The world of headlights has gone through a roller-coaster ride for sure.
From the sealed beam headlights that ruled most vehicles for forty long years to today’s non-standard headlights and lamps, times have changed.
Think how cool it must be when every vehicle wore the same kind of eye makeup, i.e., just similar kind of headlights with only four basic styles allowed.
What’s more interesting is that one could replace these with a simple screwdriver – Philips.
Composite headlamps replaced these sealed beam headlights.
What Are Composite Headlights?
They come with a semi-replaceable bulb, and which can be filled with halogen gas.
In other words, you can also call them by the name of halogen headlights.
PS – Mostly, these kinds of bulbs also have a plastic-y-kind of lens.
The most popular kinds of headlights:
Now we know that headlights have shared an interesting history and evolved.
Let us explore,
- Sealed beam type – As the name suggests, this kind of headlight comes embossed in a glass lens.
- You need to replace the whole setup if the bulb fuses because everything has been coiled tightly.
- Halogen or Composite headlights – As you must be knowing by now, a plastic lens holds a bulb that is filled with halogen gas.
- They allow for neat styling, but the plastic is prone to falling off or getting pale yellow with time which is a strong con.
- HID or the Xenon type – These have approx. Twice the shelf life from Halogen bulbs which is a great plus because they need less power.
- They are quite complex on their insides because they require what we call a Ballast for controlling the power flow towards the lamp.
- Due to their immense luster, they can obstruct the passerby’s vision and are costlier among the lot.
- Projector headlights – There are both the HID and Halogen options available in the market for this.
- It projects the light in a particular direction by deploying a metallic shield type housing.
- The obvious con is high pricing and lots of unstable dynamic parts, which can aggravate the issue further.
- LED Headlamps – These are ultra-modern headlight techs that use LEDs instead of gas or filaments.
- These also consume relatively less energy than other lights and still give off impressive brightness.
- They were first seen on Audi R8 and have since been replicated on many due to their energy-saving plus point.
Quad vs. Non-Quad Headlamps:
A quad headlight simply has two headlight bulbs/lamps, whereas a single headlamp means, non-Quad one.
- You cannot interchange these kinds of bulbs due to the intricate wiring involved.
- In other words, if your vehicle comes with a Quad-type headlamp, you must use it only as a replacement if the need arises.
- In Quad-type lamps, one of the lamps is high beam, and the other operates on a low beam, so you can figure out the difference between Non-Quad and Quad.
Upgrading to LED headlights:
LED headlamps since their launch in Audi R8 have been a massive success because they consume less energy and still produce enough brightness.
So, you have also made your mind to replace your existing lights with an LED unit?
Following tips will help you,
- One could replace their headlamps with an LED unit even if their original vehicle lacked it.
- They are still not that cheap, and you can expect to pay around $100 for replacing around two bulbs.
- LEDs as an additional item require a heat sink for dissipating that extra heat, and it usually comes in the kit.
Some recommended items,
01. Genuine GM Parts Composite Headlight Kit – $100.02 to $112.90
- 100% authenticated driver side kit.
- An OE-type replacement part with original GM trademark and fits properly.
- All the other parts like adjustment screws and mounting also work perfectly.
- Lastly, some people might not like the Sub-Asian plastic build, so make sure to do proper research before buying.
02. Sherman Replacement Part Halogen Headlights – $71.20 to $100.81
- Authenticated replacement part for dodge pickup driver side.
- Complete composite headlight assembly kit.
- Amazing item for this price category and a quality product for sure.
- As per one of the reviewers, even in bad weather and storms, it did not leak, which is a plus.
- And lastly, the product illuminates very brightly.
Some other questions,
Related Questions and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Q1.) Which is better, an HID or LED headlamps?
Answer: LED headlamps come with better longevity than HIDs and save more power.
No significant difference is there in light output as both are pretty bright in their illumination.
One small difference is in their operating time only where the LED illuminates instantly; HIDs take a few seconds to achieve proper brightness level and color.
Q2.) Is there any difference between a headlight and a headlamp?
Answer: A headlamp is there on the front of a vehicle for illuminating the road in front of us.
But as such, there is no proper difference so, one can use both these words interchangeably.
