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What makes a good H7 headlight bulb? In short, a good headlight bulb offers a number of features that give you excellent performance at a reasonable price. Color temperature, brightness and type can affect performance levels and safety benefits.
Headlights do not get much love from those who own their vehicles, but they are an integral part of the automotive experience. By replacing your headlights with something brighter, you can increase both safety and comfort, as you can see more below. H7 lamps are one of the most common types, and there is a surprising amount of options for those looking for an upgrade. When you need H11 bulbs, so you can read about these lamps also on our website.
Halogen headlights are standard in most vehicles. However, when it comes to replacing your stock headlights, the most important thing to do is avoid the cheap ones made. Thus, halogen headlights are the standard because they are cheapest to manufacture. The light bulb consists of a tungsten filament and halogen gas. When current flows through the filament, it heats up and emits a light. Most brands sell the lamps in packs of two and we strongly recommend changing them at the same time.
It is easy to see when your headlamps need to be replaced, they usually show one of these problems:
Compatibility check
To help you be sure that you are buying a light bulb that is compatible with your vehicle, most manufacturers and automotive suppliers include a search function on their website. When you enter your vehicle information (make and model of your car and year of manufacture) into one of these widgets, you can find a selection of H7 lamps suitable for use with your vehicle.
If you do not get a result using this procedure, you can check the OEM number located on your headlight assembly. You can also use this if you do not have the above information.
Your driving needs
Currently there is a huge selection of aftermarket lamps available that will allow you to upgrade from a range of stock lamps to something with more momentum. The type of light bulb that suits you best will depend on your driving needs. Some of the best H7 bulbs are amazing, but if they don’t match where and how you drive, you won’t get the most out of them.
If you are upgrading your H7 lamps yourself, we recommend that you do not use Xenon lamps. Bringing them into a position that avoids dazzling other road users can be very difficult due to the extra glare that this type of bulb creates.
If your current vehicle uses halogen lamps and you are not very mechanically oriented, then an improved lamp that still uses a halogen mixture and filament is your best choice. This type of bulb offers you improved performance and visibility without the need for a conversion kit. It’s the ultimate plug-and-play headlight upgrade.
It can sometimes be difficult to find the exact upgrade you are looking for. While you can easily exchange your H7 light bulbs for remarkably cheap bulbs, those who are looking for the brightest should really use an LED conversion kit to get the best for their money.
The higher upfront costs can be a little steep, even a cheap conversion kit can cost up to eight times as much as a standard bulb, but the advantages they offer are quite hard. If you are planning to work with a conversion kit, you can expect serious upgrades in the following areas.
In the past, light was measured by the power of the light bulb, but that is not necessarily true when we get into LEDs. They simply provide more light per watt of power than any other type of light bulb on the market.
Most kits, instead of lowering the power required to provide the same amount of light to an inferior light bulb, use approximately the same amount of power as their halogen counterparts and provide an amazing amount of lighting.
You are really saving money here. Even the cheapest LED is rated for around 30,000 hours. This makes the initial investment much more sensible as it will outlast any other type of light bulb by a simply enormous amount of time.
The lifetime of most LEDs is quite ridiculous. However, there is one reservation, namely the fact that you need to make sure that there is some kind of cooling element. Heat is the only real enemy of this type of light, so make sure that the kit you use has a heat sink to dissipate the excess heat energy in the relatively narrow box of a spotlight.
Although it may take some time to get used to it, the color temperature of LEDs is usually better than that of halogens when it comes to good vision. Most of these kits will fall into the daylight range, which allows better color perception.
Those that fall into the xenon white color category offer a further advantage: they allow the lines to light up even more clearly on the road.
Although it is far from the simple light of older light bulbs, you will wonder how you got along so well with the use of halogens once your eyes have adapted.
At a glance
Headlights have a single function to illuminate the road in front of your car. Nevertheless, they differ greatly in type, the precision of light, and other characteristics. Typically, there are three types of headlight bulbs, they are either LED, Xenon or Halogen. In this breakdown, we will focus mainly on the LED and halogen H7 headlamps.
The most common type of car lighting remains halogen lamps, but recently they are gradually being replaced by LEDs. These H7 car lamps generate a brighter and more energy efficient light because they are a semiconductor that better controls the flow of electricity. When an electric current is applied to a diode, negatively charged electrons are attracted to the positively charged p-type conductor, resulting in a clean, bright, saturated light source.
All halogen, incandescent, LED lamps to have advantages and disadvantages related to how they are made. H7 LEDs, emit bright and saturated light but consume less electricity.
