View Single Post
Old 01-14-2009, 02:42 PM   #19 (permalink)
I-S
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: West Yorkshire, UK
Posts: 2

Accord - '03 Honda Accord Tourer
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
High Brightness LEDs can cause eye damage.

Also, they are not yet as efficient (ie lumens per watt) as HID systems. Further difficulties arise in the way that LEDs produce heat - they require heatsinks/fans on the back of the headlight (the fans using 5W or so of power), and because they don't radiate heat forward, the front glass of the headlight will need a heating system for cold weather. In other words, yet more efficiency losses. HID is currently the most efficient lighting system. Expect to see LEDs become very significant in main beam and DRLs, but for low-beam use they may take a long time to supplant HID. I work for a semiconductor company making driver chips for LEDs, and have some experience with them.
  Reply With Quote