OSRAM LED Lights

Modern automobiles are generally equipped with LED lights straight from the company. This has started to become a standard practice across all car manufacturers. Who have now begun to accept the value of LED lights. In terms of both performance upgrades as well as aesthetics.

However, this doesn’t help people who may have bought base variants of their vehicles. Which don’t always feature the
latest LED light technology. Partly because LED lights still aren’t mandatory by law in India. Unlike some other foreign
countries that require them to be standard on all models.

It is also true for the 300 million or so vehicles that already run on Indian streets. Which all feature halogen lamps as their standard lighting solution. While these vehicles aren’t defective in any way. They can’t really match the performance provided by modern LED lights. Which become immediately obvious when you drive a car that does come LED stock lights.

One way to improve this situation is by replacing the headlights with LED retrofits. Depending on your budget, this can mean a lot of different things. From simply replacing the bulbs present in the housing. To changing the entire headlight assembly itself. Along with the wiring that goes into power them. Brands like OSRAM are well known for dabbling in both.

It goes without saying that out of the two options mentioned above. The second option will always be the better one in terms of long-term performance. However, it is also limited to a few models so far. As so far OSRAM only makes headlight assemblies for a handful of models from VW and BMW. For the rest of the market, stock replacement LED lights are the better alternative.

This is due to the fact that not only are these stock replacement LED lights the cheaper option. When compared to replacing the entire headlight assembly. They are also a lot easier to do. As easy as just swapping out the bulbs. You don’t even need to create a separate wiring harness to take advantage of these LED lights.

This means that stock replacement LED bulbs can be easily used to upgrade all sorts of vehicles. From small passenger vehicles, to commercial haulers, and more. Sure, they might be a bit more expensive than your standard halogen bulbs. But they make up for that extra cost with an extra-long life. And a more powerful light throws. That doesn’t deteriorate with age or use.

Just for reference, the long life we are talking about is more than twice the lifespan of halogen. And the more powerful light throws are more than 200% stronger at the same time. All of this performance and longevity doesn’t cost you much in power usage either.

As LED lights are up to 4 times more efficient than regular halogen bulbs. Which can consume up to 100W or more. While most stock replacement LED lights barely use 20-30W even at peak performance. So, in a way, not only are you improving your own safety by using better lighting solutions. You are also reducing the load on the car’s electrical system. Which doesn’t have to expend a lot of energy to keep you safe. Thus, ensuring a longer life for your batteries in turn.

These benefits alone should be enough to justify the switch to LED light bulbs for cars. You can pick from multiple options sold by brands like OSRAM. Which offer specialized products for all types of car headlights. From street legal options like the Night Breaker H7-LED. To the more versatile LEDriving HL series.

The Night Breaker series is OSRAM’s first street-legal stock replacement LED light. It is a basic plug-and-play solution that can fit most cars. It offers a strong cool white light that can go up to 6000K. The light barely takes 19W of power input. And delivers more than two times improvement in light output. The beam has been specifically designed to reduce the glare by up to 50%. Which is a big relief for people who are generally concerned about glare caused by white light bulbs.

This series meets the legal standards set for ECE R112 bulbs. Which means you can use them in commercial vehicles as well. Without worrying about voiding the warranty of the vehicle. OSRAM also sells secondary housing parts that help retrofit your existing vehicles. Just in case your vehicle doesn’t support simple swaps.

For people who aren’t concerned with ECE certifications. The LEDriving HL series offers a wider range of products. That fit H1, H4, H7, H11, and even HB4 lights. These lamps are 12V compatible. And come with an even longer lifespan that is proudly backed by a 5-year guarantee from the company.

Another benefit of these stock replacement LED lights is that they fit in a smaller housing. Which means there is more space inside the headlight assembly for heat dissipation. It also means that the light throw is also a lot tighter and evenly distributed. Which plays a big role in reducing glare.

The only caveat as we mentioned is the street-legal certification of these lights. Which means that installing them might void the warranty of the car. So, we suggest waiting until the warranty period is over before doing any upgrades. Which shouldn’t be that much of a problem, since most cars only offer 2-3 years warranties. That are usually cut short long
before that period. As people often cross the maximum kms driven limit well before that time.

So, if you too own a car that still runs halogen bulbs. Then it might be the right time to talk with your local mechanic about stock replacement LED lights. They can be easily found in most well-stocked car accessory shops. Or even on online e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. Where you can compare and contrast with other brands. To see which one fits your needs the best.

Once you have selected the one that is right for you. The installation process itself should take less than 30 minutes. Once completed, we guarantee that you will immediately notice the difference. And hopefully feel a lot safer on the roads at night.

