Why HID is better than LED?
Without a doubt, one of the best HID headlight features is that they are the brightest available lights on the market. They also admit light over a broader area than both halogen and LED bulbs. Overall, the amount of field that is covered by HIDA headlights is about one-third larger than LED bulbs.
Technology: LED lights use electricity while HID uses gas (typically xenon). Energy use: Both have high energy use compared to halogen, but LEDs are slightly more energy-efficient. Life span: LED lights might last up to 45,000 hours while HIDs have a life span of around 15,000 hours.
HID headlights provide a larger range of coverage than LED headlights, but they can reflect glare onto oncoming traffic if they're not installed properly, so it's important to have them inspected by an experienced professional.
Efficiency - HID headlights produce more light than halogen lights while consuming less energy. This improved efficiency can help your car, truck, or SUV conserve more fuel. Better Visibility - Because HID headlights produce more light, they provide you with better visibility than halogen headlights.
The amount of time you're able to get from a pair of HID headlights is more than double the number of driving hours and mileage you're liable to get from halogen bulbs. On average, halogen headlights last only 1,600 hours at the low estimates and 3,000 hours at the highest estimates.
Even though HID lights are the oldest form of electrical light, they may not be the most efficient in all situations. They waste 30% of their energy output, emit a significant amount of UV radiation, and require time to warm up. An alternative to HID light is LED.
The chemicals inside the capsule that holds the gas and metal salts will degrade slower than a halogen bulb would. On average, HID bulbs are estimated to last for 5,000 hours. While this is 10x better than the halogen bulbs you replaced, HIDs will still suffer from the degradation of light over time.
Longevity. Another great advantage to xenon headlights is their longevity. For starters, HIDs have a much longer lifespan than halogen bulbs. By most accounts, HID headlights last at least 2,000 hours, and in some cases, they can last as long as 8,000 hours.
Keep in mind that HID bulbs may melt the housing of your headlights. 35 watt HID bulb systems burn brightly but at lower temperatures which are less likely to melt the headlight housing. However, be cautious of HID systems that are 55 watts and higher.
You will get about a 50% brightness increase by going from a 35-watt ballast to a 55-watt ballast. So the 8,000K HID bulb will go from 1,000 maximum lux to 1,500 maximum lux at 25 feet, but the color will shift to a 6,000K color.
What are two risks of HID headlights?
Thus, HID headlights can produce more glare than halogen headlamps for drivers who confront them on curving or hilly two lane highways. Older individuals have increased intraocular stray light, glare sensitivity, and photostress recovery time.
So what does an HID headlight cost in order to replace it? The bulb alone can often exceed $100. The higher price comes from the fact that they are much more powerful than a halogen headlight. HID lights are also designed to last much longer than halogen headlights, but they can still burn out eventually.
HID lights do not have a filament to break or degrade, meaning they last up to 10 times longer than standard halogen lights. HID light sources are energy efficient. Bi-Xenon lighting uses up to 65 percent less energy than conventional quad lighting, reducing the CO2 emission of a vehicle by approximately 2.1 g/mile.
Next up are HID bulbs. These bulbs last much longer than halogen bulbs, but still fall short of the impressive longevity offered by LED bulb. An HID bulb should last anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 hours. That's up to six times longer than the shortest-lived halogen bulbs.
As long as an HID bulb meets the specifications in this legislation then it's road legal. One important rule with HID bulbs is that they should only be fitted in a vehicle that originally had HID bulbs. If your car originally had halogen bulbs, then it's not road legal to install HID bulbs.
Some may even put you in jeopardy of being pulled over or ticketed. Since HID lights are so bright, it's important to make sure you install them correctly. HID lights that point straight ahead can blind other drivers, creating a safety hazard and a legal issue.
If your HID system wiring has any loose connections it will cause premature failure of the ballast, bulb or both. Intermittent connections will force the system to turn on and off frequently which is hard on the electronics.
Over time, your lenses can become oxidized—leading to a foggy, cloudy, or yellowed lens appearance. The opaque shade caused by oxidation does not let as much light pass through as clear lenses. This will leave your headlights looking dim, even if you have brand-new bulbs.
Why do Xenon/HID headlights lose brightness? HID headlight bulbs display degradation (a progressive dimming) throughout their lifespan, but at a really slow rate. Due to the very slow-moving process of this degradation, some vehicle owners aren't always sure when it is time to replace their headlight bulbs.
This question gets asked all the time and it's the same for LED headlight bulb replacements as well as HID conversion kit upgrades. The simple answer is NO.
Which is better LED or HID or HPS?
By comparison, MH bulbs last roughly 10,000 hours, and HPS bulbs last 16,000 hours. Besides the longer life span, LEDs maintain their brightness throughout their life. HIDs will get dimmer as they're used, which means growers may need to replace them even sooner.
Xenon headlights are probably the brightest bulbs you can get for your car that are actually street legal and can, in fact, often be confused for high-beam lights. However, here is a set of super bright and low-power lights that can be used for parking lights, reverse lights, turn signal lights, or tail lights.
The Cons of LED Headlights
The glare associated with LED headlights is one of the biggest disadvantages of this technology. The glare can get so bad that it could affect other people on the road. Experts also worry that it can cause long-term retina damage. Also, LED headlights are more expensive than halogen lights.
