Car owners now have more options to choose from than just amber-colored bulbs when it comes to upgrading their headlights, whether it's for aesthetics or safety. While restrictions exist for the brightness of headlights, choosing the brightest bulbs can make driving at night safer for you and other drivers.
The most popular type of headlight in the world is the halogen bulb, which is a long-lasting and bright alternative to the old-fashioned headlight bulb. Most halogen bulbs have lifespans of 1,000 hours under normal conditions and offer relatively inexpensive replacement bulbs. These bulbs have gained favor despite the fact that they burn hot and require special care when handling them.
Similar to halogen lights, xenon lights burn white but are brighter than the halogens. Xenon bulbs add xenon gas to halogen bulbs to prevent overheating of the halogen, causing the halogen regeneration rate to increase dramatically and burn brighter.
High-intensity discharge, or HID, lights often come packaged with luxury cars. These lights produce a cool-bluish or violet light three times brighter than halogen lights. Unfortunately, self-install kits are illegal in many states and may require a modification package for your car. HID bulbs are the brightest and most expensive on the market, and can burn 10 times longer than halogen lights. Check state regulations before installing such lights on your own, as you may be subject to steep fines if the lights were not factory-installed.
If you change the headlight yourself, do not touch the bulb's surface. Doing so would shorten the life of the bulb, regardless of its type. During reattachment of the headlight cover, check and recheck that the cover installs correctly. Failure to do so could lead to vapor buildup and dimming of the light projection. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, no high-beam light should exceed 60 watts and failure to follow this regulation may result in danger to other drivers and penalties for you. Keep in mind that higher-voltage bulbs will not last as long as lower-voltage bulbs.
