Has anyone swapped their headlight bulbs with LEDs?
If yes, was it easy?

I have never seen good LED "retrofit" kits. They are usually impossible to focus. If you increase the amount of light coming out of the bulb, it is mostly where you don't need it - scattered all over the place including into oncoming traffic's eyes.

It's really easy to put a "retrofit" into a housing, but it's not possible to make the beam pattern any good. The best option is the first "upgrade" level lights like the Philips Xtravision or Wagner Britelight bulbs.

Will

Hi Will,

You didn't mention which LEDs you tried.

You want to install headlights with the flat sufaces on the center post
facing @ 3 and 9 O'clock.
Generally the harness into the LED will be at 6 O'clock
You can adjust the cutoff angle to horizontal by twisting the lamp in it's collet.

Try removing the steel baffle that surrounds the OEM halolgen lamp.
There are two pins that simply plug into holes in the reflector.
They are as useful as your appendix. You can put them back if you
aren't satisfied.

I'm happy with my Hikari 2022 installed in my 940 TYC e-code housing
They have a sharp horizontal cutoff and focus OK
I ordered the "more powerful" Hikari 2025 and found that it was the
same power as the 2022. So I returned them to Amazon with no questions asked
or comments from their Integrity department.

The 2025 Hikari for about $40-45 would still be a good choice if you don't mind dealing with unprincipled salesmen. To be fair, "Buyer Beware" with any
attempts to compare LED offerings based on dealer specs, often crazy beyond belief. (1,000,000 watt LED's)

50W/set Lasfit LC, an older package worked well here, and they exceeded their specs.

I looked at Consumer Reports for their comments about LED conversions and found nothing.

Good luck, Bill

I think some of the newer LED headlamps are significantly better than the older ones in terms of beam patterns.

For example, the Auxito Q16 9004 bulbs I've been using in both my 940s for almost a year now produce an excellent beam pattern in the 940 headlamp reflectors designed for those crappy Halogen 9004 bulbs. There's a decent horizontal cutoff line and a decent hot spot, although the hotspot is slightly higher than a Halogen. The left/right beam cutoff angle is all about the reflector design, not the bulb.

My only issue with the LED headlamps is them being too bright for oncoming traffic and not being anywhere near street legal.

Because the hotspot is a little high and because they're so bright, I've dropped mine down a little below the horizontal spec in order to reduce blinding oncoming drivers and having them flash at me. It still gives me excellent visibility down the road, especially in oncoming traffic, and high beam still lights up the horizon.

The second problem with LEDs in our large reflectors is that the SMD wafer naturally makes for a vertical dark line when looking at the headlights (it doesn't affect beam pattern), so when oncoming traffic sees what looks like four bulbs coming at them then you get flashed.
--
Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

Funky website had a single post by Iwo with no replies when I started
Then I see a long thread from 2019 after completing a reply?
More Google fun.

John Sargeant, don't bother with lossy load resistors when you can install
a $8.00 3 pin LED flasher relay to replace the OEM.
Load resistors defeat the idea of low power lights.

Spook, did you ever install LED headlights?

Happy holidays, Bill
---------------------
Hi Iwo,

LED headlights have been around for years and keep getting better.
Avoid fan-less headlights. Avoid more than two sided LEDs.

The hard part is selecting the best LED since the newer chips are more
efficient with more luminous flux per watt. You rarely get the headlight chip number. LED merchants get more evasive every year with the lack of real spec sheets for power consumption, and luminosity, etc.,so it's a matter of trial and error.

I'm using the Amazon branded Hikari 2022 32 watt set that does a good job and is easy to install. Now I'd get the 9004/HB1 Hikari 2025 a 45 watt set at $50.

Don't be fooled by the the ads claiming extra high lumens since there are a
host of over enthusiastic LED merchants that pick these numbers out of their
hats.

Some of the gang have started off with Auxito 9004/HB1 and are happy. But I have
no idea how it compares with the various LEDs I've tried here.

There is a special metal baffle for the halogens that is pressed into the
reflector. I've removed these in my 850 high and low beams and in the 940
9004 to improve the pattern. You just need to take the lens off with some snap clips and pull them straight out. Try them both ways to see the difference.
I never put mine back.

Go for it, You'll be sorry you waited so long to switch.
Just adjust them carefully to avoid aiming at oncoming traffic.
They will be quick to let you know if you have it wrong.

Good luck, Bill

Yes. It was easy drop in replacement. Current generation leds just plugs into the headlamp electrical socket, need no ballast/regulator box plus canbus type bulbs doesn't apply to 200, 700, 900 series electrical scheme. So these keep the cost down a little, however good leds still more pricey than the halogens. Be sure to get them reputable makers such as Philips and Osram. Others made in PROC may flickers after few months of use, they don't last long.

Amarin.

Dear Amarin,

Hope you're well. Would you perhaps have a part number for an LED lamp, that is "plug and play"?

I've thought about replacing incandescent lamps, but do not want to put the wiring at risk.

