Traveling by car in the dark is a serious challenge even for experienced drivers. Safety management depends on many factors, but the quality of lighting plays a decisive role in the dark. With the advent of gas discharge (xenon) lamps , it became possible to approach heavy night driving conditions to almost daytime. But here a reasonable question arises as to which xenon is better to put, because there are many varieties of it.
To walk, so to walk? Or save some?
All existing ignition blocks for xenon lamps can be conditionally divided into two groups:
1. Established factory-installed (Matsushita, Koito / Denso, Hella, AL).
2. Blocks of Korean and Chinese production, which are sold in stores.
Surely many have already managed to experience first hand what the factory unit is and what Chinese fake is. Low-quality Korean-Chinese devices cannot provide normal road lighting, and their service life is several times shorter than that of the factory ones. Although the original blocks are much more expensive, but in the end they are cheaper than their inexpensive Asian counterparts.
Price and cost
At first glance, such close concepts as price and cost have completely different meanings, and this is especially clear when a dilemma appears which xenon is better to set.
The price is the money that you pay immediately, but the cost is the amount
which run over the life of the product. Few car owners calculate the cost of servicing low-quality automotive components, because it seems that 200-300 rubles a month are not such big funds. However, in a couple of years, Chinese cheap stuff can punch huge holes in your budget. Compared to them, branded xenon, the price of which is significantly higher, will be much more profitable, because it can serve in good faith for more than one year.
The main differences of xenon installations
As already mentioned, Asian counterparts differ from factory settings in the quality of performance and light output, as well as in the service life. Native xenon (photo - in the article) shines noticeably brighter (20-30%) and it is produced only with D1R, D1S, D2R, D2S, D4R, D4S bulbs, and its color temperature is 4300 K. Such lamps require special optics, designed specifically for their installation, so simply replacing them in the headlights in this case can not do.
The installation of xenon standard sample will necessitate a thorough alteration of optics. Original lamps with a cap D will serve more than four years with daily intensive use. If you correctly install the optical elements under xenon, the bulbs will not dazzle oncoming drivers, which will significantly increase traffic safety.
Korean and Chinese xenon is produced with any type of cap and with a variety of color temperatures, ranging from 3000 K and ending with 12000 K. The maximum life of such lamps is 1.5 years, but most often they stop working after a couple of months, having time for this time also spoil the headlight reflector.
The benefits of full-time xenon
- The ignition time of branded xenon lamps is 3-4 seconds.
- High brightness due to quality workmanship, as well as optimally selected parameters (ignition modes, power stabilization).
- Long service life.
- The presence of protection circuits against short circuit and open circuit in the device circuit. If the lamp fails or does not exist at all, the standard ignition units do not burn out, unlike the Chinese counterparts.
The factory unit constantly “monitors” the electrical parameters of the lamp, which
change over time. After xenon (lamps) has warmed up, the blocks maintain a stable power of 35 W in it, which it is designed for. If the current or voltage is out of tolerance, then it turns off the lamp. If after turning on after a while the headlight will turn off on its own, this will be a sign that it has served its term and needs to be replaced.
Remember that xenon lamps should always be changed as a pair in order to avoid differences in the color of lighting, because over time they “turn blue” and the light of the new device will differ significantly from the light of the old. Yes, and the same device, but from different parties, may have slight differences in color.
Disadvantages of Korean and Chinese counterparts
• Long time of ignition of bulbs (20 sec. - 3 min.).
• Short service life (1 month - 1.5 years).
• Original Osram and Philips lamps are sometimes not suitable for Korean and Chinese units due to other current-voltage characteristics.
• Unshielded high-voltage wiring is partially located outside the headlight housings (in the engine compartment), which can cause electrical interference, and electrical equipment may malfunction if insulation is violated.
• There is no protection against switching on without a lamp in the ignition unit, so it fails with the burned out lamp (the ignitor burns out).
The biggest problem of all xenon lamps with cap H is that the bulb
bonded to it via silicone or composite glue. When it is heated, it evaporates and settles on the lens, the mirror of the reflector and the inside of the glass in the form of a whitish coating, which “kills” the headlight for several months, because the smoked reflector can no longer reflect light, but only absorbs it, while also getting very hot. Overheating causes burnout of the protective varnish layer and then the mirror itself. Such headlights will soon have to be changed, and this procedure will “roll out” many times more expensive than buying a standard kit.
Installing xenon with branded type D bulbs is safe for headlights. Their flask is equipped with a metal bandage that securely holds the device in a plastic base. This design ensures that the correct thermal conditions are maintained in the lamp and in the optical system. It is definitely not recommended to replace regular halogens with xenon devices with H caps or high-power halogen bulbs, since almost always such experiments end up with the need to purchase new headlights. To improve lighting, you should replace the optical elements inside them, i.e. install lenses.
