OSRAM LED Lights

Let me know if this scenario sounds familiar. Your headlight breaks down for some reason. You take it to a local mechanic or service center for repair.

They tell you that you will need to replace the bulb, and that is when you are often faced with some tough choices. On the surface, this choice is a simple one.

Do you simply take the OEM piece that they are offering you? Or do you actually spend a few minutes researching the aftermarket options.

Most people deal with this issue by simply opting for the cheaper option. After all, we don’t really notice our headlights until they actually break down. Which thanks to modern manufacturing isn’t that often.

Since it usually takes 3-4 years before you need to even think about a replacement. You aren’t even familiar with the current light technologies.

So, it’s hard to understand the actual difference between what you got from the company. And what you can expect from aftermarket products.

Moreover, not all aftermarket products are made the same. There is a huge difference between a cheap Chinese knock-off. Which doesn’t even come with proper packaging, let alone a warranty. And a properly designed and tested aftermarket option from established brands like OSRAM.

Then, there is the choice of whether you want to keep the same old halogen bulbs. Or go for modern aftermarket LEDs, since OEM LED lights have only been around for the past few years. This trips up the cost factor, as LEDs will always be more expensive than regular old halogens.

Yet they offer certain benefits that you can’t get from a standard OEM light. Let us help clear up this confusion. By listing out some differences between OEM and aftermarket LED lights. So, you can make a more informed decision.

1. Cost: This is the number one differentiating factor between OEM halogens and aftermarket LEDs. Because at the end of the day, it is the one that people take the most personally.

As we have mentioned above, OEM halogens will always be cheaper than aftermarket LEDs. This is why they have been the preference of carmakers for decades.

Moreover, carmakers can get the prices down even further. Since they are always buying in large volumes. So, prices aren’t bound to go up, even in the case of parts shortages in the general market.

But where halogens save on costs, they lose on performance and longevity. Even though performance is an equally important factor to consider. It is the extra longevity that evens up the difference over the lifespan of the bulb.

Thus, making LEDs the better choice, as long as you can absorb the initial extra cost. Which these days isn’t even that high, hovering at an average of around 30-50% over OEMs.

2. Performance: This is one factor where aftermarket LEDs easily trounce OEM halogens. It is also the most obvious difference, as LEDs give you almost twice the usable light.

Even the quality of the light is different, as OEM lights have a warm yellow light. While aftermarket LEDs have a sharp blue light.

It is scientifically proven that while blue light is not as calming on the eyes as yellow light. It is still a lot more bright and powerful.

This is also where quality LED lights from brands like OSRAM differentiate themselves. As they produce a lot less glare than cheaper alternatives that don’t focus on this aspect.

So far, we have been talking about performance in terms of lumens and usable light. But another aspect of performance in headlights is throw. Which is where LEDs often shine brighter at a shorter distance and cover a wider area.

There is some debate about how far LEDs can create visibility in adverse conditions. Versus halogen bulbs, which are often claimed to offer better visibility. Due to the warmer yellow light that is often claimed to refract less.

However, the difference isn’t so high that you would consider it an actual hindrance. Overall, aftermarket LEDs will always be an upgrade when it comes to performance. So, go for them if that is your main selection criteria.

3. Thermal Efficiency: This is a big difference between OEM halogens and aftermarket LEDs. One that has to do with how the different systems produce light.

In halogen bulbs, light comes as a byproduct of a chemical process. Which also releases heat, causing energy loss as a side effect. This heat not only wastes a portion of input energy, but it also reduces the lifespan of the bulb.

LEDs don’t use a chemical process therefore they don’t waste energy creating heat. The components do heat up as a result of sustained operation. But that heat release is far more manageable with modern cooling systems.

Therefore, aftermarket LEDs are a lot more thermally efficient. While also needing a lot less energy to operate. So much so, that aftermarket LEDs can produce twice the light of a halogen bulb. While using barely 8-12W of energy input. Even though it would take the halogen around 35-50W to produce half the amount of usable light.

4. Lifespan: Another side effect of the extra heat produced by halogens is the loss of lifespan. When components heat up more often, they tend to break down faster.

This is why older incandescent bulbs used to burn out in over a year of operation. Halogens are a lot better than those and can work for up to 3 years before breaking down. There are certain companies like OSRAM, which produce even longer-lasting halogens. Under their Ultra Life series of halogen bulbs.

However, they still can’t match up to LED technology. Which by its very nature produces a lot less heat, and therefore bulbs can last for as long as 5-6 years. While producing more light at the same time.

This makes them the obvious choice, despite the extra upfront cost. As the money you put up gets spread out over a longer period of time.

There are some of the main differences that you can expect between OEM halogens and aftermarket LEDs. Hopefully, it will help you make a better choice the next time you think about upgrading your car’s lighting setup.

As we mentioned in the article about the different types of headlights. Car headlights use two main forms of light production systems these days.

Ironically, the most advanced system present today uses a relatively older method. When compared to the runner-up. Which was essentially supposed to render that process obsolete.

Instead, in the last few years, the industry has done a 180 turn, as we move back to innovating in the original realm. Even as most car manufacturers are rushing to adopt the latter as the new standard.

We are of course talking about the key difference between LEDs and Laser Light systems. Which work on the principles of electroluminescence and chemiluminescence respectively.

As the name suggests, electroluminescence means producing light through the use of electricity. While chemiluminescence means producing light by triggering a chemical reaction.

Despite the difference in the end result. Both processes need some form of electricity to power them. As the chemiluminescence process is usually triggered by running an electric current through different gases and metals.

Let us take a closer look at both these systems, and how they approach this process. It will help us get a better idea of the advantages and disadvantages associated with both.

LED Lights

LED stands for Light Emitting Diodes. In layman’s terms, this refers to the semiconductor which helps produce the light. The LED system uses the most basic form of electroluminescence. By firing electrons towards positively charged holes in the semiconductor.

This process causes the release of energy as photons, which are particles of light. This is a pretty simple process, which doesn’t rely on any other material to cause the reaction.

Instead, the semiconductor itself is the reactant, while the electricity is the catalyst. This makes it a pretty energy- efficient system.

Since the process doesn’t result in the loss of a large amount of energy, in the form of heat. This is unfortunately a big side effect of older gas-based bulbs.

