My understanding is that an LED can actually have more heat than incandescent even with lower input. Since IR output of incandescent lamp carries energy away and heats other surfaces, actual heat output of LED is higher even when input is lower (see the simplistic comparison 100W incandescent and 35 W LED - the heat output of LED is more than twice the heat output of incandescent) - this is why the high-performance LED flashlights heat up so much compared to incandescent counterparts - input is lower, but more energy "stays" with the element and "turns" into heat.



Offtopic:
and why am I in this thread? I've baked my headlights and painted them to install HID. i shouldn't care :D
I was always taught that incandescent bulbs are so inefficient because much of their energy is released as thermal energy not light (because I'd consider IR emission as light, even if it's useless to us). I see your math, but is it really true that incandescent bulbs are efficient light generators, just not in the visible light spectrum?

In any case, I understand now but I'm still wondering if the 24W-25W rating of the LEDs includes the fan at full current draw or if that's just the diode pair?
 
I was always taught that incandescent bulbs are so inefficient because much of their energy is released as thermal energy not light (because I'd consider IR emission as light, even if it's useless to us). I see your math, but is it really true that incandescent bulbs are efficient light generators, just not in the visible light spectrum?

In any case, I understand now but I'm still wondering if the 24W-25W rating of the LEDs includes the fan at full current draw or if that's just the diode pair?

That's what I always thought too, but after reading a bit while i was looking at HID lights, it seems to me that the phrase "lightbulbs produce only small percentage of light and the rest as heat" - bucketed IR with actual heat (hey, it heats up the surrounding parts like glass of the lightbulb, so it must be heat). I'm no expert by any means, so I may be completely off the mark there - i'm sure somebody will chime in.
 
Installed my led high beam, unfortunately the 5000K color from the led doesn't match my 5000K HID which, with the 55 watt ballast, is closer to 6000K. Ordered a 6000K led, will return the 5000K bulb when I get the new one.
 
Installed the 6000K bulb tonight. Unfortunately, due to the design of the bulb with two leds on the top and bottom of a 2mm thick platform, the light only illuminates the sky and the ground, and nothing in between - where it actually needs to be.

I went back to the Sylvania halogen; the search continues.
 
Back
Top