A special feature of H4 lamps is the presence of two spirals in each lamp. One of the spirals is responsible for the low beam, the second for the high beam.
According to the GOST 2023.2-88 in force on the territory of the Russian Federation, there are a number of requirements for incandescent lamps that are used in vehicle lighting.
In accordance with this standard, the base on the H4 lamp is of type P43t-38. GOST also specifies the basic requirements for these lamps. The test is carried out at 13.2 and 28 volts, the following requirements must be met:
- Working time not less than 450 h
- Operating time before failure of 3% of lamps is not less than 120 hours
- High beam filament flux stability 85%
- Low beam flux stability 85%
- Solder temperature max 270 ° С
- Blade temperature max 400 ° С
The lamp withstands mechanical stress and durability tests as well as 15g at 100Hz.
Types of H4 lamps
Also, the buyer distinguishes between these lamps by the shades with which they shine. The most popular request from buyers is a lamp with a white glow, the so-called. lamps with increased visual comfort. Many drivers prefer white headlights. Firstly, this color is close to daytime and less tiring on the eyes, this is especially important on long night trips. Secondly, the white color of the headlights allows you to create an imitation of xenon lamps and helps the driver to make his car more noticeable. Thirdly, the light of this shade makes it possible to distinguish very well road signs.
The disadvantages of lamps with white glow include increased brightness when reflected from fog and raindrops, which can lead to driver discomfort. Such situations have been foreseen by manufacturers of all-weather lamps with a more yellow glow. Light of this shade reflects less from the droplets.
There are lamps with increased power, namely 80-100W. The use of these lamps is prohibited in the city, as well as on suburban roads. These headlights severely blind other road users. Therefore, these lamps can only be used during rally competitions as additional lamps.
However, many buyers prefer h4 bi-xenon bulbs. Due to the design features, when using such lamps, the dipped beam is constantly on, and the far one is turned on in addition to the dipped beam.
The glow color and power are achieved by different manufacturers using different technologies, so when choosing a lamp, you should also pay attention to the visual characteristics.
Manufacturer's choice
When choosing a lamp manufacturer, it is important to take into account the above characteristics, in many respects they will also determine the price of the lamp.
Comparison of lamps from different manufacturers is best done according to the categories described above.
- Philips Vision H4: manufacturer, buyers note the trouble-free operation of these lamps (700 rubles)
- Mtf-Light Standart H4 - reliability and low price (500 rubles)
- Osram Original H4 - has established itself as a quality lamp (990 rubles)
- Philips X-Treme Vision + 130% H4 - the manufacturer promises the maximum brightness of light among the existing halogen lamps on the market (900 rubles)
- Osram Night Breaker H4 - increased light intensity (950 rubles)
Among lamps with an increased resource, the same manufacturers are in the lead:
- Philips Long Life - the manufacturer promises a 4 times increased resource (900 rubles)
- Osram Ultra Life - a resource of about 2 thousand hours (990 rubles)
- Mtf-Light Titanium H4 - gives out white-yellow light (990 rubles)
- Philips WhiteVision H4 - has white light (900 rubles)
- KOITO H4 White Beam III - shine with white light 2 times more intense with the same power consumption (1000 rubles)
- Mtf-Light Aurum H4 - ideal in the rain (920 rubles)
- Osram Fog Breaker H4 - the best fog lamps (800 rubles)
- Narva H4 Contrast + - improved sharpness in cloudy weather (600 rubles)
Among the high wattage H4 lamps, two models are popular:
- Philips Rally H4 - have a power of 100/90 W (890 rubles)
- Osram Offroad Super Bright H4 - power 100/80 W (950 rubles)
The most popular bi-xenon lamps:
- MTF-Light H4 - high-quality bixenon from South Korea (2200 rubles)
- Maxlux H4 - increased reliability (2350 rubles)
- Sho-Me H4 - low price, the ability to install in any car (750 rubles)
How to choose H4 bulbs
When choosing lamps, the most important thing is to take into account the weather conditions. Depending on this, as well as from aesthetic preferences, you should choose white or yellow lamps. You should also check the lamp life, and also take into account that a long-lasting lamp cannot be cheap.
The range of diode auto lamps in online stores at the end of 2016 is quite large, but good units. To choose an LED, you need to spend a lot of time to figure it out. Someone is looking for reviews and trying to pick up on them. But 99% of the reviews are written by motorists who have encountered LED lights for the first time, like you, and also do not know the requirements and standards for them. Therefore, many are looking for good halogen lamps, which promise more light on the road or more power. Before replacing halogen bulbs with LED ones, I will tell you their real parameters.