In a proper headlight housing, this system can produce enough light, to light up an area of up to 300 meters in front of the vehicle. This is almost twice the usable visibility, in comparison to halogen bulbs. Which were the global standard for chemical-based lighting. Before HID’s and Lasers came on the scene.

Laser Lights

As the name suggests, these modern systems use lasers to produce light. The thing to keep in mind is that it’s not the laser itself that produces the light we see.

Instead, the laser is simply used to energize a concentrated collection of phosphorus gas. Which in turn produces the bright light we associate with these kinds of headlights.

Thus, the process reverts back to the use of chemiluminescence. Which is essentially the process of producing light through a chemical reaction.

The light is then sent out through a standard reflector setup. Which can be further augmented through the use of projector lenses. Although we have yet to see such a system put in place. Considering how expensive it already is to create laser light systems.

While on paper, it is a similar process as halogen or HID bulbs. The end result, however, is vastly different. As these laser systems don’t suffer the same shortcomings of their predecessors. In terms of both the size of the system, as well as the energy required to power it.

Since the phosphorous chamber is a lot smaller than the old-school systems. Which were often used to store halogen and xenon gases in relatively older lighting rigs.

At the same time, the laser itself is a lot more efficient than the filaments that were often used before. In terms of both energy input and thermal output.

This clearly shows the massive evolution that these chemical processes have gone through. To be able to still be relevant
in terms of light production.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Now that you know the basic premise behind both kinds of headlight setups. Let us take a look at the different advantages and disadvantages such setups have when compared to each other. Although we must admit, it may seem like a pretty one-sided argument, considering how these systems stack up.

1. Laser systems are a lot more efficient than LED bulbs. Even though LEDs are already pretty energy efficient. With the average LED using barely 10W of power. Modern lasers are still more effective, claiming to use only half that amount.
2. Laser systems also produce a lot more heat than LED bulbs. Since LEDs simply bypass the chemical process, they don’t produce the same amount of heat. While lasers still have to deal with the heat produced while energizing the gas.
   Even though the heat is nowhere near the amount that was usually created by filament-based bulbs. It still requires a more complex cooling system to manage the same.
3. Laser headlights are still 10 times smaller than LED lights. Even though they require more components. Like a cooling system, a phosphorus chamber, and a laser. These components are still separate from each other. Therefore, they can be easily packed into more compact designs.
4. Laser headlights claim to produce up to 1000x the amount of light than LEDs. This is partially made possible by the lens system that helps concentrate the laser. By focusing all the potential energy in a small, dense beam. The amount of light lost in the process is greatly reduced.
   Moreover, by using a lens to focus this beam directly through the phosphorus chamber. The system ensures that all the light produced is also released in a compact beam. Which can be better spread out by the reflectors, over a longer distance.
5. Laser headlights illuminate a large area ahead of the vehicle, as compared to LEDs. The average halogen bulb lights up an area up to 150 meters ahead of the vehicle. LEDs improve this by double, with an average lit-up area of around 300 meters.
   But laser systems take it even further, by increasing the distance to nearly 600 meters. This is initially made possible by the use of modern lasers with more focused beams of light. A special lens helps make this laser light even denser. As well as the inclusion of modern reflector setups. Which can be easily re-designed for better performance. Thanks to the smaller size of the overall laser light assembly.
6. Laser lights are also a lot more expensive than LEDs. Even though LED’s are often considered a relatively new type of lighting system. It still has been around for long enough, that most large manufacturers like OSRAM have gotten the chance to establish large-scale production lines for them. This has helped the price of LEDs come down over time.
   Laser light systems unfortunately are still in an experimental phase. As a result of which, only the most expensive cars from the most luxurious brands seem to feature them. We can hope that over time they too will become a bit cheaper.

But it’s highly unlikely that they will ever go cheaper than LEDs. Which in themselves are still a lot more expensive than last-generation halogens.

We could have said something about the longevity of LED lights. But it is hard to make that point, considering we have so little long-term usage data on laser light systems. Once laser headlights start becoming more popular, we might be able to make a better prediction on whether they can be a long-term solution. For now, they seem to be pretty ahead of
the curve. In terms of both the advantages, as well as the market itself. We’ll just have to wait until the car and component makers start to catch up. Who knows, by then we might invent yet another revolutionary lighting technology that beats both of these modern marvels.

Let us take you to a situation. You are driving and the night falls upon you. You notice other car lights are much brighter and provide a natural gleam when compared to yours. You feel the urge to change or modify those car headlights that you tend to forget about all year round. We understand that feeling and that’s why we have come up with some of the best ways that can help you to select the best headlights for your cars.

Many drivers get down to restoring those lights so that they can perform their function to their full extent but that does not work for a longer duration. Over the years, the plastic lenses working under the harsh sun and thousands of miles of driving, bad road conditions creates a yellow haze on the car lights. If unattended, this will damage the surface of the lights and MoT fail.

To overcome such inconvenience it is always better to start finding the best fit for your car lights. The market is full of various types of light but the most common is Halogen bulbs. Thanks to the ongoing development in this area, you are not stuck with just one type of light but have other upgraded options like LED headlights too. This all-in-one article features everything that you need to bring the best headlamps for your car.

Parameters to select the best car headlights

The first requirement for you to consider is to check what type of bulb is compatible with your car. If you are upgrading your car lights from Halogen to LED lights, then there are Headlight conversion kits available in the market. Different lights come with various fittings and it is always advisable for you to find the exact match for your car lights from your user manual.

Wattage

We recommend you to check the manufacturer’s power rating before you get a new headlight for your car. Usually, it is 55W for most of the lights. Check out the warranty period of your current lights too as while installing the new lights you will have to cut some wires here and there for connecting them to the relay. Thus, canceling your light’s warranty. Yes, you have been warned!

One more common problem is the brightness of lights – the higher the brightness of the headlights lower is the lifespan of the lights. That’s where LED lights come to play. One of the most energy-efficient lights that are available in the market and are very easy to upgrade is OSRAM’s LED car headlights are worth a try if you are looking for highly efficient lights and a longer life span.

The temperature of the light color

The color temperature of the lights is measured in Kelvins (K). As we go up the Kelvin ratings the color of the lights changes. From 3000K to 3400K, the light color is yellow and provides good visibility during foggy days and rainfalls. Car headlights with 3500K to 4400K produce a whitish tint providing a premium look. Most luxury and high-end vehicles usually have these types of headlights.

