Which is better: halogen or xenon for installation in car headlights. Xenon or halogen - comparisons and differences between incandescent lamps What is the difference between xenon headlights and halogen

With the advent of the first cars, the question arose of lighting the road at night. Without thinking twice, it was decided to use kerosene burners and wax candles taken from horse-drawn carriages of that time. However, such optics did not allow high-quality illumination of the space in front of the car.
The solution was an acetylene torch. Two barrels had to be additionally installed on the car: for carbide and for water. But the charge of such headlights was only enough for a couple of hours of driving, the barrels had to be recharged, and the headlight itself and the reflector were cleaned of soot. It turned out to be impractical.

But why couldn't the simple incandescent bulbs that were invented before the automobile be used? Engineers tried to do this, but the first carbon filament lamps broke down too quickly from shaking and vibration. In addition, the battery charge was only enough for a very limited time of operation. And only with the widespread appearance of generators and the release of lamps with a tungsten filament, it was possible to introduce electric light on cars.

Halogen lamps

During the operation of such a lamp, tungsten gradually evaporates and settles on the walls of the glass bulb. To prevent this phenomenon, the flask is filled with an inert gas - a halide (iodine or bromine). The gas binds the molecules of the evaporated tungsten and prevents it from settling on the walls of the flask. When it hits the coil back, this compound separates: the tungsten remains on the coil, and the gas returns to the space of the flask. This phenomenon is called the halogen cycle and requires a temperature of about 200 degrees. That is why halogen lamps are afraid of moisture and fingerprints on the surface of the bulb.

Halogen lamps cannot boast of high brightness and luminous flux. Their color temperature is about 3000K. It is a warm light with a yellowish tint. The luminous flux, or more simply, the amount of light, is about 1500 lumens. Looking ahead, we note that the luminous flux of xenon is 3000 ... 3200 lumens. The service life of halogen lamps is limited to 1000-2000 hours.

A reasonable question arises, why hasn't the halogen been sent to the dustbin of automotive history yet? It's all about the simplicity and cheapness of this type of car headlights. Until now, many buyers of new cars, when choosing the type of headlights, prefer halogen as a cheaper light, and in principle, nothing but halogen is installed on some car models.

Xenon

Xenon-filled lamps are the most common tungsten filament incandescent lamps filled with xenon gas (Xenon, Xe). It allows you to more effectively regenerate the coil, less thermally conductive, which means that the glow of the lamp can be made brighter by increasing its temperature. Many manufacturers currently produce xenon-filled lamps for the most common types of socles: H4, H7, H13.

A gas-discharge xenon lamp is a completely different light source. There is no incandescent spiral here, and two electrodes are located in the flask, between which an electric arc is ignited, which burns in a xenon medium.

The brightness of the glow of an electric arc cannot be compared with the glow of a tungsten spiral. The luminous flux of a gas-discharge lamp is more than 2 times that of a halogen (3200 lm versus 1500 lm). There is no spiral in it, which means that the lamp is not afraid of shaking and vibrations. The service life is twice that of halogen - up to 4000 hours.

But xenon also has disadvantages. One of them is a complex and expensive ignition unit. The fact is that to ignite an electric arc, a short pulse of alternating current with a voltage of 25,000 volts is required, and then it is necessary to maintain combustion at 85 V. The car's on-board network is not able to cope with such a task, for which an ignition unit is installed.

During operation, the color of the glow of the lamps is constantly changing. If one lamp burns out, you will have to change both at once, since the color of the glow of the new and used lamps will be noticeably different.
Due to the high brightness and the risk of blinding oncoming drivers, xenon headlights are necessarily equipped with a focusing lens, a washer and an automatic corrector. However, very often there are characters on our roads who install xenon lamps in ordinary halogen headlights, which leads to incorrect dispersion of the light beam, the impossibility of adjustment and 100% blinding of oncoming drivers.

Light-emitting diode

The LED consists of two plates: one with a positive charge, and the other with a negative one. There is a neutral zone between the plates. An LED, like a conventional diode, can only pass current in one direction. When an electric current passes, positive and negative particles rush to each other in the neutral zone and, colliding, emit photons - this is light. The color of the glow depends on the composition of the substance of the plates and can be of absolutely any shade.

The advantage of LEDs is that they do not emit anything other than light. So, theoretically, their efficiency (efficiency) can be equal to 100%. In reality, powerful LEDs still require cooling, sometimes even with the use of coolers.

LEDs are devoid of spirals, electrodes, they are dust and moisture resistant. As a result, their service life reaches 50,000-100,000 hours. LEDs do not need any ignition blocks, they are compact. However, voltage stabilization is still required for their operation. For this, small drivers are used.

