windows and glasses are clean not foggy / smudged ....

I just want to be able to see / avoid deer and better my night vision .... Any other suggestions ? (I do have to drive nights so not driving at night is off the table... ha) .

Thanks in advance for any and all help .....
 

Alaric Darconville

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

:welcome:

I have tried the standard deer whistles and the roof mounted strobe light doesn't seem to deter many (if any?) deer.
Not sure the whistles really work, and I'm really not sure a roof-mounted strobe light does much to deter deer (yes, they're used in fields to protect crops) and it may not be legal to drive around with a strobe like that (although school buses in Oklahoma are required to have a white strobe when minors are on board).

1) had the lenses of the headlights polished to look like new (reflectors seem good too).
2) Had the lights aimed.
Often, by the time the lenses have required such a polishing, the reflectors are also pretty severely degraded (even when you can't see it) but it's better than having the hazed lamps.
Aim is one of the most effective things you can do to ensure good lighting (so long as the aim was done correctly).

1) I know the general feeling is that drop in LED bulbs is typically frowned upon BUT (before seeing this forum) I had ordered some Supernova V.4 LED high beam bulbs for the car .... the videos put out by the seller (headlight Revolution) seemed to make a pretty convincing promo that they put out lots of light in the right pattern .... Any body here familiar with that particular bulb and is it good ?
Well, they're trying to sell you a product, so... But, no, it's not good.

For the high beams, use the HIR1; for the lows, the HIR2. Both will require a slight modification to their bases. Toenail clippers make that a snap.


Firsthand I KNOW all LEDs are not the same since I have previously experimented with LED brake lights (the theory I had was night time vision is hindered if a person BEHIND you follows too closely and ruins night vision) so I decided to try different tail / Brake tail lights to keep people "off my bumper" .... some LEDS were actually dimmer than stock bulbs but I found a really great set that really kept people at bay and that is what I run in the rears on my other car (I have some in the mail coming for this car so hopefully that will help).
Having the "tail" function overly bright diminishes the differential between "tail" and "stop"; and overly-bright stop lamps are don't just keep people "at bay"; it can be illegal if any of the maxima are exceeded. Many of the drop-in LEDs fail at having too-close intensities between the minor and major functions, and can just be too bright in the 'stop' function. They can also have the wrong pattern in general. Without real photometric testing, it's hard to be certain about it but following this guide you might find the bulbs you've picked fail miserably.


2) I think the prevailing thought on the site is that a sharp cutoff is a good thing .... why is that in terms of trying to see down the road?
Cutoff protects other drivers but limits your ability to see down the road; too sharp and it's not comfortable to drive behind. Sharpness of cutoff is not really a major determinant of headlamp performance-- definitely not the sole determinant.

I had driven a car with more "modern" lighting and a sharp cutoff and , while the lighting in the field of view, was bright and great up to the cutoff, everything just above that cut off was pretty much not illuminated for practical purposes .... would it not be "better" to have a cut off that was NOT sharp so things could be better illuminated in a larger area
Illustrating that too-sharp a cutoff is less comfortable. But you have high beams for a reason.

3) I did buy dot approved
Reminds me, I should edit this sticky to remind people that if the vendor or maker of the product you're looking to buy claims it's "DOT approved", you may wish to look for a different product, since the DOT does not approve motor vehicle equipment.

seems like if you really want to see, off road lights are the ticket but I really don't want to get a ticket since I drive on public roads
Plenty of road-legal lighting in the form of auxiliary low beams (kindof hard to find now) and auxiliary high beams. Using your auxiliary high beams correctly should mean no unwanted attention from law enforcement, but the tiny LED cubes you described probably don't put out a real high beam pattern and may diminish your ability to see from excessive foreground light.