From all the above, one conclusion follows: the best xenon is regular. However, many car owners trust and analogues. We will talk about what criteria should choose the light for your car.
Bixenon or xenon?
If only one lamp is responsible for the dipped and main beam, then you need biksenon, and if
different then xenon. In the first, from low to high beams and vice versa, switching occurs by moving the bulb or by moving the shutter.
Lamp base
The base is the metal part of the lamp that connects to the car wiring. To choose the right xenon optics, you need to know what it should be. Information on this can be found in the service book or simply by looking at the "native" lamp.
Lamp temperature
When wondering which xenon is better to set, car owners also mean the color of the glow. This characteristic depends on the temperature of the xenon itself:
• 3000 K creates a yellowish tint. This is xenon tumanki.
• 4300 K - golden glow. These lamps are used in cars with full-time xenon. They have the highest flow rate.
• 5000 K - traditional white light.
• 6000 K - blue and white.
• 8000 K - bluish glow.
• 10000 K - combines two shades - manganese and violet.
• 12000 K - lilac-violet light.
Remember that as you operate, the xenon light will change, gradually shifting to a blue hue.
Xenon working principle
HID Xenon Installation (English abbr., Meaning "high-intensity discharge")
provide high driving comfort and safety. The light source in such headlights are discharge lamps. Their flasks are filled with a mixture of different inert gases, including xenon. A high voltage (several thousand volts) acts on the ionized substance, as a result of which a gas-discharge arc is formed. However, as you know, a car’s battery can produce only 12 volts, and the ignition unit, also called a “pulse igniter,” simulates the current required for ignition. This device is a kind of starter for starting the lamp, as well as an adapter that converts 12 watts to several thousand.
The main advantage of xenon is its ability to give even lighting, which has high contrast and a powerful light beam. The light of xenon headlights is more than twice as intense compared to halogen lighting, so the driver will be able to notice any obstacles on the road or pedestrians walking along the sidelines in advance.
In addition to the head light, xenon is also placed in the fog lights.
The xenon installation includes a whole set, which includes lamps, start-up ignition blocks, mounts for them and high-voltage wires.
Xenon Lighting Pros
• High light output (luminous flux exceeds 2-3 times the power consumption).
• Long service life (up to four years with the original lamps).
• Stable luminous flux, independent of changes in the mains voltage.
• High energy efficiency (35 W replace 60-100-watt lamps).
Is it legal to put xenon in fog lights?
To understand which lamps are allowed to be installed in foglights, it is immediately worthwhile to understand the features of the PTF itself.
Fog lights are the same external lighting device of the vehicle as the main ones, despite the fact that they play the role of additional lighting. Therefore, they also have a designation of the type of lamps used. For example, if the letter “H” is present on them, this means that only halogen lamps should be used for this type of headlamp. If the letter D is present, the car owner should know that gas discharge lamps, that is, xenon lamps, are provided for lighting.
Thus, it is illegal to put xenon in fog lights that are designed to use halogen lamps. This violation may result in punishment in the form of deprivation of rights for six months or more. By the way, this rule also applies to headlights.
However, those car owners who equipped their car with a PTF specifically designed for xenon, or bought a car with such headlights, need not worry.
The fog lights that are equipped with foreign cars at the factory belong to class D. The difference is the absence of a reflector in them and the presence of a special lens that collects scattered light into the beam, thereby ensuring even illumination of the roadway in front of the car.
Xenon installation rules
The installation process of xenon lamps is practically no different from the installation of halogen lamps. The only difference is that the latter "feed" directly from the car's on-board network. And in xenon lamps, power is supplied through the ignition unit.
The main problem when installing xenon is the output of high-voltage wires through the back cover of the headlight. To do this, you need to drill a hole in it, the size of which will correspond to the size of the anther that comes with the lamp. Through the hole wires are output. After that, it is closed with anther, which keeps the headlamp tight.
Xenon Tips
When choosing a new lighting for your car, always remember the golden rule: “avaricious pays twice”, so don’t be fooled by low prices, bright packaging and sellers' advice on which xenon is better to put. First of all, take a look at the manufacturer, the detailed technical characteristics of the product, as well as what the warranty period is and whether it is provided at all for these products.
In addition, keep in mind that for a truly branded xenon price will be significantly higher than for a fake. For example, high-quality Philips products have rightfully earned worldwide popularity, but some unscrupulous manufacturers also use this, shamelessly faking devices of this brand. Low cost, sloppy product, poor quality packaging or words with errors on it - all these are signs of fake xenon.