At present, LEDIodine in the headlights of cars is used only by Audi, Mercedes and a few other premium brands. It's all about the high cost and lack of experience in operating such light fixtures. Over time, with cheaper production and simplification of design, LEDs will be widely used in the headlights of our cars.

The evolution of car headlights is a very entertaining read. Did you know that the first headlights were ordinary kerosene burners? The same ones that were used for horse-drawn carriages? What have you heard about acetylene headlights? Such a lighting device consisted of two barrels, with water and calcium carbide. With the help of faucets, both reagents were mixed, forming acetylene, which generated a fairly powerful light flux during combustion. Yes, uncomfortable, but it was an improvement over the dim lighting of a kerosene stove.

Since then, technology has gone far ahead, and today two types of lighting devices are used as headlights: incandescent lamps (halogens) and gas-discharge light sources with a working substance in the form of an inert gas. have not yet received sufficient distribution due to the imperfection of their characteristics specifically for lighting the road, so the average motorist has little choice: xenon or halogen.

But it would be wrong to say that the only important difference between xenon and halogen auto-optics is the high cost. Let's try to understand this issue more carefully.

Features of halogen car lamps

Despite the emergence of new exotic light sources (lasers, LEDs), manufacturers of automotive lighting optics are not going to abandon the tested “non-lensed” headlights. Moreover, in such a box you can put classic halogens, and xenon, and even LED. The design of such optics is simple: the light flux generated by the lamp first hits a metal reflector, after which the light beam hits the diffuser - a glass shell consisting of a large number of small lenses. After replacing glass with plastic, it became possible to form a reflector, including many small segments, each of which generates a light flux directed to a certain area. Thus, the engineers managed to solve several problems at once: to lighten and reduce the cost of auto-optics, and also to abandon the use of a diffuser.

A “lensed” headlight, or a projector-type lighting product, works according to a different principle: the luminous flux generated by the lamp first falls on the reflector, after which it is received by a special screen that forms a directed light beam using a collecting lens. Such a light device is more compact in size and the ability to generate a light beam with a more predictable geometry, however, initially projector optics had two significant drawbacks: they overheated a lot, and also had a sharp border between light and shadow. The problem was solved for both types of headlights, halogen and xenon. In particular, on "halogens" - by installing an automatic corrector. Today, this component is mandatory for gas-discharge-type automotive lighting equipment, both in Russia and in Europe.

But enough about the shell.

Consider what a modern automotive halogen lamp is. Remotely, it reminds everyone of the usual incandescent lamp - the same sealed glass bulb, only of a different shape and size, the same tungsten filament, the same electrodes. The only significant difference is the presence of a gas mixture inside the flask, the main component of which is halogen. It is needed in order to capture the tungsten atoms evaporating under the influence of high temperature and, if possible, “glue” them back to the thread, that is, partially regenerate it. This allows you to significantly shed the life of the halogen lamp compared to a conventional incandescent lamp.

We will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of halogen light sources later when we compare xenon lamps and halogen.

It remains only to note that the apparent simplicity of halogens is not a constant phenomenon. Engineers from leading lighting companies are constantly working to improve their design, and today there are developments that put halogen lamps on a par with xenon counterparts in all important lighting characteristics. We are talking about replacing the material for making the flask - quartz is used instead of refractory glass. There are options with optical polishing of the glass surface of the flask, an interesting idea is to apply a palladium dome to the glass flask ...

Finally, experiments are also being carried out with a gas mixture, where xenon is introduced to increase the temperature of the tungsten filament, which makes it possible to increase the brightness of the light flux and bring the emission spectrum closer to natural.

Such lamps are already commercially available. They are still expensive - more expensive than xenon / bixenon, but their power is twice as high as that of a conventional halogen, the service life has also increased by 100%, in terms of aperture ratio such a lamp is practically not inferior to xenon. As for the cost, it will inevitably decrease over time. So it's too early to write off halogen lamps.

And now in detail about xenon

Inert gases are considered the best filler for all types of incandescent lamps. Xenon is especially respected, thanks to which it is possible to raise the temperature of the filament almost to the melting point of tungsten. But xenon incandescent lamps and gas-discharge automobile xenon light sources are, strictly speaking, completely different things.

The source of photons in gas-discharge lamps is not a hot metal filament, but the gas itself. To be precise, this is an electric arc that occurs between a pair of electrodes at the moment a high-voltage pulse is applied. In many respects, a xenon lamp is several times, or even an order of magnitude, more efficient than the latest generation of incandescent lamps. So, the loss of electricity for heating the surrounding gas atmosphere (useless) for a xenon lamp is a miserable 8%, while for an incandescent lamp this figure is 40%, that is, almost half goes, as they say, into the air. Accordingly, power consumption also varies - 35 W for xenon versus 55 W for halogens, and the brightness of the light beam (3200 lumens versus 1500).

