Temperature isn’t something a lot of people consider when getting headlights, but it can have a huge effect on your lights’ performance. In fact, LEDs are popular partially because of how they interact with different temperatures and environments. Here’s a thorough look at how LED headlights work in different temperatures.
Cold Temperatures
The cold is known as a light killer for many other lighting options, but LED headlights don’t suffer from this issue. A halogen light will struggle to put out the same light level in the cold, but LED lighting is brighter in the cold. At the same time, LED headlights don’t have issues turning on in the cold like some other lighting options, as the cold actually strengthens the lumen output of these headlights.
Hot Temperatures
Even though LED headlights are amazing in cold environments, they don’t have the same usefulness in high heat. The technology behind LED lights is always improving, so they no longer overheat like they used to, but they still struggle to put out as much light in the heat. However, the degradation of light isn’t instant, so you won’t notice any major changes unless the heat exposure is over a long period of time.
Comparison to Other Lights
It’s difficult to compare every light source and style in a concise way, but suffice it to say that LED lights are great options for motorcycles in colder climates. For example, the Harley Davidson 5-3-4 LED headlight is a great investment for many Harleys if you don’t live in a place with consistently high temperatures. As long as you’re aware of how the temperature affects LED headlights, you’ll make the right decision for your headlights.
So, when you want to upgrade your headlights for those cold nights, consider picking up some LEDs. These lights will be brighter than any other option in the cold and won’t suffer in the lower temperature.