Knowing Your Type of Headlights
Headlights, or headlamps, are rarely taken into consideration during the purchase of a vehicle. The importance of headlights is better appreciated when the car is in use.
One can compare driving a car with the wrong type of headlights to walking around with the wrong pair of eyeglasses. Having the right pair of eyeglasses helps to enhance your vision and avoid accidents. This is what headlights do for you too; they guarantee your safety on the road.
At a certain point in the life span of your car, you may need to replace or upgrade the headlights. How do you know the type of headlights you have or need?
Before you can determine what you need, you have to understand what you have. Let’s now discuss the various types of headlights out there….
Different Types of Headlights
Way back, almost all cars had similar headlights. In recent times, however, technological advancement has made headlights more innovative and car-specific. Hence, the different types of highlights with their pros and cons.
- Reflector or Sealed Beam Headlight:
As the name implies, the reflector or sealed beam headlight has its bulb, housing, and lens infused in one. This means that you cannot separate the headlight since all its components come in a fixed casing. This makes it impossible to change individual components. You have to replace the entire headlight if there is damage to any component.
This headlight tends to be pocket-friendly and small in size, which enables it to occupy little space in the vehicle. However, the light output is less controlled with weak and intense spots, and the headlight housing can house only the halogen bulbs.
- Projector headlight:
Following the shortcomings of the traditional reflector headlight, the projector headlight came into existence. The angles of this headlight are different from the reflector. Hence, it produces brighter light that irradiates more of the road than its surroundings. All of this thanks to its powerful magnifying glass-like lens.
This headlight produces better illumination, more leveled light with no weak or intense spots, and better focus on the road. Although, due to the difference in light output, it may be hard for someone very familiar with the reflector headlight to get used to the projector headlight.
- Halogen Headlight:
This is the type of headlight classified by the type of bulb it uses, the halogen bulb. Halogen bulbs have halogen gases filled inside the bulbs. Here, the filament burns hotter when electricity passes through and heats it. This is what causes the yellow brighter light in halogen headlights.
This headlight is beneficial because it can be easily replaced, very affordable, and has a longer life span. However, the light-yellow color of the light reduces the projection of its beam.
- HID or Xenon Headlight:
HID (High-Intensity Discharge) headlight is a modern regular bulb that is also pricey. It does not require filament. It only requires a high voltage area between two electrodes while filling the remaining space with Xenon gas. It produces white-blue light that is very intense. You can adjust the light as you deem fit, either into the road or its surroundings.
HID headlight offers better and brighter vision down the road and also lasts longer. Nonetheless, it takes a longer time for the light to reach its maximum brightness and the extreme brightness of its light can be blinding for oncoming traffic.
- LED Headlight:
Instead of filament bulbs and gas, the LED headlight uses Light Emitting Diodes. During the process of electricity conversion into light, heat is mostly not produced. This makes the LED headlight the most energy-efficient headlight.
This headlight is very portable and lights up instantly, although, quite expensive.
- Laser Headlight:
Laser headlights produce a brighter light than the LED headlight without using much energy like the LED light. With the help of lasers, a laser headlight can energize a gas, which makes the gas glow immensely bright. It is the latest innovation in headlight technology and more sophisticated.
Laser headlights have extremely bright light but are very expensive.
- Quad & Non-Quad Headlight:
Quad headlights have two bulbs in each headlight while the non-quad headlight has a single bulb in each headlight. One can classify these types of headlights based on the number of bulbs they have.
What Type of Headlights Do I Have?
Now that you are aware of the different types of headlights, identifying the type of headlight you have should not be a hassle anymore. Simply walk to the front of your vehicle and assess the features of the headlights, with the above knowledge in mind, to find out the type you have.
To get better analysis, identification, assessment, or replacement of your headlight, give us a call today. Let us give your car the “eyes” it needs!