I've plenty of lamps in reserve, but would like more light than I have.

Thanks for your never-failing help!

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Dear Amarin,

Hope you're well. Would you perhaps have a part number for an LED lamp, that is "plug and play"?

I've thought about replacing incandescent lamps, but do not want to put the wiring at risk.

I've plenty of lamps in reserve, but would like more light than I have.

Thanks for your never-failing help!

Yours faithfully,

Spook

Dear Spook,

It seems I'm in a bit of a pickle here as to which LED to recommend for US cars. According to blue Volvo pocketbook you should be using type 9004 HB1 bulbs whereas my headlights are E-code (european) type using H4 bulbs. I ordered mine from UK which has quite a choice for H4 bulbs made by Philips/Osram. At least you should go for 9004 bulbs using Lumileds LED as they made by Philips.

Here's an example, however it uses a driver box which could be placed beside the headlamp enclosure:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tunez-9004-HB1-LED-Lumileds-Car-Headlight-Conversion-Bulb-Head-Lights-Lamp-White/183235488024?epid=704121486&hash=item2aa9afa918:g:JD0AAOSwnTpbAnpE

Amarin.

Iwo, Spook, & Amarin,

https://www.superbrightleds.com/

They offer different 9004 LED solutions with the ballast and heat sink as part of the assembly. I'll guess made in the PROC. I'm not sure.
--
7 240s total since 1984. 3 240s today and rotting away.

Hello KGV,

I've looked thru the 9004 HB1 SuperBrightLED headlight selections and found this:
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-headlight-bulbs-conversion-kits/9004-led-fanless-headlightfog-light-conversion-kit-with-adjustable-color-temperature-and-compact-heat-sinks-5000-lumensset/5401/12502/

The colour temp 6500K with 5000 lumens (slight warm white) is more suitable for night driving than the 7200K (bluish white). The bluish white light may annoy incoming drivers plus provides slightly less useful white spectrum for road illumination.

On the plus side, the cube shaped LEDs conforms to most recent LED construction technology (this by observation - I'm not LED expert).

Amarin.

I checked out these links. None of it is clear.

I've replaced most of the bulbs on my 245 with LEDs inside and out. Superbright LEDs is pretty helpful and has high quality bulbs. For most applications it's great - they stay cool and are brighter for turn signals, parking lamps, reverse lights, and brake lights (though replacing the third brake light with an LED sets off the bulb failure indicator).

The headlights are another matter. I've tried and returned a couple of sets. I haven't had a problem with fitment - you just identify the bulb in there and look up headlight LEDs that match (though you may have to watch out for clearance issues behind the bulb because of the built in circuitry). Here is where I've been dissatisfied:

-The ones I've tried don't really put out any more light than decent brand new halogen bulbs. Maybe less.
-Because they're made from several directional sources rather then a single unidirectional source, the beam pattern doesn't work as well. They put light where I don't want it and not where I do, despite manufacturer efforts to address this issue.
-Halogen bulbs have a nice warm colored light. For other bulb types you can often find LED replacements in 3000k, which is comparable. I've wasted oodles of time in a vain quest to find LED headlight bulbs in a nice color temperature but can't find one below 5500-6000k, which imparts a nasty blue tint to the light (3000k LED is sold for fog lights but is straight amber). Plus, it doesn't look stock, if that matters to you. Of course, if you already have a body kit, a spoiler, and a side exit straight pipe you may want this.
-CRI: color rendering index, or how good the bulbs are at producing a full spectrum of light, seems to my eye (no testing equipment involved here, so consider this anecdotal) to be much worse in LED bulbs than in halogen bulbs. Low CRI is unnatural and unpleasant. It's like looking at things in monochrome. Sometimes the colors of an object you can see on the road are an important clue to what it is and that can be important at night. If you're only getting lighter and darker blue reflections it can be harder to tell what you're looking at.

If anyone has found an LED headlight that resolves these issues, please post links.

Hi Kindofhandy,

So 9004 LED bulbs from Super Bright LEDs you tried were those that convert from 9004 to 9007?

The 700-900 Series FAQ Entry on Exterior Lighting:

https://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/ElectricalLightingHorns.htm

It concerns be a bit that the LEDs are placed in such a way as to beam light into the reflector more directionally versus all around as with halogen versus the bulb tip painted with black or silver. The led element beam width angle is not very wide.

I've not peered into a North America market US DOT 700-900 series bulb assembly recently. Yet an image search shows the 700-900 headlight assemblies are like those on 1986+ USDOT plastic lens. No baffle for low beam. The beam pattern is sort of (very) terrible on 1986+ 240. Better on your Volvo model. Better with glass lenses from the factory from more recent model years.

Super Bright LED bulb search link (copy and paste):
https://www.superbrightleds.com/search/led-products/9004/

I've not used 9004 LED bulbs USDOT 1986+ 240 headlights yet.
I'd rather have very white headlights. Though you find Sylvania (now owned by Osram) and Phillips make a host of halogen bulbs. Some have a partial blue color coating. Some don't.

