Xenon or halogen? Which headlights to choose for a car - a guide
The main advantage of xenon headlights is a strong, bright light that is close to natural in color. Disadvantages? High cost of spare parts.
If a few years ago xenon headlights were an expensive gadget, today more and more car manufacturers are starting to set them as standard. They are now standard on many higher-end vehicles.
But in the case of compact and family cars, they also do not require such high surcharges as until recently. Especially since in many cases you can buy whole packs of them.
Xenon shines better, but more expensive
Why is it worth betting on xenon? According to experts, the main advantage of this solution is a very bright light, close in color to natural. – The difference in illumination of the field in front of the car is visible to the naked eye. While classic incandescent bulbs emit yellow light, xenon is white and much more intense. With a two-thirds reduction in energy consumption, it gives twice as much light, explains Stanisław Plonka, a mechanic from Rzeszów.
How does it work?
Why such a difference? First of all, it is the result of the light production process, which is responsible for the complex arrangement of components. – The main elements of the system are a power converter, an igniter and a xenon burner. The burner has electrodes surrounded by a mixture of gases, mainly xenon. Lighting causes an electrical discharge between the electrodes in the bulb. The actuating element is a filament surrounded by halogen, the task of which is to combine the evaporated tungsten particles from the filament. If it weren't for the halogen, the evaporated tungsten would settle on the glass covering the filament and cause it to blacken, explains Rafal Krawiec from the Honda Sigma car service in Rzeszow.
According to experts, in addition to the color of light, the advantage of such a system is less power consumption and a long service life. According to manufacturers, the burner in a properly maintained car runs for about three thousand hours, which corresponds to about 180 thousand. km traveled at a speed of 60 km/h. Unfortunately, in the event of a malfunction, replacing light bulbs often costs around PLN 300-900 per headlight. And since it is recommended to replace them in pairs, the costs often reach more than a thousand zł. Meanwhile, an ordinary light bulb costs from several to several tens of zlotys.
When buying xenon, beware of cheap alterations!
According to Rafał Krawiec, cheap HID lamp conversion kits offered on online auctions are often an incomplete and dangerous solution. Let's stick to the current rules. To install secondary xenon, many conditions must be met. The basic equipment is the equipment of the car with a homologated headlight adapted to a xenon burner. In addition, the vehicle must be equipped with a headlight cleaning system, i.e. washers, and an automatic headlight leveling system based on vehicle loading sensors. Most cars equipped with non-original xenon do not have the above elements, and this can create a danger on the road. Incomplete systems can severely dazzle oncoming drivers, explains Kravets.
Therefore, when planning the installation of xenon, you should not take into account the kits offered on the Internet, consisting only of converters, bulbs and cables. Such a modification will not give light comparable to xenon. Bulbs without an alignment system will not shine in the direction they should, if the headlights are dirty, it will shine worse than in the case of classic halogens. Moreover, driving with such headlights may end up with the fact that the police will stop the registration certificate.
Or maybe LED daytime running lights?
According to experts, daytime running lights made using LED technology are an excellent addition to extend the life of xenon lamps. For a branded set of such reflectors, you will have to pay at least PLN 200-300. However, when using them during the day, we do not have to turn on the dipped headlights, which, in the case of driving in conditions of normal air transparency, allows us to delay the consumption of xenon up to several years. It is important to note that LED headlights also provide very bright light color and reduce fuel consumption. However, their service life is much longer than conventional halogen lamps.