When it comes to our car headlight bulb, we generally accept what the car manufacturers give us. Whether they are standard halogen, or state-of-the-art LED’s. The only time we pay attention to what we have is when they break down. That is when most people take out the owner’s manual to try and see what they have and whether it is worth upgrading.

In most such cases, the answer to that last question will always be yes. Because up until the last few years, most car manufacturers were happy with halogen bulbs. They were a lot cheaper, and broke more frequently. Which gave them an easy source of spare part income. Not to mention they also don’t face legal hurdles with halogen bulbs. Which is one of the major factors that have kept LED headlights for car from going mainstream. Because a lot of people are still not aware that most LED’s aren’t street legal.

But now that LED’s have gotten more popular, there is a need for street legal LED bulbs. Bulbs that can be retrofit in existing cars running on the road. A good example of such led headlights for car is the OSRAM Night Breaker H7-LED. It is one of the first street legal LED bulb for passenger cars.

Not only does it have ECE certification, but is also approved for street use. In countries like Germany, Austria, Croatia, and more.Not only that, but due to the nature of LED’s, they are also a lot more efficient than the halogen bulbs they replace. A basic measurement tool for this is the power input required to run them. For example, a standard halogen bulb needs almost 125W to deliver up to 2000 lumens of brightness. While LED’s can do the same in less than 20W of power input.

Another basic measure of how LED headlights for car are a better option is color and temperature. Halogen bulbs run at around 3200-5000K range with a yellow color light. While LED’s start at 6000K with a white light. While on paper this doesn’t sound much different. But in reality, an LED car headlight bulb can deliver 220% more brightness in the same settings.

These are obvious improvements that demonstrate the value of LEDs over halogen bulbs. To understand why they are so advanced, you need to understand how they work. You see, halogen bulbs are a generally unreliable source of light production. They rely on heating up a filament to produce light. Which means that they lose up to 90% of their energy in heat dissipation. Not to mention that this heat only serves to reduce the life of the bulb itself. As we know electronics and heat are not friends.

LED’s on the other hand don’t waste much energy in light production. And even the amount they do is drawn away with the help of heat sinks and high-speed fans. Moreover, the light they release is inherently directional. So, it is easier to focus the beam for better visibility. This is a big part of what gives LED headlights for car such an upper hand.

We are sure that by now you must be able to understand why LED’s are a great option for a car headlight bulb. Once you decide to make this shift, it opens up a whole new world of visibility and efficiency. But you still need to pick the right LED headlights for car to get the most value out of your investment. Since a LED car headlight bulb is often more expensive than standard halogens.

This is a tough choice to make. Since most established brands operate according to the same industry parameters. The differences that comes into play are often small and hard to miss. So, you need to do really in-depth research to see which products offer a better value for money.

We want to help you understand how these comparisons work. Which is why we have taken an example of OSRAM Night Breaker H7-LED. Versus the Phillips X-treme Ultinon LED headlight bulb. On paper they compete head-to-head in most parameters. But there are a few features that push one ahead of the rest. Take a look at this comparison chart that we have made. To get an idea of what separates them, and which option will suit your needs.

OSRAM H7 LED Night Breaker PHILIPS H7 X-treme Ultinon H7 LED
Around Rs. 9000/- Around Rs. 8500/-
220% More Brightness than Halogen 200% More Brightness than Halogen
ECE Certified No ECE Certification
1500 Lumens 1760 Lumens
50% Less Glare No Glare Reduction
19W Power Input 25W Power Input
Street Legal Not Certified

We understand that the street-legal certification is a big factor. It will heavily influence the final purchase decision of any car owner. But even beyond that, you can see where the two brands differ in their offerings. There are small but incremental improvements that push the OSRAM Night Breakers ahead.Even though on paper the Phillips seems ahead in price and Lumens. Two of the most visible selling points that most brands focus their marketing efforts on. This is why you should always do your own research before making a final decision. So that you always stay informed, and safe.

LED fog lights for cars is a must-have lighting solution that is still not mainstream. Fog lights help us maintain our visibility during adverse weather conditions. Such as rain, hail, snow, and fog, among others. These conditions themselves aren’t as harmful as the visibility issues that
they cause. Which is a result of light refracting due to the presence of millions of tiny particles in its way.

You can solve this by using LED fog lights for cars. LED lights are often considered better than halogen lamps. Because they can deliver a lot more lighting output, while also being more efficient at it. This not only puts less load on your car’s electrical system. But also translates to
much more usable light. Which is vital in bad driving conditions.

How do fog lights work?

Before we get into which LED fog light would suit you best, let us learn a bit more about fog lights and how they work. Fog lights are present beneath the traditional headlights and have a tapered edge on the top. This is to ensure that the light doesn’t pass into the line of sight of oncoming cars.

