HID headlights: positive and negative factors to consider before installation

High-intensity discharge headlights, commonly known as HID, are all the rage among car enthusiasts for good reasons. HID has a lot of performance and style advantages that many drivers can easily take advantage of, but at the same time, these headlight upgrades are certainly not for everyone. To help you determine whether HID modifications are suitable for you and your car, we have broken down a few major considerations so that you can be properly notified before making a final installation decision.

Installation

Performance

Durability and Longevity

Installation

If you drive a more recently purchased new vehicle or you have advanced automotive and technological know-how, installing HIDs should be pretty simple for you. The process may take a little bit of time, but HIDs are far from the most complicated pieces of automotive equipment to install. However, if you’re closer to a novice-level car enthusiast, deciding whether to install HIDs is really a toss-up. On older cars, you may need to make several wire harness adaptations, and if you don’t understand what ballasts are, you may have to figure that out first. The process is pretty straightforward though, so if you’re a thorough follower of directions, you should be able to get HIDs installed in under two hours (depending on the model of vehicle you own).

Performance

HIDs aren’t called headlight upgrades for nothing. Compared to the standard halogens included on most models of cars, trucks, and SUVs, HID headlights are significantly more powerful. You can expect up to 3x the brightness of conventional halogens, and light emissions that appear significantly more natural to the eyes as well, resulting in reduced eye strain. Combine that with improved peripheral vision during nighttime driving, and there really isn’t an area where HIDs don’t improve upon their predecessors. So unless your attempting to match the exact stock appearance of your vehicle’s headlights when replacing them, HIDs are an easy choice in this category.

Durability and Longevity

If your vehicle’s stock halogens are still shining brightly and haven’t had any problems, there’s no particular reason to toss them away before their time. When it comes to replacing them too, you can simply unscrew old halogen bulbs and screw new ones in, saving you time. After the initial installation process with HIDs, which may take some time, you shouldn’t have to worry about replacing them any time soon. HIDs can last up to 10x longer than halogen headlights. HID bulbs are also quite durable without as many parts that can potentially be damaged, though the bulbs should never make contact with skin.

From personalized color choices to improved performance and longevity, HID provides significant lighting enhancements. This is not to say that halogen lamps themselves are not performing well and should be thrown away if they are already working well, but if you are looking for headlight upgrades, HID is a popular and reliable choice. p>