LED lights are literally around you. Even the device you use to read this amazing article has LED in it.
In most speculations, LED lights can be fitted into reflector headlights but, if the vehicle you are using presently uses halogens, then a lot of twists would be expected because it’s not an easy switchover.
LEDs do have a lot of requirements such as a purpose-built reflector bowl, heat dissipation devices, extra electronics, and lastly a driver.
In this article, all your curiosity will be addressed such as the question Can you use LED bulbs in reflector headlights.
Can you put LED bulbs in halogen headlights?
You can put LED bulbs in halogen’s reflector headlights but, for halogen headlights to be replaced, you must also buy a reflector bowl.
Purchasing a LED headlight might be a walk in the park as it is available everywhere, but the consequence is, it is a little bit difficult to find a bulb to replace the halogen headlights.
For you not to be stressed in finding an LED headlight bulb, you can visit the Last fit website as they create high-quality LEDs, and their website allows you to evaluate bulbs according to the one that fits your vehicle’s model.
For your information, LEDs require heat dissipation devices to make sure they won’t heat too much. For example, heat sink or fan.
But the consequence is, heat dissipation devices can cause a fitment issue if space isn’t that enough in your vehicle’s headlight.
To think logically, you have to buy a small LED. Also, your vehicle could be requiring extra electronics. When LED is compared to usual halogens, it operates at a much lower voltage.
Therefore, an LED driver is needed to step down the voltage. Similarly, your light monitoring circuitry must be rewired or else it will expect that there is a faulty bulb.
With this in mind, being worried about any of this is not a concern anymore if you visit Lastfit headlights as all of it is simple plug-and-play bulbs that have everything suited within the bulb.
Is it safe to use LED bulbs in reflector housing?
Almost all vehicle enthusiasts know that halogens are always matched with reflector housing. The question is “can alternative LEDs suit your housing?”.
LEDs could work and can be used in reflector headlights but upgrading the bulb means you’ll also upgrade the reflector bowl.
If you don’t keep it in mind there’s a big chance you can blind other people. There are no reflectors that are the same because each reflector headlights are shaped according to the size and specifications of the halogen bulb which makes them a perfect match.
Because of this, the good throw and spread of light are ensured. In other words, if you’re going to replace a halogen bulb with an LED, it means it throws the reflector off balance.
It will change where the light hits the reflector and gets projected out to. Logically, the light will go to places it was not meant to.
This makes the problem worsen because the LEDs are a directional light source, compared to halogens which are omnidirectional.
Because, unlike halogens, a LED will not spread its light evenly to the reflector’s surface. And two consequences are likely to occur because of this.
The first is, by spreading light only at the side of the reflector, blanks are likely to exist, hollow, or hot spots in the light beam.
The second one is, by failing to spread the light to the upper part of the reflector and the headlight will have to reduce distance projection.
Therefore, the light will spread above the cut-off point and make other drivers unable to see. Making the other drivers blind is a safety hazard.
In other words, it’s important to replace both the light source and the bowl of reflector if upgrading to LEDs is your choice.
The other solution is to choose a specifically built LED for your vehicle to put up in a way that the light will be discharged based on the shape of the bowl.
What is the difference between Projector and Reflector Headlights?
There are two chances what kind of headlights are in your vehicle, whether it is a reflector or projector headlights.
The main difference is the lens that the projector has and the reflector doesn’t have it. For your information, reflector headlights have two main components as a light source which must be the bulb and a reflector bowl which can be found inside the headlight housing.
The reflector bowl is where the bulb sits and is precisely placed in the center. The reflector bowl’s shape is like a hollow hemisphere and is coated with reflective chrome paint and covered in exactly located mirrors.
If you switched on the bulb, beams of light strike the mirrors and are thrown back in the forepart of the vehicle and onto the road.
The reflector’s pattern shapes the light that covers a large surface area which means that the light is less intense and less focused, therefore, some lights are useless.
While a projector headlight has three components a light source, a reflector bowl, and a lens. Sometimes, they have a cut-off shield to avoid dazzling other highway users.
The bowl and the light source operate precisely the same as in reflector headlights. Before the light is spread out in the forepart of the vehicle.
It strikes an ellipsoidal lens which sometimes can be called a fishbowl lens or fisheye lens.
It is important as it spread, bend, magnify, and intensify the light, directing it to the road surface instead of spreading the light into the eyes of oncoming drivers.
Therefore, if you have a lens it means the lights are less wasted.
Conclusion
The summary is you can never find a LED that perfectly substitutes the Halogen Bulbs, they are not the same.
However, you should not forget that it is illegal in some countries to customize a LED headlights.
Hopefully, this article unlocks your curiosity if you can use LED bulbs in reflector headlights.
