Re: WC 150K Post Challenge - You Ready?!
HID kits are awful in that aspect as far as I know. Well matrix lights save the day
Yes HIDs are bad. Very blinding as well.
Keep in mind I'm working with the latest in LED technology for industry. I know quite a bit about them. Not be authoritarian or anything but I've been around LED lighting technology for over two years now. Deal with several vendors and have seen the developments of new LEDs and fixtures.
LEDs work in the blue light spectrum so appear to be brighter than they actually are. Diffusers are what tone down LEDs. LEDs are very direct and need reflectors to throw the light properly. The light does spread like any other light but they have a tendency to glare significantly. 5000K LEDs are very very bright.
LEDs themselves are very robust and work great at low temperatures. They fail quickly at high temps (above 40C). They are low energy consuming and produce low heat. The drivers of LEDs are the main issue.They tend to be the heat source for LEDs and tend to be the point of failure. LEDs have a high and long inrush current creating spikes in initial energy when they are turned on and mellow out after awhile. Believe it or not too many on a circuit can cause issues even though the energy use is low mainly due to this inrush current especially on AC circuits.
On a car they obviously use DC LEDs. They don't suffer so much from inrush problems as their AC counterparts. They do have to be careful with the heat produced by the motor so will require special installation. When LEDs start to fail you need to replace the whole thing. You cannot replace just one LED in a cluster. This, I guess is where the car manufacturer will make some cash.
LEDs are supposed to be long running but that's based on climate controlled tests and extrapolated. There are not enough LED installations to prove the longevity of the claims of LEDs in real world situations. That's not saying they aren't good but we don't know for sure if the claims are 100% true. Even the vendors I deal with state this.