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They aren't the first with LED headlights but they certainly have put a lot of marketing effort into them. They have incorporated them into a feature of their front facial just like the grill. It is essentially an extension of their corporate image of the grill and Jewel Eye headlights that is now on every car in their line up.
Consumer reports state that the Acura LED headlights look nice, but do not really shine too far in the distance. While the looks are great, I'd prefer function first, form second.
Consumer reports state that the Acura LED headlights look nice, but do not really shine too far in the distance. While the looks are great, I'd prefer function first, form second.
Has anyone else confirmed CR's statement?
Most of us have confirmed that the reviewer has never actually used the headlights at night. He knows not of what he speaks!
No, Acura was not the first. They just seemed to have come out with a fancy name for them.
LED Timeline
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlamp
Automotive headlamp applications using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been undergoing very active development since 2004.
In 2004 the Audi A8 W12 became the first production car to use LED headlight technology, for the integrated daytime running lamps.
In 2006 the first series-production low beam, front position light and sidemarker function LED headlamps were factory-installed on the Lexus LS 600h / LS 600h L presented in 2007 for 2008 models. The high beam and turn signal functions use filament bulbs. The headlamp is supplied by Koito.
In 2007 the first Full-LED headlamps, supplied by AL-Automotive Lighting, were introduced on the V10 Audi R8 sports car (except in North America).
In 2009 Hella headlamps on the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Platinum became the first US market all-LED headlamps.
In 2010 the first all-LED headlamps with Adaptive highbeam and Intelligent Light System were introduced on the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class: LED High Performance headlamps.
In 2012 the first mechanically controlled LED glare free headlamps were introduced on BMW 7 Series Selective Beam (anti-dazzle High-Beam Assistant).
In 2013 a (State of the art): First digitally controlled, full-LED glare-free adaptive highbeam. It was introduced by Audi on the facelifted Audi A8 in 2013, with 25 individual LED segments (Matrix LED).[85] The system dims light that would shine directly onto oncoming and preceding vehicles, but continues to cast its full light on the zones between and beside them. This works because the LED high beams are split into numerous individual light-emitting diodes.high-beam LEDs in both headlights are arranged in a matrix and adapt fully electronically to the surroundings in milliseconds. They are activated and deactivated or dimmed individually by a control unit. In addition, the headlights also function as a cornering light. Using predictive route data supplied by the MMI navigation plus, the focus of the beam is shifted towards the bend even before the driver turns the steering wheel. In 2014: Mercedes-Benz introduced a similar technology on the facelifted CLS-Class in 2014, called MULTIBEAM LED, with 24 individual segments
Acura likes to market themselves highly but notice that they always use the term "Jewel Eye" They've trademarked that term and if society unknowingly associates that with LEDs, then they're not going to correct us! LED headlights have been around, but the jewel eye term(aka the projector shape/style that is used to aim/project the LEDs themselves) is a registered trademarked by Acura
This reminds me of the day when Acura made HID's standard across the board while everyone else made HID's an option. They went away from that with the first generation ILX and now they are back to being the company that makes LED's standard while everyone else either doesn't offer it or have to pay extra for it as a an option.
Consumer reports state that the Acura LED headlights look nice, but do not really shine too far in the distance. While the looks are great, I'd prefer function first, form second.
Has anyone else confirmed CR's statement?
I have Xenon's on my current car and my last BMW. My wife has LED's on her new Mini and I can say they are noticeably better than the Xenon's I've had. I have not driven the TLX at night but I expect they will be an improvement over HIDs.
This reminds me of the day when Acura made HID's standard across the board while everyone else made HID's an option. They went away from that with the first generation ILX and now they are back to being the company that makes LED's standard while everyone else either doesn't offer it or have to pay extra for it as a an option.
What are you talking about? Toyota Corolla has it for stand feature. I believe if you go to higher end brands, they are all standard now.
Originally Posted by Rocket_man
I have Xenon's on my current car and my last BMW. My wife has LED's on her new Mini and I can say they are noticeably better than the Xenon's I've had. I have not driven the TLX at night but I expect they will be an improvement over HIDs.
Originally Posted by oonowindoo
what you said could be true but BMW's HID has never been very good.
Not all HIDs are the same just not as all LEDs are the same.
It's not only the light source itself. The lens quality and how they cut. I take photography for an example. My Nikon D700 bodies got obsoleted (on the book), but my 24mm f/1.4 and 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses perform like day one.
What are you talking about? Toyota Corolla has it for stand feature. I believe if you go to higher end brands, they are all standard now.
He's referring to LEDs being standard across the entire lineup, not just on one model. Acura did the same with HIDs, and instead of making them an option, they were just standardized as they rolled out with each model starting back in 1999. You can still buy BMWs, Audis, and Benzes that dont even have HIDs let alone LED lighting.
Audi was first to market with the LEDs, and they just came out with Laser lighting on the new R8 which is going to allow even more intricate, and smaller headlights.
