Long before the advent of seatbelts and ABS brakes, headlights were every driver’s and passenger’s best safety assurance on the road. This was truer when driving down a dark road or on a rainy day. It is still one of those safety features that help you drive safely and warn you about the presence of traffic on the road.
Over the course of time, headlights have evolved into a highly sophisticated technology which has made driving at night safer as well as easier. Even though the basic purpose of headlights is the same, yet they are different in terms of features.
In this guide, we have discussed some of the most common kinds of headlights used by car manufacturers:
Xenon Headlights
Also known as High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights, Xenon headlights are similar to the bulbs that we use normally in our homes. These headlights are being used by a huge number of manufacturers because they are comparatively brighter than halogen lamps. Xenon headlights reach from 200 to 250 meters and have a lifetime of 2500 hours.
These car lights have a blue tinged beam which give your vehicle a premium look. Since they have a brighter lumen rating, they light up the road and make it easy for people to drive on dark roads. However, it may blind the oncoming drivers.
Halogens
With a life of 1,000 hours, Halogens are the most popular headlights. Over the course of time, their popularity has decreased as they have been outperformed by new inventions. You may see two different kinds of halogen headlights:
Standard headlight – uses forward facing bulbs enclosed in a reflective casing with an outward and forward beam.
Projector headlight – uses a rear facing bulb onto a reflective casing and has a more directed and focused beam.
Halogens are easily available and are reasonably priced. However, as compared to the other types of headlights, halogens are dim and inefficient.
Since they are extremely sensitive, even the smallest contact with your hand will decrease their heat distribution resulting in decreased lifespan.
LED Headlights
Light Emitting Diodes (LED) headlights are extremely efficient and use less power as compared to Halogens and HIDs. Unlike other headlights, LEDs also have an extremely long lifespan which could theoretically live the entire life of the vehicle they are installed in.
Since LED headlights are small in size, manufacturers can arrange them in different shapes. As a result, many unique headlight designs have come into existence. Since LED headlights are customizable and have a small design, they are usually used on tail lights. These lights go upto 300 to 350 meters making it easy for people to drive.
LED lights produce heat when running which requires an extra heat control system which is one of the reasons why they are expensive.
Laser Car Headlights
Laser headlights are the most recent technology which means they are extremely expensive. Only a few vehicles have laser headlights installed in them.
The light that is emitted from laser headlights does not come directly from the laser. The laser only excites the gas which produces light similar to HIDs. Laser headlights are small in size and which means they can be used in different shapes. These lights produce 1000 times more light as compared to any other headlights.
Laser headlights can reach upto 650 meters and have a lifespan of 20,000 hours.
This was all about different types of headlights. It is essential that you choose the right kind of headlight keeping in view the model of your car. If you are interested in buying headlights online, you can visit OLX Pakistan’s website.
Do let us know which headlight you ended up buying.
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