#Halogen vs hid ballasts for cars plus

Plus keep in mind that 1000 extra hours in a headlight is significant, because it’s not like you’ve got them on every time you’re in the car. It’s not unusual for people to go 100k+ miles before they need replacement. I’m still running the original HID bulbs in my TL. Speaking of headlamps specifically, the halogens are typically around 1000 hrs, Xenon HIDs can go 2000 hrs and I haven’t seen any data on LED lifetime in these high powered applications. The dirty secret was that ALL 486’s had the math-co onboard, and it was just disabled for the cheaper chips. If you got it with a math-co, you paid a lot more. I remember back in the days when math coprocessors were a big deal in computing, the 486 processor was available with or without one. Things that are uber expensive to the consumer aren’t always expensive to the manufacturer. LED headlamps for autos are still relegated to the high end market and are uber-expensive. I meant that LED lights are cheaper than HID lights, not halogen. My under-cabinet lights were 2x more expensive than halogens but they advertise ~50x the life. I haven’t seen an LED headlamp yet, is your experience that they are better for illumination? (intensity, uniformity, color rendering…) What looks good on paper is often very subjective to the user. By and large, the spectral output will not be as broad even with multiple emission wavelengths (dies) and phospher conversions. LEDs are going to be much more peaky and so how they are specified will make a big diference in comparing apples-apples. HIDs have roughly 2x the broadband light output compared to tungsten halogen lamps. Surprisingly, the output drops off fairly consistent with lamps that experience solarization from electrode or filament sputter/wear. Where I work, we build some fairly high power LED systems and the lifespan is rated around 5000 hours with adequate heat dissipation. More expensive to buy but supposedly cheaper in total cost of ownership.

Of course, HID’s are already on borrowed time - LED lights are cheaper And BMW has a funky new laser light system that’s supposed to be absolutely fantastic (but unfortunately you have to deal with the problems that the rest of the car will cause in order to use them ) Of course, HID’s are already on borrowed time - LED lights are cheaper, longer lasting, and just as good. Blinking on and off over a short period of time shortens their life significantly. One trick with HID’s - do not flash them at drivers, and don’t enable the automatic headlights. And since they last a very long time, especially compared to regular bulbs, it’ll probably work out to be about the same, cost-wise. I looked it up when I got the car, and I can replace both for around $200. With few exceptions, aftermarket HID conversions are crap.Īs for replacement costs, it’s a lot cheaper to order them online than get them at the dealership. But the car came from the factory with them. They’re a lot brighter and have longer throw than the halogens on the SO’s (newer) car. I’m very pleased with the HID’s on my TL. Possibly less so, as the light seems to be diffused better over the area in front of the car. I don’t think they’re any more blinding than any other headlight. I hope to never have to settle for a car without them again. It’s a pleasure to drive at night again with HID lamps. Getting a little older, my night vision isn’t what it once was. I will say one thing–once you have a car with HID lamps, you will never want to go back to ordinary headlights. They are also more efficient and use less energy.Įn./wiki/High-intensity_discharge_lamp The ones used in cars tend to have a whiter, more consistent light that illuminates the entire road better. The presence of the halogen helps keep tungsten from ‘evaporating’ from the filament and bonding to the glass, which dims a lamp over time in the same fashion your vision gets dim if you have cataracts. Halogens are just incandescent bulbs filled with a halogen gas under pressure.

Halogen vs hid ballasts for cars