But the device of xenon lamps is much more complicated, not to mention bi-xenon. To generate high-voltage pulses, a special ignition unit is required, which has one task - to form a gas discharge. This requires a short-lived AC pulse with a power of the order of 25 kV, while the on-board electrical network operates with values ​​of no more than 12 V DC. The high-voltage block is just responsible for generating such pulses with a very high frequency - about 400 Hz.

However, 25 thousand volts is required for the initial ignition - in the future, 80-85 V is enough to maintain the process.

Since initially the design of a xenon lamp is not capable of changing the spatial and amplitude characteristics of the generated light flux, such a lamp is not able to provide both low beam and high beam at the same time. It turned out that when xenon is installed as a high beam, it simply blinds drivers, so the main scope of first-generation xenon is exclusively low beam, while high beam remained the domain of halogens.

That is, a hybrid of xenon and halogen lamps has been common for a long time.

Over time, the problem was solved within the framework of one block headlight, combining high / low beam. Such optics is called bi-xenon.

Currently, the most common designs are the following:

• projector type. Here, the screen located in the ellipsoidal reflector in the second focus is responsible for switching between the two lighting modes. When the driver turns on the dipped beam, the curtain extends and corny hides part of the light flux directed upwards. When switching to high beam, the curtain is removed;
• reflective type. In this case, the separation of light streams is carried out by means of mutual spatial displacements of the electrode block and the reflector. As a result, the focal length changes, and with it the distribution of the light beam.

Experimentally, it was found that if you use separate headlights for low / high beam, then the illumination of the roadway increases by about 40%, but in this case, four sets of xenon optics will be required. This has already been implemented in the Volkswagen Phaeton W12.

For greater clarity on the evolution of xenon automotive optics, we consider it useful to talk about the main features of different generations of such devices:

• The first generation of xenon lamps is commonly referred to as G1. These were imperfect, technically very complex devices that generated a starting current of a huge denomination. A characteristic feature of the G1 is considered to be a very high percentage of defects - the number of inoperative lamps left about 50%;
• G2 - second-generation optics - is still not reliable enough. So far, it has not been possible to achieve feedback with a xenon lamp, and the voltage spread to support combustion remains not large enough;
• reliable feedback appeared in xenon G3, and the stability of the characteristics of the gas discharge increased significantly. The ignition unit learned to catch the attenuation of the discharge in time to immediately give another impulse. The power supply unit and the coil were combined in one housing, the rejection rate decreased to 30%. But the starting current rating remained very high, which led to the rapid burnout of the optics. Due to the low supply voltage, manufacturers did not recommend turning on xenon until the engine was started;
• G4 is already a qualitatively different level. In lamps of the fourth generation, the ignition unit again becomes divided: the PSU is placed in a metal box, the high-voltage coil is placed in a separate plastic case. The introduction of an external multiplier made it possible to install xenon on cars with an onboard voltage of 12/23 V, that is, on most mass-produced vehicles, including motorcycles. The current consumption was reduced to 1.5-3.0 A, which made it possible to exclude dependence on the battery capacity or the power of the autogenerator, minimizing the impact on the operation of the on-board network. Marriage has decreased to the level of about 3-5%;
• modern xenon optics are fifth-generation lamps. At G5, the high-voltage unit returned to the main module, and they began to fill it with compound. Modern digital filling has significantly improved the characteristics of the ignition unit. It became possible to implement the blinking mode of xenon lamps without harming the ignition unit and the lamps themselves. The dimensions of the lamp have decreased, heat dissipation has decreased, and reliability has increased. The percentage of output marriage decreased to the standard values ​​for the field of auto-optics (0.3%). The use of microprocessor components instead of separate electronic ones made it possible to increase the reliability of lamps to values ​​that were previously unattainable.

Now let's talk about the color temperature of xenon car lamps. The term temperature here should not be understood in the generally accepted sense - it is a characteristic of the source of light waves that determines the color perception of the human eye. The gradation of color temperature is made in strict accordance with the spectrum. The color temperature is measured in Kelvin, with each value corresponding to a certain spectral component.

Note that our vision is arranged in such a way that the maximum perception of the environment occurs in daylight, when our luminary is its main source.

If we talk about xenon automotive optics, then the most common are lamps with the following color temperature:

4300 K - perceived by the eye as a milky white color;

5000 K - white, reminiscent of daylight;

6000 K - giving off blueness (it is called so - “Blue Crystal”).

In other words, the color temperature changes from the yellow band of the spectrum (minimum values) to blue. As the DH increases, the brightness of the light flux decreases and vice versa, lamps with low color temperatures are the brightest.

Unlike xenon, halogen lamps have a temperature not exceeding 4000 K, so they cannot have that blueness that motorists are chasing so much.