4) This may just be a courtesy question but when I drive down a 2 lane road, if a car is on coming I will dim my high beams (obviously since they are so close and I don't want them blinded and hit me or run off the road ... I now also dim lights on roads where I have 2 lanes going in my direction separated by a median of grass and 2 lanes going in the opposite direction if there is on coming traffic BUT , more recently I am thinking on such larger roads I would keep my highs on with oncoming traffic ....
Virginia's law says:
§ 46.2-1034. When dimming headlights required.
Whenever a vehicle is being driven on a highway or a portion thereof which is sufficiently lighted to reveal any person or object upon such highway at a distance of 350 feet ahead, the operator of such vehicle shall use the low beam of his vehicle's headlights or shall dim the headlights if the vehicle has single-beam lights. Whenever a vehicle approaches an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet, the driver of such vehicle shall use the low beam of his vehicle's headlights so aimed that glaring rays are not projected into the eyes of the oncoming driver or dim the headlights, if the vehicle has single-beam lights. Whenever the driver of any motor vehicle approaches from the rear or follows within 200 feet of another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, the driver shall use the low beam of his vehicle's headlights or shall dim the headlights if the vehicle has single-beam lights.
If it's a really wide median, you might have a little leeway, but in some cases (like when the road curves to the right) your lamps may be pointed more at the other vehicle than on a perfectly parallel or left-curving road. It's true that when you dip your beam you'll be temporarily disadvantaged, but remember that if you're each going 65mph, that's about 191 feet per second, the 500 feet will be done in about 2.6 seconds. But blinding the other driver can last longer than that. Just think about how you perceive the glare of the oncoming vehicle if they still have their high beams on, particularly in those instances where your vehicles are separated by a median but you're still in the direct beam due to road curvature.

Admittedly, I tried that the other day on the larger roads and only was flashed once or twice but maybe they were overly sensitive since their highs really didn't bother me ??
But you don't know what they're experiencing. Some people also pretty much NEVER flash, and some might flash ALL the time.

I also tinted the rear windows so glare from other cars behind / near me is cut down and I made a removable / hinged tinted windshield screen that covers about the bottom 40 or so percent of the windshield so my headlights near the car are toned down to promote better long distance night vision
Careful overly-tinting the rear window. Makes it hard to back up, could run you afoul of window tinting laws, and can even hurt your night driving trying to see what vehicles are behind you and what they're doing. The front windshield thing is... Sounds like your lights are aimed too low or you're running your fog lamps if you have that much foreground light.

last thing, I cut some plexiglass and window tinted it so I could dim my GPS and gauges ....oc course my windows and glasses are clean not foggy / smudged
Excellent! Dimming the dash lights and other displays helps quite a bit. It seems that many dimmers don't go quite low enough before they go 'off' so that probably helps quite a bit (hopefully without introducing reflective glare). Keeping window glass clean inside and out is also helpful.
 

-Virgil-

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

Welcome to the board!

Being that it's nearly impossible to "avoid" what you can't see , I figured getting my lights / lighting system "better" would be a good way to help prevent deer strikes.

Good thinking.

I have tried the standard deer whistles

These don't work, not even a little bit.

and the roof mounted strobe light

Also a completely bogus idea -- illegal, too.

Anyways, I typically drive an older1996) Toyota Corolla at night.

OK, that's got an HB3/HB4 headlamp system with pretty good performance potential if the right kind of careful attention is paid to it.

had the lenses of the headlights polished to look like new

Very short-term fix. What has been polished off is the hard coat that used to protect the polycarbonate lenses from UV degradation and abrasion. With that coat gone, the lenses will quickly degrade to worse than they were before. You can greatly slow down this degradation with the technique described here (or although there's not as much data on long-term durability, you could use this catalytic-cure clear coat spray).

Had the lights aimed.

More good thinking, but "neatness" counts. How exactly were the lamps aimed? It's really hard to get headlamps correctly aimed in the US and Canada. You'll want to compare what was done on your car to what's described and pictured here and here (your '96 Corolla has the Mechanical Aim type of headlamps).

