HID Kits and Halogen Bulbs
What is the difference between Xenon/HID Kit and conventional halogen systems?
HID Kits use different principles in the creation of light than halogen. HID bulbs contain a small capsule with a mixture of xenon gas and halide salts that aid in the creation of a powerful light source that is generally 3 times brighter than halogen bulbs. Halogen bulbs use a filament that creates light from basic ohmic resistance across a filament. While halogen bulbs runs directly from the cars 12V system, HID bulbs require a ballast that can supply accurate high voltage.
What can I gain from having HID in low beams, compared to halogen?
Having HID bulbs in low beams is widely used. Having a slow turn on HID bulb in a low beam application is no downside. It is solved by having the low beams come on right after engine is started, and they cannot be turned off before you switch ignition off. In general, there are only advantages to HID Kits.
What can I gain from having HID in high beams in a traditional open reflector based system, compared to halogen?
What Is a Xenon/HID Light?
Xenon gas might sound like an otherworldly substance, but it’s found right here in the earth’s atmosphere. You can see it in hospitals, airports, theaters and highways. Xenon lights for personal use, most commonly in automobile headlights, are still a pricey option and remain far outnumbered by the more commonly used halogen bulbs. As technologies improve, the energy savings and visibility improvement offered by xenon lights could someday make them the lights of choice for drivers.
About Xenon
Xenon is a colorless, odorless gas that occurs naturally in trace amounts of the earth’s atmosphere. It is the 54th element on the periodic table, with the symbol Xe, and is one of six elemental gases known as the noble gases. The noble gases–which also include helium, neon, argon, krypton and radon–all are stable and nonreactive elements because of their chemical structure. Xenon is a heavy gas, and breathing it in causes the voice to lower in pitch, much like the light helium raises the voice’s pitch. While xenon itself is non-toxic, it can cause anesthesia and suffocation when inhaled.