However, factory xenon lamps also have approximately the same CG - 4300 K - it is this value that provides the best visibility of the road at night.

And those 6000 K, which give a noble blue tint, in bad weather no longer provide the required level of illumination, so the purchase of such lamps without special need should be avoided.

The optimal value is considered to be in the range of 4300-4000 K.

And finally, it should be mentioned how legitimate is the use in Russia. Xenon itself is not prohibited in our country, but the current legal framework clearly stipulates the scope of the use of xenon / bi-xenon lamps. They are only permitted on vehicles whose headlights are designed for their use. In other words, “collective farm” xenon is unacceptable, and those who violate part three of Article 12.05 of the Code of Administrative Offenses risk losing their rights for up to a year with confiscation of xenon optics with all its components.

Comparative characteristics of xenon and halogen

From the above information, in principle, one can understand how xenon differs from halogen in general terms.

But there are a number of other features worth mentioning. Halogen lamps have a lower temperature, which means they are brighter. From the point of view of lighting the road, this is good, but the eyes get tired quickly from a brighter light, which leads to a decrease in visual acuity. In xenon, the light is less bright and much more stable, without causing irritation to the mucous membranes.

But this only applies to color temperature. And if we take into account the actual brightness, measured in lumens, then here the advantage is on the side of xenon, which has an average value of about 3200 lm versus 1400-1500 for halogens. Xenon is also more profitable in terms of energy saving - one lamp consumes about 30-40 W, while a halogen analogue with the same luminous flux consumes 50-60 W.

The brightness of the light source directly affects the ability to illuminate the road in bad weather. Therefore, xenon shines much better than halogen, it easily breaks through raindrops, snowflakes and even fog. Incandescent lamps are much worse with this: the light of halogens, illuminating the source of bad weather, quickly fades, creating a small ball of light through which it is difficult to see the roadway.

If the first generations of xenon lamps were distinguished by frankly poor reliability, then the current generation is all right with this. A halogen lamp has a component such as a tungsten filament. She, like any other incandescent lamp, is the weakest link. Any shock, without which driving is basically impossible, risks damaging the thread, so that the average resource of such lighting equipment, despite all the efforts of the designers, cannot be increased to the level of xenon. The mean time between failures for an incandescent lamp is 600-800 hours, while for a G5 xenon lamp it ranges from 2400-3000 hours. The difference is palpable.

Finally, from the point of view of the practicality of caring for headlights, gas-discharge light optics is again preferable: it heats up less, so that the dirt that has fallen on the glass of the headlight does not have time to dry and is easily removed during washing.

As for halogen, the difference between such headlights and xenon lies in the simplicity of design - their operating voltage does not differ from the onboard voltage, they do not require a high-voltage ignition unit, but the color temperature of halogens is much lower.

The most common lamps with the following ratings:

• 2400K is the minimum color index that produces light with a rich yellow tint. We are not talking about sufficient brightness here - such a lamp is suitable only for highlighting the highway in bad weather;
• 3200 K - these are halogens with optimal aperture, the color of which is shifted to the bright side;
• 4000 K is the maximum indicator for incandescent lamps with a halogen gas mixture. It is characterized by rich white light, providing acceptable illumination of the road, including high beams.

Among other features of the halogen, the presence of a gaseous medium, which contributes to slower wear of the tungsten filament, should be noted. Thanks to this, it was possible to increase the resource from 200 hours (an indicator characterizing ordinary incandescent lamps) to 600, and for the best representatives of this class - up to 900 hours.

The differences between xenon and halogen will be more noticeable if we briefly list the advantages and disadvantages of both types.

- this will be a kind of summary of the previous sections.

Let's start with the advantages of xenon:

• since the main factor forcing designers of automotive optics to improve existing and look for new light sources is safety, the main advantage of xenon headlights is considered to be an increased luminous flux, which significantly improves the illumination of both the roadway and the right shoulder, both at night and in bad weather . With better lighting, you can notice an obstacle much earlier, which means that the time for the driver to respond to an emergency traffic situation increases;
• advances in modern microelectronics have made it possible to increase reliability to a level that other types of lamps can only dream of. At the same time, we managed to reduce the influence of the ignition unit on the on-board network to a minimum; we will reduce the load on the generator to the level of an average consumer;
• if you do not use lamps with a color temperature not exceeding 5 thousand kelvins, then such light will be bright enough to illuminate the roadway and at the same time will not irritate the driver's eyes, even after 6-8 hours - all because that indicators of the order of 4000-5000 K are closest to natural light;
• since xenon lamps do not use a filament, they practically do not heat up. In any case, not enough to damage the plastic parts of the headlight. In addition, most of the energy spent on ignition is spent precisely on the formation of a gas discharge - no more than 10% is spent on heating.