I hope you will understand which halogens are really good and suitable for a car. The very best models are not worth the money they ask for, promising increased brightness.
- 1. Main characteristics
- 2. Power
- 3. Color temperature
- 4. Service life
- 5. Luminous flux
- 6. Replacing the halogen with a new one
- 7. Ways to cheat
- 8. Lighting range
- 9. Increased light output
- 10. Osram Night Breaker Unlimited H7
- 11. Philips X-treme Vision +130 H7
Main characteristics
Every manufacturer is fighting to increase the sales of halogen lamps for cars. The whole trade was spoiled by the Chinese, who sell junk, indicating fabulous parameters to them. World famous brands monitor quality and write real parameters. Chinese light bulbs come to the market at a price 3-5 times lower, whose service life and luminous flux are the same as those of Bosch and Osram.
Specifications:
- power;
- Colour temperature;
- life time;
- light flow;
- range.
The best models are distinguished by a too high price, the standard ones are quite good compared to the junk from under the sky. The most powerful ones are made with bases H4, H7, H11.
Power
The most popular and understandable characteristic that everyone is familiar with from incandescent bulbs. If the autolamp is not from the standard series, then all the beautiful indicators on the packaging are advertising, only the numbers entitled "Characteristics" are real. The power consumption within one base is almost the same, the real one depends on the voltage in the electrical network of your car. On the packaging for advertising purposes, they write that it shines at 90W, while the real is 55W. The Phillips and Osram measure power consumption at 13.2 volts, which is the average voltage in a car. I have a voltage of 14.2 Volts on the Duster with a charged battery with the near one turned on. The inclusion of heated mirrors, glass and seats reduces to 14V.
Of course, there are real 90W models for prepared cars, but they can only be used outside the city. You cannot put these in a regular car:
- the wiring is not designed for such a load;
- the generator and power supply system will not support such consumption;
- the reflector in the car will heat up more, so it will quickly dim and the headlight will be ejected.
- get more damage than good.
According to my measurements, the standard halogen heats up to 350 degrees, even my thermocouple started to smoke. At a power of 90W, it warms up to about 500 °, the reflector coating is not designed for this. To operate in a city, it must be placed in a lens, otherwise you will blind oncoming people with this searchlight.
Colour temperature
Color temperature using xenon as an example
Many consider the standard of good lighting to be xenon lamps, which they never had. Usually any light source is neutral white at 4300K, 5000K, 6000K they call xenon. In reality, a light source with 2800-3200 lumens can be called similar to xenon.
At night, the sensitivity of the eye to white light at 5000K - 6000K increases by 50% -80%. This indicator depends on your age and vision condition. You encounter a change in the sensitivity of the eye when you enter a dark room. After a while, the eye adapts and you begin to distinguish objects.
To make halogens and xenon related, the color temperature is referred to as the "Xenon Effect" rather than "neutral white light". Yes, and it is more convenient to boast, like I have halogen bulbs with xenon.
To obtain a white color at 5000K from a halogen with a color temperature of 3100K, blue spraying is used. Sputtering works like a light filter, trapping yellow in the radiation spectrum, while reducing the Lumens. For example, for an H11 base, the luminous flux is usually 1500 lumens, with sputtering it turns out about 1000 lm. The losses are quite significant, but multiply 1000lm by a factor of 65% (average between 50% and 80%) for white, we get 1650lm.
It turns out that with sputtering, neutral white will illuminate as 1650lm of ordinary, warm 3100K. The difference is only 150lm, but due to the white it seems that the illumination is much better. Our eyes prefer neutral daylight, with this kind of lighting it is more common to distinguish objects. As you can see, an auto lamp for 1000lm 4300K is very far from xenon at 2800lm 4300K, the difference is almost 300%.
Another way to obtain the xenon effect is by overheating the coil of a halogen source. The load on the spiral increases significantly, the resource is reduced to 150 hours, often fail.
The quality of the branded Philips and Osram is stable, they are checked according to European quality control requirements. For Chinese brands Clearlight, Shoe-me, the blue coating falls off after 2 months, for some, the flask cracks, dies in 1-2 months. It is difficult for an ordinary person to imagine that it is possible to somehow save money on a halogen lamp consisting of a bulb and a thread.
