The car front lights are the "eyes" of the car and one of the essential safety configurations for driving at night. From more primitive kerosene lamps to today's laser headlights, technological advancements have revolutionized the lighting industry and also greatly improved the lighting effects of vehicles. There are a plethora of innovative headlight bulbs to choose from today, with prices ranging from a few unitary to more than 1000 RMB. So what are the best car headlights for night driving? Shall we go for the latest, extra-bright headlight? Or maybe you will consider the cheap bulbs or the longer-lasting ones.
According to light source classification, there are three types of headlight bulbs: halogen headlight bulb, xenon headlight bulb, and LED headlight bulb. Halogen bulb has been around for decades; xenon bulb can create longer-lasting, brighter light; as for LED bulb, it’s the newest, most energy-saving automotive light type.
What types of car headlights used is subject to car design. Cars comes in all designs, and so do car headlights. Usually, halogen headlight bulb is ideal for smaller car at a more affordable price, while xenon bulb is the perfect option for those with sportier styling which requires narrower headlights units. In terms of the latest car LED headlamp, it has wide applications in new generations of cars, such as top, luxury and sports models, not least because it costs most to produce.
Headlight Bulb Types: Pros and Cons
1. Halogen headlight bulbs
Halogen headlights, also known as tungsten halogen headlights, are a variant of incandescent lamps and are widely used in the field of automotive lighting. The principle is to use a resistor to generate heat through current, and when the temperature is high enough, it emits black body radiation with a wavelength in the visible light band. However, halogen headlights are increasingly unable to meet the current lighting needs due to their dim and yellow light and small illumination range, and they are even ridiculed as "candle lights" by netizens. However, halogen headlights are low-cost, easy to repair and replace, and other advantages are carried on many cheap cars.
Advantage:
Fast opening speed;
Low cost and simple production;
Low color temperature and good penetrability;
When encountering rainy and foggy weather, it has better penetration with reflector.
Disadvantages:
low brightness, poor durability, and high temperature.
2. Xenon headlight bulbs
Xenon headlamp is a gas discharge lamp. It uses a matching electronic ballast to instantly increase the 12V voltage of the battery to more than 23V. After the voltage is triggered, the high-voltage pulse is between the metal electrodes in the completely enclosed miniature quartz bulb. Exciting substances such as xenon gas, a small amount of mercury vapor and metal halide in the bulb, ionize in the arc to produce light. Compared with halogen bulbs, xenon headlights have two obvious advantages. One is that xenon bulbs have three times the brightness of light than halogen bulbs, but the energy consumption is only two-thirds; the other is that xenon headlights use light similar to daylight. Color, can create better visual conditions for the driver. However, in a foggy environment, the penetrability of xenon headlights is slightly inferior to that of yellow halogen headlights.
Advantage:
High brightness, three times the brightness efficiency compared with halogen headlights;
Low energy consumption, halogen headlights consume more than 60W of electricity, and xenon only needs 35W;
It presents blue-white light and has a long range of illumination. Compared with halogen headlights, the recognition of road signs and signs is greatly improved;
Long life, xenon has no filament structure, and the service life is much stronger than that of halogen headlights. The service life of a set of xenon lamps is about 3000 hours;
Due to the working principle of the xenon headlights, if there is a fault during use, the xenon light will not be extinguished instantly, but will gradually dim until it goes out, so that the driver can have time to cope with the headlight failure.
Disadvantages:
The penetrating power is too poor, and the penetrating power of the xenon headlights is very weak in heavy fog and ice and snow;
Poor light concentration, and because it is too bright, it is easy to shake the owner of the opposite vehicle and cause an accident. Therefore, the xenon headlight must be equipped with a lens;
There is a delay effect. Because of the working principle of the xenon headlights, it takes 2-4s to light up. Therefore, if you need to use the headlights to "shake" the vehicle in front of the car in daily use, you want to rely on the xenon headlights. That is completely impossible.
3. LED lights for cars headlights
LED lights, also referred to as light-emitting diodes, are an important part of today's vehicle taillights, high-position brake lights and daytime running lights. Car LED headlight bulb gradually replaces xenon bulb for multiple merits such as high luminous efficiency, longer duration, as well as creating signature light shapes.
Energy consumption of LED bulb is only 1/20 of halogen lights, but its service life can up to 100,000 hours. And the brightness of LED bulb is similar to that of a xenon bulb, but LED bulb produces less heat. Basically, LED car headlamp does not need to be replaced within the design life of the whole vehicle. Beyond that, the LED lamp group is convenient for layout and vehicle design because of its small size. Of course, the high cost is also a major obstacle to its popularity.
Advantage:
Energy-saving and environmental protection, the energy consumption of LED lamps is 1/20 of that of halogen lamps;
Single LED is small in size, easy to manufacture and design into various shapes;
It can be lighted up instantly, no longer need the xenon lamp "will be turned on again", just use it anytime;
The brightness is much higher than that of the halogen lamp, and the penetrability is strong. The warning lamp used as the brake lamp has no pressure;
Low pressure safety. LED, the first element used in electronics, only needs a DC voltage of 12V to light up, and there is no need to worry about the voltage of more than 20,000 xenon;
The use cost is low and the life span is long. The life span of LED lights from well-known manufacturers can reach 100,000 hours.
Disadvantages:
The initial purchase cost is relatively high;
The heat dissipation problem, if the heat dissipation is not good, the life span will be greatly shortened.
Conclusion
As referenced beforehand, different types of headlight bulb has their own characteristics. Car design generally decides what types of headlight bulb used. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!