But halogens also have their advantages:

• since every driver is by and large mercenary, the main advantage of halogen-type incandescent lamps is their low cost. The price of the issue is about 200 rubles per pair. However, you can find cheaper deals.
• a factor floating out of the cost (or vice versa) is the simplicity of the design. Halogens do not require an ignition unit to generate high voltage pulses. The usual 12 volts is enough for the full operation of such lighting equipment;
• replacing halogen lamps is a trivial operation, even a novice motorist can perform it. You will have to tinker with the dismantling / installation of xenon lamps.

Let's move on to the main disadvantages of xenon:

• First of all, it is the complexity of the design. The block headlight must be equipped with a corrector for the direction of the light flux, operating in automatic mode, without the participation of the driver, as well as special lenses. Not to do without a headlight washer. Without these devices, it is very difficult to achieve the correct adjustment of xenon, and this is a risk of blinding drivers of oncoming vehicles;
• the second significant drawback is the need to use an ignition unit, which also complicates and increases the cost of the design.

Halogens have the only significant drawback - a relatively low level of road illumination. Compared to xenon, of course. It has been proven that insufficient lighting tires the driver in the same way as excessive lighting, forcing the driver to stare at the road, that is, constantly strain his eyesight.

So you have learned what is the difference between xenon and halogen. The final decision is up to you.

Instead of a conclusion

If, after reading all this information, it is still not entirely clear which is better, xenon or halogen, you can listen to the opinion of those who have experienced the difference when driving both types of optics. Of course, such advice will be subjective to a certain extent, but still the voice of the people cannot be ignored. Therefore, we take the liberty of presenting the most important aspects regarding the confrontation that has become the subject of our article:

1. Xenon lamps make it much better to see both road markings and the roadside in pitch darkness, but when using them, the importance of proper adjustment increases many times over. If you ignore this aspect, you will blind the cars moving towards you.
turn out to be practically useless - their light snatches out only a small section of the road in front of the headlights. Xenon is preferable in this regard - it is brighter, and therefore does not form a whitish veil that prevents you from seeing the road beyond a few meters.
2. The high brightness of xenon is a positive factor not only for bad weather. With xenon, you can see a defect in the roadway at a distance that will allow you to react to it in time. With halogens, you just have to go slower.
3. Since the energy consumption of xenon is also lower, when using them, you can also save fuel (albeit in such an amount that is unlikely to be noticeable).
4. The reliability of the halogen lamp is reduced due to the presence of an incandescent filament, which is sensitive to shock. Xenon does not have such a component, and the reliability of electronic circuits is much higher - they are not so afraid of shaking and hitting.
5. The halogen lamp begins to illuminate the road immediately after switching on. Xenon takes some time to ignite. This is an unacceptable situation in cases where you need to "blink" headlights - with xenon optics during the day you can not even dream of this.
6. If the halogen bulb is burned out, you buy a new one, remove the diffuser, take out the burned out bulb and install a new one Works for a couple of minutes. Things are not so rosy with xenon - their design is much more complicated. In addition, if one lamp is faulty, both will have to be changed - otherwise you are guaranteed to get an inconsistency between the lighting characteristics of the new and old headlights.
7. From the point of view of the cost factor, a set of halogens will cost you at least an order of magnitude cheaper than xenon.
8. The price should be compared with the resource of products. Xenon lamps have an average service life of about 3000 hours, for halogens it is 400-600 hours. Here the difference is not tenfold, but also tangible.
9. Finally, there is also personal preference to consider. Halogens are yellow or at most white. Xenon is white to blue. If this factor is important for you, then remember that blue xenon is very bright and blinds oncoming cars. It is better to look for an improved halogen with a high color temperature - they are already being produced.

By comparing all these facts, you can independently calculate all the important quantitative characteristics, on the basis of which you can make the best choice.

The best prices and conditions for the purchase of new cars

Today, motorists are offered a wide range of different lighting sources to improve the light characteristics of the car as a whole. However, due to the huge choice, it is sometimes difficult for our compatriots to decide which type of lighting fixtures to use. Which is better xenon or halogen? You will find the answer to this question below.

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Incandescent lamp comparisons

To make a choice in the direction of good and more efficient light bulbs, you need to understand how automotive halogen lamps differ from xenon ones. To begin with, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the basic information about these light sources.

Xenon

Xenon lamps are based on a special gas that ignites as a result of the operation of a module installed inside the product structure. The main technical characteristic of discharge lamps is the color temperature, since each type of temperature has its own color. For example, the higher the temperature, the more the light will have a blue tint, and the brightness will decrease accordingly. At low temperatures, the light bulb will emit yellow, but the glow itself will be brighter.