Life time
Despite the promises of manufacturers, improved halogens do not last long. For example, Philips Night Braker with high brightness for a maximum of 6 months. Chinese counterparts 1-2 months.
Standard models, which are routinely installed at car factories, have a lifespan of 800-1000 hours. The service life can shorten the bad contact on the power line. Not all headlights are completely sealed, they often sweat on Duster, condensation accumulates on the glass. Moisture gets on the electrical contacts and they sour, the wires rot and fall off. All this does not have the best effect on the resource.
I got familiar with this when I bought headlights with H1, H4, H7, H11 bases for testing LED auto lamps. Particularly weak are the copies from the Chinese brand Depo, which produces copies of headlights and lanterns. Low quality metal, half of the contacts quickly rusted and rotted.
Light flow
Almost no one knows the value of the light flux along the caps, mainly power is used as the main indicator. This is used by unscrupulous sellers who sell LED auto lamps, the flow of which is lower than that of halogen ones. If two sources have different color temperatures, then it is almost impossible to determine the luminous flux by eye.
Halogen brightness tables.
| New designation | Old designation | Nominal brightness, Lumen |
| H1 | H1 | 1500 |
| H4 | H4 | 1000/1600 |
| H7 | H7 | 1500 |
| H8 | H8 | 800 |
| H9 | H9 | 2000 |
| H11 | H11 | 1350 |
| H16 | aka PSX24W | 550 |
| H27 | 880, 881 | 700 |
| HB3 | 9005 | 1600 |
| HB4 | 9006 | 1300 |
You can use this indicator when choosing and comparing different models. It is the most accurate and reliable indicator that accurately characterizes brightness. If you are promised an increase in illumination on the road by 70% compared to the standard, and the light flux is only 10% higher, then this is an advertising deception. In this case, the light flux should be more than that of the standard one by about the same 70%.
I am approached by a lot of car enthusiasts who complain about poor low beam on halogens. Someone rushes to buy more powerful and more expensive lamps, for example the popular Osram Night Breaker Unlimited and Philips X-treme Vision. Others are switching to LED car bulbs.
To deceive the buyer, Koito even confuses color temperature and luminous flux, indicating "The brightness of the glow is 5800 Kelvin." Maybe just from the illiteracy of the staff.
Replacing the halogen with a new one
The simplest solution is to replace the old halogen lamp for a car with a new one. Compared according to GOST 2 identical halogens, new and used. Only it is not known how many hours the used one worked, but the spiral is externally burnt and with irregularities.
According to the test results, it turned out that the used one shines on average 35% worse. A very significant indicator, one third is lost. Therefore, there are complaints about the dipped headlights, especially with the H4 base, the light flux of which is 1000lm.
The second common reason for the deterioration of road illumination is clouding of the reflector and headlight glass. In a reflective headlamp with a reflector, this will be clearly visible.
The fastest reflector burns out in lensed optics. The reflector behind the lens is much smaller than the reflector. Because of this, it is closer to halogen and heats up more. The reflective layer becomes cloudy and black, and ceases to reflect. In this case, no powerful halogen bulbs, LED or xenon bulbs will help. Branded lenses of European and Japanese brands work up to 5 years, Chinese ones up to 3 years, then they need to be replaced.
Ways to cheat
Comparison in the lens of halogen Philips and Chinese ClearLight
I tested many H7 H4 H11 halogen auto lamps of Chinese brands, such as Clearlight, MTF, Sho-me, and compared them with the standard Philips and Osram, which are installed in factories. The Chinese sell frank trash, the Chinese halogen in the photo illuminates, as defective, into the sky or down. That is, it simply cannot be put into the headlight, it does not fulfill its main function. It is made so poorly that it does not work even in the lens; in tests, the light spot went down and to the right. Only a shell-shocked kamikaze will deliver such. Therefore, there is no increased resource, and there is no increased luminous flux either, the manufacturer is lying. But they are cheap, so because of 100-200 rubles. you do not go back to the store to change or make a refund.
To compete with cheap junk, Philips and Osram were forced to lure customers with conditional promises, such as:
- up to 90% higher range of road illumination;
- shines brighter up to 50%;
- light output 120% more;
- 30% more visibility.
It seems that specific numbers are indicated that will bring us the desired result on the road in front of the car. But at the same time, these are conditional values, because it is not written under what conditions it will be. And without good equipment and a stand, you will not be able to determine whether the lighting has become more or less. In the same way, the luminous flux of LEDs is overestimated, anyway no one can measure it.