I know the general feeling is that drop in LED bulbs is typically frowned upon

It's not a general feeling or a maybe/maybe-not opinion or a general frown. "LED bulbs" do not work, are not safe, are not effective, are not legal, and are never, ever the right answer.

a pretty convincing promo

That's what promos are designed and intended to do: convince you to spend money.

Any body here familiar with that particular bulb and is it good

There is no point in getting into "What about this one? What about that one? How about this other one?" discussions. None of them work acceptably.

I decided to try different tail / Brake tail lights to keep people "off my bumper" .... some LEDS were actually dimmer than stock bulbs but I found a really great set that really kept people at bay and that is what I run in the rears

This is another unsafe thing to do. Those lights on the back of your car are not tailgater-deterrence lights, they are stop/tail lights, and their intensities need to be correct throughout a wide range of angles. Not too dim AND not too bright, and it sounds like you've made them much too bright. Put the correct bulbs back in. If you want to experiment with LED brake lights, try these and these, but test them versus the stock incandescent bulbs as described here.

I think the prevailing thought on the site is that a sharp cutoff is a good thing

There are many Euro-fanboy types and others with more passion than knowledge, who get inappropriately excited about sharp low beam cutoffs and use/promote it as the way to tell good headlamps from bad ones. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are good headlamps and bad headlamps with sharp, soft, and no cutoffs. Cutoff sharpness is not on the short list of headlamp safety performance factors.

I did buy dot approved or at least dot spec LED cube lights from Rigid Industries

There is no such thing as "DOT approval". It only really exists as a tool to market sketchy lights to people. "DOT approved" sounds reassuring and official, but it is meaningless at best.

Being that they are "DOT" spec would they be any "good" ..... seems like if you really want to see, off road lights are the ticket

This is another myth, that DOT-compliant lights are junk and only off-road lights are any good.

But even backing away from the bogus "DOT approved" claim to say "DOT spec" or "DOT compliant", that still doesn't mean anything. Those phrases translate out to "complies with applicable provisions of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108", and FMVSS 108 does not regulate auxiliary lamps, so there is no such thing as a "DOT spec" or "DOT compliant" fog or driving lamp. Which brings us to the next point: exactly what kind of lights are these that you bought? So-called "driving lights" are auxiliary high beam lamps. They may not safely or legally be used except on empty roads in clear weather with the vehicle's high beam headlamps. Never under any other circumstances (alone, with low beams, in traffic, etc). And fog lamps are basically useless.

when I drive down a 2 lane road, if a car is on coming I will dim my high beams

That's good driving practice as long as you pay attention to your dimming distance. You don't want it too early or too late. Check your state's laws.

I now also dim lights on roads where I have 2 lanes going in my direction separated by a median of grass and 2 lanes going in the opposite direction if there is on coming traffic BUT , more recently I am thinking on such larger roads I would keep my highs on with oncoming traffic

It depends on how wide the separation is between your lanes and their lanes. And if there's curvature to the road that would have your beams swinging into (or closer to) their sightline, you'd want to dim in that condition, too.

I tried that the other day on the larger roads and only was flashed once or twice

Lack of flashing is not an indication that everything's hunky-dory, but flashing means you're bothering people.

I cut some plexiglass and window tinted it so I could dim my GPS and gauges ....oc course my windows and glasses are clean not foggy / smudged ....

Good work on both accounts there!

Any other suggestions

Skip that "LED bulb" junk in the headlamps. Put these HIR2/9012 bulbs in the low beams, and these HIR1/9011 bulbs in the high beams. You'll have to slightly trim one of the plastic lugs on each new bulb's base, as described here. If you still need more, the hot ticket is this LED light bar (in particular...not "this type" or "something like this", but this exact one).
 

Andyinchville

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the input.

It was pretty hot out today but I soldiered on and tried to get everything installed (LED high beams and tail lights / brake lights).

I installed one headlight (yes, singular I ran out of time since I started with the tail lights since that was in my opinion easier to do and it got late plus I had to drive (I didn't drive the this car for fear of getting pulled over for having 1 Bright light and the rest comparatively dim).