Halogen bulb brightness fades. I though it was my eye-bulbs with my 1992 240 GL a year ago. I installed new 9004 Sylvania Silver Star bulbs in 2009; the date on the bulb.

I installed the Sylvania 9004 SilverStar Ultra Halogen in the orange labelled two bulb pack got from Walmart in the 1992 240. A little more $ at the store than online. It was a new day at night. These bulbs have some blue color around the glass near the mount with a silver color paint on the tip. Very white and bright with out bothering others yet not blue or overly white. The 9004 SilverStar Headlight Bulb is warmer. The warmest is the 9004 Basic Headlight Bulb. I installed all of these.

The fancier / more $$ the 9004 bulb model the fewer hours they last and dim sooner when you read the specification info where you can find it.

The priciest is touted as HID-like yet is halogen. I'm unsure if we can use 9004 HID lighting systems with plastic lenses.

Sylvania auto bulb finder:
https://www.sylvania-automotive.com/apps/vlrg-us/Vlrg/

I've not used Phillips, yet their auto bulb finder:
https://www.automotivebulbfinder.com/philips/

The reviews are equally good between the two for halogen bulbs. Phillips provide better tech-spec info, though. Phillips is harder to find in real stores. Read the reviews where you can.

Agree with you folks on LEDs for brake, reverse (brighter), turn, and parking / position running light. The 240 tail lights with flexi circuit boards are terrible. Yet prior owners will incorrectly install bulb holders and bulbs, hyper heating the lens and the housing. I have several boxes of six panel flexi tail light wrap around and restore them when the current set are done.

Sort of off-topic, yet worth a mention ....

When the grey glue that seals and secures the plastic lens to the reflector body embrittles, I cleaned these and resealed them. The reflector was perfect after years of moisture intrusion. Though at some point the 700-900 headlights used additional steel clips if I recall unless FWD/AWD? 700-900 used the same grey factory adhesive sealant and it also embrittles and loses seal. Something to check for and treat.

Moisture intrusion into the headlight chamber with a hot halogen headlight bulb can cause it to explode and ruin the reflector.

Another solution to improve brightness, as Michael Yount and other advocate here is wiring in a relay so the low / high beam voltage controls the relay and the high current side is fused from the B+ directly from the B+ junction block.

I've also bypassed the bulb failure / bulb out sensor on my 1992 240 GL as both Art Benstein and Dave Barton detail at their site and other posts. All exterior lighting brightness improved greatly. I also clean the from corner light assemblies and taillights with simple green. These lighting fixtures (and lenses) collect dust and grime inside in spite of the seals between lens and fixture. Some thermal silver paint that does not eat the plastic can also help when the factory reflective coating fails (not the headlights)!

It would have been nice if the US market received better headlight lenses from the factory to cast a proper pattern. The 9004 bulb / headlight assembly is an economy design so I read. Can't find the article.

Another article I cannot find is how higher wattage headlight use in 9004 headlight assemblies does not help with the not well defined headlight beam pattern cast through the lens.

Like fresh DOT-4 brake fluid every two years or so, I get a little tense with exterior lighting issues whether in Spokane WA or St. Louis MO.

Sorry to go on so long. Hope that helps.
--
7 240s total since 1984. 3 240s today and rotting away.

Kitty,

I tried straight 9004 LED bulbs from Amazon. I hadn't yet discovered SuperbrightLEDs. Now I have E-codes so I'd use H4s now. They're just DJautos but still way better than the US plastic cover ones, especially after cleaning grounds and the bulb failure indicator contacts. The price timing was good - they were relatively cheap to start with and Ebay's marketing department was handing out coupons like Halloween candy. I might try a pair of H4 LED bulbs from SuperbrightLEDs sometime and see if their bulbs are any better and maybe the different reflector setup in the E-codes improves the pattern. And one of these days I'll get one of Dave Samuels' fancy harnesses to save the voltage drop and wiring failures (just replaced a melted relay socket).

Incidentally the 6500k lights Amarin posted are firmly in the "cool white" category. But it looks like you can't get much warmer than that in headlight bulbs.


KOH

Hiya KOH,

The image you post here is excellent in detailing the color temperature range!

I switched from the 1991 240 sedan with not new halogen bulb to the 1992 240 sedan with the newer orange package Sylvania bulbs. May have to get new bulbs for the 1991.

I like the daylight white range like you.

Maybe more search efforts reveal what you like for bulbs with color temperature range you prefer?

Thank you.
--
7 240s total since 1984. 3 240s today and rotting away.

2019 seems like a millennia ago.

Turning on Volvo 240 and other Volvo redditors to the mighty and powerful brickboard.


Santy Klause is wurxs now.

Thank to Uncle Jarrod and Folks.
--
Give your brickboard.com a big thumbs up! Way up! - Roger Ebert & Gene Siskel