When fog occurs, it is essentially a cloud of cold air that is hanging near the ground. There is a space between the ground and the fog, but it isn’t as visible. Because any light that passes through the fog is either refracted or reflected. Causing the visibility to drop down drastically.

In these conditions, you don’t need a big bright light that has a wide spread, but gets diffused. But a smaller more directed beam that shines the space between the fog and the ground. This space is generally 12-24 inches above the ground. Which is the level of most fog lamps as well.
This is what makes them so effective. As the light in this region goes straight forward, without getting deflected.

Difference between Halogen Fog Lamps and LED Fog Lamps?

We all know by now that LED lights are great for car lighting solutions. Yet there is a reason why we don’t always talk about LED fog lights for cars. The reason behind this is the general skepticism about the value of blue light in fog lamps. It is not that it is any worse at illuminating
the area. In fact, the wide beam is often considered more valuable for peripheral vision.

But it is also said that the color causes more glare in bad weather conditions. This happens due to the way different kinds of lights react to the presence of fog and our eyes. Colors like blue, indigo and violet have short wavelengths. They focus on the front of your eyes. So, when this
kind of light reflects from all sides due to fog. It becomes irritating to the eyes.

Yellow light on the other hand is easier for our eyes to process. It also doesn’t get reflected as much. While this helps in terms of glare, it also can be a negative in terms of general lighting. As the same colors that glare more, also produce more visible light. That can go farther, and be seen by other people more easily. Which in turn increases the safety factor of everyone on the road.

Another aspect where LED lights make more sense is longevity and reliability. LEDs produce less heat and have better cooling systems. They also waste a lot less energy than halogen bulbs. And generally last a lot longer. This makes them a safe investment, even if it seems expensive at first.

Which LEDs to use for Fog Lamps?

Now that you know why LED fog lights for cars are a good idea. We can start looking at the different options available. You can start with basic stock replacement LEDs. OSRAM’s LEDriving series bulbs are a good example. They can easily replace H8/H10/H11/H16 bulbs. As well as the PSX24W ones. While they may be a bit more expensive than regular halogens. They make up for it by being almost 10 times as efficient.

If you need more usable light, you can go for second gen OSRAM’s. They are offered under the same product name. Even though these LEDriving fog lamps have 25% better luminous flux tolerance. Which is a fancy way of saying the light is more usable across the spectrum.

These second gen LEDs also have better thermal performance. Thanks to an in-built high- efficiency fan. In addition, OSRAM focuses on creating an even light distribution. So, this range of LED bulbs don’t cause a lot of glare. One of the issues that people worry about when upgrading their fog lamps.

This extra bit of performance and efficacy comes at a cost. But only a bit more. As the first gen uses around 9W of power. While the second gen needs around 12W. Both of these are still a lot lower than halogens. Which can demand upto 100W depending on the brand.

Both ranges offer a crisp 6000K cool white light. Which matches most modern LED and HID headlights. Matching the color tone of your lighting setup is important. As it helps create a bigger lightstage. With smaller components covering the gap left by the main lights. Without
looking out of place.

You can find these LED bulbs at your nearest service shop. And they can easily replace existing bulbs without much tinkering. The bulbs themselves come with a 3 year guarantee for the first gen LEDs. And a 4 year guarantee for the second gen LEDs. This is much higher than
traditional halogens. Which need to be replaced every 2 years or so.

All these factors make LED fog lights a value for money upgrade. Even though using them will probably still void your car’s warranty. So, make sure you learn about your local laws. Before starting your lighting upgrades.

Getting HID Lights for car is a good first step upgrade. Especially if you’ve been running entirely stock before. They take away the inefficiencies of incandescent bulbs. While delivering a lighting output that outshines even LEDs. While they don’t have as long a life as LEDs. HID Lights can still beat the lifespan of stock halogen bulbs. While also beating them thoroughly in performance.

So much so that HID lights for car are three times brighter than halogens. In fact, on the open road, they perform better than even LEDs. In terms of peak brightness and light spread. But their shorter lifespan is what hurts them the most. And make LEDs the more preferred choice. At least for people who have the kind of budget.

But, if you don’t have the budget for LEDs. But still want to upgrade your lighting setup. Then you can easily pick HID Lights for car lighting. They were first introduced to the car market in the 90s. By BMW, who showcased them as the lighting solution of the future.

Back then they were quite an expensive addition. But over time the prices have come down a lot. With a lot more third party manufacturers offering cheap aftermarket HID upgrades. Of course, they’re never be as cheap as halogens. Simply based on their complex engineering. And the special materials required to deliver that powerful light.

But you can easily start upgrading your car with HID Lights. In a much more affordable budget than before. Brands like Phillips and OSRAM offer lots of options in HID lighting. But before we explore that, and other options on the market. Let us first see how HID Lights actually work.