Lighting range
When the manufacturer promises to increase the range of road lighting, he does not indicate how you should get it. Depending on the type of car, each headlight has a certain angle of inclination, which is applied to the body. For passenger cars, this angle is usually 1.5%. This angle is adjusted on a bench or headlight adjuster called the Regloscope. If you increase the lighting in the region of the cut-off line, then the degree of glare of oncoming people will also increase, and headlights with such lamps will not meet the standards.
You can increase the range of road illumination by raising the headlights up. At the same time, the glare of oncoming people will increase and the head light of the car will not comply with the technical regulations. With this setting, it is impossible to pass the technical inspection of the car. It turns out that the manufacturer is deceiving the buyers of their auto lamps. According to GOST, illumination measurement takes place at a distance of 50 and 75 meters from the car.
You can replace the stock lens with a wide focus with a Chinese one with a narrow one, which will focus more light in the center.
Increased light output
On many packages, large letters and numbers indicate that the light output is 50% higher, the brightness is 70% higher than that of standard auto lamps. An illiterate and uninformed buyer will trust these numbers, because they cannot cheat or cheat so brazenly and strongly. Apparently, it is not the best state of the auto light market that forces you to deception, for the sake of survival you have to lie.
To find out the truth, in the characteristics, see such an indicator "Luminous flux". Most likely you will not find the value of the light flux on the package, it is hidden. Better to search on the manufacturer's official website. As an example, let's take the best high-brightness H7 halogen lamps from Osram and Philips. Which ones will be good and better shine, you decide. Popular car plinths H4, H7, H11.
Osram Night Breaker Unlimited H7
Take Osram Night Breaker Unlimited H7 as an example, they promise a decent brightness of + 110%. We look at the official specifications for it, the light flux is 1500 lumens, the standard one is also 1500lm. That is, there is no increase in Lumen at all, pure deception. You don't expect a trick from a giant like Osram. The service life is 150-250 hours.
Official characteristics:
- light flux 1500lm;
- service life is 150-250 hours;
- power 58W.
The technical characteristics of Osram Night Breaker Unlimited are no different from those of a conventional H7 halogen lamp. Of course, there are some changes, but not 110%, but 10%.
Philips X-treme Vision +130 H7
The Philips X-treme Vision H7 +130 is the analogue of the Night Breaker. The main focus is on brightness, which is 130% higher than that of conventional H7s. The exact value is indicated, and not "up to 130%" as in Osram.
Let's look through the official specifications:
- luminous flux 1500lm, like a regular halogen H7, that is, there is also not the slightest hint of an increased amount of lumens;
- power 55W, also standard;
- service life 450 hours.
Due to the big promises of increased brightness, Philips, Osram, Koito, IPF manage to sell us halogen lamps with an improvement of 20% at a price with a wrap of 300-500%. This is facilitated by the illiteracy of motorists and the imperfection of laws. After all, they violate the law on consumer protection by misleading with incorrect information about the parameters.
The xenon effect only changes the color temperature, but does not change the amount of lumen of the halogen autolight.
Night trips, no matter how dangerous and uncomfortable they seem, are inevitable. To ensure traffic safety in such difficult conditions, each car is equipped with a number of special devices, the most important of which are lighting devices. The quality of road lighting and the detail of the review directly depend on their condition and level of equipment.
Dmitry Kulkov, a specialist of the technical center of FAVORIT MOTORS Group of Companies, service manager of the KIA FAVORIT auto center Koptevo, spoke about which lamps are best suited for the correct low beam, and what to look for when choosing them.
What determines the quality of headlights
Today, almost a third of cars are equipped with insufficiently efficient head lighting devices. The main reason for poor luminous flux is inadequate technical condition of the equipment. The main reason for poor luminous flux is inadequate technical condition of the equipment and inadequate direction of the luminous flux. But in some cases, to improve the view of the road, it is necessary to simply replace the light bulb, polish the headlight and adjust the direction of the headlight beam.
How to choose the right lamp?
Today the market offers a wide range of lamps from various manufacturers. However, among the variety of expensive and affordable artificial light sources, it is important to figure out which lamps are best to put in the low beam of your car. Depending on the type of lamp, they may differ in their functionality.
- Xenon lamps guarantee excellent visibility on the road, even during rain or snow. An important advantage of such lamps is their relative safety for the human eye. Xenon light is similar to natural daylight and even if you are driving for several hours in the dark, you will not feel very tired. At the same time, the declared service life of xenon is about 3000 hours with a power consumption of only 35 watts. The only drawback of xenon bulbs is their high cost.
