December 22, 2024
Rhonium – Car & Truck Style + Performance

Automotive LED Lights Shopping Guide 

5 min read February 7, 2022 Jamie Erickson
LED-Headlights

Lighting is a very important part of a vehicle. It plays a big role not only when traveling at night, but also in all conditions of poor visibility. Thus, when upgrading a car, the thought of switching to a new and efficient LED automotive lighting system is indeed the right one. One of the advantages of LED headlights is the fact that they turn on instantly and are ready to deliver maximum brightness right away. As part of this material, we will try to better understand what factors deserve your attention when choosing LED headlights for your car.

Projector or Reflector

led headlights - projector

Of course, when choosing lighting system, attention should be paid to their design. This requirement is equally true for both cars and trucks. The most common on the market are reflector or projection headlights. Let’s take a closer look at each of these categories.

Projection headlights look like circles with a missing center. The round design improves visibility on the road, and other vehicles can see you better on the road.

Reflector headlights are another type of designer light that involves the use of LED headlights. The essence of such headlights is that the light from the diodes is reflected from the chrome surface. However, these headlights have a certain drawback – they may have certain dark spots.

In the event that you cannot decide on the size and design yourself, it is recommended to use the options offered on the sites. You can also contact the relevant specialists who will help resolve this issue. In addition, such specialists will be able to make sure that the headlights you have chosen are fully consistent with the chosen car.

On our own, we note that in terms of design, projection headlights are a better choice.

Headlight Location

We point out right away that LED headlights can be installed both inside and outside the vehicle. If you plan to install them in the salon, it is very important to ensure that they have a long service life, and their light will be in harmony with the interior trim. In this case, you need to consider various options, since the interior can be finished in completely different ways. In addition, in the cabin, LEDs can be installed in a variety of places, from the dashboard to the footwell.

Color and Brightness

led headlights - brightness

The choice of LED color depends on the specific application. For example, if the LEDs are to be used as a border indicator for a truck, they should be orange to comply with current legislation. If they are planned to be installed as main headlights, then it is best when they shine with white light, as this gives better visibility at night.

Warm yellow is best for fog lights. If you are planning to retrofit low beams, then it is better to use cool and bright colors.

When choosing LEDs, you need to know the general rule: the brighter the diode shines, the colder the color it will give.

Obviously, for the rear lights, you need to find red and white LEDs. The red ones are for braking, the white ones are for reversing.

Components

It should be noted that LED car headlights are quite simple, they do not have any moving parts that could quickly fail. In terms of functionality, LED headlights can be classified into two categories: headlights, where part of the diodes is responsible for the dipped beam, and part for the high beam. Therefore, you will have to buy several single beam lamps.

The second category is dual headlights, which are capable of switching between low beam and high beam mode.

Wiring deserves special attention. Some options are very simple, they do not need to use any additional relays or harnesses. In this case, the headlights just need to be connected to the car without additional devices. The most convenient option, since it is very easy to implement in practice.

There are more complex options, which not only imply the presence of additional components, but also special drivers. They may offer more functional variability, but failures are more likely for this category of devices. Sometimes systems are sold that have additional redundant wiring, which is designed to protect against breakdowns of the main system.

Price

If you see incredibly cheap LED headlights, don’t buy them. You have to understand that LED headlights are quite an advanced invention, which means they cannot be incredibly cheap. In addition, remember that this device is famous for its low power consumption, brighter light, and therefore better safety and comfort.

led lights

Summing up, we can highlight a number of tips that should be followed when buying LED headlights:

  • Cheap LED headlights are not the best choice in terms of reliability and safety. It is better to buy a more expensive option that is guaranteed to last for many years.
  • Pay special attention to the installation process. It is best to trust the experts in this matter.
  • You can use LEDs to make your interior more comfortable.
  • Get to know your car better to understand which headlights you need: single beam or dual beam. The latter will be able to simultaneously work for both high and low beams.