For the Naysayers: LED Replacement Bulb Beam Pattern

[Wabujitsu]

Do you find that the Beamtech lights have a bluish tint?

No sir.

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[Dale's Jeep]

Man don't sweat the small stuff. All the illegal shit that goes on these days i think we need to focus on more important things then replacement LED lights.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Man don't sweat the small stuff. All the illegal shit that goes on these days i think we need to focus on more important things then replacement LED lights.

On that note, and a bit of humor, I bring you an actual law. Enjoy. I wonder how many of you think our government is maybe doing too much tomfoolery? We need a poll

 

[mellophonium]

It’s federal law that you can not replace a halogen headlight with LED if your vehicle came from the factory with halogen headlights. This was done because people were replacing headlights with either LEDs that did not have the LEDs in the same location as the filaments on halogen bulbs or complete units that were not capable of being aimed. This law is only a few years old and was in a transportation bill. There are reputable brands that placed LEDs in the same location as filaments on halogen bulbs and the beam pattern is almost identical to a halogen bulbs. And there are reputable brands that produce an entire replacement unit that is adjustable. But the few bad ones ruined it for everyone. I have replaced my halogens with a unit from Oracle and aimed them properly and no one can really notice because they look enough like a stock LED unit. This law is also why you don’t see LED bulbs marketed as headlights anymore and only as fog lights.

 

[roaniecowpony]

It’s federal law that you can not replace a halogen headlight with LED if your vehicle came from the factory with halogen headlights. This was done because people were replacing headlights with either LEDs that did not have the LEDs in the same location as the filaments on halogen bulbs or complete units that were not capable of being aimed. This law is only a few years old and was in a transportation bill. There are reputable brands that placed LEDs in the same location as filaments on halogen bulbs and the beam pattern is almost identical to a halogen bulbs. And there are reputable brands that produce an entire replacement unit that is adjustable. But the few bad ones ruined it for everyone. I have replaced my halogens with a unit from Oracle and aimed them properly and no one can really notice because they look enough like a stock LED unit. This law is also why you don’t see LED bulbs marketed as headlights anymore and only as fog lights.

Can you provide a link or ref to the law? I am interested.

 

[mwilk012]

Headlight brightness is akin to nuclear proliferation. The brighter everyone’s lights get, the brighter yours need to be because your eyes adjust for the brightness. It goes up and up until nobody can see shit and everyone thinks the other guy is the problem.

 

[OminousSkitter]

Headlight brightness is akin to nuclear proliferation. The brighter everyone’s lights get, the brighter yours need to be because your eyes adjust for the brightness. It goes up and up until nobody can see shit and everyone thinks the other guy is the problem.

As someone who drives in a state where the population thinks it’s OK to drive with their high beams on (and sometimes even light bars), this seems about right. This doesn’t even count the plows that all have off-road lights on above their plow because it blocks their headlights. It’s warfare in winter.

 

[mellophonium]

Can you provide a link or ref to the law? I am interested.

I’m working on it. Difficult to filter through all the “legal experts” in the Google search. It was actually part of an infrastructure bill, not transportation, to make adaptive headlights legal. I did find that some after market LEDs are legal but have to meet federal standards.

 

[mellophonium]

Can you provide a link or ref to the law? I am interested.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-571/subpart-B/section-571.108
I really hate reading any government document. It’s like pulling teeth to find what you are looking for. Basically, if a bulb is replaceable, it has to replaced by the same type bulb approved by DOT. So, while use of LED bulbs in halogen housing are not specifically banned, they are also not allowed in an application that was not OEM. It also goes into that if a headlight unit is not able to be adjusted, an aiming device must be added. Lots of gray area in the rules. Basically it seems like you would have to be a nuisance for these rules to be enforced.

