How to Choose Headlights for Your Car

When it comes to safe driving, one of the most important considerations is making sure that your car’s headlights are in good working order. Being able to see clearly at night has obvious benefits, and using your car’s lights in the daytime will help other drivers see you. You may think that waiting for one of your car’s lights to go out signals a time for a change, but actually headlight bulbs can lose up to 20% of their output in just 2 to 3 years so its recommended to change them well before they burn out.

When choosing Cool Car Lights for your car, it is important to consider the following…

Lifespan – Different lights have different lifespans. In general, brighter lights create more heat and more inefficiency that results in a shorter lifespan. It is best to choose a light that has a favorable balance between brightness and lifespan.

Brightness – The effective brightness of different lights can result in as much as 50% road visibility, but as stated earlier, brighter lights come at a sacrifice in lifespan. Choosing a light with a moderate low-beam brightness and a more intense high-beam brightness for night driving strikes a good balance.

Bulb Type – There are three main bulb types and they each have important differences that you should consider when choosing headlights for your car.
Halogen – Halogen lights are the most common type of car headlight. They use a heated tungsten filament to create light, they have a relatively low cost and good lifespan. However, they create a lot of inefficiency due to heat, they produce a slightly yellowish light which isn’t optimal under certain conditions, and they must be installed carefully to avoid any contact with skin due to the fact that oils from one’s skin can affect performance and the life of the bulb.

LED – The newest bulbs are LEDs and they have several advantages over halogen. First, they use diodes to produce light instead of a metal filament. The result is very little wasted energy in heat, greater energy efficiency and for all practical purposes, they don’t wear out, meaning you may never have to replace them! Their higher cost may be offset by energy savings and avoiding replacement costs.

Xenon (HID) – Xenon lights (high intensity discharge lights) use a high-voltage current arc to produce light rather than a metal filament like a halogen bulb. This results in an extremely bright light, sometimes with a blueish tint. They have a long lifespan, don’t have heat inefficiencies, and are bright, however they cost more than halogen bulbs.

Once you have decided which type of headlight to get, consult your owner’s manual or the internet to find out the exact headlight model that fits your vehicle. In some case, cars use a different bulb for low-beam and high-beam and in some cases, one combination bulb handles both roles.

A great way to save considerable money when choosing headlights for your car, is to shop online as Newfrog.com. It saves time over a trip to the auto parts store and you will know right away if the headlights for your car are available.

Although you can take your car to a mechanic to have the headlights changed, most late-model cars have lights which are very easy to change even if you don’t have experience. You can consult your car’s owners manual for simple instructions.

Typically, the lights are accessed by raising the front hood and locating the back of the light housing. Most headlight bulbs are held in place with a plastic ring that can be rotated to release the bulb. Simply pull the wire assembly from the old bulb and attach to the new bulb, insert bulb into light housing and tighten the retaining ring. You should always be sure to not touch any part of the glass bulb during installation. Once replaced, test the lights to ensure they are installed and working properly before using.

Replacing or upgrading your Auto Headlights can make drastic improvements to road visibility and driving safety. Make sure to check or replace headlights often to enjoy peace of mind, every time you get in your car.