LEDs vs. Halogens.
12-15-20 | 12:10 PM
#32
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 21,062
Likes: 3,167
From: Alberta
Uh huh lol. Last car I bought a few years ago had the stock halogens I honestly forgot about them since I was only city driving and not much driving in general. Took it on a trip and damn son it was SCARY bad.
12-15-20 | 12:24 PM
#33
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 58,376
Likes: 2,793
From: Maryland
Yeah, around town with well lighted roads is one thing, but yeah on a dark road the difference is HUGE
12-15-20 | 01:08 PM
#34
Moderator
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 8,713
Likes: 4,012
From: GA
Halogen projectors on my 2015 Camry SE: Not bad, but definitely not very bright either. Soft-white color. It's been a while, but I remember thinking they were great at the time and surely better than my former 2010 Camry.
LEDs on my 2016 IS 300 AWD F Sport: Pretty solid, not the most range, but very bright where they do have range.
HIDs on my 2016 GTI Autobahn: A good balance, they seemed to light up as much of the road as the Lexus's lights, just, slightly different, less-white color and slightly less bright. Cornering lights and the fact that the headlights steered in the turns helped a lot.
LEDs on my 2020 GLI: Nice and bright, I'd say equally bright to the F Sport's lights. Super-far range with high beams. An upgrade over the GTI's lights in brightness, but a downgrade in functionality. Not that I needed the functionality.
Generally, LEDs have always seemed a little better for me. The LED units on the X3 I recently rented were great as well.
LEDs on my 2016 IS 300 AWD F Sport: Pretty solid, not the most range, but very bright where they do have range.
HIDs on my 2016 GTI Autobahn: A good balance, they seemed to light up as much of the road as the Lexus's lights, just, slightly different, less-white color and slightly less bright. Cornering lights and the fact that the headlights steered in the turns helped a lot.
LEDs on my 2020 GLI: Nice and bright, I'd say equally bright to the F Sport's lights. Super-far range with high beams. An upgrade over the GTI's lights in brightness, but a downgrade in functionality. Not that I needed the functionality.
Generally, LEDs have always seemed a little better for me. The LED units on the X3 I recently rented were great as well.
12-15-20 | 02:01 PM
#35
Lead Lap
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 4,086
Likes: 275
From: In your head
12-15-20 | 02:07 PM
#37
Lead Lap
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 4,086
Likes: 275
From: In your head
12-15-20 | 02:23 PM
#38
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 58,376
Likes: 2,793
From: Maryland
So what they're talking about in that article is forward reach of the headlights, and they have a point. But, thats solved by having the headlights aimed a little higher than factory. I have found that HID and LED headlights often have a sharp cutoff that goes a little less far down the road than you would expect. A simple adjustment of the lights slightly up will cure that. I have had every set of HID headlights I've had on a car adjusted slightly up. The LED in my LS460L and in my S560 didnt need it. HID in my LS460 did as did my GS and ESs.
In terms of brightness and light saturatuon and broad reach though, there's just no comparison.
In terms of brightness and light saturatuon and broad reach though, there's just no comparison.
12-15-20 | 02:38 PM
#40
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 794
Likes: 3
From: CA
Are they kidding with this? There is Absolutely ZERO question LED's out perform Halogen by a mile. Driving with Halogens in the rain at night is like not even having headlights on. You can hardly see anything. I can't believe they even wrote an article like this lol.
12-15-20 | 02:50 PM
#41
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 21,062
Likes: 3,167
From: Alberta
That's what happened to me, drove home at night and it started raining I legit feared for my safety. Only thing that saved me is the car also has driving/fog lights otherwise I would have been forced to stay somewhere for the night. Even with the halogen fogs and headlights visibility was still poor.
12-15-20 | 03:14 PM
#43
One often-discussed issue in Car Chat (though I don't recall any specific threads on it) is whether the added expense of manufacturers using LED's is actually worth it or not in everyday practical driving. Many here seem to prefer LEDs, and it may depend on the specific vehicle/design, although I think this is a very interesting write-up from Consumer Reports on the road-test of the new Chevy Trailblazer.
CR has a partial-paywall, so you may or may not be able to access the whole story, but I copied/posted the most relevant part on the vehicle's headlights.
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars...-test?pagestop
CR has a partial-paywall, so you may or may not be able to access the whole story, but I copied/posted the most relevant part on the vehicle's headlights.
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars...-test?pagestop
I've been meaning to bring up this subject for a while. When I drive down the street at night I get blinded by half the cars coming from the other way & 90 percent of the newer Pickup trucks especially if they have been raised above factory height. Many of them I will flash my bright's or just leave them on until I pass by them.It's a real pain to see the road.
12-15-20 | 06:06 PM
#45
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 10,166
Likes: 11
From: Southeastern PA
So what they're talking about in that article is forward reach of the headlights, and they have a point. But, thats solved by having the headlights aimed a little higher than factory. I have found that HID and LED headlights often have a sharp cutoff that goes a little less far down the road than you would expect. A simple adjustment of the lights slightly up will cure that. I have had every set of HID headlights I've had on a car adjusted slightly up. The LED in my LS460L and in my S560 didnt need it. HID in my LS460 did as did my GS and ESs.
In terms of brightness and light saturatuon and broad reach though, there's just no comparison.
In terms of brightness and light saturatuon and broad reach though, there's just no comparison.