HID headlamps, do you need them?

Have you ever noticed while driving how some cars have headlights so bright they seem almost blue? Those are high-intensity discharge or HID headlights such as those found on many of our Lexus vehicles.

What are they?

HID began appearing on luxury vehicles in the 1990s. Regular halogen headlights use a metal filament charged by electricity just like the the old Thomas Edison invented bulbs used in our homes and give off a slightly yellowish light. HID headlights work more like fluorescent lights where high voltage is passed through a gas, typically Xenon, and then creates an intense bluish-white light.

Pros

HID headlights have a huge advantage over their halogen counterparts, the bluish light, which is measured in Degrees Kelvin is closer to natural daylight than the light from halogen bulbs, thus they provide better nighttime visibility. This can be a margin of safety for those who drive on unlit roads.

Cons

If you’ve been on the receiving end of these HID headlamps, you may have discovered the intense blue-white light can be quite irritating. An issue for some drivers is how HID headlights perform in foggy conditions. Blue light tends to be scattered more by water droplets, so with HID headlights more light is bounced back to the driver, making it more difficult to see when you most need good visibility. This is why some fog lights are yellow in color since, the color doesn't reflect as much in the fog.

Something to consider when deciding whether or not to get HID headlamps is to arrange a nighttime test drive. Reason is that in order to properly focus the brighter light output HID headlights feature a lens that creates a sharp cut off rather than fading out gradually like halogen headlamps. There are some drivers that say this can take some getting used to.

Last, HID headlights are expensive. Should one be damaged or components burn out, it will cost far more than a conventional halogen light to replace.

How to get them

While it is possible to buy aftermarket HID headlight kits, installing requires some wiring skills and most vehicles with halogen headlamps don't have proper lenses to focus the brighter light output.

The best way to get HID headlights is to choose a vehicle with them installed from the factory, this ensures the HID system is properly integrated into the vehicle’s electrical systems. Many vehicles, not just luxury brands have them as standard, but some offer HID headlamps as part of an optional package.

Feel free to visit our showroom to experience the difference HID headlamps can do for your nighttime driving.