Going above 4500K, the lights produce a bluish tint that is used for sports cars. These lights are illegal in most countries. You can upgrade your car lights according to government regulations and your vehicle’s requirements. Try to select a headlight that is a perfect balance of the lifespan and a color temperature of 3500K to 4400K.

Types of car headlights

The car headlight market is full of amazing options according to the vehicle specifications. The Halogen lights are fading out and newer technologies such as LED, HID and Laser lights are getting accepted by auto manufacturers. This shift is energy efficient as well as provides a classy look to the vehicles too.

Halogen headlights – These lights contain gas that is a combination of nitrogen and argon and has a tungsten filament enclosed in a glass tube. Due to the filament and these gases, the temperature within the tube increases to quite a higher level. These lights are being used in more than 80% of cars.

High-Intensity Discharge (HID) – These lights produce brighter light when compared to the Halogens. They contain a mixture of gases and metals which generates bright light in white or bluish tint. These lights were first used in the 90s by premium vehicle manufacturers and are now getting accepted by other vehicles too.

The light produced by HID headlights ranges somewhere between 3000K to 4500K and provides better visibility with a single gleam of light. Thus increasing the reaction time to unforeseen hindrances on the roads. These lights consume more vehicle power to start but once they are on, they run on lower power usage. Thus, making them more efficient than Halogens.

Light-emitting diodes (LED) – One of the most recent editions to car
headlights, LEDs are very efficient when compared to their other counterparts. Since their inception in the early 2000s, LED car lights draw around 15 to 18 watts of power while Halogens draw around 55 to 65 watts, and HID consume almost 42 watts.

Due to their compact design, these car bulbs can be installed n any type of vehicle. Thus increasing the customization of the lights, these lights have an incredibly long lifespan of around 30,000 to 40,000 hours. That means these lights can stay with the entire life of your vehicle.

These lights do not produce heat as halogen lights making them a much better option for selecting your car headlights. LEDs come with cooling fans as they produce a small amount of heat.

As the cooling system of these headlights is installed in the engine bay limiting the manufacturers to make lights for certain models. Thus increasing the cost of these lights too. However, if you are looking for an energy-efficient light with a longer life span then LED car headlights are your best option.

Car headlights have changed a lot over the years. In the early days of the automobile, the road conditions themselves were so bad. That most people didn’t even want to drive at night. So, the early cars didn’t even have a dedicated lighting system.

With time cars became more reliable, and road infrastructure started meeting public demand. This led to people venturing out even after sundown.

Seeing this shift, car manufacturers started including headlamps in their vehicles. But during those early days, those headlamps were still not an essential part of the car’s design.

In fact, until the start of the 1900s, most vehicles features old-school gas or oil lamps. This was a big problem, as these lamps couldn’t operate in adverse weather conditions. Moreover, they needed to be refueled each time you took your car out.

This changed in the early 1900s when acetylene gas lamps started becoming popular. They were built better, and the flame could resist wind and rain. They also featured concave mirrors and magnifying lenses to augment the light.

This remained the standard for car lighting until the 1920s. When electric headlights finally started becoming a viable alternative. What sealed the deal was the, at that time, innovative feature of electric lights. Which for the first time allowed drivers to switch between low and high beams. without actually having to stop and get out of the vehicle.

This change to electric lighting made vehicles more reliable and safer. While also making it possible to standardize the headlight designs. It also kicked off the evolution of car headlights. Which started from filament bulbs, and has gradually evolved to the LED lights we see today.

Let us take a look at all the different types of headlights, and how they are improving upon nighttime vision.

Filament Headlights

As we all know, the first electric headlamp light source was the tungsten filament. It operated in a vacuum or near- vacuum state. Where inert gas was essentially sealed inside the headlight along with the filament.

The filament used a lot of power to create light, which was often too low compared to the input required. Moreover, the tungsten used to boil off the surface of the filament and condenses on the bulb glass.

This resulted in the glass becoming blackened, essentially rendering the headlight assembly useless. This could also happen if the seal broke, as the filament would oxidize and burn up.

This meant that you had to replace the entire headlight assembly altogether. Since, in those days, replaceable bulbs were not yet invented. This problem was eventually solved, by moving to a tungsten-halogen combination.

Halogen

Halogen truly changed the game for car headlight systems. Not only were the new bulbs cheaper to produce. They also produced way more light, while using way less energy.

This was initially made possible, by replacing the vacuum inside the bulb with gas. More specifically, pressurized halogen gas, usually iodine or bromine.

The use of these gases prevented the blackening of the bulb assembly. While also making it possible for them to burn brighter.

Moreover, since the bulbs themselves contained the halogen gas. The entire headlight assembly didn’t have to be vacuum sealed. So, in the case of failure, you could just replace the bulb.

This revolutionized the way car manufacturers approached car lighting. As well as the design of the headlights themselves. Since now, car manufacturers didn’t need to worry about having a standardized headlight assembly for all models.

They could simply standardize the bulb itself. Which gave them almost unlimited freedom to change the design of the housing. This is part of the reason why standard reflector style halogen bulbs have remained the universal standard for car lighting for so long.

Brands like OSRAM continue to support and even advance this technology. With new and exciting products, like the high-intensity Night Breaker series. Which provides a light output that almost matches modern HID’s.

Or the more rugged Super Bright series focused on off-road performance. Even the standard halogen bulbs have been heavily updated for a longer lifespan. As seen in the Ultra Life series, which boasts a working lifespan of over 100,000 km. In this way, halogen technology still remains a relevant source of lighting.

Xenon or HID

The next evolution of headlights came in the form of High-intensity discharge bulbs. More commonly known as HID or Xenon headlights.

They work on a similar principle as the CFL bulbs that we use in our homes. This means there is no need for a filament anymore. Instead, the system works by creating a high voltage area between two electrodes.

The remaining space is then filled with a combination of Xenon and Argon gases. Along with the gases, the headlight also contains vaporized metals, which actually emit the light.

The good thing about this system is that it produces an extremely powerful and bright light. This light can be even brighter than LEDs, even though it takes some time to reach this peak brightness.

The bad part of using this system is that it is a lot more expensive than halogen bulbs. Moreover, due to the limited amount of metal present, the lights also burn out sooner than modern LEDs.

Which means you don’t necessarily get a longer lifespan than standard halogens. Even if the lighting performance is miles ahead.

