Car lamps: types and features, which is better to choose

Manufacturers of car lamps vying with one another promise that their products give «60% more light», guarantee «extra-bright glow». However, there are parameters of such products, which pay attention to make sure that the light will really be bright. This will help determine which car lamps are the best to choose.

The size of a car lamp

Car lights have different tasks: dipped and high beam, fog effect, signal light when turning. Each device requires a different lamp size.

The size implies certain characteristics of the lamp. For example, the lamp size H7 on 12 volts has a rated power of 55 watts, it has a luminous flux of 1500 lumens. The H8 12 volt bulb has a rated power of 35 watts and a luminous flux of 800 lumens. You can find a detailed classification of vehicle lamp sizes on the internet.

Power consumption

Lamps with a higher wattage than the original light bulb must not be installed in the vehicle. The power consumption is measured in watts. When the lamps are manufactured, the optimum component characteristics are calculated according to this measurement. If you install a more powerful lamp, there may be a fire.

Lamp voltage

This indicator is measured in volts. In most cars, the voltage in the internal network is 12 V. In trucks, it may be as high as 24 V. The voltage of a new bulb should match the voltage of the original car bulb. Xenon lamps are selected according to the voltage of the ignition unit, not the on-board voltage.

Types of automotive bulbs

There are four types of bulbs installed in cars:

• Incandescent bulbs for cars. The resource of incandescent bulbs and their lifespan is low. The beam is diffuse, there is no clear directionality. Incandescent bulbs are cheap, so they are often used for taillights, license plate illumination, for interior lighting.
• Halogen lamps give a directional beam, they have a lifetime of 2-4 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs. They are often installed in fog lights.
• Xenon lamps give brighter light than halogen lamps. However, they do not have focused light, so special lenses or reflectors are required.
• LED-lamps are becoming the most popular because they are energy efficient, give bright light and last for a long time.

What kind of bulbs in the car is better to choose

Determine what type of socket is required by the technical documentation to the car or unscrew the bulb and find out from the seller. However, the type of lamp itself may be different from the original: instead of an incandescent, you can use a halogen, xenon or LED lamp.

An indicator that is also important to pay attention to is the light temperature of the lamp, which is measured in Kelvin. To get a white light, choose a figure of 4200 K. The lower the number, the more yellow the light will be. The higher the number, the more blue the light will be. Too blue light strains the eyesight, in fog gives weak illumination.

If the bulbs have the same power, pay attention to what light output in lumens. On average, for H4 bulbs for high beam choose an indicator of 1650 lumens, for low beam - 1000 lumens.