LED vs Halogen bulbs

[boleman42]

I just finished installing a rebuilt motor into an e30 ix. The smiley's aren't very bright. I'm considering swapping out LED bulbs. Is this a bad idea?

[cheffy30]

Yep. IMO we ol classics need to stick with the candle reflectors. you wanna be modern? buy a modern.
I can see shit either but that makes it that much more fun and thrilling.
2c

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[ScottSneed]

I just finished installing a rebuilt motor into an e30 ix. The smiley's aren't very bright. I'm considering swapping out LED bulbs. Is this a bad idea?

I put HIDs in mine, cutoff line isnt bad, plenty bright

[boleman42]

Scottsneed is the HID a BMW kit? or? Interested

[Staszek]

I put LED's in my Hella Smileys and they made a huge difference. Its a very cheap change and easily reversable. Buy some try them out if you dont like it go back to Halogens.

I bought mine from here, you can get adapters to make them plug and play,

http://store.shadowlinemotorsport.com/

Its way cheaper then going to HID, I had them before and it just adds complexity with the ignitor.

[boleman42]

Thx Staszek

[nando]

are you sure the reflectors aren't just oxidized/faded?

I have modern cars too and of course the E30. Even with a basic HID kit from 10 years ago, the lighting is just as good as modern cars. LED lights on an E30 is just going to look stupid, IMO, and most of the cheap retrofit kits are not going to be very good either, especially if it's just because your light housings are old and oxidized.

[Staszek]

are you sure the reflectors aren't just oxidized/faded?

I have modern cars too and of course the E30. Even with a basic HID kit from 10 years ago, the lighting is just as good as modern cars. LED lights on an E30 is just going to look stupid, IMO, and most of the cheap retrofit kits are not going to be very good either, especially if it's just because your light housings are old and oxidized.

LED lights in the smiley projectors basically look exactly like LED in the smiley, I have had both, not sure how they look stupid. LED or HID bulbs in a non projector headlight look odd, I agree with that, but there was really zero difference in the look of the LED vs HID if you are looking at the car from the front with the projectors.

[Vincenze]

LED lights may provide worse output than regular lights.

I don't understand how this setup works.
20 small LEDs shine to the sides.

I believe a good setup should have a big LED in front plus a big lens in front of it, then several others parallel to it in line to create a wide strip of light.
You need a special housing for several parallel diodes and lenses.

[lukeADE335i]

In a smiley headlight light, there will be a big projector lens in front go that LED globe (the H1 bulb is in the projector). They look like they’d work ok to me & as Sasztec pointed out, asides from the different light output, from the front the headlight will look exactly the same.

[Gregs///M]

I dont recommend LED as those tiny LED modules are known to fail and they will get more dim and dim over time. Most of those bulbs are made in China and are of very low quality or counterfeit in nature. I highly recommend you use a projector assembly with a 55W kit. I have DDM tuning 55 watt kits in my E30s and have been running for over a decade with no issues. My lights are brighter than most cars on the road, decent cut off, im very happy with them and im very picky when it comes to head lights.

[Staszek]

LED lights may provide worse output than regular lights.

I don't understand how this setup works.
20 small LEDs shine to the sides.

I believe a good setup should have a big LED in front plus a big lens in front of it, then several others parallel to it in line to create a wide strip of light.
You need a special housing for several parallel diodes and lenses.

Those LED's are garbage, those are the cheap ones that barely have any output and no heat sink. I wouldn't use those.

[nando]

LED lights in the smiley projectors basically look exactly like LED in the smiley, I have had both, not sure how they look stupid. LED or HID bulbs in a non projector headlight look odd, I agree with that, but there was really zero difference in the look of the LED vs HID if you are looking at the car from the front with the projectors.

I'm sure yours are fine and I respect your opinion - but you have to admit - 99% of everything on the market, including what you just quoted above me, are absolutely shit.

Also to me - the color of LEDs are almost always wrong. 6000k lights are too "blue shifted" for the human eye. you really want something 4000k or less - but everything will be marketed as 5000k or more, because the more "blue" a light is, the more it tricks people into thinking their lights are brighter even though they can actually see less. Human anatomy and all.

Of course I've been blinded by enough idiots running LED retrofits in reflector housings to have an admitted bias... Just like back in the day when 12000k HIDs were the cool thing.

[mjweimer]

Another take on this topic is to replace the lights entirely with an assembly designed around a LED source.

https://www.holley.com/products/electrical/led_lighting/retrobright/parts/LFRB125

Or

https://www.dapperlighting.com/products/575

The Holley's apparently are engineered/made by Morimoto, the Dappers have all sorts of options (some questionable for looks).


Not cheap but there are at least some modern lighting available for our cars if you want better performance.

[Staszek]

I'm sure yours are fine and I respect your opinion - but you have to admit - 99% of everything on the market, including what you just quoted above me, are absolutely shit.

Also to me - the color of LEDs are almost always wrong. 6000k lights are too "blue shifted" for the human eye. you really want something 4000k or less - but everything will be marketed as 5000k or more, because the more "blue" a light is, the more it tricks people into thinking their lights are brighter even though they can actually see less. Human anatomy and all.

Of course I've been blinded by enough idiots running LED retrofits in reflector housings to have an admitted bias... Just like back in the day when 12000k HIDs were the cool thing.

That I agree with you 100%, I paid extra to get 4500k leds and they are not the ones above :), I dont like the bluish ones and that is worse for your eyes. Reminds me of when everyone put in those blue-tinted bulbs to make their halogens look like HID and all it did was give you fewer lumens with bad coloring for your eyes.