BigBlueDart
Member
- :
- 2012 Mazda2 Touring MT
We had a discussion going over in Font's build thread, so I thought perhaps it would be best to have a separate thread rather than threadjack Rodrigo's.
The purpose of this thread is to discuss current options for plug and play led's. Primarily, I'm interested in options for headlights, though if folks have found a particularly good blinker or taillight, feel free to share.
Anyway, I'm in the middle of what will likely be a very long and drawn out retrofit of some projector headlights I got from Japan. I've decided not to go with HID's, but instead am looking at LED's. A lot of options are okay as DRL's, but not headlights, but there are some out there that work as headlights. JW Speaker, for instance has a line of headlight retrofit units that are supposedly pretty high quality. The problem with them is that they are very large (not to mention expensive!) and probably would only really work for cars like jeeps or maybe something like a Chevy Sonic. You might be able to do something with them, but it would require removal of shrouds, probably.
The next best option I've found are plug and play CREE LED lights. You'll want to search for the ones that have the really big heat sinks on the back, as well as fans, sometimes. They also have a control box that would have to be mounted just like an HID ballast. These come in H4, which is dual beam, as well as H7, which is what I'll be needing for my quad projector setup. There are also H11's available for those looking for a stronger fog light than some of the other LED options.
Most of the products I've found use the CREE 1512 chip set. There will be one on each side of the "bulb". Light output claimed is usually 1800 lumens per bulb, but I've seen some claim more. Power requirements vary, but you'll be staying under what a single halogen bulb takes for the pair. Here is a link to CREE's page detailing the tech specs:
http://www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Arrays-NonDirectional/XLamp-CXA1512
Here are a couple of examples that I'm considering from eBay:
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
I also came across one more option that uses four CREE XML2 chips:
http://www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XML2
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
It seems like there are a number of tradeoffs between these three options over color temperature, wattage, as well as where it ships from. If anyone has any points to help me in my deliberation, I'd be grateful. Of course, I'd also be happy to provide a review once I actually make a purchase and install them.
The purpose of this thread is to discuss current options for plug and play led's. Primarily, I'm interested in options for headlights, though if folks have found a particularly good blinker or taillight, feel free to share.
Anyway, I'm in the middle of what will likely be a very long and drawn out retrofit of some projector headlights I got from Japan. I've decided not to go with HID's, but instead am looking at LED's. A lot of options are okay as DRL's, but not headlights, but there are some out there that work as headlights. JW Speaker, for instance has a line of headlight retrofit units that are supposedly pretty high quality. The problem with them is that they are very large (not to mention expensive!) and probably would only really work for cars like jeeps or maybe something like a Chevy Sonic. You might be able to do something with them, but it would require removal of shrouds, probably.
The next best option I've found are plug and play CREE LED lights. You'll want to search for the ones that have the really big heat sinks on the back, as well as fans, sometimes. They also have a control box that would have to be mounted just like an HID ballast. These come in H4, which is dual beam, as well as H7, which is what I'll be needing for my quad projector setup. There are also H11's available for those looking for a stronger fog light than some of the other LED options.
Most of the products I've found use the CREE 1512 chip set. There will be one on each side of the "bulb". Light output claimed is usually 1800 lumens per bulb, but I've seen some claim more. Power requirements vary, but you'll be staying under what a single halogen bulb takes for the pair. Here is a link to CREE's page detailing the tech specs:
http://www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Arrays-NonDirectional/XLamp-CXA1512
Here are a couple of examples that I'm considering from eBay:
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
I also came across one more option that uses four CREE XML2 chips:
http://www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XML2
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
It seems like there are a number of tradeoffs between these three options over color temperature, wattage, as well as where it ships from. If anyone has any points to help me in my deliberation, I'd be grateful. Of course, I'd also be happy to provide a review once I actually make a purchase and install them.