This is why such systems are only used in more expensive cars. Where they can be easily supplemented by other additional lights. That don’t suffer from these limitations. A good example of a usable HID light is OSRAM’s XENARC series. Which features similar sub-categories, like the Night Breaker, the Super Bright, and the Ultra Life.

LED

Another reason why HID’s never really took off in mass-market applications was due to LEDs. LEDs basically sidestepped all the problems associated with using gas-based lighting. By instead focusing on electroluminescence.

This is just a fancy word for what happens when electrons are basically fired towards positively charged holes in a semiconductor. As a result of this action, they release energy as photons, which are the building block of light. 

Since all the complicated components are essentially replaced by a light-emitting diode. It makes it possible to fit the whole setup in a smaller size. Thus, allowing for more compact bulb and headlight designs.

All this, while delivering almost the same levels of light output as HID’s. Without the same high-energy requirements. The system doesn’t even produce excess heat when compared to the older systems. Which allows it to last longer and perform better.

Once again, this system is a lot more expensive than halogens but offers a lot more value than even HID’s. This is part of the reason why it has been mostly adopted as the new standard of car lighting.

Companies like OSRAM have started to create their own versions of these LED lights. With the famous Night Breaker series witnessing an LED upgrade. Along with the LEDriving XTR series for off-road performance, or the HL series for highway use.

Laser

Even as carmakers have barely started adopting LEDs as the standard across the board. We are already witnessing the next big leap in lighting technology.

Interestingly, this evolution is coming with a step back in terms of the science itself. As the new laser light systems once again use gas to produce light.

This new system is basically based on the already established principle of chemiluminescence. Where phosphorus gas is essentially energized with the help of lasers. Instead of an electric current.

The lasers are initially focused with the help of special lenses. Which directs the laser light to the gas chamber. The light produced as the result is then directed using a standard reflector setup. In this manner, this technology combines the best of both worlds.

This hybrid system is truly revolutionary. As it can produce up to 1000 times the amount of light as standard LEDs. While consuming barely half the energy.

This translates to laser lights being able to illuminate almost twice the distance. When compared to standard LED lights used today. While being almost 10 times smaller than LEDs.

As you can expect, this level of performance and design upgrade comes at a high cost. Which is part of the reason why we have yet to see laser systems go mainstream.

Brands like OSRAM are working on creating their own solutions for this category. We can expect it to get more widespread acceptance, once those come to market. For now, we will just have to wait and see how long that takes. And whether we see another new type of headlight system emerge in the meantime.

Off-road driving is pretty hard, no matter if you are interested in slow-paced rock crawling, or fast-paced desert running. The terrain is unpredictable at best, with weather elements changing the conditions of the course seemingly overnight.

You can prepare your vehicles all you want for such off-road applications. But if you can’t see the obstacles in your path, you and your vehicle remain pretty vulnerable.

This is why a lot of people who regularly participate in this past time. Invest their time and energy in creating special off- road lighting rigs. That can be then used to illuminate your path in such adverse conditions.

These lighting rigs often consist of multiple spotlights. That offer different intensity of lights, set at different angles. To offer a wide range of coverage at different distances.

However, you can’t simply use any type of light for these applications. Especially when we are talking about modern lighting solutions featuring HIDs and LEDs. What you need are special spotlights meant for off-road use.

Which can sustain the damage done to such rigs during rigorous off-road use. By the general vibrations and wear and tear put of them. These spotlights often feature a handful of powerful LED bulbs. Protected by hardened plastic and metal components.

These bulbs can’t exactly match the intensity of official headlights used by cars. But do offer a powerful lighting solution for situations that need extra lighting. Which is partly also the reason why people use multiple such spotlights in a single rig.

Depending on the brand and price point in question, these lights also differ in build quality and design. But in general, most of them still resemble the off-road rally lights we used to see in rally race cars. For this example, we will focus on OSRAM spotlights.

Wide Beam Spotlights

One of the more basic spotlights available in OSRAM’s range of off-road lights, is the LEDriving Cube MX85-WD. It is a stylish and compact spotlight that comes with its own mount.

While the mount is made of metal, the spotlight body itself features high quality plastic. The body is wrapped around a sturdy aluminum housing. Which houses a stable polycarbonate lens.

All these components are meant for high-stress use. And are tested for the same before they are put on sale. These tests are validated under the IP-Protection Class IP67. This translates to hundreds of hours of rigorous testing in a DIN certified environmental simulation laboratory.

Under these tests, these lights are put under extreme external influences. Such as water, dust, impacts, heat, cold and permanent vibration. These tests are conducted randomly on samples from different batches. To maintain true impartiality and proper quality control. These reliability of these components under such stressful conditions, is what gives the company the confidence to attach a 5 year warranty with such products.

In terms of lighting itself, this spotlight offers two distinct modes. One is a regular beam mode, while the other delivers a stylish X-shape light. In either mode, the spotlight can light up a distance of up to 55 meters. The beam is set at a wide- angle of up to 43.5 degrees. And offers up to 1250 lumens of useful illumination.

The beam has a cool bright white light of around 6000K, which only requires around 12W of power input to run them. The great thing is that the light also features over and under voltage protection. So, the system will automatically break the circuit if the power exceeds the pre-determined limit.

The mount makes the beam adjustable, if only vertically. And also offers a simple way of mounting the light to any existing bumper or rooftop. It also separates the light housing from the vibrations themselves. These factors work together to ensure the light lasts you for the up to 5000 hours of usability the company claims with the product.

Far Field Spotlights

If you want a similar level of performance, but over longer distances. Then the OSRAM LEDriving Cube VX80-SP is a better option to try. It features a similar looking design, but with a thicker housing and a swivel mount instead.

This translates to a wide range of movement, along with a more usable beam of light. The light is powered by 4 powerful, high-performance long-life LEDs. They are housed is larger reflector housings, which can focus the beam for as long as 114 meters.

The individual LEDs are larger themselves, and offer a brighter output of up to 1300 lumens. It is the same 6000K light as other spotlights and headlight LEDs. And comes with a similarly long lifespan of up to 5000 hours.

You even get the same high-quality materials such as the aluminum housing and the stable polycarbonate lens. All of which have been tested and validated under the same the IP-Protection Class (IP67). For extreme external influences regarding water, dust, impacts, heat, cold and permanent vibration.

