What are the pros and cons of choosing xenon headlights over halogen headlights?
The answer varies a bit as to whether you have a car that currently had Halogens and you are contemplating converting to HID (Xenon) or if you are considering buying a car and want to know if you should buy the car with the HID package.Halogens are proven technology, they work. They tend to have a softer light than HIDs and don't glare as much at night. Halogens tend not to blind oncoming drivers as much as HIDs can. Halogens are cheap, but don't last as long as HID bulbs.If you are converting a Halogen headlamp to HIDs you can get mixed results. This is because the reflectors in your headlamp were designed to reflect the light of the halogen bulbs, not the HIDs. This can lead to dark spots in the field of vision and to blinding light for oncoming traffic that requires you to adjust your headlamps to the point where the extra light isn't going where you need to have it. Conversion kits do not include new reflectors.HIDs are more efficient than halogens and use less power. If you have a motorcycle with limited extra alternator power output and you run a lot of accessories, having a more efficient bulb buys you extra power reserve.HIDs are a more complex system and more can go wrong with them. They are more expensive and replacement bulbs are not always available where you need them. Halogens are almost always available. Some grocery stores carry them.If you are buying a new car and HIDs are a factory installed option, then going with the HIDs is probably a no brainer as long as you can afford the extra money. Those systems are made for the HID bulbs greater output and don't have the potential for dark spots or for the glare that can come with conversion kits.There is a 3rd option: LEDs. The main disadvantage with these is the extra technology and heat generation that comes with them.As with anything, if you are converting, you often get what you pay for. Cheap is not necessarily a good thing with conversion kits. Expensive isn't always the best. You have to do a lot of research. The best opinions would be from people who have done the conversion to the car like the one you are doing the conversion on.
Should we buy LED headlight lamps without cooling?
We already learned in middle school physics that there are three ways to dissipate heat: Conduction, Convection and Radiation.CONDUCTION: the process through which heat travels from the hotter part of the body to the cooler part of the body.Factors affecting heat conduction:The thermal conductivity of cooling materialThe Thermal resistance of cooling structureThe size and shape of heat conduction materialCONVECTION: the use of gas or liquid flow to take the heat away.RADIATION: the phenomenon of high-temperature objects directly dissipating the heat outside.Here, there are two LED heat sink with similar shapes but one is sealed while the other is slotted. It is clear that the heat sink on the right, working with convection, has better heat dissipation, while the one on the left dissipates heat completely by conduction.After understanding the relationship between heat dissipation & luminous efficiency, life expectancy, and cooling methods, how do you determine whether the cooling of a lamp is good or not?
Should I switch from halogen headlights to LED headlights?
Yes, but you must purchase the whole housing, to replace the reflector with a projector headlamp system. Or, use LED with much lower wattage to match your halogen’s brightness.I learned it the hard way. I write this answer so it won’t happen to you.Halogens use reflector headlight because their light is just bright enough to illuminate the forward area of your car without blinding oncoming drivers. Although there’s a mechanism to set the beam to point down, the scattered light, due to light bouncing on and off multiple reflector surfaces within the housing, is still there, but its brightness is reduced just enough to be able to illuminate the area without blinding.So, if you replace the halogen bulbs with LEDs of the same wattage without also switching to a projector, the brightness would become too overwhelmingly higher, the scattered light will become too bright and blind oncoming driver.And that’s even when you purchase the H4 LED, with the custom cover beneath the bulb which moves electronically when you flip the high beam switch; the light output is so bright, the scattered light’s brightness is insufficiently reduced, its glare is still too blindingly bright.I had a 2011 Grand Livina, and I bought H4 Xenon bulbs (much brighter than halogen, but still less bright than LED), thinking that I’ve done it the right way. Incoming drivers flip their high beams at me; I didn’t know that they did it out of annoyance, so one time I also flip my Xenon bulbs’ high beam (because I thought I did the right thing), the incoming driver was blinded, braked, swerved his car towards mine, and collision was unavoidable. All because I thought I was right to buy the H4 HID package without switching to a projector.So, tl;dr, yes, you should switch to LED because it will nicely illuminate the forward area of your car, increasing safety. Switch it properly: Switch to the projector system, replacing the reflector headlight system.EDIT: Just realized and corrected some typos.
Installing Fog Lights On a Car That Came Without Them.?
Alright, well I have a 1999 Ford Expedition that came without Fog Lights & without the bumper having the pre-cut holes to install them. Now I found the wiring for the fog lights hidden inside somewhere along behind the grill & I want to install them, now i know that if i buy fog light bulbs and install them to the wiring harness it wont actually work with my stock headlamp/headlight switch since you have to pull the switch to actually get them on and obviously i cant. So i know i can just go purchase the other headlamp/headlight switch but i cant right now. SO NOW,MY QUESTiON is, can i splice into the wiring harness for the headlights or the wiring harness from the headlamp/headlight switch to feed power of to the bulbs? since i want my fog lights to come on automatically when my headlights are on and shut off automatically when my headlights go off, Ive read about buying a switch to connect to the fog lights but that means i would have to remember to turn off the fog lights every single time off. Thank you
Why does my radio shut off when i turn my headlights on?
oh, it's wired wrong, all right. sounds like they used your headlight curcuit to power the radio, probably the dimmer side. normally when you turn on your lights, your dash lights, clock led, and radio led dim down so they don't burn out your eye sockets while you're driving at night. Trace the radio wires, or better yet, save yourself the heartache and go to someplace like Best Buy, or alarm and tint places, where they install radios professionally. have them re-install the radio. That's the only sure way to have that puppy installed correctly. Every Jake-legged Yahoo in the world thinks that you just plug red "wahr" into the other red "wahr" and that's all you need to "make 'er work". It shouldn't cost too much, and wil give you piece of mind.
Can I fix the condensation inside my 2001 saturn SC2 headlamp?
I'l,l make some minor sugjestions but probablt arent going to do the trick. You see if the lamp assy is original the lexan housing has lost its ability to combat nature, @ color faided, not as clear, has chipping, etc. that said and you want to try then lets try, start with remove the bulb from the housing in the rear make sure its warm out and not humid at all, using a hair dryer gently sweep from one side to the other warming the lense dont stay in one spot ever, your only trying to evaporate the moisture inside. carefully examin the housing for even the slightest pin holes from rocks and debrit, if you find them they must be sealed. ( a good fish tank lexan adhesive will work great) if you find a hole try to clean a tiny spot with alcohol dry with a clean cloth and aply a dot on the hole. let dry, there is a seal around the housing that may be dryed out as well this would require removal of the housing to access the botom side but simple clear silicone would work on this, apply a bead all around and spread it to fill the surface of the seal, lastly replace the seal on the rear bulb as it has a moisture seal as well and ages
Where do I go to buy headlight fluid?
Same place you get a performance heater, and blinker fluid. I don't know what is called in your area but around here it is at youvebeentrolled auto.