"Warmer" CCT LED Car Headlights

It seems the cooler LEDs for headlights are used for the extra lumens and less heat vs the warmer CCTs. And when it comes to high beams, the LEDs aren’t good enough when compared to halogen or HID. So some of the auto makers (like BMW) are using lasers.

You have a resource on this? I just have really hard time believing this with lights like the neutral white BLF GT throwing neutrally tinted light over a mile and the K1 with the old XHP-35 3000K throwing intense light over long distances.

Headlights are a huge floodlight, not a pencil beam. The LEDs in the BLF GT and the K1 are extremely overdriven. They wouldn’t last very long in the confined headlight enclosure where little cooling is available.

There are a lot of websites that compare halogen, HID, LED, and laser headlights.

Here’s one from BMW: Half a mile visibility with a BMW laserlight

“using laserlight headlights to enhance high beams provides a much greater range than traditional LEDs”

But that resource still doesn’t prove your point that “warm white LED high beams are not feasible.” Furthermore, how many carmakers are actually putting LEPs in car headlights? It’s been years since development started on that, and you can count all the models of cars on your fingers that have them.

I also found this nice resource from the University of Transportation in Michigan… Their research was conducted years ago, and they used 4000K LED headlights, and that was way back when you took a big hit in output from the warmer tints. Now, the outputs have leveled out, or a very close to. I know years ago 3000K hit parity with 4000K and 5000K for LED streetlighting, and now 2700K is near parity to. Their research said to use the warmest CCT feasible, and they were successfully testing 4000K models…

I wonder if there`s some sort of c=tinted spray you could apply to the outside of the headlight in order to get a better tint, kind of like Lee filter but in a spray.

A filter would work but since filters are subtractive, it would significantly reduce the output of the headlights.

This is interesting! It looks like Morimoto is coming out with 3000K LED sealed lights. You can read more here. The photo they show on that thread, assuming that’s the 3000K model in that pickup, they look pretty nice. I wish I could ditch the 6500K blue-rich junk in my car.

Was just about to post the same thing.

Not sure why you are quoting me as saying “warm white LED high beams are not feasible” since I didn’t say that. I stated that cooler CCT LEDs have more lumens than warmer LEDs which could by why auto makers are using them.

Your orginal reply…

At the very least you implied warm white LEDs aren’t feasible for highbeams. In any event, it’s really nice to see one of the first 3000K LED headlights hit the market.

Looks like limited application but maybe they will expand? 3000k seems a bit too warm so hopefully they are really in the 3500+ range… Would be great for fogs, though.

This is really fascinating. Just how would LEP work for cars? Is the intention to use a special lens for it? Because a pencil beam that projects for a mile… doesn’t sound very practical & useful.

Given the research from UMTRI, I would say go as warm as you can. Going higher up, past 3500K, and you start sacrificing the reduced blue that warm tinted LEDs have, and you wind gradually sliding backwards to where we are today. Though, that being said, I would still be “happier” with even 4000K given the horrendous 6500K+ that seems to be most common.

BMW and Audi first introduced LEP high beams in their high-end sports cars back in 2014.

The trickle down to more mainstream models has been slow, but it’s not new territory, and like any other source of light, it’s harnessed through different methods for the intended purpose.

They’re more efficient, and can serve as a single-source, but the other parts of the equation — cost, and regulation — pose constraints.

The costs have to come down, and in the U.S. at least, the laggardly regulators have yet to approve adaptive matrix headlights. The recently passed infrastructure legislation has directed them to do so within two years, so at least one barrier has been overcome, and the luxury brands can bring the feature to the U.S.

Thanks, very interesting. I wonder if there’s any merit to having “road” and “off-road” settings for the high beams. Meaning when off road, the special setting would raise the LEP array just a little for further projection.

Technology has advanced far beyond simply swiveling a reflector or projector of some sort:

Hey, a few weeks back I came across an AliExpress store selling an LED headlight bulb that claimed to have a 4500K option. After going through reviews, I saw that some contained beamshots of the 4500K bulb. Seeing that a set was right about $18 with taxes, I went ahead and ordered a pair. They arrived earlier this week, and they REALLY are 4500K! I compared them to couple of 5000K and a couple of 4000K flashlights, and they do appear to be in between the two temps. The pattern of the low beams are very close to the original, which is very good in regards to opposing traffic (no one has flashed their lights at me, yet). High beams are a little more diffused, but make up for it with the increased output. So far, I’m very pleased with the overall quality of light produced by these bulbs. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000795872757.html

4500K LED left, standard halogen right

Low beam

High beam (Please excuse the extra blue in the shadows. It was a result of editing the pic to compensate for the less sensitive camera sensor.)

Low beam road shot, the high beam shot was too blurry.

Nice, and I’d be tempted to try a pair at 4500K, but got a white-wall shot? Curious about the cutoff up top…

It’s not listed as such. In my opinion I would say that it’s not in the 90’s. But, it appears to be around 80. Again, that’s just my personal opinion and not supported by any tests. Could just be that they’re so much warmer than the 6000K LEDs on the road. The most important thing for me is that greens and browns (specifically for deer) show up well.

I’ll see if I can get a shot tonight. Now, the cutoff probably won’t be as sharp as most current lights, as I have a 96 Explorer with the traditional smooth reflector and “diffusing” optic lens.