Anyways, In replacing the one high beam (on the Geo Prism , the high beams also serve as the car's daylight running lights but at reduced power , the 1 high beam was very bright and the regular high beam running light was practically non existent .... I think the LED ran at full strength since the little driver box is making up the voltage even though it is fed less since it is getting reduced voltage for DRL?

Why is the other light practically not running in DRL mode? (I suppose the problem may be solved with 2 LED high beams?

Is it good to have reduced voltage feed a LED light ? Is there an easy way to disable DRLs if it is bad for the LEDs?

I would have called the company but they closed before I thought to call them ....

I was going to type more but I just got called out on a run just now .... I'll drive the Prism and see how I like the 1 bright light.

Hope for no tickets !
 

-Virgil-

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

Thanks for the input.

Oh-oh, there's that I-word. It often means whoever said it is going to dismiss and ignore the advice they've been given.

I soldiered on and tried to get everything installed (LED high beams and tail lights / brake lights)

...see?

Anyways, In replacing the one high beam (on the Geo Prism , the high beams also serve as the car's daylight running lights but at reduced power , the 1 high beam was very bright and the regular high beam running light was practically non existent

At least two people told you not to put "LED bulbs" in your headlamps because the lamps won't work effectively, safely or legally. That is what you are seeing now.

Why is the other light practically not running in DRL mode?

Why does it matter? Get the "LED bulbs" out of there and put legitimate ones back in.

Is there an easy way to disable DRLs if it is bad for the LEDs?

Why should anyone bother giving more advice to someone who clearly has no intention of following it? Waste of effort.
 

Alaric Darconville

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

Thanks for the input.
Like fortune cookies, which omit the words "in bed" from the end of every fortune, "thanks for the input" always omits ", but I'm going to ignore it because you gave me the answer I needed instead of the answer I wanted".

It was pretty hot out today but I soldiered on and tried to get everything installed (LED high beams and tail lights / brake lights).
And you spent all that time in the heat because you ignored the answer you needed because you didn't get the answer you wanted.

I installed one headlight (yes, singular I ran out of time since I started with the tail lights since that was in my opinion easier to do and it got late plus I had to drive (I didn't drive the this car for fear of getting pulled over for having 1 Bright light and the rest comparatively dim).
Fear of getting pulled over for obviously tampering with your lighting in an unsafe way.

Anyways, In replacing the one high beam (on the Geo Prism , the high beams also serve as the car's daylight running lights but at reduced power , the 1 high beam was very bright and the regular high beam running light was practically non existent .... I think the LED ran at full strength since the little driver box is making up the voltage even though it is fed less since it is getting reduced voltage for DRL?
Remember when we gave you the answer you needed instead of the one you wanted? This is what happens when you ignore the answer you need.

Hope for no tickets !
Better to hope for no accidents, but because you've tampered with your lighting in an unsafe manner you better hope hoping is enough. But, really-- hoping isn't enough. If you're not going to spend your time and money wisely, then why spend it at all? Return to the factory configuration and keep it that way, or follow the advice -Virgil- and I gave here. Otherwise, you're like the person going to a doctor for medical help, and then dismissing her recommendation to take a particular medication, or to get a particular vaccination, and then going to the strip mall to purchase essential oils.
 
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jzchen

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

If you still need more, the hot ticket is this LED light bar (in particular...not "this type" or "something like this", but this exact one).

I noticed you selected a specific beam pattern. Are the other three choices good for varying conditions as well?

Thanks.
 

-Virgil-

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

I noticed you selected a specific beam pattern. Are the other three choices good for varying conditions as well?

Yes.
 

Andyinchville

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

Hi All,

Been driving a lot lately and just got a call for a daylight run just now but thought I would take a few minutes to check in and update ... (usually I am almost always drive at night so nice to see the sun every once in awhile).

FWIW - I did heed advice (well at least for the low beams) and ordered the recommended bulbs which unfortunately have not come in yet (I feel like a kid a X-mas waiting and waiting ....).