LED dipped-beam lights guarantee a higher quality of illumination than their halogen counterparts. Instead of a weak yellow light, they produce a cleaner light.
LEDs are a great option for high beam lighting. They consist of a miniature LED panel that easily fits into the high beam reflectors of today’s models.
Signaling lights and parking lights with LEDs, offer lower consumption, greater light energy efficiency. The lights are more visible at night and in daylight.
Fog lights are much more energy efficient than halogen headlights, they use less energy, providing a cleaner quality of light.
The vast majority of vehicles leave dealership lots these days with one of three headlight bulbs: halogen, HID, or LED. Halogen bulbs are the oldest of the three and are still very common. They’re extremely affordable and typically have a life of around 800 hours on average. When compared to HID or LED bulbs however, halogen bulbs are the worst performing of the three. They also require more energy than LED bulbs and are more prone to heat. At the end of the day however, halogen bulbs offer enough lighting for safe driving, but upgrading to LEDs will make a noticeable difference to your driving experience.
LED headlight bulbs are becoming more commonly used by luxury automakers such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. You’ve also likely heard of LED bulbs for home use, which deliver equal or better lighting with lower power consumption and longer life. LED headlight bulbs are similar, offering better performance and longevity at a greater cost. Fortunately they’ve become so popular and common these days that they don’t cost significantly more than halogen bulbs.
Some will argue that LED headlight bulbs aren’t as bright as HIDs, but they are definitely brighter than halogen bulbs. They also don’t produce as much glare as HID headlights, and they don’t need a small period of time to charge up. Just as important, LED bulbs don’t use a filament that burns out or breaks, which allows them to last much longer than halogen bulbs.
The short answer to this question is yes. The aftermarket and the products in this list are designed to be retrofit kits for vehicles with halogen headlights. What’s important to know however is that some LED headlight kits may not be legal in your state. So make sure to check local state laws before upgrading to LED headlights.
There is actually no definitive answer to this question, but we recommend replacing both your headlight bulbs at the same time, even if only one goes out. That’s because swapping out just one headlight bulb could result in a difference in brightness between the two. Also, depending on your vehicle, changing out your headlight bulbs could be a cumbersome task—you’re better off doing it once and saving yourself time down the road.
If you’re trying to be frugal or more practical—if it’s not broken, why fix it—then make sure you keep a spare bulb handy for when the other one does eventually burn out.
Although there are many LED headlights that offer similar features, no two headlights are alike. Therefore it is vital to take time to compare various characteristics of different headlights as they can greatly impact your overall driving experience. Following are some of the characteristics that determine which LED headlights are best for your vehicle:
Typically headlights that project a beam which facilitate visibility between 50 and 100 meters are regarded legal. This ensures that the lights are bright enough without disturbing the drivers on the other side. Therefore, keep in mind the rules and regulations of your state or country before making a purchase.
Before purchasing LED headlights bear in mind whether you need an upgrade kit to change the bulb or you need to upgrade the entire headlight. Check the model numbers and LED bulb plug type to find out which product fits your car best. If you are unsure, you can search online, check your vehicle’s handbook, or consult with a car expert because investing in headlights that are not compatible with your vehicle could be very frustrating.
Another important consideration is the number of lumens that the headlights emit. Headlight bulbs that emit lumens between 6,000 and 6,400 provide a good level of light for up to 500m while headlights of 8,000 lumens produce a warm light that illuminates up to 700m. On the other hand, high-intensity units of 10,000 lumens produce light that resembles daylight. However, it is important that these headlight bulbs are properly aligned to ensure that they do not disturb the oncoming traffic.
The brightness of a bulb is measured on a Kelvin scale. A low number indicates that the color will look warmer. Bulbs that are between 2,700 and 3,500 Kelvin are not used in headlights as they are not bright enough to clearly illuminate the road. Bright colors between 3,500 and 5,000 Kelvin are bright enough to ensure that you can drive safely at night. Led bulbs above 5,000 Kelvin are preferred by drivers as they allow them to see further and have a broad view by illuminating the road brightly.
LED headlights are more expensive than standard headlights. However, many people are willing to pay extra to avail the advantages of these lights. Although price does not always guarantee quality, it can be a guideline. Low-priced products usually have low lumen count meaning lower light intensity and a shorter lifespan. While on the other hand high-priced products typically boast greater lumens and a longer lifespan. Thus, before making a choice check online reviews to ensure that your chosen headlight lives up to its high price.
