The Importance of Heat Dissipation in Automotive LED Headlight Bulbs

Heat dissipation is a crucial consideration when it comes to automotive LED headlight bulbs as it directly impacts their performance and lifespan. In this article, we will explore the significance of heat dissipation in these bulbs and examine various methods employed to manage heat effectively.

In the past, there was a misconception that LEDs didn't produce much heat, which was true for small indicator lights on dashboards. However, with advancements in LED technology, they are now being used as a replacement for halogen lighting, even in applications such as headlights that require high levels of brightness. As a result, heat generation is a significant concern. When selecting LED headlight bulbs, it is important to consider not only the quality of the LED chip but also the effectiveness of heat dissipation to ensure the bulb remains bright without overheating or burning out.

Insufficient heat dissipation in LED headlight bulbs can have several negative consequences

Bulb failure

If LED headlight bulb chip heat hasn't conducted on time to dissipate heat, it will cause the failure of the LED chip within the bulb, resulting in the bulb going out completely and affecting the safety of road driving.

Shortened Bulb Lifespan

When the operating temperature of the LED bulb exceeds its maximum rated junction temperature, its useful life can decrease by 30-50% for every 10°C increase in temperature. This results in frequent bulb replacements.

Flickering

Overheating can cause the LED headlamp bulb to flicker or pulse, which can be distracting and a potential hazard to other drivers.

Melting or Damage to Headlight Components

If the headlight housing is made of inferior materials, excessive heat generated by the LED headlight bulb may melt the headlight housing or damage other nearby components. In rare cases, it may also cause a fire hazard to the vehicle.

Color Temperature Deviations:

LED bulb chips emit white light by applying phosphor directly to the chip or mixing it into the lens. The LED chips are too hot will cause the phosphor to fall off and turn from white to blue light. Blue light is not good for night driving, it can strain your eyes and cause blinding glare to other drivers.

Reducing Brightness

The light output usually decreases slowly over time, while overheating during operation causes the LED chip to dim faster and decrease in brightness even more, thus reducing the efficiency of the headlight. This reduces the efficiency of the headlight and can be unsafe.

It is important to improve the heat dissipation of LED headlight bulbs and to keep the junction temperature of LEDs at the lowest possible value. After simply understanding this metric, it is more important to know how to improve the heat dissipation capability of LED headlight bulbs to ensure efficiency and lifespan of LED bulbs. Read on to tell you!

Heat dissipation of LED Headlight bulbs

There are two main heat dissipation methods for LED headlight bulbs: Passive and active heat dissipation.

LED headlight bulbs employ two cooling methods: passive cooling and active cooling. Among these methods, LED bulbs with a fan have superior cooling capabilities. The brightest LED bulbs require efficient heat dissipation due to their higher brightness levels. The inclusion of a fan facilitates airflow, enabling better cooling compared to LED bulbs that rely solely on active heat dissipation.

Concerns may arise regarding the reliability of fans. However, in general, fan failures are uncommon. LED headlight bulbs are typically installed within headlight assemblies equipped with dust covers, which offer excellent protection against external elements such as snow, ice, and mud. This ensures the longevity and proper functioning of the fan and the overall performance of the LED bulbs.

AUXITO LED Headlight Bulb Comparison

This is a test of AUXITO various series of H11 LED headlights from YouTube @CarLightReviews. We can see from the test results that there is a correlation between the power and brightness of the LED bulb and the heat of the bulb; the higher the power of the bulb, the higher the brightness, and the higher the heat. And compared with fan cooling and active cooling, in the case of similar power and brightness of LED bulbs, the better heat dissipation is fan cooling.

What series is the best heat dissipation bulb?

By comparing the data in the table above, the winner has to be the Y13 series!
The Y13 series LED headlight bulbs measure similar operating temperatures to the M3 series headlight bulbs but are brighter than the M3 series. With a whole aviation aluminum body to conduct heat, an aluminum base design at the bottom, and a 12,000 RPM cooling fan for fast cooling, the LED bulb can effectively dissipate heat during high-brightness illumination, increasing the operating efficiency and life of the bulb! At the same time, the external driver takes away some of the heat and ensures that the Y13 series LED bulbs are designed to be Mini-sized with high lumens and high heat dissipation capabilities for worry-free installation!

