Is it time to ban LED Headlights

robj20 said:
I thought it was a no no to fit LED bulbs into reflector housings?
Only in projector type housings were they any good.
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MG's are from the era where a standard round 7" light fitting was used. The same one as you might find in a Land Rover or Mk1 MX5 etc., simpler times when a complete unit costs (today) about £30 to replace vs £2500.

So I'm sure Greebo is referring to replacing the whole unit with a generic 7" LED retrofit, not throwing a bulb into the existing one.
 
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robj20 said:
I thought it was a no no to fit LED bulbs into reflector housings?
Only in projector type housings were they any good.
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I am fitting full complete headlights not just bulbs,

These

www.classiccarleds.co.uk

SB7002 SEALED BEAM TO LUCAS P45T LED UPGRADE KIT 410 LLB410 GLB410 BUL

P45T 7 inch Genuine Lucas light units supplied with our top range P45T LED upgrade available in cold modern white or classic warm white. This upgrade will dramatically improve the lighting performance of your headlights compared to your older style sealed beam units and considerably reduce the...
www.classiccarleds.co.uk

You cant even tell you have swapped over to LED from looks compared to the modern ones Jonnycoupe linked to.

4500 lumens main beam and 4500 lumens dipped. Should be miles better than the candles currently fitted

Plus I got a full set of E approved led "bulbs" for the rest of the car.
 
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I think one of the problems is the car itself. Cars are getting bigger and with this current favouritism of SUV's and 4x4's the headlights are mounted higher up and closer to the eye level of oncoming drivers. I picked my wife up from town last week and was being blinded by oncoming cars all the time. Most of the culprits were SUV's and 4x4 style cars with the odd moron that couldn't be bothered to dip his headlights thrown in. I was also constantly blinded from behind and had to keep putting my rear view mirror in the "dipped" position to avoid being blinded. Something needs to be done about it, maybe a completely different design of cars so that headlights are lower in these big cars so they don't blind oncoming traffic.
 
Greebo said:
4500 lumens main beam and 4500 lumens dipped. Should be miles better than the candles currently fitted

Plus I got a full set of E approved led "bulbs" for the rest of the car.
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With 12V? I have a feeling they are rated based on the 32V input.

Do you even need the reflectors for those? Look like a halfway house without a projector but can see they are more traditional looking for sure.
 
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Jonnycoupe said:
With 12V? I have a feeling they are rated based on the 32V input.

Do you even need the reflectors for those? Look like a halfway house without a protector but can see they are more traditional looking for sure.
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Its just easy as the headlights on my mgb are sealed units so its a pretty simple swap out and in keeping with the look of the car. Could have saved £30 by buying the copies but nice to have original Lucas.

Even if that stats on that are for 32v, at 12v they will still be 1700 lumens so a big step up from the originals which I think are only 700 lumens. I went with warm white 4300k to also keep the headlights looking traditional rather than cold white 6000k

I have friends with mgb/midgets who went with the ebay type ones but in daylight they just dont look right on the car IMO. Too modern looking.

Okay, fair enough if doing a retro mod like the guy i know with a LS3 in an MGB and he changed the gearbox, axles, brakes and even a none standard leather interior and none mgb wheels. If you have butchered the original car that much, may as well go full hog with the headlights!
 
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lordrobs said:
MG's are from the era where a standard round 7" light fitting was used. The same one as you might find in a Land Rover or Mk1 MX5 etc., simpler times when a complete unit costs (today) about £30 to replace vs £2500.

So I'm sure Greebo is referring to replacing the whole unit with a generic 7" LED retrofit, not throwing a bulb into the existing one.
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You can legally replace the whole unit on any car to LED ones as long as they are CE marked. It's just the retrofit bulbs which lack approval.
 
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Greebo said:
I have friends with mgb/midgets who went with the ebay type ones but in daylight they just dont look right on the car IMO. Too modern looking.
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I thought the same for my MX5 and that is a 1997 car!

