Car lights are not only a lighting tool when driving. In many cases, the far and near flashes are often used as signals for communication on the road. Another important thing after getting into the car and fastening the seat belt for the driving license test is the car light test. From the emphasis on the operation of the car lights We can also see the role that car lights play in driving safety at night.
If the light when driving at night is too weak, it will not only affect our vision while driving, but also cause visual fatigue. It is even more likely to cause misjudgment at the beginning, which will cause considerable hidden dangers to driving safety. If the car lights are too dark and the situation is serious, the vehicle will be stuck and unable to pass the annual inspection.
People who have no experience in car light modification often fall into misunderstandings during the modification process. While determining their own needs, they should also pay attention to complying with vehicle inspection regulations and not causing negative effects on other vehicles on the road.
Headlight purchasing factors
There are currently three main types of home car headlight bulbs, halogen lamps, HID lamps, and LED lamps. HID lamps are also called xenon lamps. If you want to know which lamp to choose, you should first know the differences between these three types of lamps, and these differences are also the key factors in purchasing headlights!
How to choose between three types of car lights?
Next, let’s take you through the following five aspects to understand the key elements you should pay attention to when upgrading your vehicle’s headlights:
1. Light intensity
Generally speaking, the light intensity of halogen lamps is about 1,000 lumens, the light intensity of xenon lamps is about 4,000 lumens, and the light intensity of LED lights can reach more than 6,000 lumens.
My car lights used to be halogen lights, and the brightness of halogen lights will gradually decrease with use. This is the main reason why I want to replace them with brighter lights.
In terms of brightness, LED lights are the first choice, followed by HID lights and halogen lights as alternatives.
2. Car light power
The light emitted by car lights is also an energy conversion process. Part of the electricity is converted into light, and part of the electricity is converted into heat.
At present, mainstream halogen lamps generally consume about 55w of power and have average heating temperatures.
Mainstream xenon lamps consume about 35w of electricity, and the heating temperature can reach a high temperature of 300-400°C. This is because xenon lighting is lit by strong voltage, the heat generated is relatively high, and the electro-optical conversion ratio is relatively low.
Mainstream LED lamps generally consume about 25w of electricity, have the highest electro-optical conversion ratio, and generally have a temperature of about 60°C. They are also called cold light sources because of their low heat generation. This is also clearly reflected in the LED desk lamps at home.
Generally speaking, the higher the heat generated by the bulb, the more unfavorable it is in terms of safety. Lower temperatures can also avoid vehicle safety hazards.
3. Light color temperature
Generally speaking, the color temperature of halogen lamps is around 3000K, the color temperature range of xenon lamps is generally between 3500K-8000K, and the color temperature range of LED car lights is generally between 4000K-6500K.
3000K light is yellowish and warm in color, 5000K light is similar to natural light, and 6500K light is whiter than light.
Theoretically, the penetration is better in rainy and foggy days, but the overall light penetration effect of halogen lamps is worse than that of xenon lamps and LED lamps because the light intensity is too weak.
4. Lighting effect
As the most traditional halogen lamp, the illumination is very uniform, but the illumination width is relatively the lowest.
Compared with halogen lamps, the illumination of xenon lamps is brighter in the middle, while the illumination on both sides is relatively darker.
The illumination of LED lights is also relatively uniform, but its irradiation ability is often the widest among the three.
5. Service life
Relatively speaking, the production cost of halogen lamps is the lowest, but the service life is also relatively short. The general service life is about 500 hours. The process of using halogen headlights to weaken the light is also the process of losing the life of the halogen lamps.
The life of xenon lamps is relatively long, generally reaching about 3,000 hours. However, when upgrading, a stabilizer needs to be installed, and the overall cost is relatively increased.
The one-time replacement cost of LED lights is higher, but the lifespan is the longest among the three. It can even be said that sometimes the lights are not scrapped after driving the car. Overall, the cost is the lowest.
I used to have halogen lamps in my house. After driving for many years, the brightness has lost and the light feels darker.
Based on the above points and my family’s need for increased brightness when driving at night, LED headlights are the first choice.
However, after deciding to purchase LED lights, you should also pay attention to some other factors when purchasing LED lights.
Other factors you should pay attention to when purchasing
Car light interface
Generally speaking, household small car headlights mainly include H1, H3, H7, H11, HB3, HB4 and other models, and the differences in these models are often related to the model of your own car.
The interface model of your car can be found in the vehicle maintenance manual, calling the 4S store, or communicating with the relevant customer service.
Heat dissipation method
Although LED car lights are called cold light sources, they also need to dissipate heat, and the brightness of the LED light source is also affected by temperature. The heat dissipation methods of LED car lights are generally divided into two types, one is passive heat dissipation and the other is active heat dissipation.
Passive heat dissipation uses a copper or aluminum lamp body with strong thermal conductivity plus a copper-aluminum braid to dissipate heat.
Active cooling not only dissipates heat from the copper or aluminum lamp body, but also adds a fan for heat dissipation, which has a relatively better cooling effect.
Car light selection and installation
Based on the above factors, I finally purchased 6500K LED headlights for my car.
The lamp body has a built-in integrated driver box, which is very friendly to the car model and looks very compact overall.
The 24w LED bulb is equipped with an aluminum lamp body and an active cooling fan, so there is no need to worry about the bulb heating. The chuck is also made of high-temperature resistant material.
The high-speed hydraulic fan used not only actively dissipates heat, but also ensures that the interior of the car is silent and does not produce abnormal noise.
I went directly to a friend's car repair shop to install the LED lights. If you are very hands-on, you can also do it yourself.
During the installation process, pay attention to the sealing of the car lights. A quality installer can prevent dust or fog from entering the interior of the car lights.
Professional installers also have the space to make detailed adjustments to the lighting. If you have time, it is recommended to go to the store to replace it. Also be careful not to touch the LED lamp beads with your hands when replacing them. The installation masters are very careful and attentive.
It took a total of 3 hours to replace the headlights and debug. A professional would definitely do it much faster than a hands-on enthusiast like my father-in-law. The 6500K white light of the headlights replaced by LEDs is also very bright, and the light on the road is much wider than the original light.
The light pattern after debugging also follows the optimal driving state at night of low left and high right.
After turning on the low beam, the brightness is much brighter than the original halogen lamp.
The light of both low beam and high beam is very uniform, providing comfortable front lighting.
The switching between low beam and high beam is also very smooth.
The brightness of the high and low beams is very good, and the width is much wider than the previous halogen lamp. According to the car factory guy, it is also within the specification range. By increasing the brightness and width, you can pass the car inspection without worry.
Summary of LED car lights usage in one week
After upgrading my car lights, my driver praised it very much. The light intensity at night has improved, and my vision has also improved. I am no longer prone to visual fatigue. Driving has become much safer, both for myself and for others. Other people are a good thing.
Friends, before purchasing car lights for upgrade, you can easily upgrade your car's lights by recognizing the purchase factors mentioned before.
