MamaBear2015

I'm a former Electronics Research & Development Technician with an ASET ( Associate in Science in Electronics Technology - 1969 ), so I'll tell you a little bit about what I know, and perhaps some of you can tell me what you know about this.

I started out in the 70's, using some of the first LED's in electronics. They were usually around 30 milliwatts. They've come a LONG way since then, in brightness! I just converted two 48" dual T12 fluorescent kitchen fixtures from using 160 watts total, to LED, and they now use 60 watts and put out over 8000 lumens! My sister says she needs sunglasses in there now. It involved removing the ballasts and some rewiring, to fit the configuration specs of the LED's.

So, about color temperature: I learned over the years that color temperature is basically defined scientifically by taking what they call a black body temperature source ( think of maybe a round piece of totally black volcanic rock ) and heating it up to so many degrees on the Kelvin temperature scale. ( think REALLY HOT )

As far as the usual human lighting usage, the color spectrum of light it puts out will vary in color from "soft white" yellowish at about 2700k ( which I use in bedrooms, with a dimmer, as it affects sleep less ) , all the way up through pretty pure white at about 4000K, into blue, above 5000k.

But here's the thing. These people with the "cool" bright blue LED headlights are not doing themselves any favors at night, because yellow bends around corners and is more visible to the human eye. I switched out our LED night lights in the house, from bluish ones to yellow and the difference in being able to see in a dark room is amazing!

But on the road, I want some yellow and some white.

I recently bought some Sylvania Silverstar headlights in 9003/H4 for my 2002 Civic, as they're supposed to be the brightest halogens around. They helped quite a bit. But like I said, LED have become absolutely amazing.

I just switched out the two dimmable 60W incandescents in my bathroom, to 3000K 100W equivalents in LED and I almost need sunglasses in there now, if I accidentally flip the dimmer fully on. I have a skylight in there, and these bulbs, fully on, eclipse that, and you can see every fine tiny fuzzy hair on my female face.

So I checked specs and the above Sylvania 9003 is 910 lumens on low beam and 1500 lumens on high beam, and they claim superior down the road visibility, because the spectrum. It's 4000K, which is pretty much pure white with a little yellow, so I suspect that's optimum.

So I'm looking at some of the dual beam LED bulbs that should fit this car, and seeing such specs as 1900 lumens on low beam. BUT they seem to be selling all of these in the blue region of color temperatures, which people may think is "cool" LOOKING, but is NOT so hot for seeing in the road at night? I think I saw one of these spec'd at 5000 lumens on high beam! Shock and awe! But 5000k or 6500k BLUE?

So how about something with those kinds of lumen specs ( 1900 low, 5000 high beam? ) and around 4000k color temp? Does that exist?

If you know, please let me know, and I'll take a look around now, and report back. This could be VERY interesting.

Here are some example photos from my LED conversions in the house. Keep in mind that these bulbs are blinding my phone camera and dimming the exposure down, so the photos don't do them credit. Both of these light sets are blindingly bright:





Here's my upgrade to the security sensor light in the driveway. This dual LED unit puts out over 2000 lumens and when we tested it in broad daylight on a sunny day, I couldn't look at it from the end of the driveway, because it was BLINDING me! Again, this was lowering the exposure on my phone cam, because it's SO bright! And the two floodlights are not even aimed at where I'm taking the photo. they're aimed off to each side! :

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

Dual color temp h4 bulbb not so much. There are, however, headlight assemblies that convert your factory dual-beam h4 to 2 separate h1 bulbs, and there you can get your color difference in high and low beam.

Case in point, i had TYC headlights (dual h1 bulb set up), ran 5000k low beam HID and halogen high beams in 2000k color temp. I purposefully chose 5000k for a more "pure white" color and they matched the color of my LED parking/turn signal bulbs better.

MamaBear2015

No, maybe I didn't explain it right. Same color temp; 4000K, but for the 2002 Civic, it requires a dual bulb, as the high and low beams are in the same bulb, in the same reflector housing. So the LED assembly would have to have both high and low beams that would go inside the same unit?

ezone

He said you can replace your headlight housings with stock later year versions (like 2005) that have separate individual low/high sockets and reflectors, then you can use 4 bulbs. (2 low, 2 high)

There are also aftermarket options as well, but many are probably less than ideal as many are designed for looks, not real light output.

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

ezone is correct. Not so much swapping in 04-05 headlights, but aftermarket ones (e.g. the aforementioned TYC projectors).

However, I stand corrected. I found some switchback H4 LED bulbs on amazon. $70/pair

The thought of including "switchback" in my search query came when I thought about my turn signal bulbs, which have both white and amber LEDs on them, and are white when they act as parking lights, but flash amber when I activate my turn signals.

edit: included a video I took of my headlights way back when, demonstrating the switchback function. And further edited to make it lazy-people friendly. lol

MamaBear2015

Don't want to get into all the expense of replacing headlights too. Just wanted bulbs that would work in existing sockets - 4000k and super bright, like I said. I'm not finding anything like that, only the blue stuff.

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

5000k actually comes out a pure white color. Not as blue as you'd think. Natural sunlight rings in at about the 4500-5000k range

MamaBear2015

Really didn't want to debate. Just want to find some 4000K LED bulbs that will fit my existing 2002 Civic EX and have both high and low beams in one bulb, like the stock ones, and lumen outputs in the order of 2000 for low beams and 4000 for high beams. I've searched Google and don't see any.