Consider the main advantages of gas-discharge lighting sources compared to halogens:

1. Minimal heating of the optics lenses. The headlight glass does not heat up so much, which means that dust and dirt from the optics is removed much easier.
2. Improving the appearance of the vehicle. Many motorists use xenon as a tuning element.
3. Gas-discharge sources consume much less energy - at least 40%.
4. A brighter glow, which allows for more comfortable visibility.
5. Also, xenon has a warmer emission spectrum of the lighting flux. Thanks to this characteristic, the visibility of the road surface in the dark and when driving in bad weather will be more improved (the author of the video is the Eric Davidich smotra channel).

As for the disadvantages, they are as follows:

1. Unlike halogen, the cost of xenon is higher.
2. If the halogen fails, then one light bulb can be replaced, but if such a problem occurs with xenon, then both light sources will have to be changed. This is due to the fact that gas-discharge bulbs change their glow temperature during operation, so the difference in color between a new and an old lamp can be significant.
3. Unlike halogens, the installation of gas-discharge sources implies the additional installation of an ignition unit.
4. When activating the optics, the driver may notice a slight delay. If you put xenon in fog lights or in the middle and, then you must take into account that it will take some time to ignite the gas.
5. The probability of blinding drivers of oncoming cars. Such problems are usually associated either with making mistakes when installing lenses. or using low-quality and cheap xenon. If you want to do tuning and surprise other motorists, then put high-quality xenon - cheap lamps will only cause inconvenience to other road users.

Halogen

Halogen lamps are one of the most common and simple light sources. Such a product is a flask, gas is also filled into a halogen bulb, and its device is protected by special glass. The power of such sources can reach 130 watts.

Main advantages:

• affordable cost;
• ease of installation - got it and replaced it (the author of the video is the Car Program channel).

Of the minuses of halogens, it is worth highlighting:

1. Instability to vibrations, since the device of the product has a filament, as well as a tungsten spiral. Because of this, the life of halogen lamps may be reduced.
2. During the operation of these light sources, the glass of the optics heats up, and this, in turn, negatively affects the illumination of the road surface, since the dust and dirt that has settled on the lamp quickly solidifies.
3. Compared to xenon, the brightness of halogens will be lower.
4. It should also highlight the lower service life. If gas-discharge lighting sources allow you to work out about 3 thousand hours, then halogen lamps usually last no more than 400 hours.

And although halogens cannot boast of the same technical characteristics, at present they are the most popular type of lighting sources among our compatriots.

Photo gallery "Lamps for cars"

What bulbs to choose for the car?

So what kind of light sources to use - xenon or halogen? Judging by the main characteristics, xenon bulbs are more efficient than halogen bulbs. But there are many nuances here, for example, our compatriots often use halogens because of their affordable price, as well as ease of replacement and installation. Moreover, today you can find halogen lamps, the color of which will be more white. And if one product fails, it can be replaced without problems without touching the lamp in the second headlight.

If you want to install high-quality xenon, then in any case you will have to spend money. You can buy it in any store or on the Web, but the use of such light bulbs is impractical. Not only will you not be able to appreciate the quality of the glow of real xenon, but you will also cause inconvenience to other motorists. And this, in turn, can develop into a conflict.

In general, if you decide to put auto gas discharge bulbs on yours, then of course, this is a more acceptable option if the budget allows, but you need to put only high-quality products. Before buying, analyze all the advantages and disadvantages of both types of lamps - this will allow you to make the right choice.

Issue price

The cost of a set of halogens today is from 300 to 2 thousand rubles. As for xenon bulbs, one lamp will cost from 800 to 4 thousand rubles on average. And about 1-3 thousand rubles more will have to be spent on the purchase of an ignition unit.

Now many motorists are beginning to wonder - which is better xenon or LEDs? Progress has also reached the lighting fixtures of the car. It is becoming clear that the technology of halogen lamps is becoming obsolete and more and more manufacturers are switching to new car lighting systems. Xenon no longer surprises anyone, but recently LED car headlights have begun to develop very strongly. Almost every automaker is introducing LED backlighting or LED main lighting. So what to choose from the technologies of the future? I'm intrigued, read on...

I would like to note right away that the technologies are very different, the principles of their work differ, which is said radically, there is no common denominator, there are no common parts! But there is a very bright, bright glow, from 3000 Lm (Lumen) and above. At the beginning of our article, we will start talking about xenon, yet it was the first to be widely used in headlights.

XENON

The operation of these lamps is based on the principle of "ignition" of an electric arc in a special gas. Usually such a gas is a monatomic, colorless and odorless inert gas - XENON. It is used very often and the arc in it is very bright.

The lamp is a closed flask, into which only one of our gases is pumped, and two electrodes are also installed there, between which an electric arc occurs. To ignite it, you need a very large voltage, 25,000 volts, and this is what the “ignition unit” is used for.

