#Projector vs reflector headlight driver
#Projector vs reflector headlight upgrade

Another 5 minutes to reattach the plastic. It was less than 5 minutes to get all of that stuff out of the way and 30 seconds to refit the bulb and get the cap back on. A 10mm socket for the horns, a 15 torx for the front of the inner fender plastic and a tool to pull 6 pop clips. Reflector headlights can have darker spots. Projector headlights give off a more even light. Because projector headlights are directed downwards towards the road, they don't shine in other drivers' eyes. They're less likely to blind other drivers. The second time is when I got the plastic panel out of the way. Projector headlights are significantly brighter than reflector headlights. I had to do it a second time because I had the LED panels top and bottom instead of side to side, that really makes a difference. I found it to be a tough, uncomfortable fight doing it one handed while fighting the plastic out of the way.

#Projector vs reflector headlight driver

The bulb is longer than the OE bulb and has an extra connector and a driver that has to fit into under the cap in the headlight housing.

I watched the video that said the passenger's side can be changed without removing the plastic but for the time it takes to remove the plastic on the right fender it's worth doing. I'v only driven it once at night but they do seem to be a significant improvement.Ī couple of things about the installation:ĭo the driver's side bulb first because it's easy to do and you will be able to see what you have to do.

#Projector vs reflector headlight upgrade

the only thing that I do not understand then is why if a reflector is more effective, cars now come with projector halogen and HID projector, even led projectors.I just did The Headlight Experts LED upgrade on my 2015 Colorado. And that advantage is offset by the projector requiring greater depth for similar performance.It is good to know this, I've always thought that projector are better in every way, putting the light on the ground, putting the light further and wider. Comparing similar light sources (halogen vs halogen), many halogen projectors come with 9012 (~1700 lumens) bulbs to give the same effective performance of a 9006 (~1000 lumens) bulb based reflector due to the inefficiencies of the projector design.ĭo you know the ONLY advantage a projector has over a reflector? Smaller frontal area for similar performance. But the common internet mantra, for those who know no better, is that projectors are better than reflectors. In what way are you thinking a projector outperforms a reflector? Because objectively they simply don't. Ī properly aimed good low beam projector will throw light no further than a good properly aimed low beam reflector. It may be great for bragging rights, or for those who think that seeing 800 lanes of traffic at once is a good thing, but. Once a certain width is attained, such as the width of a good reflector like the 8th Gen Accord, additional width is not helpful in most driving situations. The projector light is no better at distributing light than the reflector light. ^^^ this is exactly why alot of OEM headlight use a lowbeam only projector and a reflector high beam.Reflector headlights correctly distribute light too. A very good reflector light, for example the Cibie CSR, will use close to 90% of the available flux.Ī reflector is far more efficient at getting the light flux going in the forward direction then a projector, ( AKA a projector wastes more light flux) but remember, a projector can correctly distribute that light, so even tho your getting less light efficiency, you are getting much better light distribution that helps with night driving( wider/farther). The most efficient projector headlights use no more than 35-40% of the available flux of the light source.

There are two focal points that light must pass through before being distributed by the lens.

Projector headlights, by their very nature, are inefficient. Again, it's all in the design, not the type of headlight. There are older E-code reflector headlights from the 1970s and 1980s that were not only more efficient than projector headlights of today but had sharper cutoffs too. It's all in the design, not in the type of headlight. A good reflector light, for example the Cibie CSR, is very very efficient, has almost no glare (and far less glare than any projector I've come across, and provides more usable light than most, if not all projector based lights. Reflectors, by nature, do not waste light in an uncontrolled manner. I tried lowering the shield on the bosch minis and there is just about nothing left, even removing the shield yields a semi usable cutoff. While some I've seen (mini h3 Bosch) use just about all of it and really utilize the bowl to work around the shield. Ive seen many projectors with wasted light held back by the cutoff shield(hotspot). Projectors contain it and can generally re aim it.When properly designed that is! This means that they can provide better visibility on the road, making it easier to see. Reflectors waste light in an uncontrolled manner. Projector headlights offer more light output than reflector headlights.