Halogen, HID, Or LED – Which Is Best For 4×4 Vehicles

You might have felt that the factory headlights of your off-roader are not offering the required lighting while driving off-road at night, even with the high beams on. Do not worry, as you are not alone. Many off-road owners have felt so and visited off-road parts store to replace the factory headlamps and fog lamps with aftermarket off-road lights.

Off-road lights are more of a functional accessory than a cosmetic or jewelry for your 4×4 off roader. You can find different types of modern off road lights in any 4×4 off road parts store that offer more compact and brighter lighting when you hit the roads.

Mainly, there are three different types of affordable off road lights, namely halogen, Light Emitting Diode (LED), and High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lights. Each of the technology has its own advantages and disadvantages; the right technology for you will depend on your personal preference and application. Understanding the details of these three types of lighting can help you take informed lighting decisions while visiting off road parts stores.

Halogen
These are the oldest and least efficient among the three types of off-road lights. For many decades, they were the only available option and function similar to incandescent light bulbs. Electricity is used to heat a filament made from tungsten to offer light. The design of these bulbs makes them much more vibration resistant and offers them more life than the normal incandescent bulbs. Halogen bulbs are available in different wattages and the common ones are 55 and 100-watt bulbs.

HID
High-Intensity Discharge lights are also called Xenon lights as they are filled with inert noble gases. This technology has been available since the 90’s. HID lights can be considered a type of arc lamp, meaning that there is no filament that heats up to offer the light. Instead, it offers the light through an electric discharge between two filaments made from tungsten, housed inside a tube. The tube is translucent and will be filled with metal salts and gas. The gas helps in the initial strike of the arc and it evaporates the salts in the tube to form plasma. This plasma intensifies the light of the arc.

LED
LED lights have become much popular in the last few years. The durability, compact size, increased life, low current working, and brightness have made LED lights much popular. The availability of cheap LED technology has also added to the popularity of these lights. LED lights are simply two lead semiconductor lights that are illuminated by electron movement in the semiconductor. The main advantages of LED lights are that they are waterproof and shockproof. In addition, many of the LED light models are capable of working in a range of voltages without any modification.