Unfortunately for us Yanks, they don't confirm to federal guidelines, and can't be sold here.... Yet.
what you said could be true but BMW's HID has never been very good.
Not all HIDs are the same just not as all LEDs are the same.
Exactly. Most manufacturers went with cost savings over top quality when it came to projectors. While the 3rd gen Bi-xenon TLs projectors were about the best on the market, there was still a lot to be improved upon with better lenses, improved cutoffs, shimming and bulbs. I have yet to see a LED headlight that can compare to a properly setup HID projector
Then do it! I don't think you will win though.. how can you prove which is best? I mean, how will you test it?
It is typically the projector housing design rather than the HID bulb of the S2000 being brighter than LED.
Its the whole package working as an integrated system. Best is the one that will let you easily see the target as well as off road further out than your speed will cover in a given time. Here, because of a whole mess of wandering deer, off road light is important, so just a pencil beam for distance is not a good plan.
Find a straight dark, no street light road & put a target up 1/4 mile away & light it up. In the event of a tie move the target out to 1/2 mile. Past that it does not seem to matter one way or another. I randomly picked 1/4 mile because when I pull out of the sub-division & go left the first turn is about a 1/4 mile down the road & I like to get light into it.
Last edited by BEAR-AvHistory; 02-26-2015 at 10:31 PM.
Then do it! I don't think you will win though.. how can you prove which is best? I mean, how will you test it?
It is typically the projector housing design rather than the HID bulb of the S2000 being brighter than LED.
how can you test visibility? with your eyes! in a dark road without any street lights.
LEDs are brighter but brighter does not mean better visibility.
The F30 335's HID is shit when compared to my last 2 S2000s. F32 with LED option is "brighter" to your eyes and whiter where the light shines. But you will need a lot of reflectors and/or more LEDs just to create comparable visibility and most of the time LEDs still cannot overcome its "straight and short with dead spots" output pattern.
That is why i said earlier, not all HIDs (not bulbs, but the whole headlight design) are the same, just as not all LEDs are the same. But if you have to pick some of the best HID setup out there compare to the current LED set up, the best HID setup still has the edge.
Last edited by oonowindoo; 02-27-2015 at 03:52 AM.
how can you test visibility? with your eyes! in a dark road without any street lights.
LEDs are brighter but brighter does not mean better visibility.
The F30 335's HID is shit when compared to my last 2 S2000s. F32 with LED option is "brighter" to your eyes and whiter where the light shines. But you will need a lot of reflectors and/or more LEDs just to create comparable visibility and most of the time LEDs still cannot overcome its "straight and short with dead spots" output pattern.
That is why i said earlier, not all HIDs (not bulbs, but the whole headlight design) are the same, just as not all LEDs are the same. But if you have to pick some of the best HID setup out there compare to the current LED set up, the best HID setup still has the edge.
I give up. it matters not that I study lighting, foot candles/Lumens.
I guess we all just have to accept what you say, with no evidence other than your word. *shrug*
Okay, enough derailing this thread with yet another "X is better than Y cuz I like X better" argument.
BTW, my intention wasn't to start a pissing match was merely asking for information of one type of fixture being better than the other. Here's an excerpt regarding the 2:
Headlight versus headlight
According to Motor Trend, you'll notice several important differences in light produced by LEDs, xenon and halogen headlights. LEDs have the coolest color temperature at around 6,000 Kelvin, which makes them appear whiter than daylight. Xenon headlights come in at around 4,500 K, while halogens round out the list at a yellowish 3,200 K.
When it comes to reflection, LEDs offer better light return from road signs, while xenon lamps better illuminate the sides of the road. In part, this is because xenon lamps typically produce more light, measured in lumens, than LEDs.
Both LEDs and xenon provide a large pattern of light on the road, whereas halogens offer a small pool of yellow light directly in front of the vehicle. If you're buying a new car, expect LED headlights to be the premium option, and make sure your auto repair shop is equipped to handle LED headlight replacements and repairs.
BTW, my intention wasn't to start a pissing match was merely asking for information of one type of fixture being better than the other. Here's an excerpt regarding the 2:
Me either. Have you ever spent time on HIDplanet or seen some of the really good HID pics? If not you should check it out.
And the only reason the LED in that article was claimed to have better reflection was because of its K rating, NOT because it was LED is better at it than HID at doing so. Get a set of HIDs properly spaced/modified with 6k bulbs and it will be brighter, shine further and in the case of the useless article you quoted reflect better
Me either. Have you ever spent time on HIDplanet or seen some of the really good HID pics? If not you should check it out.
And the only reason the LED in that article was claimed to have better reflection was because of its K rating, NOT because it was LED is better at it than HID at doing so. Get a set of HIDs properly spaced/modified with 6k bulbs and it will be brighter, shine further and in the case of the useless article you quoted reflect better
Agreed
6K is not better than 4.3k. This is not # game.
The higher # the bluer it gets and the less you will see on the road.
12K HID also exist but you probably can see more with blacklight than 12k HID atnight.
02-22-2015, 07:02 PM