The only difference between the two lights is the inclusion of an integrated driver and thermal management system. These systems regulate the temperature of the LED spotlight. Thus preventing permanent damage caused by overheating. This works in tandem with the polarity protection. Which inhibits the wrong polarity of the voltage supply and can thus prevents possible damage by automatically switching off the LEDs.

Even with all this extra output and features, the light sips an even more conservative energy input of just 7.5W. Thus making this spotlight at even more attractive proposition. For people looking to transition from heavy-duty 100W+ halogen bulbs. That are traditionally used for off-road applications.

If you too are looking to upgrade your personal lighting rig for off-road use. Then these spotlights make for a good starting point. You can always explore our other off-road offerings for a more comprehensive system build. And create your own version of a 360 degree lighting solution.

Halogen vs LED light options have been a hot topic for debate for years now. Even though LED lights are the default choice when it comes to car lighting solutions these days. Even though this isn’t enforced by law in all countries. This change has gradually taken place over the last decade. As LED bulbs went from being a luxury option available in only top-end models. To the standard for most new models released these days.

There are obvious advantages to making this switch. Not only do car headlights look cooler with the intense beams of lights provided by LED’s. They also perform better than the halogen bulbs that were generally used in cars before LED’s.

On top of that, their compact design also allows for more variation in headlight design. As carmakers don’t have to leave a lot of space to get the same amount of lighting. This means that not only can the bulb housing itself be smaller. But also, the reflectors don’t need to be as big to light up the same amount of area.

This doesn’t mean that halogen bulbs have gone out of favor though. Millions of cars running on the road today still use them as their only lighting solution. And car parts makers have tried over the years to improve this relatively old technology. To the point that even though halogens can’t beat LED light performance. They are still at least twice as
effective as previous-generation versions. Plus, there is also the fact that they are still cheaper than most LED upgrades. This is why a lot of people feel hesitant about making the switch. Today, we will explore a few products from both sides to see how they match up. And how much difference it is going to make if you do end up picking one over the other.

Stock Replacement Halogen Vs LED

This is the most common version of both lights that people generally pick. Stock replacement bulbs are easily available at most car part shops. They don’t cost that much when compared to the higher-end lights. But are still strong enough to comply with the required 150m limit. Which is the minimum area that all headlight bulbs must light up to be street legal.

If you are looking for a completely stock experience, you can pick OSRAM’s ‘Original Line’. Which are OEM halogen bulbs that most car manufacturers already use or recommend. They offer standard lighting performance associated with stock halogen bulbs. As well as the expected average lifespan that goes along with this technology.

We mention lifespan because that is the next big argument against halogen bulbs. Once you get past the fact that they offer subpar lighting performance. If you prefer something more reliable and long-term. We would suggest switching to the Ultra Life line. Which offers the same level of performance, but increases the lifespan to up to 100,000kms.

These bulbs stack up against OSRAM’s own LEDriving HL series. Which are stock replacement LED bulbs that offer up to 200% better performance. Without compromising on the lifespan either. As even with the Ultra Life line, the factory guarantee is only 3 years. But with the HL line, it goes up to 5 years.

They also do it with way less power input. Since the stock halogen bulbs require 50-75W of power to deliver their output. Depending on the ECE type bulb you are looking to replace. While LED bulbs can do the same in around 18W of power.

As you can see, the difference in performance and efficiency is quite significant. But the area where halogen bulbs still offer competition is pricing and even variety. Since there are only a handful of models of LED lights on the market today. But halogen bulbs come in all shapes, sizes, and even colors.

Take the Cool Blue series from OSRAM as an example. People who don’t like the yellow light of halogens can go for these upgrades. They are still halogen but offer a different kind of light. The Cool Blue Intense Halogen bulbs for example deliver a light that has a temperature of 4200K. Which matches that of modern HID bulbs.

Just by making this change, this bulb delivers 20% more brightness than the Original Line. Even though both are halogen bulbs that work on the same technologies. Another option is the Next-Gen Cool Blue Intense halogen bulb. Which kicks the color temperature up to 5000K. To match the light of modern LED bulbs. In doing so, it also pushes the brightness up by around 100%.

As you can see, the light temperature has a significant impact on the brightness levels. Even though it can’t cover the gap in general performance, or even lifespan. But, it’s still good to have all these options. As you can experiment with different products to see exactly how much benefit you get.

Off-Road Halogen vs LED Bulbs

For off-road conditions, you need more intense light that can illuminate a larger area. Since you must not only be able to see the immediate front of the vehicle. But also, the surrounding terrain, which could hold all sorts of dangers.

Halogen bulbs deal with this responsibility by kicking up the wattage. To produce a more intense light that is more usable in an off-road nighttime setting. Of course, this also means that they generally lose their ECE certification. Making them a risk for your vehicle’s warranty.

If you still want to stick to halogens, you can go for OSRAM’s Super Bright range. It has two different bulbs, a regular and a Premium. That offer lighting solutions for off-road use. They are not just brighter than regular halogen bulbs, but also far sturdier. Thanks to special design changes that help them survive rougher environments. They also suck up a lot more energy as well. With different variations needing anything from 75-100W and more.

Once again, if you prefer the cooler light of LED’s but still want to stick to halogens. You have the option to go for the Cool Blue Boost halogen bulb instead. That delivers a hyper-white 5500K light for off-road use. It makes a great mid-way point between halogens and LED’s. Since it isn’t as expensive as LED’s. But the light temperature is the closest you can
get to matching actual LED lights.

These halogen bulbs compete with OSRAM’s own LEDriving XTR series. Which are off-road LED’s that deliver an intense beam of 6000K temperature light. They feature a unique BeamGuide technology, which helps focus the light better. As well as a special fan to keep the light cool under constant use. This is part of the reason LED’s last much longer even in off-road conditions.

Once again, the difference in performance is quite substantial. But is only dwarfed by the difference in power consumption. Where off-road LED’s really shine. As the XTR delivers twice the usable light as the halogen bulbs. While only using 18W of power, compared to their 100W. When you multiply that by the longer lifespan, that is almost four times better. It becomes obvious why LED lights have replaced halogens in modern cars.

However, some people still trust halogens a lot more in adverse weather conditions. Due to the alleged benefits of yellow light over blue light in bad weather conditions. We even did a whole blog explaining the difference between the two. We recommend reading that before making the final decision between these options.

