Why Would You Want Xenon Lights on Your Car?
Headlights aren’t always appreciated as components on cars, though they are one of the most important safety systems that a car has. After all, if no one can see the car coming, how can they avoid it? In recent years, a number of different types of headlights have come to the public’s attention. These include Xenon and halogen headlights, and the press given to them isn’t always very friendly. Detractors say that both these forms of light are actually dangerous because they can blind oncoming cars, even though the driver with the specialized headlights can see yards further.
Xenon headlights operate by creating an electric arc in a glass chamber filled with xenon gas. They not only produce a much brighter, clearer light than standard head lamps, but they have a tendency to produce a blue-tinted light. The 1991 BMW 7-series was the first in Europe to use HID lighting, and the technology made it to American shores by the 1993 model year. Afterward, it was just a matter of a few years before most luxury cars were fitted with xenon headlights.The prevalence of auto customization eventually led to more and more vehicles that were not originally equipped with high intensity discharge lighting being adapted to use xenon lights. This adaptation by the aftermarket was one of the things that led to the very vocal backlash against HID lighting, that it was “too bright” even when low beams were used, and high beams produced so much glare that oncoming drivers were essentially blinded.
Careful consideration should be taken when determining whether to install aftermarket xenon headlights in a car. The expense of the modification is one reason, but it’s also important to consider how often they’ll actually be used. For driving at night, along long, quiet roadways with plenty of wildlife to run into the road, then xenon headlights would be a significant safety system to add to a vehicle that provide brighter light, more definition of the objects that are in the road ahead. They also are used as daytime running lights, and as such are much more noticeable during the day, as well. On custom cars, high intensity Xenon head lights have an attractive blue tint to them.
Most drivers won’t have to have HID lighting on their cars to make them drivable at night, but they do provide the additional safety of being able to see further ahead than with typical lighting systems. This in itself is the single greatest reason to use xenon headlights.