Q3.) What is the meaning of a halogen lamp?
Answer: Also called by the name composite bulbs, they use a halogen gas-filled environment inside a plastic lens and reflectors.
Some modern bulbs also use a quartz glass lens for long life.
The filament produces heat and temperature and is already engineered to do such.
Q4.) What is a composite bulb?
Answer: These kinds of headlights used came into existence right after sealed versions became old-fashioned.
One can replace their bulbs and be able to produce light in fog conditions.
Q5.) How is projector headlight different from others?
Answer: As the name suggests, this kind of headlight projects the light to amplify its brightness.
This happens as the light increases in its brightness due to its reflection from a steel bowl reflector.
Q6.) How the sealing of the headlight becomes practical?
Answer: Many of the vehicles still use a sealed beam type of headlamps where the whole unit of the lamp and reflector with its glass lens is one single piece.
To figure out whether it is a sealed-beam type or not, simply look out for the screws which are holding the trim piece with itself and a metal ring.
Q7.) What are the best kinds of headlights these days?
Answer: HID and LEDs are the leading headlights these days.
Xenon lamps or HIDs are brighter than their halogen counterparts but a little costly.
LEDs save more power and produce bright lights comparable to their halogen counterparts.
Q8.) What do you mean by headlight cutoff?
Answer: It helps in directing the light beam.
What it does is that suppose one needs more illumination on the driver side, so it can adjust that issue.
The headlight cutoff also has one more role, and that is to send light vertically upwards to assist in reading the street signs.
Q9.) What are some of the most common headlamp types?
Answer: Most common type of lights is Halogen, Xenon Arc, HID, and LEDs.
LEDs are most popular due to their power-saving ability and still giving brightness.
Q10.) What are some of the most popular headlamps for night driving?
Answer: Philips H7 Replacement bulb.
SYLVANIA 9002 Halogen Bulb with an Extraversion Xvision.
Cougar LED All-in-one Kit
These are some of the best recommendations.
Q11.) Is there any legal wattage for the car headlights?
Answer: 55 Watts for Halogen replacements.
36 Watts for HIDs.
The more the wattage of the bulb, the more the intensity of its brightness, and this is not cool because you can blind the passersby also.
Q12.) Can one replace their normal version of headlamps with LEDs?
Answer: No!
Do not do it by yourself because the wiring can be an issue, and so is the realignment, or you can blind the drivers on the opposite side.
Q13.) What is some common type of general lights on your car?
Answer: Low Beam & High Beam – Headlights.
Daytime and Taillights.
Fog, indicators, brake, and hazard lights.
Q14.) What are some best kinds of headlights for night usage?
Answer: Dipped Headlamps!
They not only let you see the way ahead but also allow passersby to see you.
In the daytime, only use them if visibility is low, like rain or fog.
Q15.) What is the name given to non-LED headlamps?
Answer: Arc headlamps.
The xenon filled lamps power due to an arc and contain various metal halides mixtures.
Q16.) Is it legal to use Xenon lamps?
Answer: Yes!
But make sure they have an E-Marking, also known as the ECE R99 certification, to make it safe and legal for all.
Q17.) Which is the brightest headlamp that is legal to use?
Answer: Ring Xenon 150.
The number 150 signifies that it is 1.5 times brighter than the previous one and also legal!
Final Verdict:
Headlights have shared an incredible history for sure. For forty long years, the only popular type was a sealed lamp headlight, an incandescent type.
The sealed bulb-type headlamp had some underlying issues to it, like an inability to replace a single bulb but the whole unit.
After the federals changed the law and allowed for another kind of headlights to come, it was then when we got the halogen lamps.
The composite or Halogen types of lamps were extremely surreal for that time being and allowed for sublime designs a reality.
They were enclosed withing a sharp plastic lens or, in some cases, a quartz kind of glass lens and produced light.
A class better than sealed kinds but had their issues like peeling off the plastic lens with time.
Came the much-improved Xenon Arc lamps or HIDs, which are very popular right now but also very costly.
Finally, Projector lights and LEDs changed the headlamps, and when Audi R8, the luxury of an LED light was at an all-time high.
It saves energy while giving the same composite/ halogen type headlamp equal lightning.
Thanks For Reading!