I barely drive it at night and I notice that the popups do jitter around a bit (like you notice on the headlight of a motorbike) so I'll probably stick with halogens for now at least. My ones aren't sealed so I've been able to drop in a set of decent Philips bulbs.

If a stone goes through one I may consider my options again.

Nasher said:
You can legally replace the whole unit on any car to LED ones as long as they are CE marked. It's just the retrofit bulbs which lack approval.
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Yeah, the advantage of the generic round lenses though is scale so the cost is far less than a bespoke fitment.
 
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Greebo said:
These

www.classiccarleds.co.uk

SB7002 SEALED BEAM TO LUCAS P45T LED UPGRADE KIT 410 LLB410 GLB410 BUL

P45T 7 inch Genuine Lucas light units supplied with our top range P45T LED upgrade available in cold modern white or classic warm white. This upgrade will dramatically improve the lighting performance of your headlights compared to your older style sealed beam units and considerably reduce the...
www.classiccarleds.co.uk
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they have a ce certification certificate, as nasher reiterated ? - their web page seems negligent in that respect, and could be worried about insurance implications, like those with any after market led H1's etc.
Our LEDs are all high quality and made to our own demanding specifications. We believe in fair pricing and are confident you will not get a better price unless you want to compromise on the quality or life of your bulbs
 
jpaul said:
they have a ce certification certificate, as nasher reiterated ? - their web page seems negligent in that respect, and could be worried about insurance implications, like those with any after market led H1's etc.
Our LEDs are all high quality and made to our own demanding specifications. We believe in fair pricing and are confident you will not get a better price unless you want to compromise on the quality or life of your bulbs
Click to expand...
They have been around for years and are recognised as the go to supplier of UK legal LED lights and bulbs in the UK for classic car owners. I wouldnt trust anybody else.
 
Greebo said:
They have been around for years and are recognised as the go to supplier of UK legal LED lights and bulbs in the UK for classic car owners. I wouldnt trust anybody else.
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interesting that they have less conspicuous 4300K bulbs, for fitments including H1
https://www.classiccarleds.co.uk/pr...-6800-lumen-main-or-dip-beam-conversion-9-32v - £50/pair doesn't sound too exorbitant

I'm failing to get a google image match to identify if they are available elsewhere, like Ali.
 
interesting osram now have some certified led lights for german market h1&h7 both ~1500lm 6K for motorbikes and some cars and classics

 
I never noticed buses or lorries behind with lights that dazzle from behind but some SUVs do.
I suspect the best solution would be a stricter MOT test for headlights - it doesn't appear to have every been updates and they just wheel that thing in front of the light and look at it projected onto a screen with markings.
It seems as though it doesn't matter how bright the light is above the cut-off as long as it is brighter below it.
 
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I live in a very rural area and most of the roads are hilly B roads so you get somewhat blinded when a car is at a certain elevation in comparison to yourself.

But when these xenon lights started to appear it was like holly hell im blind, what on earth are these vile blue tinted lights, they should be illegal.
 
snapdragon69 said:
I never noticed buses or lorries behind with lights that dazzle from behind but some SUVs do.
I suspect the best solution would be a stricter MOT test for headlights - it doesn't appear to have every been updates and they just wheel that thing in front of the light and look at it projected onto a screen with markings.
It seems as though it doesn't matter how bright the light is above the cut-off as long as it is brighter below it.
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Yea same, I don't get it from buses either
 
Nasher said:
Looks like a debate in parliament on LED headlights being to bright (started from a petition) got a lot of attention:

hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-05-08/debates/CB1726E9-2A12-40E8-9D80-A4BBAB1B75F3/RoadSafetyHeadlightGlare

Hopefully they'll be action.
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There is.

www.autoexpress.co.uk

Headlight glare on UK roads to be measured in government-backed project | Auto Express

Real-world testing aims to assess factors causing headlamp dazzle, and generate recommendations for government action
www.autoexpress.co.uk www.autoexpress.co.uk
 
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