LED headlight bulbs now legal.

[Taipan]

Govt changed the law so that not all LED headlight bulb conversions are illegal and you can pass an MOT with one fitted now. This is provided the LED bulb gives road legal beam pattern, which apparently a lo of them do now? Having had LED headlight before I'll defo be doing mine in time for winter.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... onversions

[KungFooBob]

So cars made before 1st April 1986 can have LED/HID conversions, but after that they can't, but bikes can, as long as the pattern/aim is correct.

How odd.

[Mr. Dazzle]

So cars made before 1st April 1986 can have LED/HID conversions, but after that they can't, but bikes can, as long as the pattern/aim is correct.

How odd.

It might be something to do with the need for self levelling and washing systems on cars with lights over a certain brightness. If your bulbs are bright enough - 2000 lumens I think it is - the lamps have to be auto washing and levelleing.

AIUI the main benefit of LEDs is the beam shape anyway, not so much the brightness. The ability to have long thin bulbs means you can throw a better pattern. Just sticking a brighter lamp in the same reflector doesn't do as much.

[MrLongbeard]

So cars made before 1st April 1986 can have LED/HID conversions, but after that they can't, but bikes can, as long as the pattern/aim is correct.

How odd.

Meh, the barry boys just swap lamps out on MOT day and back again before the ink is dry on paperwork.
Which reminds me I need to get a lamp mounted on my MOT friendly number plate.

Oh, and Harley FTW;
IMG_20190512_151039 by MrLongbeard, on Flickr

[Cousin Jack]

Just sticking a brighter lamp in the same reflector doesn't do as much.

I can confirm that from practical experience with a crap Triumph headlight that threw a patchy pattern. A brighter bulb made the holes appear worse.

[Mr. Dazzle]

A brighter bulb made the holes appear worse.

You should have taken the bulb out, then you'd have got perfect coverage.

[Skub]

I have nothing constructive to add,other than Mr.Dazzle has the perfect username for this thread.

[The Spin Doctor]

Keep up

Covered on my Elevenses webcast a week ago

There are now a wide range of branded LED bulbs from manufacturers like OSRAM that weren't available a few weeks back last time I checked... so I would hope they put out the right beam pattern.

As one of the OSRAM Night Breakers (much brighter than the standard 55w halogens but don't last long) on the car blew last week on the way down to Devon, I might invest in a pair.