Blue Headlights

Xenon Bulbs

Xenon bulbs are a type of bulb used in HID headlights. These bulbs produce a bright, bluish light. The light that xenon bulbs put off can be up to three times brighter than halogen headlights.

Xenon bulbs are named for the inert gas they utilize to amplifigy light produced by electricity bridging the gap between two electrodes. HID lights don't use a traditional tungsten filament, as do conventional headlights, and xenon bulbs tend to last two to three times longer. The intensity released by them is also much more uniform. You will find that they have a sharp line at the top of their projected light area, instead of a soft fading like traditional headlights. HID lights produce ultraviolet as well as visible light, which makes reflective highway signs glow more brilliantly.

When the halogen headlights were first being released 20 years ago, drivers complainged that they were blinded by the oncoming light. Today the intense light emitted from xenon bulbs is receiving the same scrutiny. However, it is expected that drivers will soon become adjusted to the bluish cast, and not gase directly at them. The tendency to stare at these bright lights is what often makes them more distracting to drivers.

Currently, many vehicles on the road that use xenon bulbs include a safety provision to ensure that, even with a trunk a loaded trunk (which aims the headlights higher), the lights will not blind oncoming traffic. Manufacturer Mercedes-Benz uses a self-leveling technology built in to the housing that holds the xenon bulbs themselves, and others have automatic leveling for the entire rig, this accomplishes the same goal. However, most aftermarket kits do not include this provision.

Most of these blue lights you see on the road today are actually not xenon bulbs. With the high price to install HID lights, alot of manufacturers have started to produce normal headlights using halogen technology that emit a blue hue. The problem is that many people who install aftermarket blue headlights do not aim them properly, and they end up getting aimed too high, causing the blinding issue that many are complaining about today.

Most of the xenon bulb copy cats are actually just regular bulbs witha blue coating on the glass. This blue coating is what provides the color. Some of the higher end copy cats even have xenon gas in them, with a filament, just so they can call it a xenon bulb for marketing purposes. However, the true xenon bulbs have no filament, and require the controller in order to generate the 15,000 volts to jump the electrode gap.

You’re sure to see more HID headlights in future years. Though they are presently quite pricey and often only available as a premium option, these new systems are smaller, lighter and allow for smaller headlamp assemblies. A true aftermarket xenon headlight kit should generally include the entire headlamp assembly, and should always include the controllers. Once you've installed your new HID headlights, you won't ever want to go back to conventional headlights again.