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Hello CL. This is going to be my very first post in this group, but hopefully not the last
***** OBS: If you are a HID person and do not see the point in upgrading / changing to LED headlights, then this post is probably not for you. However, you are more than welcome to both read and contribute. Just be aware that this thread was not created to argue why one should stick with HID. Reasons are explained in the thread. Happy reading.
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I know this is not the first LED vs HID thread and perhaps the very same debate has been covered. If it has, then I apologies in advance. But, going over thousands of threads to check if the information has been given will simply take too long, so I decided to make a new one and a KOITO dedicated one. A while back, I went out and took a look at the MY15+ Toyota Avensis Intense pkg which has the KOITO Bi-led and I must say; Instant love. One might lose some lumen's, but in regards to the light pattern and pure color, the KOITO win over HID. Not only that but there is no issues with waiting for the bulb to warm up. I also know that Lexus use KOITO Bi-LED in the 2017 IS, so basically the same module as found in the MY15 Avensis. Instead of me talking about the light output, pattern etc. Here are a bunch of photos for you to view.
I also found a youtube video of a IS250 conversion. The language is in Russian.
Perhaps I should start with one of the reasons I created this thread. It has to do with aftermarket LED's one can buy. I found this video last night, a crash course in the history (solutions) and many brands out there. There were information given that I had no clue about, its well worth viewing.
One of the more interesting discussions he has in the video is the one were he explain the size of the LED's. Over the last few years, LED technology has seen some really cool and interesting developments and one in particular is the size of the LED itself. Its now more or less the same area as the incandescent in halogen or gas filed glass envelope in Xenon bulbs. This is extremely important for the light pattern. Perhaps this is the reason why so many are reluctant to switch over to LED's, for in many cases, HID is the better option. But this has changed thanks to KOITO's technology.
For we are looking at a totally different approach. Instead of trying to make it work, KOITO designed a dedicated solution. It has very specific criteria. In the picture bellow, we can see there are two parts to the reflector. Low Beam (pink) and High Beam (blue). The blue area is the Low Beam and a solenoid switch opens up to allow the entire reflector to be used which become the High Beam. The LED's are also current controlled, switching between 15W (Low Beam) and 35W (High Beam).
This bi-led projector is the pinnacle of all LED projectors and is a very strong competitor to other HID projectors. Its not the best of them all but it certainly is a VERY good projector setup. In fact, for what its worth, IIHS ranks vehicles using these bi-led projectors above others (halogen/HID) in terms of headlamp performance. The expected service life is 30 000 hours. If you drive your car 3 hours each day, that culminates to 27+ years.
When it comes to price, it looks like $400-500 depending on were you buy it. Since its weekend, I can't contact my local Toyota/Lexus parts center, so that will happen next week. There are several retrofitting pages I will go over and some other similar products I will investigate. So I'll be back when that is done.
In this third entry, I will look at two other options that “compete” against KOITO. Besides KOITO, there is DMEX E2 Bi-Led, i.Lens Bi-LED, GTR Mini Bi-LED and AES that is promising. So let’s start with looking at the difference between KOITO, DMEX, i.Lens, GTR Mini and AES.
One problem comparing different pictures provided by different retailers / reviewers is lighting conditions, camera and lens use and camera settings. But two stand out with really good light pattern: i.Light and AES. Both offered at roughly half the price as that of KOITO.
Been in the lighting game a long time now... knew about Koito BI-LED but didn't know there were competitors with their own now. That's interesting. Since I got my 3IS with LED projectors, I've kind of stopped caring (don't want to bother with lighting anymore and would rather just drive it stock) but still would kill for a set of Koito BI LEDs in my 3IS though. But not worth the trouble for me.
I'd love to make some cool fog lights out of a small pair of BI-LEDs though. That would be cool.
Been in the lighting game a long time now... knew about Koito BI-LED but didn't know there were competitors with their own now. That's interesting. Since I got my 3IS with LED projectors, I've kind of stopped caring (don't want to bother with lighting anymore and would rather just drive it stock) but still would kill for a set of Koito BI LEDs in my 3IS though. But not worth the trouble for me.
I'd love to make some cool fog lights out of a small pair of BI-LEDs though. That would be cool.
KOITO Bi-led (module)
