HID to LED Upgrades – Factory Xenon Globes to LED Globes
There are a few things to go over if you have factory fitted xenon globes in your vehicle and you want to upgrade them to LED.
Are HID to LED Upgrades ADR Approved?
The biggest one is “are they ADR approved?”
The short answer is technically no, but the other question is “will I get defected if I swap my hid globes to LED”.
This is where the answer lies in your knowledge of how to get your upgrades compliant for road use in your vehicle.
The main things that the Australian design rules are looking for are that your passing beam has the correct symmetry and is not too bright.
ECE Markings and How HID Globes Are Legal
The first thing. If you go into any shop and buy a set of say D1S HID globes to replace your existing globes, the shop is not going to give you an ECE certificate to prove that the globes you are buying, even if they are Philips or Osram, are ADR Approved.
So how are they legal?
When factories build globes, they go through testing and have to pass an ECE test for safety. They must be electrically sound, have no toxic material, and undergo a whole other lot of tests, such as photometric testing.
On the globes themselves, you will see a number, E1, E4, etc.. which represents the country where the factory got its certification. DOT is another mark for the USA (Department of Transport).
But you will only see this mark on the globe; you won’t be handed a certificate when you buy the globe at your local store.
So, How Can I Upgrade My Lights from HID to LED?
The ADR has provisions for “after-market” upgrades. The upgrades need to comply with the rules.
They must be electrically safe, the beam pattern must be correct for a passing beam, and they cannot be too bright for a passing beam.
You can download and read the rules from their website.
I have done it a few times over the years, and it is complicated and has a lot of different areas.
The main takeaways I have read are as above: safe, not too bright, and the right beam angle.
Understanding Asymmetrical Headlamps and RHD Beam Pattern
Here are a couple of things you can realize.
First of all, a modern headlamp with HID’s in them that come into are Australia is an Asymmetrical headlamp and is already ADR Approved.
In Australia, we have RHD headlamps (Steering Wheel on the Right of the Car). An Asymmetrical RHD headlight on low beam kicks up on the left and down on the right (for the passing beam).
So as long as your upgrade conforms to the original headlamps' parameters (which quality upgrades do), you are complying with the ADR.
Lumen Limits and Real-World Output
Secondly, the light cannot be too bright for an upgrade, from memory of when I read it a while ago, “one single headlight on low beam only can produce no more than 2000 lumens after it is diffused through the lens”.
I get the question asked, “But the original HID globes are 2700-3200 lumen, so how is this legal?
Good question, there are a couple of reasons.
First, the technical specs of a globe are not necessarily the operating specs. Secondly, it is the globe's lumen, not the lumen “After it is diffused through the lens”.
I have never heard of an inspector getting out a light meter and putting it in front of the one headlight on low beam and measuring the lumen, but this is the rule for compliance.
When testing LEDs to figure out what the “globes’ actual lumen is, I usually divide the technical lumen by .5 to .7, as they will never drive them to 100%, or the LEDs would burn out too quick.
Safety, Heat and Vehicle Warranty
Lastly, safety, the issue is, you don’t want the globe to catch fire, burn your lenses, or do any other damage, which means your vehicle warranty is at risk when upgrading any original part to an aftermarket part, especially an electrical part.
So, these are the common-sense reasons why the ADR is in place.
So, if you need better lighting, make sure you deal with a company with a proven track record in supplying quality products, and remember, even Philips won’t say their after-market LED headlight globes are ADR approved.
The irony is that on some vehicles I have seen, the factory-fitted lights are woefully inadequate and dangerous, and it surprises me that the car and headlight have been ADR approved, so sometimes you need to take your safety seriously and get better lighting anyway.
TIPS for Fitting HID to LED Globes – What to Check.
The latest in HID to LED technology is a plug-and-play direct replacement for existing HID systems. You can see the range of our LED globe upgrade types here ->
OEM Factory HID to LED Upgrades
Because these globes run off your existing system, your ballasts and the rest of the HID system need to be in operating order.
Some people assume that because they have a globe out, the problem is the globe.
This is not necessarily true.
Depending on the bulb type and the ballast type, there can be three different components you need to check.
The globe, the ignitor, and the ballast.
The ballast is the headlight control module. 12v goes out of the vehicle and into the ballast, the ballast is a transformer and converts the power into high voltage and shoots it up to the back of the globe.
Igniters can be separate, incorporated into the ballast, or incorporated on the back of the globe.
D1S and D3S have igniters built into the back of the globes (the square silver box on the back of the globe.
Some D4S systems have a removable igniter, either from the ballast side or directly on the bottom of the globe.
Different Bulb Types
Different bulb types.
There are 8 main bulb types. D1S, D3S, D2R, D2S, D4R, D4S, D5S, and D8S.
The difference between the R series and the S series in the D2 and D4 is that the S series is in Projector headlamps and the R series is in Reflector headlamps.
Whenever you upgrade from HID to LED, match the D Series name exactly.
Different manufacturers have different product codes for that particular series, such as Osram 66340, Philips 42403, but they are both “D3S”.
Fitment Considerations
One consideration I have found is the Shaft Size in a D2S. I have seen an old BMW that uses a D2S HID globe, and the entry is round and can barely fit the factory xenon globe in it. LED Upgrades in D2S have a flat shaft and they will not fit in that particular vehicle, so check the shaft size. It is rare, but I have seen it. The shaft on an LED globe is typically about 18mm wide.
I would say the ratio is around 1:300 sales, where they have trouble fitting them. I have not seen any problems with any of the other globe types.
Another consideration is the D2R and D4R for reflector headlights. Some LED globes do not have a ridge on the globe.
Our LED D2R and D4R LED upgrades have a ridge on them for reflector headlamps so that the beam pattern has the correct cut-off points.
In Summary
In summary, If you want to get better performance over original HID globes, then LEDs are a good option. Check to make sure they will fit, and check that the original system is operating correctly.
