March 6, 2020 Amy Lee

HID headlight Bulbs VS LED Headlight Bulbs

Before comparing those two different headlight bulbs, we need to explain how they work.

HID Xenon Headlight Bulbs

High-intensity discharge lamps (HID Lamps) are a type of electrical gas-discharge lamp which produces light by means of an electric arc between tungsten electrodes housed inside a translucent or transparent fused quartz or fused alumina arc tube. HID lamps are type of arc lamp.

In order to HID LAMP works well, the ballast must be a very important part for the HID lighting system, which helps your lamp start up quickly and maintain to provides a surge of higher voltage to the lamp.

Beginning in the early 1990s, HID lamps have seen applications in automotive headlamps. Xenon, or high-intensity discharge (HID), lighting provides brighter headlights and increases visibility comparing the standard halogen lighting. Halogen lights produce light in the 3,000 Kelvin range, HID lights in the 5,000-6,000 range.

Scientific study of headlamp glare has shown that for any given intensity level, the light from HID headlamps is 40% more glaring than the light from tungsten-halogen headlamps.

LED Lights for Automotive

Automotive headlamp applications using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been undergoing very active development since 2004. As of 2010, LED headlamps were giving performance between halogen and HID headlamps, with system power consumption slightly lower than other headlamps, longer lifespans and more flexible design possibilities.

Before LEDs, all light sources used in headlamps (halogen, HID) emitted infrared energy that can thaw built-up snow and ice off a headlamp lens and prevent further accumulation. LEDs do not. Some LED headlamps move heat from the heat sink on the back of the LEDs to the inner face of the front lens to warm it up, while on others no provision is made for lens thawing.

HID Bulbs VS LED Bulbs

Here we are going to use the table to make a comparison for HID Xenon Headlight and LED Headlight:

	HID Xenon Headlight	LED Headlight
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colour Temperature	4,000K - 6,000K √	4,000K - 6,000K √
____________________	_____________________	_____________________
Lumens	2,800 -3,500 LM √ (35W - 55W)	2,500 - 4,000 LM √ (30W)
____________________	_____________________	_____________________
Power Draw	High	Low √
____________________	_____________________	_____________________
Visibility	High √	High √
____________________	_____________________	_____________________
Heat Emission	High	Low √
____________________	_____________________	_____________________
Lifetime	2,500 Hrs √	5,000 Hrs √
____________________	_____________________	_____________________
Glare	Glare	Soft √
____________________	_____________________	_____________________
Cost	Expensive ( HID conversion kits - ballast and cable involve)	Expensive (Conversion kit - one pair)
____________________	_____________________	_____________________
Cables or Ballast	Yes - Ballast and Cables (Special Hi/Low beam bulb - H4, H13, 9004, 9007)	No √
____________________	_____________________	_____________________
Installation	1) From Halogen bulbs to HID bulbs - need to buy ballast - Plug & Play - 30mins	1) From Halogen Bulbs to LED bulbs -Plug and Play - 10mins √
	_____________________	_____________________
	2) D1, D2, D3, D4 HID Xenon bulbs replace - Plug & Play - 20mins √	2) From D1, D2, D3, D4 HID Xenon Bulbs to LED Bulbs - Plug & Play - 30mins

_________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion:

HID and LED headlights are both considerable upgrades from halogen bulbs, but LED bulb is the trend in automotive. Because Led lighting not only help to increase your range of vision during late night drives, also their lighting is more soft and low levels of glare to other road users. How to choose and upgrade your car lights? Here you can make an excellent choice after you read this article.