Boslla LED bulbs - 4 color modes

Seems very interesting. If they live up to the hype, I think they would be a very functional lighting upgrade.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1040581642/boslla-the-worlds-first-four-color-car-led-headlig

 

I think so too. I just backed them.

 

Color changing LEDs are very feasible. Trying to retrofit them into a halogen housing as sell it as a safety upgrade is laughable. All LEDs reduce distance projection over stock, this is very well documented and known on the forum as people always talk about LEDs 'lack of throw', which is really 'lack of focus'.

Bet against the intelligence of the population and back them, or hope for the intelligence of the population that another LED retrofit product isn't launched that somehow misleads people this is a 'safety upgrade' which decreases the drivers distance visibility and massively increases glare to oncoming drivers all while making the driver believe this is a 'safety improvement'.

 

If it's not a reliable product as you state that is fine, I was just looking for a decent bulb to replace the stock ones. I have seen a ton of people on here getting the XenonDepot bulbs and using them in the stock halogen housing. Are they not the same thing?

What are your recommendations?

 

It has nothing to do with reliability, it is about optical focus which LEDs lack in a halogen housing. Check out this info below, which I’ve posted in other threads:

Performance halogen vs LEDs
Halogen optics work by concentrating a beam into a hotspot to project distance. Lack of a hotspot or reduction of hotspot equates to lack of distance projection and a pattern shift of moving the light pattern toward the vehicle, which aside from greatly reducing distance projection also increases foreground light which constricts pupils to further reduce night distance vision. Hotspots and distance projection is increased by making light sources smaller and more precise to increase optical focus to project the light further. While you want more light, you want the more light projected further down road, not more light in a blob immediately in front of you.

Stock wattage H11 GE Megalight +130 performance halogen on the Left vs XD Pro high output LED right


While the LED actually has a higher lumen output rating, focus is completely lost. Hotspot is eliminated and distance projection is lost. The pattern has shifted from projecting distance to high foreground lighting, which as mentioned above is not a good thing.

You can see the halogen filament on center, with reflections off the rear of the projector concentrating the light into a focused hotspot. And recall smaller light sources create better focus for higher intensity.


Compared to the LED, there is no center focus at all. It is difficult to say if those even reflect off the back of the projector since they are side firing, but for focus you should have light in the very center of the housing, and it is absent. Affect on the beam is predictable.


So what does this mean for output? See earlier photo for pattern.

Using a professional grade LED compatible light meter:

XD Pro LED:



Stock wattage H11 GE +130 performance halogen:


The stock wattage performance halogen has excellent hot spot intensity with the highly focused projected distance lighting while the LEDs are providing more of a generalized short range flood light, which is not what you want in a headlight. The headlights primary purpose is to see distance. So while the LED may put out more raw light, it is not designed correctly for the halogen housing and results in lower performance. Lots of people see the greater amount of foreground light and think the lights have improved, but in reality they have lost their beam hotspot and distance projection and pattern shifted the lights close to the vehicle.

GE adds the blue tint at the back of the bulb, so that the edges of the beam get the blue appearance that many are looking for without affecting the output by filtering the primary beam pattern with blue tint.

Somewhat difficult to tell in these photos but the halogen beam arcs down on either side of the hotspot, with the LEDs it arcs upward on either side of where the hot spot would be if there was one, because the light sources are moved off center. Not helpful to oncoming drivers.

GE Megalight +130 bulbs used in this test:
https://www.powerbulbs.com/us/product/ge-megalight-ultra-h11-twin

H9s are another good option, to significantly increase overall output without affecting the stock pattern projection, though the high efficiency performance bulbs will produce better hotspot distance projection.

 

^fascinating! Great info. I just can’t stand the color of halogens.

 

Then get HID's or get an actual LED projector.

 

3rd gens have projector housings

 

Built for halogen though. You want a real LED or HID projector. There is a difference.

 

Fair enough. But if the only concern then is light output then I think there’s better ways to spend money like on other light mods

 

If you have good projecting headlights there isn't really a need for other light mods IMO.

 

I installed them and I can only get one side to function at a time. I've tried multiple configurations with the housing and can't seem to get both sides to work at the same time. Any suggestions?

 

Is it always the same side that doesn’t work? One of the pins on the plug might be very slightly bent.

You can contact them and they’ll send you out replacment(s). They make you cut the wires and send a picture though which is annoying. Sorry to hear you’re having issues!

 

I believe its just one of the harnesses that isn't working. I have swapped them a few times and get the same result. I've contacted them so hopefully i hear back soon. The one that does work looks awesome and was really hoping to run these LEDs.

 

Also, there's a little pin you have to line up on the screw-on connection point if you didn't realize. I would try fiddling with the connections and especially the pins on the harness plug itself because that gave me slight issues myself. If you can manage to get it working then save it as a backup and photoshop the wires being cut so you get the replacement and have a backup

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I will try to mess around with the harness some more. I noticed that there was some overflow plastic inside of the metal connectors. The black plastic pins seems to line up perfect. I have a feeling its something to do with the metal connections. I'll try again today and update. Thanks