High-Performance Halogen vs LED Lights

Of course, for some people, nothing works but the best. These kinds of buyers look for the highest-performance option in everything. When it comes to high-performance car lights though. Nothing works better than OSRAM’s Night Breaker series. This range contains both LED and halogen bulbs. That offers the best visibility in all types of weather conditions.

For people who need halogen bulbs, the baseline option is the Night Breaker Silver. It offers up to 100% more brightness than regular halogens. And can deliver a beam of up to 130m. This is the starting line of the range. With other versions going even higher.

Such as the Night Breaker Laser halogen bulb. Which uses a special filament to deliver 150% more brightness than stock halogens. The light is also 20% whiter than regular halogens. And can cover a distance of up to 150m meters ahead. This beats the performance of every other halogen bulb available. While still being the second-best in the lineup.

The title for the brightest halogen light from OSRAM goes to the Night Breaker 200 bulb. Which as the name suggests offers 200% more brightness than a stock halogen bulb. This is the closest any halogen bulb has ever come to matching the light output of LED’s. It only works with H4 and H7 housings though and comes with a shiny mirror chrome cap.

Sadly, even this can’t beat the Night Breaker H7 LED. Which is the first street-legal LED replacement lamp from the brand. This LED light offers 220% more brightness than a regular halogen bulb. With an intense cool 6000K temperature light beam that is 20% whiter. It also does all this while reducing the glare by 50%. And consuming far less power as well.
Since the halogen bulbs still need at least 75W of power input. While the LED ones barely go past 18W.

As you can see, no matter which segment we focus on. The comparison between Halogen vs LED light options comes out the same. Now, if money is your only concern, then you have seen all the bulbs you can get in the halogen segment. Make sure you research them all before making the final decision. But, if you truly want the best lighting performance,
we would still recommend switching to LED’s. The final decision is, of course, yours.

When it comes to lighting up your existing vehicle. Most people still rely on upgrading their existing lighting setups. Such as replacing halogen headlight bulbs with HIDs and LEDs. Or going a step further to replace the fog lights as well. With more high-performance lights.

These solutions are good enough for most on-road applications. Where the only purpose of the lights is to illuminate the road. But what if you want to do more with lights. What if you wanted to create a custom lighting setup just for your vehicle?

One that is not just focused on illuminating the area around you, but your vehicle itself. We saw this kind of lighting trend first rear its head in the early 2000s. When the fast and furious franchise, as well as certain racing video games, helped popularize this trend.

Soon, people were seen lighting up all parts of their vehicles. From placing LEDs in wheel wells, to under the hood, and even under the vehicle itself. Some even went the extra mile and added such LED lights inside their vehicles too.

In most cases, these lights were used as a plug-and-play solution. With only a handful of operating modes. That can be set once and left running. This has changed with time though. As, over the years, lighting setups have become a lot more sophisticated.

These days, even basic lighting strips come with their own remote controls. That lets you adjust the light color, intensity, and even the lighting pattern. To create distinct lighting setups that can be changed on the fly.

Along with the technology, the perception of such lighting has also changed over the years. Back then, these lights were considered tacky and over-the-top and only used by the street tuner crowds. But today, they can be found in the most expensive vehicles around. Built-in straight from the factory and tuned to match specific themes of the car UI.

Unfortunately, this acceptance has also created a weird new level of car feature hierarchy. With these lights going from an overlooked feature that costs no extra money. To being counted as a luxury one, reserved only for top models.

Thankfully, just because the companies have decided that these lights should suddenly come with a premium cost. That doesn’t mean you have to pay for them. You can still create your own custom rig for remote-controlled lighting.

In fact, brands like OSRAM offers lots of options for such applications. From light bulbs to LED strips, and everything in between. In this article, we will take a look at a few such products and how they can help you light up your car in interesting colors and patterns.

One of the most common types of remote-controlled LED lights comes in the form of lighting strips. OSRAM features the same under the title LEDambient TUNING LIGHTS. These strips feature a large number of individual LEDs that can be tuned to display 16 different light colors and brightness levels.

Each LED can be changed individually, with the option to switch between five different operating modes. You get a remote along with each kit, which can be used to make said changes from inside the safety of your vehicles.

You can extend the reach of these strips by using special Extension Kits that can be combined with the Base kit. They can all be joined together and powered through the basic 12-volt car adapter. You can even wire them directly to the vehicle’s circuit board. To avoid using up the 12-volt adapter, just in case your car only has one.

Thanks to the self-adhesive tape that comes attached to the strips, you can easily set them in any pattern your wish to emulate. This offers an unprecedented level of flexibility when it comes to lighting the exterior or interior of your vehicle. Each strip comes with a 2-year guarantee so that you get the most out of your money spent.

In addition to just lighting up your car, these remote-controlled lights can even be synchronized with your audio setup. To create a live lighting experience that matches the soundtrack you are listening to. To accomplish this, you will need to get the LEDambient PULSE CONNECT from OSRAM.

This type of remote-controlled LED is quite larger than a LED strip. Instead, it comes in the shape of a small disk that features a chrome finish. In addition to the simple wiring setup for electricity, these small bulbs also feature Bluetooth connectivity. This allows them to be connected to the OSRAM LEDambient CONNECT app. Which allows you to control the color, mode, and pulse of the light, and sync it with the beat of your music.

You can connect any number of lights in this way, and sync them individually for the best effect possible. Once again, you can place these lights on both the exterior and interior of the car. With components that are guaranteed to last up to 2 years of regular use.

The third and most unique lighting solution we would like to feature in this article is the LEDambient HYBRID CONNECT. This is a special type of lighting rig that combines the benefits of a traditional headlight with color-changing LEDs.

The main section of this light features a high-performance halogen bulb that delivers a straight beam of light like any other headlight bulb. It is surrounded by a number of color-changing LEDs, which can be individually controlled to display various colors and patterns.

This makes for a unique lighting pattern that can emulate different shades of the rainbow. You can it all with the OSRAM LEDambient CONNECT app. Which is designed to let you control color, mode, and multiple compatible products with one device.

Just by replacing your existing headlight bulbs with these special ones. Will go a long way in creating the unique lighting look you desire. Just make sure you are willing to accept the fact that some of these products may just void the warranty of your vehicle.