As far as the high beams, [Rule 11 violations removed by moderator]

I am thinking of the Dually driving lights aimed towards the sides to better illuminate deer along the roads BUT the horrible glare from signs my not be good with that idea .... I wish signs were NOT so reflective.

Last thing ....

What vehicle in your opinion has the best factory lights ? I would almost like to drive what is considered good to see how my lights are in relation to those.

Thanks!
 
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-Virgil-

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

Andyinchville, you have demonstrated that you have no interest in reading, understanding, or following the expert advice you get here. Your questions and comments reveal that you haven't done any of the reading you claim to have done on here -- just lapped up bogus promotional claims elsewhere. Your assessments of your "LED bulbs" and of your hacked headlamps' and taillights' performance are based on nothing but deliberately-uninformed guesses, assumptions, and what you want to believe is true. These are unfortunate choices you've made, but nobody can force you to make wiser, more mature, thoughtful, informed decisions.

The result of your choice is the following advisory: the lighting modifications and products you're asking about and recommending are illegal and unsafe. Rule 11 of this board prohibits advocating illegal or dangerous activity, so you'll need to be stopping now.
 
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Andyinchville

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

HI,

I do have legitimate questions generated through reading posts here that I don't think got addressed (other than deleting them out so I will ask them in without reference to LEDs since LED seems taboo no matter how good or bad they may be).

Anyways, From my readings here , it was recommended to switch out bulbs from one stye to another by trimming the mounting tabs to get the new bulbs to fit in the old mounting holes.... (the bulbs actually came in yesterday night while I was driving so i did not have a chance to mod the bulb mounting tabs to get the bulbs to fit)....

Why is this not considered a Rule 11 violation ? .. the fitting of a non stock bulb in a light fixture not specifically designed for said bulb?

I do plan on trying this mod regardless though (I bought the bulbs per suggestions here on this forum otherwise I had no Idea they would even fit) since I am simply looking for better lighting and I am willing to try most anything (within reason) to achieve that goal.

I know we're not supposed to do things we are not supposed to do BUT If I lived with Eve in paradise during biblical times our dinner probably would have been washed down with apple juice and we would have probably had apple pie for desert ! .... plenty of apples you know .... sometimes you just have to try things ;-)

Thanks for your clarification.
 
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-Virgil-

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

I do have legitimate questions

Whatever legitimate questions you ask will usually/probably get correctly answered here.

I will ask them in without reference to LEDs since LED seems taboo no matter how good or bad they may be

No, you still haven't grasped it. This board is for adults having adult discussions, treating car lights as the life-safety equipment that they are, not as playtoys and fashion accessories. This is not like other places on the web where you can go "Wink wink, heh heh, I'm asking this question without mentioning LEDs, I'm asking this question about lights for off-road use only, heh heh, wink wink" (well, you can, but it won't work; it'll still be handled as the rule 11 violation that it is).


Not that it matters to lighting, but do you realize what saying that makes you look like?

From my readings here , it was recommended to switch out bulbs from one stye to another by trimming the mounting tabs to get the new bulbs to fit in the old mounting holes...Why is this not considered a Rule 11 violation ?

That's a legitimate question. The answer is that this recommendation for these particular bulbs in these particular headlamps is not unsafe, is not illegal, and does not result in illegal or unsafe output from the headlamp (as long as the lamps are in good condition and aimed correctly -- which are necessary conditions for safe output even with standard bulbs). If you give some careful thought to this answer to that question, you may come to understand why your snarky little complaint that "LED seems taboo no matter how good or bad they may be" has no merit or basis in fact.

I am simply looking for better lighting

That's a reasonable goal.

I am willing to try most anything (within reason) to achieve that goal.

1. You can waste a lot of money, time, and effort trying things that will move you farther away from that goal, not closer to it. That's why you ask questions of people who know more than you -- to use their expertise to avoid wasting money, time, and effort. You don't have to follow the advice you're given, no matter how good it is; you're free to waste as much time and money as you want. But if you come back wanting to argue "Yes, they are too better!" based on guesses, assumptions, wishes, promotional claims, and what you think you see...you're going to get shut down quickly. We don't do that here.

