Today, the most fashionable variety of automotive optics are xenon headlights. They are more perfect than vacuum, halogen and gas-filled lamps. But they attracted motorists with an unusual glow that makes any car beautiful and a little mysterious. Light blue gives the light of the head optics and fog lamps, and, therefore, a special effect to any car, xenon 6000K.
Xenon lamp
Xenon lamps in car headlights are selected according to several indicators.
The first of these is the glow temperature, which, according to the International System of Units of Measurement, is measured in Kelvin (K).
There are many manufacturers of xenon lamps. The range is usually represented by four types of color temperatures: 4300K, 5000K, 6000K and 8000K. Sometimes 3000K is also found, which is used only in fog lamps due to the poisonous yellow color.
The 8000K lamp shines in blue with a violet hue, 5000K in pure white, and between them is 6000K xenon, which is described as “cold white with light blue.”
A xenon lamp is a device that consists of a bulb with gas, electrodes with high voltage wires and a base.
In fact, large plants produce flasks, but they are engaged in the manufacture and soldering of plinths at many smaller enterprises in accordance with certain standards.
In the automotive industry, the socles of the H, D and HB series are used:
- H1, H3, H4, H7, H8, H9, H10, H11, H27 (880/881) - the most universal;
- D1S, D1R, D2C, D2R, D4S, which are installed only on lamps with a glow of 4300K;
- HB2 (9004), HB3 (9005), HB4 (9006), HB5 (9007), the first and last of which are rare, the second is installed in high beams, the third - in fog lights.
Xenon ignition units
The ignition unit is the starting device for burning a xenon lamp. It serves to transform the low voltage of the battery into a short-term pulse of 23 thousand volts, at which the ignition of the lamp begins.
Different generations of these devices differ in technical level, options for performance and characteristics.
The supply voltage can be 12, 24 or 36 volts, power - 35 and 55 (50) watts.
In a conventional passenger car, the voltage of electric networks is 12 volts. Therefore, xenon ignition blocks are used standard, only 12 V.
Universal blocks for a voltage range from 9 to 32 V are much more expensive and are installed on trucks.
For the quality of the xenon lamp, the power of the device is of primary importance.
Xenon lamp glow temperature
The maximum light output of xenon lamps is achieved at a temperature of 4300K, with a further increase in temperature, the brightness decreases. The 6000K xenon lamp is less bright, but motorists are attracted to its bright cool color with a light bluish tint.
In standard factory optics, only 4300K xenon is installed. In addition to high light output, it has a pleasant color for perception and less attracts the attention of road users, the light of these lamps is clearly visible on wet asphalt.
In winter, it is more advisable to use xenon 6000K. Reviews confirm this. On a snowy road or on dry pavement, such lighting provides better visibility. But in rainy weather, such lamps significantly lose.
6000K Xenon lamp bases
If the car owner has a desire to install 6000K xenon with a D-series base, then you need to understand that such lamps can only be Chinese of the appropriate quality. In addition, Chinese lamps do not work with factory ignition units, so instead of the standard ones, conventional devices with adapters are installed, which does not add reliability. Do not be surprised that the reviews on such lamps are far from always positive, the main advantage in them is the price.
Xenon H7 6000K is installed in the dipped headlights. Lamps of this glow are produced with a base H1 for installation mainly in high beams, H4 - both in high and low. Xenon 6000K can be found even with very rare sockets H10, H11 for Japanese cars and H27 for Koreans, they are installed in foglights.
Xenon electric power
The standard power supplied to the lamp is 35 watts. The 55 W (50 W) xenon ignition unit is equipped with components with specific conductive properties, because of which the price of such a device is higher. The rest of the ignition units of different capacities do not differ in anything and are installed exactly the same.
But the same lamps themselves also work in different modes. The service life of xenon with a more powerful unit is almost a quarter less due to the forced operation mode.
And another significant difference concerns the color of the glow, it becomes more yellow. Therefore, usually high power xenon is installed in the fog.
How does xenon 6000K shine in this case? Like a 5000K lamp - white light without blueness.
Xenon fog lights
So, in the fog lights, 6000K xenon is installed with a 55-watt ignition unit. The base is most often H27 or H11. Such lamps are placed in Korean and Japanese cars. Owners of European cars prefer standard lamps with a glow temperature of 4300K and normal power, however, they also have H3 sockets.
Fog lights with xenon shine brighter when compared with halogen ones, the area of the illuminated route increases, the illumination of the road and the right side of the road increases, that is, the risk of flying into a ditch at a bend, jumping out into an oncoming lane or falling into a deep puddle is reduced.
A minus fog with xenon drivers consider only the need to wash low headlights more often, so as not to blind oncoming ones.
Sometimes in the reviews there are complaints about the poor performance of xenon in fog lights, but experts believe that the problem is too thin full-time wiring and advise replacing it. In the case when such headlights are installed additionally, special attention should be paid to the cross-section of the wires.
dipped headlights
If the optics in the headlights are combined, then the lamp, as a rule, has a base H4. If the light is divided into the near and far, then a lamp with a large base is installed on the near one, for example, 6000K H7 xenon. After all, the quality of the most used dipped beam affects traffic safety, and manufacturers leave more space in the headlamp for it.
When installing xenon, especially with a power of 55 W, a good adjustment of the light flux is necessary so as not to blind the oncoming drivers.
When choosing a lamp color, there are no particular restrictions or preferences; colors like 4300K, 5000K and 6000K are suitable. How the illumination of the road with a xenon 6000K lamp differs, the photo below shows clearly.
It is worth noting, and many reviews mention this, that the picture looks like only with high-quality products from well-known manufacturers. Many of the fakes that exist today can be determined by the spectrum of the glow.
High beam headlights
Not everyone agrees with the installation of high beam xenon lamps. In addition to the high cost, it is argued that frequent blinking causes xenon to quickly fail.
But if you often have to drive in the dark, especially in areas with difficult terrain with a lot of turns, on mountain roads, or drive through small settlements, then powerful high beams can help in a correct assessment of the road situation.
The main high beams are H1 for European and HB3 for Japanese cars. The choice of color characteristics is affected only by the aesthetic preferences of the owner. Xenon 6000K is available with one and the other base, although many drivers agree that the lamp with such a glow for the main beam has no practical value, this is just an ornament.
Xenon on domestic cars
When installing xenon lamps, it is necessary to install a headlight washer and an automatic headlight range adjustment. Only in this case there is a guarantee that a powerful light beam will not dazzle drivers of oncoming cars.
Therefore, without problems, it is possible to replace full-time xenon 4300K on foreign cars with a more attractive 6000K.
The situation with domestic cars is much more complicated. There are no problems only when installing xenon on cars of the VAZ 2010 family and on the Lada Priore, in which there are separate optics with a lens in the dipped beam. And only on the "Prior" can be installed in the dipped xenon 6000K H7.
As for the earlier models of VAZs, GAZ, Volga and Zaporizhzhya Tavriy and Slavut cars, the installation of high-quality xenon equipment on them translates into a serious event with significant costs with grinding and glass replacement. Domestic craftsmen can, of course, do everything, but do not forget about road safety, which the state traffic inspectorate is called to monitor compliance with. And the bluish glow of even pseudo-xenon lamps attracts the well-deserved attention of its inspectors.
Summing up, we can say that 6000K xenon can be installed on cars, but mainly for beauty. Such lamps can be useful only in areas with prolonged snowy winters. And the rest ... Well-known European car manufacturers know what they are doing by installing xenon with a glow temperature of 4300K.