 

[Wabujitsu]

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-571/subpart-B/section-571.108
I really hate reading any government document. It’s like pulling teeth to find what you are looking for. Basically, if a bulb is replaceable, it has to replaced by the same type bulb approved by DOT. So, while use of LED bulbs in halogen housing are not specifically banned, they are also not allowed in an application that was not OEM. It also goes into that if a headlight unit is not able to be adjusted, an aiming device must be added. Lots of gray area in the rules. Basically it seems like you would have to be a nuisance for these rules to be enforced.

Ralph, I too just struggled through 49 CFR 571.108. It *appears* that it applies to manufacturers of vehicles, and dealer repairs. That would explain why FL Statutes do not cover this. Florida doesn’t have vehicle inspection, and even if it did, the headlamp assembly is still going to show the appropriate DOT stamps, in spite of the bulbs being replaced.

At any rate, as the fed doesn’t have federal traffic enforcement officers on the road, I’m not worried about it - as long as my bulbs are safe on the road. As I never get flashed, I’m assuming they are safe.

 

[Heimkehr]

I've LED retrofits in my JLU's OEM halogen housings. It wasn't money or time that I wanted to spend, but the factory H13s are easily the most underwhelming headlights I've ever used. Even after raising their aim a bit, the illuminated down-road distance remained so modest that it was still too easy to occasionally overdrive the headlights, even at non-Interstate speeds.

I was careful to aim the LED H13s so as to create a balance between usability and minimizing being flashed by oncoming drivers. It took some time but a happy medium was finally established. Needless to say, the improvement in forward visibility represents a concurrent increase in driving safely...which is no small matter as the following photo makes very plain.

I care not a whit about the new bulbs' alleged legality or otherwise, and am firmly on the side of the OP here.

 

[Wabujitsu]

I've LED retrofits in my JLU's OEM halogen housings. It wasn't money or time that I wanted to spend, but the factory H13s are easily the most underwhelming headlights I've ever used. Even after raising their aim a bit, the illuminated down-road distance remained so modest that it was still too easy to occasionally overdrive the headlights, even at non-Interstate speeds.

I was careful to aim the LED H13s so as to create a balance between usability and minimizing being flashed by oncoming drivers. It took some time but a happy medium was finally established. Needless to say, the improvement in forward visibility represents a concurrent increase in driving safely...which is no small matter as the following photo makes very plain.

I care not a whit about the new bulbs' alleged legality or otherwise, and am firmly on the side of the OP here.

Thanks James. We live in the country. In the past, I’ve hit hogs, deer, alligators, possums, armadillos, raccoons, and a dude’s lunch box in his left hand (with my mirror) while he was riding a bicycle at night, wearing all black, no reflectors and lights. He was fine, thank God. Didn’t even knock him off of his bike, even though my mirror was moving at 55MPH.

The larger animals necessitated hundreds of dollars in repairs.

I HAD to replace the halogens, for safety reasons, and I wasn’t going to spend $1K doing so by buying the entire assemblies.

 

[Heimkehr]

Thanks James. We live in the country. In the past, I’ve hit hogs, deer, alligators, possums, armadillos, raccoons, and a dude’s lunch box in his left hand (with my mirror) while he was riding a bicycle at night, wearing all black, no reflectors and lights.

The larger animals necessitated hundreds of dollars in repairs.

I HAD to replace the halogens, for safety reasons, and I wasn’t going to spend $1K doing so by buying the entire assemblies.

Hey, Jeff.

My bought-new YJ was barely one month old when it punched a buck, hard, on a rural two-lane road at night. That memory still informs any number of things I do to this day, to include vehicle lighting considerations.

 

[Wabujitsu]

Hey, Jeff.

My bought-new YJ was barely one month old when it punched a buck, hard, on a rural two-lane road at night. That memory still informs any number of things I do to this day, to include vehicle lighting considerations.

Absof*ckinglutely, brother!

 

[mellophonium]

Yeah, there’s enough gray area that people who do it right can get away with it and the people that don’t do it right and are a nuisance can be told to go back to original type bulb. That’s probably the real intent.

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