Planning to buy HID headlights for your car? They are a great choice because of the many benefits they offer i.e. greater visibility, increased durability, and more safety. But before buying HID headlights, we recommend you to go through the information, which we have presented in this article. We know so many people who have a little trouble with HID headlights. As such, we have structured our content in a manner that will provide you with all the information you need to know, answer your most general queries and help you in making a decision better.
What Is The Technology Behind HID Headlights?
As already mentioned, the components of HID headlights are enclosed in a fused alumina or quartz tube, which is in the shape of an arc. This tube contains metallic and gas salts. When power is applied, the gas salts ignite the arc. The arc heats up and then starts evaporating the metallic salts. This process produces plasma, which significantly increases the intensity of the light produced while reducing power consumption.
Do HID xenon and xenon headlights refer to the same thing?
Many people believe xenon and HID to be the same, but there is a difference. A xenon bulb is a general halogen bulb that is coated with a blue colored film so that it imitates a true HID bulb. On the other hand, an HID xenon bulb contains xenon gas, which produces a bright light when it is ignited. In terms of intensity, an HID bulb is about three times brighter than a general xenon bulb. Since this technology produces light in a high temperature range, the HID xenon bulb gives off a blue or white colored light.
Are HID headlights available in various colors?
HID headlights are available in various colors, but shades of blue and white are the most popular. The exact color depends on the operating temperature and the salt mixtures within the bulb. Generally, a temperature of 3,000 K corresponds to a yellowish hue, whereas 6,000 K corresponds to a whitish color. For a bluish shade, the operating temperature must be higher than 8,000 K.
Is buying a conversion kit necessary? Can the bulbs not be replaced without it?
A standard car headlight operates on 12 V. HID headlights require a starting voltage of as much as 20,000 V. Once the headlights are on, they must be provided with at least 85 V continuously for operation. Since these volt requirements are quite high, a ballast is needed to increase and regulate the voltage. This device is actually a power transformer. An HID conversion kit includes a ballast, so until you have the conversion kit, your HID headlights will not operate properly.
I invite you to come to this site to have more details about HID conversion kits.