What are HID Lights?

HID Lights are a type of electrical gas discharge bulb. The design features a fused arc tube. With tungsten electrodes on both sides. As well as some mineral deposits. The light is produced by running an electric arc. Between the electrodes, which then evaporates the metal mixture.

It is these special minerals, which give the light its intensity. As well as color. Of course, you need a noble gas to start the arc. There are lots of options to choose from. But xenon seems to be a preferred choice. Which is why people often call HIDs lights for car as xenon bulbs.

This complex setup is needed to deliver the kind of light we expect from HIDs. But it isn’t as stable as LEDs. Which is why HID bulbs deteriorate over time. With most models losing upto 70% lumen output. Over a period of around 10,000 hours. With different companies claiming different lifespans.

Once you cross that period, HID Lights begin to suffer. Especially cheap ones from lesser known brands. Which tend to experience discoloration and fading.

These are still extreme cases that might happen late into the usage cycle. With most HIDs easily lasting for upto 2-3 years. Which is still a lot better than halogens. So you don’t need to be too worried about picking them.

What are the differences between HID Lights, Halogen Bulbs, and LED lights?

This is a question that most people get confused with. When talking about car lighting solutions. Because all three systems use different methods of creating light. Each system has its unique features. While some are obviously more advanced than others.

Halogen bulbs heat up a filament to produce light. This is a basic design that’s cheap to manufacture. But wastes up to 90% energy through heat loss. With only a small percentage being used for actual lighting. These bulbs also feature a noble gas. But works simply to stabilize the light.

HID lights improves this by using an electric arc for lighting. This removes the excess heat and energy loss. But requires specialized mineral deposits. To deliver the intensity and color to the light. They also need more power input than LEDs. With average HIDs requiring 25-35W to deliver proper lighting. This is still far superior than halogens. Which can draw up to 100w and more.

The variety of minerals also increases the number of color options. With HID lights for car featuring upto 7 different colors. The complex design also requires a more robust housing. Which is still smaller than halogens. But not as compact as LEDs.

LEDs bypass all these material issues. By using a simple light emitting diode (LED). This is a fancy way of saying; LEDs push current through a semiconductor to produce light. This simplicity makes the design smaller, longer lasting, and more reliable. It also limits the color options to just white, yellow, blue, and purple. The small design gives them space to include fans and heatsinks. Which helps with longevity. As well as adding to the cost.

Which HID Lights for car should you pick from?

If you’re still reading, we can assume you picked HIDs. Whether due to their higher light intensity. Or a cheaper entry price. To get you started, we will cover different HID bulbs. Made for different use cases and environments.

HID Bulbs with Yellow Light

When it comes to light upgrades, nothing feels better than a stock look. You get to match the original aesthetic of the car. While also increasing the visibility. XENARC Originals from OSRAM are great for this. They deliver a nice and warm 4500K light. This is a great option not just for people who like the older look. But also those who believe yellow light is better for fog. You also get a nice 4 year warranty.

HID Bulbs with Blue Light

This category is for people who enjoy the intense blue light. OSRAM’s XENARC Cool Blue Intense is the right HID for you. It has a nice and crisp 6000K light. With some extra mineral deposits for a deeper blue color. As well as 20% more intensity than average xenon bulbs. There is even a stock replacement bulb that matches this blue. If you still are skeptical about going for high intensity lighting.

HID Bulbs for Off Road Use

For people who go off road, peripheral visibility is vital. You need to light up a lot more area. To make sure you avoid any accidents and/or obstacles. Xenon bulbs are a great way of doing that. OSRAM’s XENARC Cool Blue Boost can help you with that. They go above and beyond regular HIDs. And even lost LEDs.

By providing an intensive 7000K light. That uses a special filling system to deliver a brighter light. Such powerful lighting is perfect for all types of off-road uses. Which also puts it in a legal grey area. You should look into what your local laws say about such modifications.

HID Bulbs with Long Lifespan

One of the main worries that people have with HIDs is lifespan. While they do last longer than halogens. It still isn’t enough to match LEDs. Which aren’t that much more expensive. When you start getting into high-end lighting. A solution for this anxiety is OSRAM’s XENARC Ultra Life.

This light dials down the intensity to a manageable 6000K. But increases the lifespan up to 4 times. With a service life of over 300,000 hours. The company even gives you a huge 10 year warranty. Which is more than you can get even for LEDs. All this while using the same amount of power as other HIDs.

As you can see, HIDs have come a long way. You can pick from multiple options made by multiple brands. With all of them claiming the best possible experience. Now it is up to you to decide which HID Lights for car you want to bet on.