5 Key Tips Before Going LED Bulb Shopping

LED conversion kits are slowly becoming the best option for vehicle bulbs. At one point, the halogen bulb was the only answer. HID kits came on the scene and they began getting adopted by car manufacturers and aftermarket automotive lighting companies. They offered many advantages over halogen bulbs with increased light brightness being the main benefit.

We witnessed the initial beginnings of the LED bulb.
The first versions were not so great, and very bulky, but today LED bulbs might be the best options on the market. There’s still a small argument to be made against them, but in a few years, we believe LED bulbs will be hands down the best option for vehicle lights.
Why do we think this?
Because they’re relatively inexpensive, use less wattage, and have greater lifespans. All those qualities will only improve over time.

If you’re exploring the idea of upgrading your lights, then this article is for you. We’ve put together a list of the 5 main keys you should be aware of before going LED bulb shopping. The question is, what should you know before buying LED bulbs for your vehicle? We plan to answer that question for you.

#1 Check your vehicle's light housing, projector or reflector

You should first know a few things about your vehicle. The first being, what type of lights does your vehicle come equipped with? Does it have reflector housing or projector housing? Here’s the difference, because it matters.

A reflector housing is the original standard for lights. It’s a style that’s been around for decades, because they work. Essentially, a reflector housing is a bulb enclosed in a light housing. The inside of the housing is covered in chrome mirror plates that are positioned in a specific pattern. The positioning of the chrome mirrors is carefully designed to reflect the bulb’s light onto the street. Moving the chrome mirrors slightly, or moving the bulb’s position can throw off the light beam and ruin its light output. The position of the bulb’s filament (or light source) is very important.

A projector housing typically uses a HID light bulb. The HID bulb is placed inside the light housing, in a metal bowl lined with reflector mirrors, and is positioned behind a thick piece of glass, which acts as a magnifier of the light. To work, the HID bulb has to be angled perfectly behind the magnifying lens. There’s a cutoff shield that gives the light beam its signature sharp cutoff line.

(projector     vs.     reflector)

This is an important detail to know because if your vehicle comes equipped with projector housing, then you’ll need a LED bulb designed for your specific application. LED bulbs are primarily made to replace halogen bulbs in reflector housing, so you need to get an LED bulb proven to work great in a projector housing. Nothing is worse than replacing your bulbs only to find out your light beam did not improve.

#2 Which bulb type, single beam or dual beam?

The second piece of information you want to find out is whether your bulbs are single beam or dual beam. This is important for a multitude of reasons. The main reason is so you know which type of LED bulb to purchase. LED bulbs are made for both single beam and dual beam applications. If you’re not familiar with these terms, here’s what they’re referring to.

A dual beam bulb serves dual functions. That means one bulb will provide both the low forward lighting and high forward lighting light. It’s one bulb per light housing. A dual beam halogen bulb will typically have two pieces of filament inside. A dual beam LED bulb will have two rows of LED chips.

On the other hand, a single beam bulb only provides one function. It’s either a low forward lighting or a high forward lighting bulb. In this case, your light housing will have 2 bulbs on each side. This distinction is important because LED bulbs come in a single beam and dual beam. Knowing this detail will help prevent you from making a mistake when ordering your LED bulbs.

#3 Make sure the specific bulb size your car needs

Next, you want to know what bulb model you’re going to need. This is important because every bulb model has a different shape and power plugin. If you get the wrong bulb, then it simply won’t fit nor work on your vehicle. There’s more than one place to find the type of bulb model your vehicle uses. You can check out the OEM bulb itself, because it might have a label on it that indicates the bulb model. You can check the owner’s manual. You can search for it online. There are websites, such as Automotive Bulb Finder.com which can provide an answer for you. Lastly, you can email our Lasfit customer service team. 

#4 Cooling system is very important

There are hundreds of LED bulb brands out there, and it seems like each one designs there LED bulb a little differently. One of the most important aspects of a LED bulb is the cooling system. You want to be aware of what the most effective type of cooling system is, so you can purchase a great LED bulb for your vehicle. Today, the most effective cooling system has to be the aluminum heat sink paired with a small fan inside. This type of cooling system does the best job at keeping the LED chips at a lower temperature, which assists with extending the life of the LED bulb. This will save you money and headaches in the future. If possible, you should try and buy a LED bulb that uses this type of cooling system.

#5 Research the bulb quality through product material, images, and customer reviews, etc

The last item you want to look out for involves quality. The main purpose of switching out your halogen or HID bulbs with LED bulbs is to improve your light beams. If switching to LED bulbs will not improve your light beams, then what’s the point of wasting money and time? There wouldn’t be much of a point in doing that.

That means, you need to do a little research to ensure the LED bulb brand you’re buying has put in the time researching and developing their product to create a great light beam pattern. This might sound obvious, but you would be surprised to find out how many brands out there never bother to do this. They’re simply selling LED bulbs to make money, not to improve their customer’s light beams.

The best way to do this is to search for videos or images of their LED bulbs installed on other vehicles. Read reviews of customers who have installed them on the same model of vehicle you own. Lastly, you can stick to trusted brands in the industry, like Lasfit. Our products are tested and proven to provide high-quality light beam patterns. Each bulb model has gone through countless hours of research and development. 

Those are the key aspects to keep in mind when doing your own research. If you’re ready to switch out your OEM bulbs for some LED bulb units, then this article has everything you need to know. If you follow the tips laid out here, you should have no problem finding and buying great quality LED bulbs.

Remember, doing your research ensures you’ll make a great decision, and dramatically improve your light performance.