[Vladimir_Kazan]

See pic:

 

[FozzieBalou]

I guess it would all depend on what year make and model you have and if the H4 is compatible. There are dozens (if not more) of threads on the site about LED bulbs and the "pro" and "con" of if they fit, the light they put out, the glare and more.

 

[Vladimir_Kazan]

@FozzieBalou
Thank you for your response, now I'm not interested in comparing different bulbs, but specifically in the experience of using just these bulbs. If there is such an experience.

 

[[email protected]]

In Russia, any bulb will look better with vodka! 🍸 Your sample looks a little odd with the heat sink at the tip. My replacement LEDs for OE come with heat sink at the base and fan spinning. It stands the time test so I think it works. I watched car wrecks in Russia on YT, frankly any LED to blind other drivers is a plus.

 

[Vladimir_Kazan]

[email protected]
Happy for you. You have good bulbs and in general you were born in a good country. Congratulations.
----
The halogen light in the headlights of SF5 (Europe model) has one significant drawback: with the correct adjustment of the low beam, the high beam shines too high. I put different halogen bulbs, the same drawback.
That's why I choose LED. Not because of the brightness and color.

 

[FozzieBalou]

For the most part, you can use LED bulbs in place of halogen bulbs. It's done all the time, no matter what country you're in. The issue becomes how the LED bulb is made - the way the LEDs are mounted in the bulb unit.

For example, some LED bulbs have LEDs all over and around the bulb body - something like this -

The issue with these types of bulbs is that they don't mimic the original location of the halogen filament in the conventional bulb and do not properly use the reflector structure of the headlamp housing. This can cause major amounts of glare for other drivers and not focus the light output properly for you to see at night.

Other manufacturers use a bulb design that closely mimics the location of the halogen filament - like this type -

Because of this design, the light output is better "managed" by the factory reflector housing and causes less glare and focuses the light output better onto the road surface.

JTRC makes mention of the heat sink and that is another aspect of the design to consider. The LEDs generate heat, any electronic device will. Many styles of bulbs have a heat sink "outside" of the headlamp housing - and often have a cooling fan bult in that runs off the same electric that powers the LED. That's fairly common. But there are also bulbs without any type of heat dissipation and this can lead to your lights burning out quicker and even damaging your headlamp housing.

I agree with JTRC that the design is a bit ... well, odd ... and so I wonder how well they would work. Honestly, the best you can do is spend the money and buy them and see how they work. Bur be aware that you may well have to adjust the headlamps up or down to minimize the glare. When I added LEDs to my 2014 Forester, I had to re-aim the lamps to keep the extra glare and blinding of other drivers to a minimum.

Not all Forester models use the same "type" of bulb. H4 is a specific size and has a specific electrical hook up (those flat contacts from your example). Others use a different type of connection (like in the picture I provided).

 

[[email protected]]

For what is worth, Alla LED from Amazon.com that someone posted on YouTube works for me-no flicker or reverse polarity, minimum glare. Move the snorkel and viola!
if you can order them from Russia, Cheers. I am not affiliated to them in any shape or form.

 

[TMX]

Welcome.
I see no one has addressed your problem.

The dipped headlight beam is typically tested for aim height and beam projection type etc. The High beam is typically not tested for such strict rules (at least in the UK) unless you are literally shining lights at squirrels in trees. In which case I would be checking to see if the bulb holder in the headlight enclosure is lose or corroded to affect proper seating.

Have you checked the headlight housing has all the securing bolts in place etc ?

It may be possible to carry out an LED/HID retrofit, fitting projectors in your existing headlight housings but I'm unsure of the legality of that in Russia. That should in theory cure your dipper and high beam aiming issues but it is an involving job.

For the most part, you can use LED bulbs in place of halogen bulbs. It's done all the time, no matter what country you're in.

Mounting LEDs in halogens housing, regardless of the LED design will not give the correct headlight aim and projection that is legally required and annually tested in many countries. So yes while it is possible to put LEDs in a halogen housing, it is likely to then cause the failure of annual testing, meaning the car cannot be on the road and work/money needs to be spent to rectify the problem.

For countries that don't bother carrying out these safety tests, you can put whatever you like in, but you still run the risk of blinding oncoming traffic that some may not appreciate and take actions against. There may also be legal ramifications if your blinding lights were found to be contributing factors in a collision.

In case you're curious how headlight beam aim is carried out in countries that do test this, they use machines like this

Headlight Adjustment Tools | HELLA GUTMANN

Car headlight adjustment guide | ✓ Headlamp beamsetters adjustment for experts ✓ SEG Beamsetters from Hella Gutmann ✓ Instructions and product brochure ✓

www.hella.com

And these are the rules, complete with simple to understand graphics.

The MOT headlamp aim test is changing - Matters of Testing

Official advice and information about MOT testing from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk

There is also the German TUV and Japan Shaken that are even more stringent than the British MOT rules (But I can't read German or Japanese Kanji/Kana so didn't bother linking)

 

[Vladimir_Kazan]

...Honestly, the best you can do is spend the money and buy them and see how they work...

Yes, but it's cheaper to talk )

Thank you, your excursion is good, although the topic is familiar to me, I am an engineer and a PhD in technical cybernetics in the past.

[email protected]
Thanks, but shipping from the US has become very expensive.

 

[Vladimir_Kazan]

@TMX,
For H4, as you know, there is no way to adjust the low and high beams separately. And (that I know) the halogen light in the headlights of SF5 Forester (Europe model) has one significant drawback: with the correct adjustment of the low beam, the high beam shines too high. I put different halogen bulbs, the same drawback.
As for the disadvantages of LED bulbs in such headlights and legal restrictions, you are absolutely right. That's why I'm looking for not too powerful and "inconspicuous" LED bulbs.