Advantages of HID Headlights

HID is acronym for High Intensity Discharge, and it is a type of lighting that derives its name from the intense white light emitted by the electrical discharge. HID headlights are a relatively new type of lighting technology that is used in automobiles for greater efficiency and effectiveness. Unlike their halogen counterparts, these lights do not have filaments.

Rather than heat a filament the way a normal bulb does, hid headlights create light by connecting an arc between two light electrodes comparable to lightning energy transfer. This arc will then stimulate a combination of metallic salts and xenon gases, producing an exceptionally bright beam of light circa 3X much brighter than what you get from halogen headlights, and lasts up to 10X longer. Some of the notable advantages of Xenon HID headlights include:-

Has an output of up to 3 times brighter than the normal headlights in most cars today

The light emitted is much whiter, actually bluish bright white, resulting in crystal clearer images

Provides a wider coverage since the beam pattern will light up to 70% more, particularly on the road sides

Very durable and easily withstands vibration and shock considering the fact that they have no filament. They are also durable in the sense that they can last up to 3 times longer than their halogen counterparts. Depending on their use, hid headlights can last anywhere between 5-10 years. 

Improved efficiency in that it produces 3x more light and uses 24% less power

Difference between Xenon and Halogen Bulbs

Light bulbs often come filled with a combination of gasses to help hold back the evaporation of the all-important filament within the bulbs, and to help reduce heat loss from the same filament. Xenon is the best when it comes to this functionality, followed closely by krypton and then Argon. Needless to mention, the best of gases are highly priced.

On the flip side of the coin, halogen is not a specific chemical or element. Halogen lighting includes tiny amounts of one of the elements in the halogen family (mostly iodine) in the fill gas. The Halogen gas inside your halogen bulb can actually bond, albeit temporarily with the filament metal that has evaporated, before re-depositing the metal back inside the filament. This is a cycle that seeks to extend the longevity of the filament and keep the glass of the bulb free of any deposits that contributes to the graying of the bulbs over time. 

In any case, the main goal of both of these strategies is to ensure the bulb has a significantly longer life when lighting at the highest possible color (temperature), illuminating more efficiently and more brightly.  When comparing halogen to xenon headlights, it is an undoubted fact that xenon has a higher efficacy rate than its halogen counterpart, which is largely attributed to the fact that xenon lights notably lack the filament.

With that being said, good news to vehicle owners is that you don’t have to buy a new car pre-installed with these bulbs. You can easily install your new hid lights by simply removing the existing halogen lights and replacing them with the new hid lights, a process which cannot take more than an hour. It is always a matter of simply plugging them on an existing harness before turning them on.