2. What you think/feel is better lighting is not necessarily really better lighting. Keep in mind that even (I should say "especially"!) highly trained professionals in the field of automotive lighting do not rely on subjective impressions of headlamp performance, because such impressions are almost always vastly out of line with actual objective safety performance of any given headlamp. The human visual system is a poor judge of its own performance; it's usual for us to feel as though our ability to see is very much better or very much worse than it actually is. That's what's happening with those LED bulbs you mistakenly think are "better" in your high beams.
 
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Mr. Merk

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

SAME :popcorn:

To the OP, did you ever get the recommended bulbs installed? Any feedback?
 

Andyinchville

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

HI,

Actually I have been driving a lot lately and have been so tired I have not had a chance to come back online until now so I apologize for that.

Anyways, concerning the recommended bulbs, I did order them from amazon but had not installed them because , in the meantime I had done more research into lighting and came up with this :

It appears that switching to the bulb type recommended is only advisable if your standard headlights has a glare shield built into the light housing itself since that particular bulb is not painted on its tip to reduce glare

On my Prism, the low beam housing does not have a glare shield so I did not install the recommended bulb because ( unlike the factory bulb which has a "painted "tip"" the new bulb does not and in theory can cause glare for opposing traffic).

This sounds true and was mentioned on other sites BUT what say the powers here to that ? Is it OK to run the new bulbs without the shield because it isn't much more glare for all practical purposes?

I didn't switch the low beams because I didn't want to glare too much (the bulbs are a pain to get in and out easily or I would have experimented by now)..... High beams I was not worried about because that is controllable by simply switching the highs off but you cant switch a low beam off in the dark.

Anyways, that is the status on my bulbs. Is anybody here running the recommended bulbs in housings without internal glare shields ? Does it make that big of a difference light wise VA glare wise?

To make the new other bulbs work , I though about simply painting a black circle directly in front on the element on the lens housing to act as a glate shield of sorts (maybe use a small happy face sticker ;-))

I thought about using high temp paint to paint the tip but apparently that is not an option per people online ?

[Rule 11 violation removed by moderator]
 

-Virgil-

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Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b


Not that it matters to lighting, but do you realize what saying that makes you look like?

It appears that switching to the bulb type recommended is only advisable if your standard headlights has a glare shield built into the light housing itself since that particular bulb is not painted on its tip to reduce glare. On my Prism, the low beam housing does not have a glare shield

You said you have a Corolla. A Prizm is not a Corolla, and the headlamps are among the differences. The Prizm headlamp, you're right, does not contain a bulb shield.

Why did you say you have a Corolla...?

Is it OK to run the new bulbs without the shield

No. If you want to try the HIR2 bulbs in those headlamps you'd want to go ping Dan Stern and see if he still has some black-capped HIR2s.

because it isn't much more glare for all practical purposes?

Says...who?

To make the new other bulbs work , I though about simply painting a black circle directly in front on the element on the lens housing to act as a glate shield of sorts

This is a non-starter of an idea. It will not address the issue.

I thought about using high temp paint to paint the tip but apparently that is not an option per people online ?

That's right, it's not.
 

jzchen

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 16, 2015
Messages
328
Location
Arcadia, CA
Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

Andyinchville, the moderators here suggest bulbs based on detailed knowledge of each vehicle model's headlamps. Advice does not automatically apply to all/different model cars....

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
 

alpg88

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 19, 2005
Messages
5,282
Re: General lighting questions and hope I didn't make a mistake buying LED drop in "b

yea dude forget about whistles and strobes, they only thing that will help you avoid a crash with a deer is a FLIR. you will see him long before you get close to it. but they are not cheap at all, however we had several cars in our shop after deer collision, not only they can total a car, they can seriously hurt occupants too, or worst. at the end it may worth it, if you have several grand to spare
 
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