LED vs HID: what's the difference?
 

Hey guys, I know I will surely be outing myself as a noob but I need your help on this. Can anybody tell me what the difference is between LED and HID lights? Most of the information I've found are on the difference between the gasses and their respective properties but I'm wondering more about the real world differences, like; which are more OEM looking? Which produce better visibility? Which are harder/more expensive to install and why? Thanks your you help and insight.

if for visibility go with HID. LED looks nice but is useless for visibility. they are both plug n play. the HID just has extra wires leading to its power box since it creates more power for a stronger light

If you're talking about plug and play kits, don't waste your money (even if it only costs $20 for whatever crap kit you decide to purchase).

Do it right and either retrofit HID projectors and use OEM HID hardware (D2S bulbs and OEM ballasts) with a wiring harness (to avoid melting your car) or just upgrade your halogen bulbs to H9 (I think that's the one).

I have LED'S for my DRL's and it eliminates the high beams which I never used in any car I own, but if you ever need to use them they are not there. They look nice, but are really non functional.

As for HID's, the plug and play kits get all kinds of grief because "you shouldn't spend 30k on a car to not spend money on proper lights" or "they are not aimed correctly".
Personally I don't have the skill/time or want to bake headlights in the oven I cook my food in, but some do for a retrofit. If you are looking for most usable light, just upgrade the halogen bulbs.

HID produces better visability than an LED. While LEDs are extremely energy efficient and last very long, they only provide a focused beam of light.They are unidirectional. A halogean bulb or "HID" buld will produce light in all directions.

its about color spectrum

And color rendition (I guess that's the same thing as saying color spectrum...). And luminous output.

Why the hate towards plug and play HID's? Please excuse the ignorance..

HID's = high output over a great distance. Primary use: Headlights/hi beam/some fog lights
LED's(Light emitting diode) = Bright and precise over a small distance(generally). Primary use: Turn signals/brake lights/markers/running lights/interior lights etc.

Disclaimer: Some high end manufacturers are starting to use, or at least develop LED headlights and such that will work over a greater distance.

For what I've seen so far here, the stock projectors on the frs are pretty good for pnp hids. I'm sure retrofitted shrouds/projectors will be better but for 60 bux vs prolly $300+ ... I'm going with hids

Same here, the stock projectors are really good, have yet to have anyone flash me with my pnp HiD's.

if you guys want to upgrade ur fog...here's your option:
http://www.spoonzauto.com/product_p/hn-brz-h11.htm

Most places it seems to be an elitism thing. As long as your don't have horrible housings that blind the crap out of everyone then pnp kits generally get the job done. No you wont have a perfect cut off when you are 10 feet from a wall (seriously how often do people drive into walls), and yes the light will probably have some hot spots. However, from a cost/effectiveness standpoint they are hard to beat, if you are objective about it.


*Yes I understand the merits of retrofits, and the purpose of a clean cutoff.