Led headlights

Be careful with led headlights.

Led lights produce zero heat compared to halogen and come winter time, the headlights will ice over, get snow covered and be useless.

Unless manufacturers have found a way to combat this? This is one of the reasons I think they stay off the approved list.

 

I have some on one of my trucks. They are bright as ####. Low beam has people constantly flicking their highs at me. High beam is #### near daylight.
I put LED projectors in my other truck: they are great.
Dot vs non dot apparently has to do with "light scatter" so the non dot is much more focused and laser sharp.
The dot approved ones are way more money when I priced them.

 

If people are flashing lights on low beam, then your lights probably need to be aimed properly. I've had two different sets of LED headlights (DOT approved) and they have a very definitive beam pattern that limits the height of the beam. You may just have to aim them a little lower.

 

My non dot approved are the ones people flash. It's not the aiming.

 

Sounds to me like the non-DOT lights are either not aimed at the proper angle, or not cut like projectors.

 

Worked on testing the LED Trucklite headlights . That was the only negative feedback. But if running in those conditions , you having to pull over to clear the wipers, clear the headlights .

 

They aren't cut like projectors: that's why they aren't dot approved.

 

LED headlights started showing up in the marketplace about 3 or 4 years ago. Be careful with what you're buying, as the actual LED's that go into the headlights today are much better then what being used back then. Look for a reputable brand, and more importantly the brand of the LEDs inside of the headlights. Best brands of current high performance LEDs are: Cree, Phillips, and Osram/Sylvania. Manufacturers are proud to put the brand name of the LEDs on the packaging, like "Made with Cree". Not all LEDs (diodes) are equal! Yes I'm referring to Chinese no names. I've seen some lately that are so blue, they almost look like cop cars. I'm not talking about DOT vs NON DOT, that's a separate issue. If you remember back a few years, some truckers wanted HID headlights, the kind that used a ballast or transformer for power supply. They were selling for over $2k, and they were a lot of trouble for that kind of price.

 

The reason they aren't DOT approved is because they aren't aiming in an approved manner. DOT standards have been changed several times since the mid 80's. Up until I think 84 sealed beams were the only DOT approved lighting. 1985 models started using Composite headlights, ie: Housing with separate bulbs. Currently DOT standards are pretty liberal. The headlight/bulb must illuminate a defined area in front of the vehicle without causing glare for oncoming traffic. Many non-approved LED lamps can't meet the glare standard... and if you're knowingly blinding other drivers it says a lot about you as a professional.

When retrofitting a Composite housing to LED, the new "bulb" simply needs to have the LED in the correct location inside the housing to be correct.. many on the market cant even get this step right. The reflector and lens are already properly designed and they cant be bothered to get the one thing they need to do right.

Complete assemblies that aren't DOT approved are just plain CRAP for highway use. Most of them seem to be intended for offroad use where having light everywhere is a benefit for safety. Talking 4x4's at night, construction equipment moving on dirt tracks, etc. Others are simply for "show" use.. translated, they know d####d well they are going on road vehicles but want an out from lawsuits.