207-Can I fit LED H7 replacement bulbs?

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fotobright
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207-Can I fit LED H7 replacement bulbs?

Post by fotobright »

Just a quick query about fitting either LED or Zenon replacement bulbs to my 207 SW. Is it legal and are the standard headlamp lens suitable? If ok what type and Cree value
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Re: 207-Can I fit LED H7 replacement bulbs?

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Halogen headlamps are not designed for LED or Xenon bulbs, so you will not have the correct beam pattern, and yes, this is potentially illegal as they may dazzle other drivers and that has obvious consequences for your insurance or worse.
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Re: 207-Can I fit LED H7 replacement bulbs?

Post by fotobright »

I thought that might be the case. I'll just stick with halogens...
GiveMeABreak wrote: 09 Nov 2020, 15:42 Halogen headlamps are not designed for LED or Xenon bulbs, so you will not have the correct beam pattern, and yes, this is potentially illegal as they may dazzle other drivers and that has obvious consequences for your insurance or worse.
Peugoet 207 SW Hdi 1.6 live*
C5 2.2L HDi 16v estate (01)
Xsara Hdi 90 estate
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Re: 207-Can I fit LED H7 replacement bulbs?

Post by GiveMeABreak »

You can always consider upgrading your halogen bulbs to provide a whiter colour / longer beam throw. There are plenty of legally approved halogen upgrades out there - but of course brighter / longer reach often means shorter lifespan - which is the trade off.
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Re: 207-Can I fit LED H7 replacement bulbs?

Post by Michel »

Legally - no, physically - yes.

There are many good LED bulbs out there now that will make a big difference. I use them on my motorcycle. It’s quite literally a night and day difference. As long as they’re properly set up and aimed, there’s no issue. My bike’s gone through it’s last two MOTs with no issue despite me pointing them out to the tester.

It’s one of those “it’s up to you, it works but it’s strictly illegal” choices. Personally I prefer to see where I’m going than crash..
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Re: 207-Can I fit LED H7 replacement bulbs?

Post by Paul-R »

Michel wrote: 09 Nov 2020, 16:09Legally - no, physically - yes.
+1 on that.

Providing your headlamps are adjusted properly you should be fine for avoiding dazzling oncoming traffic. But be aware that there are some rubbish LED bulbs around. Some are so poor that they're dimmer than halogen bulbs and with a beam pattern that can't be adjusted to illuminate the road properly.

Don't make the mistake of going too blue. In terms of colour temperature don't be seduced into going higher than 6000K, 6500K if you must. As the colour temperature goes up into the ultra-violet it effectively becomes invisible to human eyes.

The best on the market are made by Philips. They've put so much money into developing these that I can't believe that they didn't think that LED bulbs would be made legal. Until recently their Ultinon X-treme line was the best available. Colour temperature is 6000K, but some bulb types (including H7s) are available as Gen2 with a temperature of 5800K.

I said that recently Philips increased their range. As far as I can see, two lines are of lower spec and the third is of similar spec but with better warranty and canbus support. See here https://www.powerbulbs.com/blog/2020/09 ... est-for-me

The bulbs are not cheap (around £130 a pair unless you can find someone selling a pair second hand) but they're definitely so much better than halogen.

Usual disclaimer - I'm not encouraging you to fit them. It's up to you.
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Re: 207-Can I fit LED H7 replacement bulbs?

Post by white exec »

Try either Philips X-treme +130%, or Osram Nightbreaker, first - if you haven't already.
Both are standard halogen and wattage, but top-notch light output.
They also preserve the designed and approved beam pattern and dip cut-off.
I've used both for a long time now, and bulb life is no problem, pretty much the same as standard spec halogen.

As said, avoid the bluer versions; it may be fashionable, but it doesn't correspond to peak response of the human eye, and scatter (= dazzle) is greater towards the blue end of the spectrum. Blue lighting is poorer in rain, mist and fog, which is why it's no longer used for street lighting.
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Re: 207-Can I fit LED H7 replacement bulbs?

Post by wheeler »

I have an aftermarket HID kit (6000k) fitted to one of my vehicles with H4 bulbs and also had an after market kit on an old mk1 C5 the beam pattern is perfect when put on a beam setter, complete with 'kick up'.
I tried 2 sets of Nightbreakers in my current C5, Very impressed with the light output, not so impressed with the lifespan. Neither set lasted more than 3 months. Both sets were from official retailers so would hope they weren't fakes.
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Re: 207-Can I fit LED H7 replacement bulbs?

Post by Paul-R »

There's one more gotcha I should mention. The LED H7s fit into our 308 as the bulb is held in position with a wire clip. They won't fit into my X7 as the bulb is held in place by the plug itself. Both of these are reflector type headlamps but I believe that there's a problem fitting them into (some? all??) projector type headlamps. I don't know whether this affects you.

I concur with Wheeler about the lifespan of the +xxx% bulbs. I fitted Osram NightBreaker Unlimited 110% to both the 308 and X7 in early 2008 on dips and mains. One of the H7s in the 308 failed exactly 12 months later! I replaced both H7s with the Ultinon X-treme bulbs which have been in place ever since. These were the Gen1 bulbs and the difference even compared to the +110% was startling.

The remaining halogen H7 became a spare for the X7 and was fitted about four months ago. And then one more of the halogen H7s failed three weeks ago and I have had to fit an ordinary bulb for the moment. It looks to me that these bulbs have a life of 1 - 2 years. Both cars still have the +110% mains but, of course, they are used much less frequently than dipped beams.
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Re: 207-Can I fit LED H7 replacement bulbs?

Post by white exec »

I must be lucky with both the Philips X-T and Osram NB halogens, as both have has years of life in our original BX, ZX, Xantia, XM and RAV4.
The last two have had several recent years of use on rough local roads. Typical replacement of both these lamps has been at 3-5 years of use.
Chris
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