When it comes to well-lit city roads, it is easy to compare LED light performance with halogens. As in most such scenarios, the ambient lighting available is enough to fill the gap.

But when we go towards more rough terrain. Like the mountains, or a desert, or even a fast-paced off-road rally trail. Then you need to consider your lighting options more seriously. As the difference between life and death can be literally decided by a few lumens.

This is a reality that most off-road enthusiasts are aware of. This is why you often see multiple light sources on off-road vehicles. From upgraded stock lights to long-throw spotlights. And all types of modern LED bars that take up the entire roof. With a promise to light up the non-existent road ahead, as if it were still daytime.

If you too enjoy such a lifestyle, you should also start looking into some lighting upgrades. There are lots of options to choose from, at various price ranges. Depending on your budget, you can either go for simple stock replacements upgrades. Or create a more robust 360-degree lighting rig. That can show you exactly where you are, and what all is present around you.

We will be presenting a few for you to consider as part of your own off-road lighting setup. That can be easily considered for the category of off-road high-performance LED lights.

LEDriving XTR

These are stock replacement bulbs for off-road use sold by OSRAM. They will fit most vehicles, so you can get this upgrade even if your car doesn’t fit in the off-road category. They offer a strong beam of cool bright 6000K light. With enough force to output 1400-1700 lumens depending on whether you are in low or high beam.

All this, while taking in barely 18W of energy input. This is almost 70% more efficient than a standard halogen bulb. While still beating it in terms of light output. Not only that, but these LED bulbs also last a long time. Thanks to the presence of dedicated off-road brackets that keep the light safe. As well as in-built fans that keep the mechanism cool. Even under non-stop use in less than ideal conditions.

You can easily expect such off-road stock replacement LED lights to last up to 2000 hours or more. As the company itself offers a 3-year guarantee on the product.

LEDriving Lightbar VX500-CB

While upgrading your existing bulbs is a good starting point. It doesn’t even begin to cover off-road lighting needs. What you need is a special light that supplements your existing setup. Without being a nuisance to oncoming traffic.

Old school off-road enthusiasts used to make do with halogen spotlights. That they would string together on the bumpers. However, that is a messy solution that requires far more power than necessary.

These days you can easily find a LED lightbar that can take place of dozens of spotlights. And still beat them in terms of light output. Especially when it comes to modern off-road high-performance LED lightbars. That contains dozens of individual LEDs in a single compact housing.

OSRAM’s LEDriving Lightbar VX500-CB is a great example of such a quality spot-lightbar. It features 48 high-performance LED’s that deliver up to 4100 lumens of peak power. Since the beam is so focused and narrow, it can light up an area of up to 238 meters in front of the vehicle.

All that while barely taking in 72W of power. Halogen spotlights used to take more than that for a single light. So, you can just imagine how efficient these new setups can be. Especially when the housing takes less space than 3-4 halogen spotlights. While being exponentially sturdier and more reliable than the ones it replaces.

So much so, that the lightbar has an IP69K rating for durability and off-road readiness. And can sustain as much as 5000 hours of rough use before failure. The great thing is that despite this high level of performance. These lightbar are often legal for regular use thanks to their small size.

LEDriving VX1000-CB SM

Rooftop lightbars are a necessity for off-road drivers. As they help illuminate the larger swathe of land that is in front of the car. This is important for driver safety. Since stock lights are generally located quite low on the car body. And can’t really spread the light far or high enough for proper visibility.

Before lightbars came along, people used to string together spotlights on the roof. To make their own version of a lightbar. However, that sort of setup takes up too much power. An easier and more preferable solution these days is using an LED lightbar.

OSRAM’s LEDriving VX1000-CB SM is a great such lightbar that features 36 high-performance LEDs. That delivers a steady beam of 6000K white light, with up to 6000 lumens of peak power. This is enough to light up an area upto 525 meters in front of the vehicle.

All that while taking in barely 108W of power. That is equivalent to a single halogen spotlight. While delivering an immense upgrade in performance. What makes it truly special is the use of aluminum housing and a stable polycarbonate lens. Which gives it enough durability to earn the IP69K Protection rating.

This means that it can handle water, dust, impacts, heat, cold and permanent vibrations. All of this is in a compact design that is ECE-certified for legal use in passenger vehicles.

LEDriving Reversing FX120S-WD

When most people talk about lighting solutions, they never talk about reversing lights. Even though reversing in an off- road setting is the most vulnerable position you can be in. Since even a gap of a few centimeters can make the difference between life and death.

This is where you need a proper spotlight for the rear of your vehicle. That can help illuminate the path behind you, as you try to get free of your latest obstacle. Which can be anything, from a desert sand trap to a mountain cliff. In such dangerous situations, you should never compromise on your safety.

We would suggest going with OSRAM’s LEDriving Reversing FX120S-WD. This is a spotlight that features 13 powerful, high-performance off-road LEDs. They are enough to light up an area of up to 36 meters. Which is a decent visibility range to have while backing up.

You will never feel the lack of visibility with this kind of light. As it delivers a strong beam of cool blue 6000K light. Which is powerful enough to deliver 1100 lumens of light. While taking in barely 15W of power. All this is a body that is meant to handle all sorts of abuse. As proven by its IP69K rating, as well as ECE certification.

With just these few lights, you can assure yourself of safety in all sorts of driving conditions. Therefore, we suggest upgrading to off-road high-performance LED lights as soon as possible.

Installing LEDs is a plug-and-play process, but you still need LED installation accessories to do it. These accessories are specifically designed to help your system accept the upgrade. These LED accessories aren’t often discussed on automobile forums. Because most buyers simply focus on the bulb itself.

However, modern cars are pretty sophisticated machines. That have an extensive electrical system to manage each aspect of the vehicle. And there are specific sensors dedicated to ensuring the proper working of headlights. So, you can simply swap a bulb and expect it to be over.

What you need are a few LED installation accessories that will help bypass these systems. So your vehicle doesn’t reject the upgrade. This is part of the reason why LED upgrades generally void the car warranty in a lot of countries. This is why we suggest this upgrade mostly for older vehicles who are already out of warranty.

Here are the main components that you will need to invest in. We are going to be picking things from a single family of products. This makes it easier to put everything together. Since they have already been properly optimized to work with each other.

