Headlamps - Sealed beam or LED

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Slow Smoke Moke
Posts: 67
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2018 14:36

Headlamps - Sealed beam or LED

Post by Slow Smoke Moke »

One of the existing sealed beam units has blown so I'm looking for a replacement(s). The current ones are 65/55W.

There's a bewildering choice out there, so much so that it gets confusing. The option being to stay as current or perhaps fit original style non-sealed lamps and then LED bulbs of an appropriate wattage. I hear tales of some LED lamps needing a cooling pack too.......

The issue of the light frequency/temp is highly subjective as you'd use them in the dark (obviously) and no-one would know it's a Moke anyway, LED might give you a longer beam without too much current being drawn from the dynamo and through the loom etc.

Comments and thoughts welcomed. I'm no electrician.

Thanks,

Nick
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Tim
Posts: 2284
Joined: Tue Oct 24, 2006 0:41
Location: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Re: Headlamps - Sealed beam or LED

Post by Tim »

I work with LED lighting as part of my job, and I'm not entirely convinced that the retro-fit LED globes that are available are quite ready yet. There may be some absolutely excellent ones out there, but weeding out the rubbish ones is the problem. The big issue is that there is a bewildering range and manufacturers seem to be free to make whatever claims they feel like about the output of their products.

LEDs generally do need cooling, not because they make more heat than incandescent globes, but because heat kills LEDs so they need to be kept cool. Most seem to have a heatsink of some type on the back, which might not fit inside a standard headlight bucket, especially the flat back ones.

I haven't had any experience with the replacement LED 7" sealed beams that are available. There does now seem to be some that meet various regulatory requirements, but I'd still recommend looking for some from a reputable manufacturers rather than the cheapest Chinese ones you can find.

I use quartz halogen replacements in my Moke. Its possible to retro fit these to an original Moke with no changes to the wiring, by running globes that have comparable wattage to the original. When I fitted mine I upgraded the wiring and fitted relays. I can run much higher wattage globes than standard (although this does seem to bother other road users...). The lights in my Moke are better than in my modern car.

Tim
Any sarcastic, ignorant, libellous, unfounded or stupid opinions expressed in or through this message are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the opinions or views of any member of The Mini Moke Club or the opinions or views of any other individual.
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Slow Smoke Moke
Posts: 67
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2018 14:36

Re: Headlamps - Sealed beam or LED

Post by Slow Smoke Moke »

Thank you Tim. Apologies for the late reply.

N
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