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

Understandably so, just giving my 2 cents from personal experience and reading journal articles about color temperature.

Also, you'll be hard pressed to find 4000k LEDs. Not really a market for that color temp with regards to automotive LED lighting, thus limited production of those. Another reason I keep reverting back to syggesting 5000k.

MamaBear2015

Yeah, everyone wants the spiffy cool looking "Zenon" blue colors. But I also noticed in some of the listings on Amazon, that they are not DOT approved, which MAY mean that people can be ticketed by the cops for using them on the street? ( Though I haven't heard of it happening, which doesn't mean it hasnt. )

Oh wait...

http://wreg.com/2012/11/07/drivers-t...ights-on-cars/

https://forum.officer.com/forum/publ...ll-me-over-now

"First of all the statement DOT APPROVED is misleading. NHTSA, an arm of the U.S. DOT, does not approve or disapprove MV equipment. It does set Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for all MV equipment. FMVSS 108 covers lights. Manufacturers SELF-CERTIFY that their product meets the standard.

Several years ago when the aftermarket tail light/lens first became popular, there were many versions and most of them did not comply with FMVSS 108 even though the packaging said legal in 50 states or DOT approved. The products also have DOT numbers imprinted on them. These letters/numbers indicate certain parts of the product are compliant such as rear lens, rear color, rear reflector, side reflector, side lens, side color etc. There were DOT numbers on many of these aftermarket lenses but usually all of the numbers were not present. This indicates that parts of the lens were not compliant. Also see http://fmvss108.tripod.com-this is a NON-government site with lots of info about lights-mostly taillights.

HID headlights-If it has a transformer (ballast) it is an HID light. A true HID light casts a white light (looks like light blue tint). There are cheap imitations which are a plain bulb with a blue coating and these cast a blue light. When I stop a car with suspect headlights I hold a piece of white paper in front of the light. If the paper turns blue, that is illegal and driver gets "Norked" (gets a ticket). See the following NHTSA Interp letter at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/...18.ztv.html-It says, "SAE J578c defines white by blue, yellow, green, red and purple boundaries within a chromaticity diagram. Thus, it is possible to design a headlamp that emits a light that approaches the blue boundary and is perceived as having a blue tint but which nevertheless remains within the boundaries that define "white"".

As far as what state you live in it does not matter. All states light laws follow FMVSS 108 for the basic MV lights.

I AM NOT SUGGESTING THAT YOU ARGUE WITH ANY POLICE OFFICER WHO MAY STOP YOU FOR THE HEADLIGHTS. You could try carrying a copy of the above NHTSA interp letter with you and politely asking to officer to read the above paragraph (this could backfire). Best bet is to plead not guilty and plead your case at court."

http://www.southplattesentinel.com/2...egal-colorado/

Here's one that shifts the definition of "white" to 5000k:
http://bestheadlightbulbs.com/best-h...t-color-guide/

"

• Yellow light is the commonly found in the form of Halogen lamps and is often found in old car models. Yellow light is suitable for bad climate because it can cut through air moisture as compared to white light. It is perfect for conditions involving fog, snow, sleet, rain and storms thus it is the best HID color for visibility.

OEM/Original Equipment Manufacturer HID Light (4300K)

• White light with a hint of yellow is a usual standard for factory released HID. The light resembles dim lighting or the natural sunlight output. This color maximizes light output.

Pure White Light (5000K)

• Pure white light imitates clear sunlight and is considered the best HID color temperature. This hue is most compatible to people’s eyes because it is a compromise between blue and yellow.

Crystal White Light (6000K)

• Crystal White Light is the highest perceivable Kelvin color. It is a white light with more blue undertones and can also be considered a good color temperature. This is also known as an aftermarket HID install and may be bought in HID kits. 5000-6000K is the best range in the color temperature spectrum the human eyes were made to detect such and the best HID color for night driving."

So these recommendations are all over the place.

MamaBear2015

More: https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/...-is-the-safest

"The all of the "super white" headlights (which look blue-ish compared to normal headlights) are safety hazards for multiple reasons:

1. They have a much greater effect of blinding oncoming drivers -- and, if you have them adjusted improperly or use your hi-beams at inappropriate times, drivers in front of you two.
2. The "white" light produced by these headlights is not actually white (equal in all frequency components across the visible spectrum), but mostly concentrated at the red and blue ends of the spectrum. This means, for drivers like myself who wear high-power corrective lenses, the chromatic aberration is extremely serious. Instead of seeing a single white point or a slight blur, when we see your headlights out the edge of our lenses, we see one red point and one blue point, with the distance between them being greater than the width of the headlight. In other words, your headlights look like police lights!"

Whoa...

MamaBear2015

Trucker perspective, with actual photos. Interesting!

http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/...isibility.aspx

MamaBear2015

https://www.prettymotors.com/7-best-...hts-bulb-kits/

Don't know if this covers my issue, of wanting high and low beams in one bulb, but will check further. It's looking like 5000K might not be a bad idea, but 6000K is definitely BLUE.

thornygravy

You'd also have to find 04-05 fenders and front bumper. They line up different.


OCD is can be an expensive mental illness lol.

MamaBear2015

Guys, I was really just looking for direct bulb conversion to LED, not housing conversions. Thanks.

ezone

Your thread was hit by a spammer from China, along with several other threads.
That user has been banned.
Carry on.