- Halogen bulbs are also used for headlamps. A feature of such auto incandescent lamps is the bulb filler - inert gas. Speaking about the amount of the received luminous flux, "halogens" are less efficient in comparison with xenon, however, the price of such lamps compares favorably. In addition, halogen bulbs are available in a wide variety of sizes and have a lifespan of around 4000 hours.
- LEDs can also be installed in your car's optics. The diode type lamp has a particularly long service life of about 50,000 hours and a low level of required voltage of only 12 V. LEDs are often installed in the headlights of foreign cars, as well as in conventional fog lamps. This type of small lamp does an excellent job of providing a bright low beam, as well as additional illumination. If these are non-original headlights designed for the use of LEDs, they do not provide the required shape of the luminous flux. A reliable heat-dissipating structure is imperative.
Classification of lamps
Depending on the purpose, the special design of the bulb, as well as filaments, spirals and caps, all headlamps are divided into certain types in accordance with the requirements for UNECE auto lighting devices. The most common types of bulbs are the internationally approved H4 double-strand and H7 single-strand bulbs, found in vehicles manufactured in the last 20 years. Both variants are used in the generally accepted CR type two-head lighting system adopted in Europe. The best H4 and H7 lamps come from renowned companies such as Hella, Philips, Osram, IPF, IL Trade and MTF-Light.
Auto lamps H4
Bulbs H4, thanks to two filaments, are used for both low and high beam. Due to the fact that modern manufacturers offer many modifications, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the H4 bulb which are best suited to your optics system. In general, all lamps of this type have a standard power of 60-65 W, the operating mode for high or low beam is regulated by automatic selection of the appropriate electrode. After the law on the compulsory use of dipped headlights in the daytime was passed, H4 lamps with an increased service life appeared in stores. Now you can use such a lamp around the clock without damaging the car. In the modern spare parts market in 2018, there are several categories of H4 automotive lamps:
- Standard lamps that are installed on the car at the factory;
- Lamps with increased luminous flux;
- Versatile lamps for visual comfort. Such lamps can replace fog lights;
- High power lamps, which are used in combination with additional electronic equipment that protect the generator and the electrical wiring of the car from overload.
Auto bulbs H7
A relatively new version of a car lamp - with an H7 base, which has a high-brightness light flux, enhanced by the inclusion of halogen vapors of bromine and iodine. The filament of such a lamp is made of special high-strength tungsten alloys. Before installing a similar bulb in your car headlight, consult which H7 bulbs are best. A close inspection of most h7 halogen lamps shows that they all have a guaranteed long life. Distinctive features of lamps from different manufacturers are the wattage and spectrum, which can vary from warm to cold light.
If you are planning a long journey by car, be sure to take care of installing a quality H7 high beam lamp. Thanks to the special design of the lamp equipped with a protective ring, the light of your headlights will not dazzle the drivers of oncoming traffic. When choosing a durable and safe headlight lamp, be sure to pay attention to the reputation of the manufacturer and the country of origin of the product. Only a lamp manufactured in accordance with special specifications is able to provide optimum driving safety.
If you are experiencing difficulties with the selection or replacement of the low and high beam lamps you need, contact the specialists of the technical centers of the FAVORIT MOTORS Group of Companies. Original lamps are always available from an authorized dealer of well-known car brands. Experienced craftsmen will tell you how to make the right choice and, if necessary, will promptly replace lamps in your car's lighting fixtures.
The safety of movement at night directly depends on how serviceable and correctly configured in the car the low and high beam headlights are. Each driver is obliged to monitor the condition of the head optics - it should not be cloudy or have cracks, the adjustment should be carried out in accordance with existing norms and requirements, all bulbs should be in working order.
A lamp with an H4 base is both a low beam and a high beam, it changes the intensity of the beam, which makes it possible to illuminate the road directly in front of the car or far ahead.
The choice of lamps for headlights that use the H4 base is an important task, on the correct solution of which the quality of road illumination and, as a result, your safety depends. Car owners often argue among themselves which H4 low beam bulbs are the best. To answer this question, let's talk in more detail about their varieties.
Comparison of road lighting with halogen and xenon lamps at night In cars, three types of bulbs with such a base are used:
- halogen;
- bi-xenon;
- LED.
Halogen light sources
Halogens are by far the most common type of light bulbs - according to most motorists, they provide the best value for money.
