Shopping Blog

In days gone by, cars which are now looked upon as being ‘classics’ also have technology which befits that period. Apart from the performance, safety and advanced technology which is found in new cars today, one defining feature which can be transferred over to older cars are HID kits.

Now, what are they I hear you ask? HID stands of high intensity discharge. Modern headlights are now sealed units which draw their power from having bulbs which are filled with gas such as Xenon. This allows the lights to burn brighter, for longer and are much more efficient than the previous halogen headlamps.

Halogen headlights were very good in their day, but compared to HID headlights they are offer a yellow tinge, produce around 60% less light and last around 60% less time than the new-age technology.

As with any technology, the goalposts have been moved time and again since high intensity discharge lamps were first seen. Nowadays you have a choice of the light emitted by the gas discharge lights which is measured by the color temperature which is measured in Kelvin. Normally, the color temperature ranges run from 3000K which is a golden yellow to a wildly different purple/blue color of a 12,000K bulb. Throughout the spectrum the color charts run from bright white, to crystal white, crystal blue and beyond to a bizarre aqua blue and then into the purples.

Another major factor in the headlight kit is the ballast. A headlight’s ballast helps control the way the bulb works by regulating the current running through it. Again, technology has advanced and now you can get digital ballasts which make the older magnetic ones obsolete, which are quicker and more stable in handling the flow of electricity.

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