LED front head lamp replacements

[Michael C Henry]

The Watson's Street Works round 7 inch LED head light, looks like a combination of a HELLA CLEAR VISION body and their LED bulb and wiring. Did it fit into the Cobra head light bucket with out cutting? (may want to go back) How did you like the light dispersion? Did the beam go down an to the center in low beam use as a DOT light would have? (out of oncoming drivers vision) Where would I buy them? My neighbor is converting his 65 Ford Galaxy to LED and they are bright, but when off, they are black.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by Michael C Henry

The Watson's Street Works round 7 inch LED head light, looks like a combination of a HELLA CLEAR VISION body and their LED bulb and wiring. Did it fit into the Cobra head light bucket with out cutting? (may want to go back) How did you like the light dispersion? Did the beam go down an to the center in low beam use as a DOT light would have? (out of oncoming drivers vision) Where would I buy them? My neighbor is converting his 65 Ford Galaxy to LED and they are bright, but when off, they are black.

I'll reiterate my previous comments: NO combination of lens, reflector and LED light source is legal for street use unless the COMBINATION was DOT compliant. Taking a HELLA CLEAR VISION body designed for a halogen bulb and using a LED 'bulb' is not DOT compliant and not legal for street use.

From https://watsons-streetworks.com/product/led-headlights/ :

"These new 7” round Hella Vision Plus lenses use an advanced reflector design and conform to SAE/DOT standards for street and highway use." That may be entirely true - but only as long as they're used with the original bulbs for which they were designed and manufactured. As you can see at My Hella Lights :: Vision Plus 7" Round Conversion Headlamp those assemblies are designed for halogen bulbs. Substituting a H4 LED for an H4 halogen renders that DOT compliance null and void.

From https://blog.motoringassist.com/news...g-car-legally/ :

1. "As halogen lamp optics are not designed to work with an LED bulb, some parts of the output pattern will be brighter and other parts will be dimmer. The other issue involves light scatter, which will dazzle oncoming motorists, which the driver may confuse as offering superior vision. Regardless of these technical issues, however, it still remains an offence to use LED conversion bulbs within an exterior lamp on the road."
2. "I wish to incorporate LED lighting to my car’s exterior. How can I do this legally? The only way is to use a complete lamp unit that has been tested and wears a Type Approval Mark from an approved maker"

Check out this thread:
LED headlight bulbs illegal?

Another relevant thread:
DOT approved headlights?

[g8rnbft]

Originally Posted by Michael C Henry

The Watson's Street Works round 7 inch LED head light, looks like a combination of a HELLA CLEAR VISION body and their LED bulb and wiring. Did it fit into the Cobra head light bucket with out cutting? (may want to go back) How did you like the light dispersion? Did the beam go down an to the center in low beam use as a DOT light would have? (out of oncoming drivers vision) Where would I buy them? My neighbor is converting his 65 Ford Galaxy to LED and they are bright, but when off, they are black.

I like the dispersion as it really helps to illuminate the shoulders and right of way - we have too many auto/deer encounters down here. The bulbs fit the bucket fine. I have had no issues with oncoming drivers or leading cars that I have followed. Buy them direct from Watson's Street Works - the owner is a cobra owner. As far as cycleguy's concern re DOT compliance - ask the seller for clarification. I do recall that these lights won a SEMA award in 2016 as best innovation (?) of the year - or some such.

Blair

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by g8rnbft

I like the dispersion as it really helps to illuminate the shoulders and right of way - we have too many auto/deer encounters down here. The bulbs fit the bucket fine. I have had no issues with oncoming drivers or leading cars that I have followed. Buy them direct from Watson's Street Works - the owner is a cobra owner. As far as cycleguy's concern re DOT compliance - ask the seller for clarification. I do recall that these lights won a SEMA award in 2016 as best innovation (?) of the year - or some such.

Blair

Here's what I wrote on Watson's Street Works Facebook page:

"It's my understanding [DOT] compliance can only be maintained when the bulb is the same type used for purposes of compliance.

"Please explain how a lens / reflector assembly designed for an H4 halogen bulb can be DOT compliant when used with an H4 LED - a light source which cannot possibly duplicate the light positioning of a halogen filament."


Watson's StreetWorks response:

"Brian, You are probably correct that once you take out the halogen bulb and replace it with an LED the combination my not be officially DOT approved. If you are worried about a DOT inspector calling you on this upgrade then these are not the lights for you. On the other hand if you want to see better while driving at night and not blind on coming drivers this package will do just that for you."


Net of this: Vendor affirms their belief they have a better headlamp system, while at the same time confirming it's not DOT compliant.

Bottom line: You may never run into a situation where law enforcement or vehicle inspection flags such headlamps as non-compliant - but you should be aware it is possible. Caveat emptor.

[Brastic]

I have the Watson's Street Works LED lights and agree that there is no way these are DOT approved. With that said, they are significantly better than the halogens without blasting on coming traffic. When I tried the H4 LEDs in my Honda, it was a total failure. It looked like they were always in high beams and was dangerous for on coming traffic. For the Cobra, it is not bad. I live rural and had to have good lighting. If I was still living in the city, I would have stayed with the warm white halogens. In the country, I have to see. Especially deer and the black bull that keeps getting out. I only went with the Watson's to keep the Cobra look. The guys who get the sealed LED lights like the ones that go on Jeeps give a much much better light output, but they are expensive and do not look period correct.

[vettestr]

Check out the LED headlights used on newer Harley bikes. They are DOT legal and have hi/lo beam while being very adjustable. Price is reasonable as well. They do not look like 1965 but do you want to see where you are headed at 50 + MPH ?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KWVS7J2...9-1f5f95d9d540

[86Sebring]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm driving a regular japanese sedan to work every day early, and especially now that the days are getting shorter, at times I am not able to keep my eyes focused on the road, due to every dude in his pick up truck and his wife in her SUV with those insanely bright beams either blinding from the opposite lane or right behind me engulfing my driver cabin in light like Anfield on a Champions league night.
Some european countries prohibit them there lights, probably justifiably so

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by 86Sebring

Maybe it's just me, but I'm driving a regular japanese sedan to work every day early, and especially now that the days are getting shorter, at times I am not able to keep my eyes focused on the road, due to every dude in his pick up truck and his wife in her SUV with those insanely bright beams either blinding from the opposite lane or right behind me engulfing my driver cabin in light like Anfield on a Champions league night.
Some european countries prohibit them there lights, probably justifiably so

The problem is often less about brightness than it is about: a) proper aiming; and b) improper bulb replacement. Replacing a halogen bulb with an HID or LED light capsule or bulb, for which the lens and reflector were NOT designed, will result in an altered light pattern that is not only NOT DOT-compliant, but also almost univerally generates excessive glare for oncoming motorists. They should pull these off the road as they're a dangerous hazard for every other motorist facing them.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by vettestr

Check out the LED headlights used on newer Harley bikes. They are DOT legal and have hi/lo beam while being very adjustable. Price is reasonable as well. They do not look like 1965 but do you want to see where you are headed at 50 + MPH ?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KWVS7J2...9-1f5f95d9d540

There are a number of DOT-compliant LED headlamps on the market like the one you've linked to. While they're legal, in this crown they're less desirable as they certainly don't have the look of period-correct headlamps.



Appearance or safety? Pick your poison.

[vettestr]

As already mentioned these lights are DOT legal and standard equipment on some bikes and cars. They do need to be properly aligned so not to blind the driver headed your way or get a ticket from LEO's. Easy install with included wire connection adapter. They do work well even though not period correct look in the daylight.