Fire is at the core of some modern inventions, such as the headlight. Back in the days when horse carriages were more popular than automobiles, there were acetylene lamps. These created a flame that illuminated part of the road and made vehicles visible to others at the same time.
Some decades later, electric headlights in the form of sealed beam lights became standard, and much later on, during the 1990s, HID headlights started changing the landscape. Shortly after LED headlights were introduced, and laser headlights were introduced. Headlights are still to this day one of a few components that don’t require the use of diagnostic tools to check whether or not they need to be replaced.
Types of Headlights
Halogen
The majority of cars today come with halogen headlights, and there is a good reason why that’s the case. It’s not because they are the most powerful or efficient, but because they are the most affordable car headlight currently. It’s also rather easy to replace a halogen bulb, as you’re not required to replace the whole headlight, further cutting down on costs. Lastly, they’re known for the durability as they can last about 2,500 hours before they need to be replaced.
LED
Light-emitting diode car headlight options function without the use of a filament. Instead, they make use of a semiconductor which creates light thanks to current passing through it. Therefore, LED headlights are more efficient since they don’t heat up as much and they’re also longer lasting because of that. It can take somewhere around 30,000 hours to replace them. However, replacing an LED is usually done by replacing the whole headlight since it’s sealed. LEDs are praised for their powerful beam and because they don’t dazzle other drivers.
HID
Going back to automotive headlights that use a filament, HID or high-intensity discharge lights are more powerful than LEDs. HID lights also last quite a long time, but not as long as LEDs, coming in at around 10,000 hours. A downside that HID lights share with LEDs is that they, too, don’t allow you to replace a single bulb, instead, the whole assembly needs to be replaced when the time comes. Also, HID lights are not as efficient as LED headlights since they rely on Xenon gas.
Laser
The most advanced and newest type of car headlight you can get for your car is one that relies on a beam generated by lasers. Laser headlights are much brighter than LED headlights while being more efficient. They take up less space and can illuminate longer distances. But since they’re a rather new automotive technology, laser headlights are the most expensive of the bunch and they tend to generate a lot of heat, all while not being available in a dual-beam solution.
Features to Consider
Compatibility
The most important factor to consider when looking at car headlights for sale is their compatibility with your vehicle. Depending on the make and model, you should get car headlights that not only fit on it, but also have the correct bulbs rated at the manufacturer-recommended lumen count and designation.
Alignment
Make sure that the headlights you’re getting are aligned accordingly to the type of driving done in Canada. Since we drive on the right side of the road, you should get headlights that correspond with it, which is especially obvious with dipped headlamps, as they dip to the right so that oncoming traffic doesn’t get blinded.
Wattage
The power consumption of headlights is determined by the wattage of each bulb or LED. The higher the wattage of each, the higher the total wattage and the higher the power consumption, which puts more load on the battery and the rest of your car’s electrical system. Most vehicles use 55-watt bulbs and if yours comes with such bulbs from the factory, it’s best that you keep to them, or if doing an LED retrofit, below that wattage.
Auto Levelling
There are more and more vehicles that come with self-adjustable or self-levelling headlights. The auto levelling features of such automotive headlights allow them to sit lower or higher depending on the amount of added weight in your car, in the form of passengers, luggage or both.
Assembly
The way light is beamed onto the road by a headlight means you can get reflector, projector, composite and sealed beam headlights. Reflector headlights are more affordable and smaller, while projector headlights are brighter and produce less glare however, they work only with HID bulbs. Reflector headlights are not as easy to fit, but are compatible with a wider variety of bulbs.
Composite headlights have different bulbs and components in separate units, which makes them easy to replace once they fail, but they are not that affordable. With sealed beam headlights, you get the exact opposite of a composite headlight, as they’re more affordable to buy, yet when time comes for a replacement you need a whole new headlight.
