Getting HID Lights for car is a good first step upgrade. Especially if you’ve been running entirely stock before. They take away the inefficiencies of incandescent bulbs. While delivering a lighting output that outshines even LEDs. While they don’t have as long a life as LEDs. HID Lights can still beat the lifespan of stock halogen bulbs. While also beating them thoroughly in performance.
So much so that HID lights for car are three times brighter than halogens. In fact, on the open road, they perform better than even LEDs. In terms of peak brightness and light spread. But their shorter lifespan is what hurts them the most. And make LEDs the more preferred choice. At least for people who have the kind of budget.
But, if you don’t have the budget for LEDs. But still want to upgrade your lighting setup. Then you can easily pick HID Lights for car lighting. They were first introduced to the car market in the 90s. By BMW, who showcased them as the lighting solution of the future.
Back then they were quite an expensive addition. But over time the prices have come down a lot. With a lot more third party manufacturers offering cheap aftermarket HID upgrades. Of course, they’re never be as cheap as halogens. Simply based on their complex engineering. And the special materials required to deliver that powerful light.
What are HID Lights?
HID Lights are a type of electrical gas discharge bulb. The design features a fused arc tube. With tungsten electrodes on both sides. As well as some mineral deposits. The light is produced by running an electric arc. Between the electrodes, which then evaporates the metal mixture.
It is these special minerals, which give the light its intensity. As well as color. Of course, you need a noble gas to start the arc. There are lots of options to choose from. But xenon seems to be a preferred choice. Which is why people often call HIDs lights for car as xenon bulbs.
This complex setup is needed to deliver the kind of light we expect from HIDs. But it isn’t as stable as LEDs. Which is why HID bulbs deteriorate over time. With most models losing upto 70% lumen output. Over a period of around 10,000 hours. With different companies claiming different lifespans.
Once you cross that period, HID Lights begin to suffer. Especially cheap ones from lesser known brands. Which tend to experience discoloration and fading.
These are still extreme cases that might happen late into the usage cycle. With most HIDs easily lasting for upto 2–3 years. Which is still a lot better than halogens. So you don’t need to be too worried about picking them.
What are the differences between HID Lights, Halogen Bulbs, and LED lights?
This is a question that most people get confused with. When talking about car lighting solutions. Because all three systems use different methods of creating light. Each system has its unique features. While some are obviously more advanced than others.
Halogen bulbs heat up a filament to produce light. This is a basic design that’s cheap to manufacture. But wastes up to 90% energy through heat loss. With only a small percentage being used for actual lighting. These bulbs also feature a noble gas. But works simply to stabilize the light.
HID lights improves this by using an electric arc for lighting. This removes the excess heat and energy loss. But requires specialized mineral deposits. To deliver the intensity and color to the light. They also need more power input than LEDs. With average HIDs requiring 25–35W to deliver proper lighting. This is still far superior than halogens. Which can draw up to 100w and more.
The variety of minerals also increases the number of color options. With HID lights for car featuring upto 7 different colors. The complex design also requires a more robust housing. Which is still smaller than halogens. But not as compact as LEDs.
LEDs bypass all these material issues. By using a simple light emitting diode (LED). This is a fancy way of saying; LEDs push current through a semiconductor to produce light. This simplicity makes the design smaller, longer lasting, and more reliable. It also limits the color options to just white, yellow, blue, and purple. The small design gives them space to include fans and heatsinks. Which helps with longevity. As well as adding to the cost.
