JTS – LED Headlight replacement kits

The automotive industry continues to evolve and from this, new products continue to be developed. The latest to get LED attention is headlamps.Get Good Gear LED Headlight conversion

Having reached another milestone CREE, one of the leaders in LED manufacturing, has created a new range of LED arrays called COB.

COB (Circuit on board) technology allows LED modules to be clustered on a single circuit board. Compared to traditional lighting COB LEDs are super bright, These LED clusters also offer fantastic control over colour temperature and lumen output (Brightness).

Historically LEDs have required a small lens to cover the LED. With the COB technology this lens is no longer required. Without the distortion of the LED lens COB technology has brought LED into a new real world application, LED headlight bulbs.

The headlights in your off roader use a reflector to collect and intensify the light from a halogen bulb. Traditional LED chip sets have not been ideal for reflector based technology until now.

So the technology is here but what is the real world advantage of investing in an LED headlight upgrade?

More light can be broken down into two key areas. Lumens/Lux (Light intensity) and the Kelvin rating (light colour).

The traditional Halogen bulb is 750 Lumens bright and burns at around 4000 Kelvin. (This Kelvin rating has a yellow tinge to the light)

LED headlight kits range from 1200 lumens through to 1800, (On average twice the brightness of a Halogen bulb) and burn at

Independantly teasted in the Get Good Gear man cave.
Independently tested in the Get Good Gear man cave

5000 Kelvin. 5000 Kelvin is true white light and is commonly referred to as daylight. It is the most natural colour for the human eye.

The increase in lumens (brightness) allows us to see further while the white colour spectrum relaxes the eyes reducing tiredness and gives us clearer definition. The combination of these two factors essentially gives better all round night time vision and ultimately a safer trip.

Another important aspect when it comes to LED headlights is the fact that they need very low power to work. Whilst generating twice the light output, LED headlight replacements only consumes 40% of the power of a traditional 60/55 Halogen bulb.

Although the LED light source has evolved greatly there have still been a few challenges for the JTS team to overcome. For example, although LEDs do not project surface heat as they emit light (as is the case of the standard halogen bulb) they create a certain amount of heat at the bottom of the emitter or chip set. Correct heat management is crucial to ensure continual light output and long life.

However, if there’s another aspect to be significantly improved, it has surely been the production cost. The COB LED array has gone a long way to meeting this challenge. As a result LED headlight replacement has now come into the reach of the average 4wder. At $295.00 the new LED headlight replacement kit is an affordable option to HID conversions.

The team at JTS has put a lot of R&D into these kits but as with all technology it is expected to see a flood of different brands and various quality products in the market place. Remember, not all supply chains are created equal.

When looking to purchase ask yourself the following questions.

  • ·         Is the supplier reputable?
  • ·         Will the supplier back the warranty of the units?
  • ·         Are spare parts available if required?
  • ·         What local testing and R&D has the supplier put into the product?
  • ·         Does the supplier understand LED technology to allow you to make a fully informed investment?

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Have you tried these LED Headlight replacements? If so please comment your feedback below.