LED headlamps

I've had headlight washers on half a dozen cars. They all do the same thing--make a mess of the surrounding fender and particularly the hood. There's no way around it--particularly when the car's moving (which is the majority of the time you use your windshield wipers).

 

I know plenty of people who would never manually wash the headlights, defeating the purpose of legally requiring washers (on certain headlight types) in the first place. That is why some action must be automatic.

Manual-only washers would be practical only on cars not required to have them at all.

 

I understand some of the frustration, but please remember that the headlamp washers work only under a specific set of circumstances. This will not happen in the daylight, unless you run with your headlamps in the "On" position. I've tried it, and it just doesn't work.

Actually, they will spray on the hood, the fender, and even your face -- if you happen to try to press the button while your door is open and you are leaning out, wondering what will happen . . .

The have that tremendous spray so that the washers will work at highway speed.

It is an interesting feature, and it does provide some safety. It just appears to me I'll need to stock up on washer fluid!

 

Very confused here - Which cars / headlights are legally "required" to have washers in the U.S.????

You must be joking. Have you seen some of the 1990's or later cars that have deteriorated plastic headlight lenses due to UV and other causes? The beams are so dull and diffused - so a bit of bug juice or dust, and not "legally washing" the Prius lamps is an issue? What about the II-IV models that aren't offered headlamp washers at all?

And as you mentioned above - Why some action MUST be automatic? ?????

Are we becoming overly dramatic here, or straw-grasping?

 

Somewhere (possibly not on PC) there is another thread about headlight washers being required on certain headlights types that had higher luminosity (e.g. HID) than standard incandescents or halogens, causing more glare when dirty. Apparently the Prius-V LEDs fell into this brighter category. I don't know the details, but found one answer at Wikianswers. Some of these requirements may not apply to the U.S., but some of the solutions might carry over here anyway.

 

In the UK any car fitted with Xenon headlights (HID) has a legal requirement to be fitted with self leveling and headlight washers.

I'm not sure yet if we are getting the LED headlights on our top T Spirit model, but I am keeping fingers crossed

 

I stand corrected, somewhat, regarding washers. After a bit of research I see that ECE has quite strict regulations regarding headlamp washers. We don't in the U.S., thus my quite heavy reply. During the quick reviews it's apparent that LED headlamps are state of the art, but perhaps at a price, and not just monetary. Hope Toyota Engineering did their homework.... Wondering if any (small...) gains in LED light output and power consumption will be outweighed by reliability or other issues down the road.

Some highlights...
LED light sources

Automotive headlamp applications using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been undergoing very active development since 2004.

Present designs give performance between halogen and HID headlamps, with system power consumption slightly higher than halogen headlamps. These lamps currently require large packaging and a large number of the most powerful LEDs available. As LED technology continues to evolve, the performance of LED headlamps is predicted to improve to approach, meet, and perhaps one day surpass that of HID headlamps.
The limiting factors with LED headlamps presently include high system expense, regulatory delays and uncertainty, glare concerns related to the output [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectrum"]spectrum[/ame] of white LEDs, and logistical issues created by LED operating characteristics. LEDs are commonly considered to be low-heat devices due to the public's familiarity with small, low-output LEDs used for electronic control panels and other applications requiring only modest amounts of light. However, LEDs actually produce a significant amount of heat per unit of light output. Rather than being emitted together with the light as is the case with conventional light sources, an LED's heat is produced at the rear of the emitters. The cumulative heat of numerous high-output LEDs operating for prolonged periods poses thermal-management challenges for plastic headlamp housings. In addition, this heat buildup materially reduces the light output of the emitters themselves. LEDs are quite temperature sensitive, with many types producing at 30 [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celsius"]°C[/ame] (86 [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit"]°F[/ame]) only 60% of the rated light output they produce at an emitter junction temperature 16 °C (61 °F). Prolonged operation above the maximum junction temperature will permanently degrade the LEDs and ultimately shorten the device's life. The need to keep LED junction temperatures low at high power levels always requires additional thermal management measures such as heatsinks and exhaust fans which are typically quite expensive.
LEDs are increasingly being adopted for signalling functions such as [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_lighting"]parking lamps, brake lamps and turn signals[/ame] as well as [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_running_lamp"]daytime running lamps[/ame], as in those applications they offer significant advantages over filament bulbs with fewer engineering challenges than headlamps pose.

Are there any engineering specs / technical details, esp heat dissipation, on the Prius LED system?

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlamp"]Headlamp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

Interesting. I know that many aftermarket L.E.D. car kits, such as the "halo" lights on the BMWs require heatsinks, or fans. That, however was purely for the resistors required to keep the car's computer from getting angry. I know they put out heat, but it hasn't seemed to be a huge amount. Maybe that is why they built the large bubbly lenses on the Prius. I am looking forward to the experience myself!

 

There is a video that showcases the L.E.D. headlights really well, but the video is about cruise control. I will put up my own videos as soon as I get the car. Here it is:

edited: [Not sure how to embed the youtube video, or html is disabled.]

 

I'm still trying to figure out what bulb is used for the foglights. Also would like to know what bulb is used for the high beams, both of which are with the LED's. Will be putting in Silver Star Ultra's for the high beams and want 3000K HID's for the fogs. Think it will look great! Also, can the fogs be turned on without the headlights with just the parking lights? Any help and info would be greatly appreciated. Will be picking up my car mid next week. Can't wait. Thanks guys and gals.

 

Well then, you will be getting your car around the same time. Did it come in on the Apollon Leader?

 

HAHA! Sorry. Yeah I figured that out when I gave up and just posted the link. LOL Same works for google videos too. Nice and easy. BTW, your 1st gen was your first Prius I assume.

 

I just replaced nearly all the exterior lights on my Prius (except the LEDs)--see post here:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-parking-lights-rear-license-plate-bulbs.html

BTW--the only way to get HID fogs is very expensive, since you need to install ballasts in addition to the HID lamps. There are many companies that claim to be selling HID technology, but they're just halogens with a blue coating. The PIAA fog bulbs I used are 4000K.

And the fogs only go on with the headlights.

 

when will people in this country realize that fog lights are not just there to look cool...

 

I hope your reiterating what it was he said, because the way you are supposed to use the fog lights, is under certain circumstances you run just them to get under the fog. I know especially with HID applications it's nice to be able to turn off the headlights. Most european cars like my current one do it. I really wish they would enable this ability. I'm sick of people using them as "light boosters" or something.

 

Over here if you have your fog lights on and it isn't in poor visibility weather then expect to get a slap from the old bill. Traffic coppers (especially up in Scotland) are merciless.