The minimum lifespan of these bulbs is 30,000 hours which is way better than the 6,000 hours that most Halogen bulbs offer. Moreover, a cooling chip or fan ensures heat dissipation that further increases the life expectancy of the LED headlights. In addition, some headlights offer 50,000 hours of usage and can last up to six years. Therefore, it is advantageous to consider how much night driving you do on a regular basis to decide whether you need the bulbs with the highest life expectancy or not.
Most LED manufacturers offer two years warranty. Make sure that your chosen product comes with a warranty where manufacturers provide free technical support in case of any problems.
Halogen headlights are not particularly efficient as they generate a lot of heat in comparison to the amount of light produced thus resulting in lost energy. Both HID and LED headlights are also brighter than the standard Halogen lights.
Although HID (high-intensity headlights) are bright, they are not necessarily the best. Their brightness could cause the surrounding areas to plunge into shadow thus making it difficult to spot a pedestrian crossing. Moreover, in foggy conditions, the blue-white light could reflect back thus leading to temporary blindness. Sometimes, the light could be so bright that it could dazzle drivers a mile away.
On the other hand LED lights provide a high level of brightness without compromising your safety by affecting your vision or that of the oncoming drivers. Moreover, LED lights achieve full brightness instantly as opposed to HID lights that require a few seconds to achieve full brightness. Although LED headlights are expensive, their benefits greatly outweigh this increase in cost.
Make sure that the headlight bulbs that you choose are easy to install and can be done easily without professional help. Shop for plug-and-play LED kits as they can be installed within half an hour.
Energy efficient headlight bulbs do not need to be replaced every few months and do not drain the car’s battery thus making them environment-friendly. Look for LED headlights that are energy efficient.
If you are going to be doing a lot of driving at night make sure that you choose the bulb color and lumen that makes driving safe at night.
Conversion kits can be pricey or could be pretty affordable. Although there are benefits of buying expensive products budget buyers can also find products that fall within their price range.
LED headlights also generate a lot of heat while producing bright light, therefore, make sure that the cooling system in your chosen headlights is of the highest quality to save yourself from any problems.
It is important to purchase LED headlights from a reputable seller to ensure that you do not end up with headlights that are not in keeping with the law or are too bright. Avoid unreliable brands to minimize risk to yourself and other road users.
Headlights that are not properly aligned could disturb the drivers on the opposite side by shining in their mirrors. Therefore, knowing how to adjust headlights when you replace them and also if something has thrown off the headlight alignment is important. Accidents, too much weight in the back, worn shocks, and lift kit installs are some of the causes of misaligned headlights.
You can easily adjust your LED headlight bulbs with the help of your owner’s manual and online videos thus preventing harm to yourself and other drivers.
Installing LED headlight bulbs is a very simple process. Find out your bulb type and purchase an LED conversion kit. Pop the hood and unplug the wire connecting the bulb. Remove your Halogen bulbs by removing the metal clip and twisting the bulb anti-clockwise. Install the bulb gently by twisting clockwise. Avoid touching the LED with bare hands.
You can check out your local auto parts store and choose from what they have stocked, or you could order online. However, it is better to shop online as you can compare various deals to find the one that suits you best.
LED headlight bulbs are legal if their projected beam allows you clear visibility between 50 and 100 meters ahead of you. Moreover, they should not be bright enough to disturb the other vehicles on the road.
Many LED headlight bulbs have an estimated lifespan of up to 50,000 hours. This means that these bulbs will last more than 11 years when used 12 hours a day.
If you want to upgrade to H7 LED headlight bulbs, you should consider a bulbs conversion kit. If you have a CANBus ready vehicle, you should make sure your new bulbs are CANBus approved.
LED headlight conversion kits make the entire process of upgrading headlights easy, though you'll likely still want to have a professional do the work for you. You should consider light output, whether or not you'll need a cooling fan, an adapter, LED chips, turbo features, or if you need replacement bulbs.
There are many options to replace stock halogen bulbs, including 6000K white bulbs, as well as cool white bulbs. You can look at daytime running lights, adjustable beam lights, and even high/low lights.
Whether you have a Hyundai, a Kia, a Honda, or another type of vehicle, bright LED headlights will make a difference for your driving. A perfect beam pattern is another thing to look for, and some popular manufacturers include Sylvania and Cree.
A CSP (chip scale package) is another popular option that differs from SMD lighting. Computer systems help to run the lights on modern vehicles, with elements like decoders being necessary.
If you have dark spots, low beam lights may need to be upgrade to high beams. Just grab a conversion kit and you should be good to go.
