HID Headlights: More FAQs

Illuminating the Truth about These Popular Ottawa Car Components

If you own a car or are interested at all in car components in Ottawa, you’ve probably heard quite a bit of buzz over headlights lately. That’s because over the last 20 years, new xenon-powered HID headlights (short for “high-intensity discharge”) have been making their way into the automotive market, becoming a more and more popular choice thanks to their brilliant luminosity and incredible energy efficiency. We’ve talked at length about some of the most frequently-asked questions drivers have, but we’ll revisit a few of these in more detail and touch on some new points below.

For those new to the discussion, xenon headlights are a modern alternative to the traditional halogen lights used in most cars. Using xenon gas to create an arc between two tungsten filaments, its light output is 3000 lumens—three times the output of its halogen counterpart, making them some of the more popular car components in Ottawa.

I’ve Heard They’re Not Street-Legal; What’s the Deal?

This is just simply not true—at least, not when dealing with genuine HID headlights that are installed properly. There are many poor-quality products out there masquerading as the real deal, which produce an incredibly bright light but are unfocused and often installed poorly, creating a blinding effect to other drivers that is incredibly unsafe during night driving. To keep it legal and promote road safety, make sure to always buy a proper xenon conversion kit and have it installed by a professional who can align it properly. On that subject…

How Do They Stand Up to Night Driving?

Those aforementioned knock-off HIDs also don’t necessarily improve your own visibility on the road at night—in fact, some of them are just halogen bulbs painted blue! But again, with proper low-beam alignment and the correct lights, you can increase your nighttime visibility significantly. You can also boost your own wakefulness! Since sleep cycles are largely dictated by light levels, the increased brightness of your view can potentially make you more alert while you drive.

What Are Some Other Benefits?

As we said before, xenon headlights are a much more energy-efficient solution—you won’t expend nearly as much power using them. They’ll also last you much longer without having to be changed, 2,500-3,000 hours compared to a halogen bulb’s 1,000 hours or less. And the light output is not just stronger, but farther-reaching as well; you can see a greater distance both in front of and around your car.

What is The Best Way to Get Some for Myself?

Like with any essential car components, never go to your local department store for something like this. Go to where high-quality car components in Ottawa are both sold and installed by professionals, who can not only ensure you get the right product for your car but also install it and have it working properly in no time. Just like that, you can light up the way with your very own HID headlights