LED Lighting for Your Headlight?

Choose quality LEDs

At Hilox we have tested a range of low beam LEDs in a range of headlights. Not only is the price difference huge, so is the difference in light output and beam pattern. In the end we had an LED developed that combines the best of both worlds: high quality at an affordable price, with a good beam pattern.

The difference

We compared a "lesser quality" beam with a good quality one: our Hilox LED low beam against a random brand bought on eBay. The Hilox LED clearly gives a tighter beam, which means much higher intensity and no dazzled oncoming drivers.

LED headlight quality: what makes a good beam pattern?

The secret is in the focal point and the base of the bulb. If these are identical to the original bulb, the beam pattern is good. If they are off by even a fraction of a millimetre, you are guaranteed stray light and lower light output.

Philips LUXEON Z LED

To guarantee you the best quality, we use only the best components. The Philips LUXEON Z ES LEDs are only a few millimetres across and give very high light output. In several tests these LEDs also came out on top on criteria such as reliability, quality, beam and heat management. You can read more about this on the Lumileds automotive site and the LUXEON Z ES product page.

Cooling LEDs

You'd be amazed how hot LEDs can get, which is why the heat has to be carried away properly. For that we use specially woven strips of red copper. This material draws heat away perfectly and bends easily, so the LEDs fit nicely inside the headlight housing. The housing of our Hilox LEDs is also made entirely of aluminium, which helps get rid of heat too.

Order online

Okay, convinced? Then you can order the LEDs from us online.

Checklist: how to recognise a good LED for your headlight

Whether you buy from Hilox or from someone else, these points help you spot quality:

1. The position of the LED chips. The chips need to sit in the same spot as the filament of the halogen bulb. Then the reflector or lens of your headlight does what it was designed to do.
2. Small chips. The smaller the light-emitting surface, the closer it gets to a filament. Big chips with a yellow surface often give a messy beam pattern.
3. Adjustability. An LED that you can rotate in its base is easier to tune to your headlight. According to the product data, the H7 XTR Black LED kit is adjustable through 360 degrees.
4. Cooling. Heat is an LED's worst enemy. According to the product data, the current XTR Black uses a Smart Cool IC chip with a Maglev fan, so the chips don't burn out.
5. CAN-bus. If your car monitors its bulbs, you need a fix for error messages. The XTR Black kits come with a CAN-bus II module.
6. Waterproof. A headlight is not completely dry inside. According to the product data, the XTR Black is IP68 waterproof.

After fitting: check your beam pattern

A good LED only gets the best out of your headlight if it sits right in the headlight. Before fitting, park the car on level ground facing a wall or garage door, switch on the low beam and mark the cut-off line with a pencil or marker. After fitting, check that the cut-off sits at the same height and is just as sharp. If the line is fuzzy or you see a lot of stray light above it, rotate the LED in its base until the beam pattern is right.

After fitting, have the beam aligned and check that your car still meets the requirements of the APK (the Dutch roadworthiness test). If in doubt, ask the RDW or your inspector. Note: according to the product data, LED bulbs with an H fitting designation cannot receive ECE or E-mark approval and are intended for the track and private land. You'll find all our LED kits under LED low beam and high beam.