1. LED Cap: This is the first part of the headlight housing that you need to modify. The headlight cap helps provide a base for the mounting brackets to go in. You simply need to take out the light housing from the lamps. Then remove the stock cap and ring from the base. Then replace them with an aftermarket cap for LED lights. OSRAM LEDriving Cap is a good example of this. Once that is properly fixed you can move on to the next step.
2. Mounting Brackets: As you can guess, these help mount the LED light into the housing. Since LEDs are a lot more compact than regular halogen bulbs. You need special mounting brackets to help them fit in the existing housing. OSRAM makes separate mounting brackets under the LEDriving Adapter nameplate. The street-legal version is officially used for mounting the Night Breaker LED lamps. While the off-road version is for the LEDriving H7 off-road LEDs.
3. LED CANBUS: A CANBUS refers to a Controller Area Network Bus. This system is specifically attached to the headlights to monitor their condition. It reports back to the general control unit of your vehicle. And can detect when one or more lights become defective.
   When you attach a stock replacement LED to your existing headlight module. It can trigger the vehicle’s lamp failure detection system. This is why you need to replace the existing CANBUS with one that is specifically made to recognize LEDs. OSRAM LEDriving SMART CANBUS is an example of such a system. That acts as a bypass for the detection system. And lets you install H7 LED retrofit lamps. An additional bonus of these modules is that they enable flickering-free operation.
4. LED CANBUS Control Unit: While this is not a compulsory component, it is a nice fail-safe to have. Sometimes when you change so many components of a headlight. The onboard computer can put up an error message. This can prevent the vehicle from running the lights. Even when everything is properly installed. This is when you need an additional control unit for the CANBUS. OSRAM’s LED CANBUS Control Unit is good for this job.
   You can use all these components together to successfully install stock replacement LEDs in your car. They will work together seamlessly to give you a reliable lighting experience. Make sure you check with your local mechanic to see if your system needs any more modification.

LED Headlights are a must-have upgrade for driving enthusiasts all over the world. Not only because of the performance upgrade they offer over halogen bulbs. But also because of their superior safety benefits in bad weather conditions.

This might seem counterproductive, as most people still consider halogens to be better. Especially for bad weather visibility. But in reality, the difference isn’t enough to cause a visible problem. And you can easily cover for it with the sheer volume of light produced by LED headlights.

But just saying that isn’t enough to convince everyone. So, we will take some time to explore the various aspects of lighting performance. And showcase exactly what kind of bad weather performance you can get out of LED’s. The first aspect we must address is light penetration.

LED Light Penetration

It goes without saying that when it comes to sheer light throwing performance. LED’s handily beat halogen light bulbs by a large scale. To give you an idea of how much better they are, let us reference the term Lux. Lux is the SI derived unit of illuminance. Which is a fancy name for measuring luminous flux per unit area.

The formula for Lux is quite simple. One lux is equal to one lumen per square meter. This is a measure of the intensity of the light. As it hits or passes through a surface. It’s a good measure of how our eyes perceive light in different conditions. And as it passes through different mediums.

In general weather conditions, LED lights easily beat halogen bulbs in terms of Lux. So much so, that the cool light of LED’s can deliver up to 4500 Lux. While traditional yellow lights barely manage to get up to 2800 Lux. You can see how much of a difference that makes on paper. And this difference also translates to real life. Which is why LED light
upgrades have become so popular. As they can penetrate the darkness far better than halogens ever could.

However, here, we are talking about bad weather performance. Which means conditions where light is either reflected or refracted. By bad weather elements like fog or rain. Here, another aspect of lighting comes into question. Which becomes a big knocking point for LED lights. We are talking about a phenomenon known as light refraction.

LED Light Refraction

When discussing how far light can penetrate, refraction plays a big role. For those who aren’t familiar with scientific terms. Refraction is the change in direction of a wave passing from one medium to another. In road vehicles, this medium change occurs with moisture elements like fog or rain. Which disrupt the beam of lights produced by car headlights.

How much of a disruption occurs depends a lot of the wavelength of the light itself. As it is common knowledge that lights with longer wavelengths aren’t affected as much. As compared to those with shorter wavelengths. As you can probably guess, yellow light has a longer wavelength than blue light.

This means that the disruption caused in terms of the cool blue light of LED’s is much more. When compared to regular halogen bulbs which throw yellow light. Or even LED’s with the same color profile. This is what most car purists bring up when discussing the pros and cons of LED lights.

And on paper, this problem seems to hold up as well. As refraction can cause a large magnitude of lumen loss in LED lights. So much so, that in foggy conditions the lumen throw of LED lights goes down to barely 1500 lux. This seems like a big loss to most. And on paper it is.

But what people don’t realize is that it isn’t as bad in real life conditions. As the amount of visibility is still a lot better than halogen bulbs. Which can barely produce 1200 lux of light throw performance in similar conditions. So, the perceived value of halogens in bad weather conditions is not enough to beat LED’s anyways.

This proves that bad weather conditions don’t make a whole lot of difference. Either from a light penetration aspect, or in terms of light refraction. Where they do make a difference is in light perception.

Light Perception

We were just talking about the wavelength of different colors of lights. And how specific wavelengths affect lighting performance. But another area where light wavelength plays a big role is human visibility.

For people who don’t know. Our eyes are pretty proficient at blocking certain wavelengths of lights. In fact, in daytime conditions our retinas barely get 1% of all UV light sent by the sun.

This situation only gets worse in the dark. As the yellow light of halogens can’t penetrate the dark as much. Nor can our eyes perceive is as good as blue light. Partly because, blue light easily passes through the cornea and lens. To reach the retina. So, we perceive it a lot more, even in the dark. As compared to standard yellow light from halogens.

In real world conditions, this translates to better visibility and light perception. Another aspect that it affects is our body’s circadian rhythm. We know by now that blue light keeps us awake. This is why most smartphones these days come with night modes. That switch the light from blue to yellow-wish during night time.

This is generally meant to help us sleep easier. But that is not something you want to do while driving. Here, that seemingly harsh blue light comes as a boon. As it helps keep us awake and alert. Which in turn cuts down on accidents, especially in bad weather conditions.

By now, we are sure that you can understand exactly how blue light of LED’s are generally affected by bad weather. And the benefits it can have on visibility irrespective of these issues. We hope that this will help you make a more informed decision about upgrading to LED headlights. And not get swayed by general hear say. Which is often based in fear, rather
than facts.