The glow of this "arc" in the gas is very bright; at least they exceed the glow of the halogen by 2, and sometimes 3-4 times! For example, an ordinary halogen burns with a luminous flux of 1500 Lm, but xenon can “squeeze out” up to 6000 Lm. The difference is in the face.

Pros of xenon

1) This is a very bright and powerful beam of light that illuminates the road much better than conventional halogen headlights. It breaks through any fog and "slush". And that means safety and visibility.

2) A xenon lamp is much more durable than a conventional halogen lamp, the life of xenon is from 2000 to 2500 hours, but halogen 150 - 600 hours. He does not have a filament, and accordingly there is nothing to tear, he is not afraid of bumps and shaking of the body. If you drive 2 - 3 hours a day, it will last about 4 years, no less.

3) Another plus is the lower temperature of the lamp itself. That is, you can put it in a standard headlight, and it will heat up less than a halogen. In xenon, only 7 - 10% of the energy is converted into heat, but in halogen as much as 40%.

Now about the cons of xenon

1) Not all xenon is allowed. According to the law of the Russian Federation, only the one that is regularly installed at the manufacturer's factories is allowed. That is, if you put a “handicraft” Chinese analogue, then you can be fined for this, you can even lose your rights for six months or a year (I don’t remember exactly now). When passing MOT (technical inspection), they will definitely force you to remove it.

2) Sophisticated equipment. When installing, you need to install complex equipment. In order to light the lamp, you need a voltage of 20 - 25,000 V, and then you need to maintain "burning" with a voltage of 40 - 60 V (with a frequency of 300 Hz). The regular system of the car will never withstand such a voltage, so "ignition blocks" are installed. And they are bulky, do not fit in a standard headlight, they are mounted outside, sometimes on spars.

3) Slightly increased consumption. Although the xenon unit takes on the main role in increasing electricity, it still requires more energy from the car's generator, a greater load - a little more fuel consumption, because it is a load on the engine. Consumption, of course, does not increase significantly, but you will still give 0.1 liters per 100 km.

4) Expensive equipment. The lamps themselves and the equipment are not cheap. The cost of "handicraft" xenon reaches 3,000 rubles, this is without installation. Branded xenon is even more expensive, up to 10,000 rubles. Moreover, over time, the xenon luminous flux changes in color, and if you have one lamp burned out, then you need to change them in pairs, otherwise the headlights will shine in different colors.

5) Also, do not forget that this is a very powerful lighting system. You need to think over the tilt of the headlights, you should not lift them up even the “dipped” light, otherwise oncoming cars will blink at you. Now almost all manufacturers of cars with xenon require an automatic headlight beam leveler.

6) Difficult combination of dipped and main beam in one headlight. Need to install bi-xenon, and this further increases the cost of construction. After all, there the switching goes by moving the lens, it is close to the far position, there are solenoids or other switches.

However, at the moment, the system of this lighting is the most reliable (they work for about 4 years), and the price, although it can reach up to 10,000, you can take about 2,500 - 3,000 rubles for a non-branded one. But damn legal trouble and blinding oncoming drivers, that's not a good thing. Can you ask how the traffic police will be able to calculate non-factory xenon lamps? YES, everything is simple - on our VAZs, they are not installed at all, so if it is found on KALINA, GRANT, PRIOR or VESTA, there will be problems.

Now in our article, let's talk about a powerful opponent, about LED lamps.

LEDS

This is a completely different technology, durable, economical, now developing at a global pace. In fact, it is a semiconductor that converts an electric current into a glow. Its peculiarity is that it has a plus and a minus, and if the terminals are mixed up, it will not work. It consists of a semiconductor crystal element, on a non-conductive substrate, a housing with contacts, and an optical system. The internal space between the crystal and the lens is filled with a special silicone compound.

In fact, there is also nothing to burn here, there is no incandescent filament, and other shaking elements, so it serves perfectly on rough roads. However, if used improperly, the crystal can quickly degrade and fail, but more on that later.

What else I want to note is that LEDs are now being produced for the third generation, they are developing very strongly, with each generation their reliability, luminous flux and resistance to adverse environments increase.

The first generations could not compete with either halogen, let alone xenon, their luminous flux barely reached 500 - 600 Lm, although Chinese manufacturers assured that they had 10,000 Lm! Pure water divorce!

However, now there are systems with a driver, a certain voltage stabilizer, it is he who allows you to glow 4, and sometimes 5 times brighter. Now not a limit and 4000 Lm. However, their resource suffers.

Advantages of LEDs

1) The first and biggest plus of LEDs is their power consumption. It is several times less than that of halogen and xenon. An LED lamp that produces a luminous flux equal to that of a 60 Watt halogen lamp takes only 20 to 30 Watts of energy (if there is a special driver).