We also recommend the M3 series of LED headlight bulbs, the one with the lowest operating temperature in the test. The M3 series LED headlight bulbs are designed to meet your daily lighting needs with 6000LM/pc lighting and more than 30,000hrs long lifespan.

For more information reference on LED headlight testing from @CarLightReviews, you can watch the video below.

(BTW, if your vehicle use H11 LED bulbs for forward lighting, you can check out the blog“BEST H11 HEADLIGHT BULBS | AUXITO" to learn more about the AUXITO H11 LED bulb comparison to choose the best one for you!🤣)

Conclusion

As you can see, considering the heat dissipation function is essential to keep the LED bulbs cool under working conditions which will therefore prolong their lifetime and satisfy performance requirements, and the ability to dissipate heat also determines the brightness of LED bulbs to some extent. The two types of heat dissipation mentioned above have their own advantages and disadvantages, and you can choose according to your needs.

If you are looking to determine the best LED headlight bulb for your vehicle, I recommend using the available filters or contacting our customer service team. They will assist you in finding the most suitable option that meets your requirements.

Q&A

💬Which of the two heat dissipation methods, the braided copper heat sink and the fan, is better?

The heat dissipation belt LED car lights, conduct heat dissipation through the braided copper tape. Its cost is low, but the number and extent of the heat dissipation strips can easily affect the heat dissipation performance. If the space of the car lights is not enough, the heat dissipation belt is long and cannot be spread out normally, which will affect the heat dissipation effect. In order to ensure the normal performance of heat dissipation performance of the LED car lights, it is often necessary to destroy the dust cover and punch additional holes on the rear cover of the car lights during installation.
The fan-designed LED car lights are more compact in structure and smaller in size, and can basically be installed in the headlight assembly without damaging the dust cover.

💬Will LED headlight bulbs melt the housing?

When LED headlight bulbs are working, they create excessive heat. It is important to choose LED bulbs with good heat dissipation properties to ensure they work safely and efficiently without melting or damaging the headlight housing. For example, the best heat-dissipating LED headlight bulb mentioned above, the AUXITO Y13 series, is equipped with high-quality heat-dissipation components such as a high-speed silent fan, a whole aviation aluminum body, and opened slot aluminum base, which can dissipate heat faster and ensure the LED bulb runs efficiently for a long time.

💬 Do LED headlights have to come with a fan?

Not really. There are active and passive heat dissipation methods. LED headlight bulbs with active heat dissipation mainly use heat sinks, copper substrates, heat pipes and other types of heat dissipation components to dissipate heat without fans.
But some high-power LED headlight bulbs best have a fan to dissipate heat, because the high-power and high brightness LED headlight bulbs will generate more heat when working, and the fan helps to speed up air circulation.

💬I am retrofitting H4 bulbs with LED, the LED has cooling fans on them, do the fans need to be inside of the headlight housing and air tight?

We recommend installing the LED bulb in the headlight assembly to ensure that the LED bulb can be installed tightly without loosening and with the correct dust cover, which will help ensure that the LED bulb remains at the installed operating temperature and is adequately protected from dust and moisture, extending the lifespan of the bulb. However, the headlight housing does not have to be completely sealed, a small amount of air circulation is actually beneficial to heat dissipation, and the headlight housing also has ventilation channels to help dissipate heat.

💬Is it easy to install an LED headlight bulb with a fan?

Installing an LED headlight with a fan is approximately the same procedure you would perform for a headlight halogen. In general, the installation process involves accessing the headlight housing, removing the old halogen bulb, and inserting the LED bulb. Beyond that, additional steps may be required, such as connecting a fan to the power source, adjusting headlight alignment or installing a dust cover to protect the bulb.

Note that the difficulty of installing an LED headlight bulb with a fan will vary depending on the make and model of your vehicle and the specific LED headlight kit you purchased. Be sure to follow the instructions provided by the LED headlight kit manufacturer to ensure proper installation.

Using the filters to find the right headlight bulb for your vehicle.