IMO regarding LED headlights, it mostly has to do with manufacturers putting LEDs in reflector housing.
Because of the way LED boards are, you can’t get a centric light. Standard LED boards are a cob, the best being those thin blades, but none of them are suitable for a pure reflector set up without pissing light everywhere.
LED head lights belong strictly in projector housings in order to have good cut off and spread. I drove an IONIQ 5 ultimate last year, and the head lights were shockingly bad. Not only did light piss everywhere, but it was downright dangerous in an urban setting as it would not illuminate the side walks nor the side of the road, so I could not see pedestrians waiting to cross at night.
I retrofitted the projector beam headlights in my 2020 Elantra with Diode Dynamics SL2 Pros, and after a height adjustment, they don’t blind anyone, nor bleed everywhere, have a great sharp-but-not-too-sharp cut off due to the mechanical shutter, and I can see the sides of the road clearly. They’re also not overly bright. I now have a 2026 K4 Hatchback, and the LED projectors are also great.
IMO regarding LED headlights, it mostly has to do with manufacturers putting LEDs in reflector housing.
Because of the way LED boards are, you can’t get a centric light. Standard LED boards are a cob, the best being those thin blades, but none of them are suitable for a pure reflector set up without pissing light everywhere.
LED head lights belong strictly in projector housings in order to have good cut off and spread. I drove an IONIQ 5 ultimate last year, and the head lights were shockingly bad. Not only did light piss everywhere, but it was downright dangerous in an urban setting as it would not illuminate the side walks nor the side of the road, so I could not see pedestrians waiting to cross at night.
I retrofitted the projector beam headlights in my 2020 Elantra with Diode Dynamics SL2 Pros, and after a height adjustment, they don’t blind anyone, nor bleed everywhere, have a great sharp-but-not-too-sharp cut off due to the mechanical shutter, and I can see the sides of the road clearly. They’re also not overly bright. I now have a 2026 K4 Hatchback, and the LED projectors are also great.