2) Fuel economy. The less energy is taken, the less fuel is consumed. The load on the generator from lighting fixtures drops, and, accordingly, the load on the engine also drops - you save on fuel. Again, you should not expect that you will save liters, but still 0.1 - 0.2 liters per 100 kilometers can easily be achieved.

3) Although there is a special driver. It can often be hidden in the rubber cover of the headlight, that is, nothing needs to be cut and taken out. In fairness - in some headlights, they still do not climb.

4) Luminous flux. Of course, the old LED lamps, with a stretch, could be called bright, they could, but xenon is not bright. But again, progress does not stand still, and the third generation of lamps is coming out, which are based on completely different LEDs. Now the luminous flux is much superior to halogen lamps and almost reaches xenon. Sometimes you can’t even distinguish what is installed in the headlight, xenon or LEDs, the glow is equally blue - bright white. .

5) LEDs can be installed and no one will forbid you to use it, even by law. The thing is that LEDs have many colors of glow, if desired, you can even make red or blue headlights. You can also choose the color and power of a conventional halogen, that is, it will not be clear that you have halogens or LEDs installed. And as the law says - if the luminous flux is no different, then there is nothing to prohibit. They are officially permitted by the law of the Russian Federation, they can also be presented at the technical inspection.

6) Luminous flux. It shines brightly, but does not blind drivers like an opponent. Here the light is diffused, and close up illuminates a large area, which is really useful in fogs and slushy weather.

7) Shapes and sizes. Now you can install LED lighting on almost all cars, that is, the format and size of the lamps do not differ from halogen ones. Often they combine both near and far light.

8) Price. They are now inexpensive, as much as xenon lamps. The difference is minimal.

But there are not so many disadvantages of LEDs, but they are all significant.

Cons of LEDs

1) Temperature. Modern systems with "drivers" get very hot due to the large flow of energy. Therefore, cooling is mandatory, radiators are often installed with “coolers”. Without them, they will fail very quickly.

When buying a new car at a dealership, we are forced to buy a lot of options. The need for some is often not justified. Let's talk about such an option as . Motorists are faced with the question: xenon or halogen? After all, the overpayment for xenon can be from 15 tr. up to 100 tr, depending on the chosen car model.

Let's figure out what types of headlights exist. Consider all the pros and cons of different types of headlights.

There are currently three types of headlights:

• Halogen lamps;
• Xenon lamps;
• LED;

Halogen lamps

The most common type of headlight. Until recently, people did not know another type of lighting. The obvious advantages of halogens are their low cost and ease of replacement.

A halogen lamp consists of a glass bulb filled with various gases and placed there with an incandescent filament. This is its main disadvantage. Such a lamp is afraid of shaking. And our roads have seen everything ....

In addition, during operation, the halogen heats up very much itself and heats up, which can crack. Most often this happens with .

In bad weather, dirt quickly dries on the headlight glass, which leads to poor visibility. In addition, the spectrum of the glow of halogens is far from sunlight, which is very tiring on a long journey.

It is worth mentioning that the life of halogen lamps is very limited.

Specifications:

• Power consumption: 55 W.
• Luminous flux: 1500 lumens.
• Service life: up to 500 hours.

xenon lamps

The most popular type of headlight. Let's see why.

Such a lamp consists of a glass bulb with two electrodes filled with xenon gas. The electrical discharge that occurs between the electrodes is amplified by the gas and forms an electric arc. She just radiates light.

The xenon lamp is not afraid of shaking. In addition, it heats up slightly and consumes less energy than a halogen. At the same time, the luminous flux is twice as high, and the luminescence spectrum is very close to daylight. On a long journey, the eyes do not get tired.

The service life of a xenon lamp is 3-4 times longer than that of a halogen lamp.

Of the obvious disadvantages, it is worth highlighting the cost of such lamps, on average they are 5-6 times more expensive.

Specifications:

• Power consumption: 35W.
• Luminous flux: 3200 lumens.
• Service life: up to 3000 hours.

LED bulbs

Exotic head lighting. At the moment, there are only a few car models in mass production that use LEDs as headlights. The reason is simple, while LEDs cannot achieve the same efficiency as xenon - their luminous flux remains at the level of good halogen lamps. LEDs heat up even more than halogens.

In all other respects, such lamps put their competitors on both blades. Consume less energy, service life is practically unlimited. They are light in weight and size.

The conclusion is this: in the short term, xenon will dominate. If you care about your safety at night and at night, the choice is obvious. Don't skimp on your health.

If you still decide to install xenon, make sure that such headlights are equipped with an auto-corrector. Otherwise, they begin to blind oncoming drivers.

We looked at the characteristics of xenon, halogen and LED headlights, and xenon or halogen- you choose.