The device of such a light bulb looks simple - it is a refractory glass bulb filled with halogen gas, in which an incandescent filament is placed. A voltage is applied to this filament, as a result of which the temperature rises, which causes a glow.
These lamps are designed for those drivers who prefer bright white light In lamps with an H4 base, two filaments are located in one bulb, one of which provides the properties of low beam lamps, the second - high beam. The lighting is changed by switching between the threads. Such a combined design has one significant drawback - when one spiral burns out, you have to change the entire bulb.
Halogens provide comfortable bright light and very effectively illuminate the road, their cost is low, which makes them affordable for a wide range of consumers. However, these advantages are counterbalanced by two disadvantages:
- The presence of filament coils leads to failure in the event of strong vibrations.
- High temperatures shorten the working life of the product and are poorly perceived by plastic optics.
Such lamps today are inferior in quality to bixenon and LEDs, but their low cost causes widespread demand.
Bixenon
Bi-xenon lamps differ in their design and principle of operation from halogen lamps. They consist of a glass bulb filled with gas and two electrodes, between which an electric arc is produced. H4 bulbs have a metal shield and a magnet that is responsible for switching.
Greater luminous efficiency due to the higher (~ 2-3 times) ratio of the luminous flux power to the power of the consumed energy, which provides an almost twofold increase in the illumination of the road in the dark In the low beam position, the beam is reflected off the screen and hits the top of the reflector. When you turn on the high beam, the magnet switches, the light enters the hole in the screen and hits both the top of the reflector and the bottom.
The advantage of bixenon is the absence of fear of vibrations - there is no filament in it. In addition, it does not produce as high a temperature as a halogen, and its light is more comfortable for the eyes.
The disadvantages of such lamps include a very high cost, the need for very precise adjustment of the optics and operation from an ignition unit, which is also very expensive. In addition, self-replacement of such bulbs is not recommended - for this you need to contact a car service.
LEDs
The most promising type of lamps are LEDs. They are not afraid of vibrations, do not give high temperatures, perfectly withstand any overloads, and have a huge working resource. However, the cost of such lamps is quite high, and their use is permitted only in special optics. This is due to the fact that LEDs do not form a light beam - this requires special lenses.
However, despite the high cost and the need for special optics, LEDs show the best results in comparative tests. Experts argue that LEDs are the future - the increasing number of cars with this type of lighting gives reason to believe such forecasts.
Bulb selection
When you have decided what type of bulbs to install in your car headlights, take care to make the right choice at the time of purchase. Give preference to products from well-known brands that have proven themselves in the market and are trusted by consumers.
High-quality path lighting in the evening and at night is extremely important for the driver. According to statistics, every fifth accident recorded by the road service happened due to insufficiently good headlights. Every second road accident that resulted in death for the participants happened at night. Every third case of such accidents is explained by the malfunctioning of the lighting system. Therefore, headlight bulbs must be selected with particular care.
There are many types of such lighting fixtures. In order not to get lost in this variety, you need to consider what good H4 bulbs are on sale today. This will help you to understand the advice of experts and ordinary drivers. Based on their opinion, it will be possible to select the best devices that can provide optimal lighting in any weather.
Headlight device
To understand what good H4 bulbs to buy for your car, you need to delve into the design of the headlights themselves. The modern domestic and foreign automobiles have a reflector, a diffuser and a lamp. The driver, if desired (or if necessary), can only replace the lighting fixture.
Automotive headlights have been in use for over 100 years. During this time, their device has been constantly improved. H4 lamps have 2 strands in their construction. This distinguishes this type of fixture from other types. But the properties of these lamps vary quite a bit depending on the technology and manufacturer.
Each company takes a different approach to create optimal lighting for the headlights of a car. These devices differ in the type of inner filler, the illuminator coil, and the electrode holder. For each car, as well as operating conditions, certain types of lamps are more suitable.
Standard type
The most common bulbs in modern cars are H4 bulbs. What are the best modifications to use for ordinary cars, you should consider in more detail.
Since this device has 2 threads, the illuminator operates in two modes (low and high beam). On domestic and foreign roads, it is not allowed to use devices more powerful than 60/55 W. Otherwise, the headlights will dazzle oncoming drivers.
More powerful lamps are applicable only for special vehicles. All standard H4 lamps on the market today are characterized by a good service life. But European manufacturers decided to extend the life of these devices. The fact is that in some countries, drivers are required to turn on their headlights even during the day. This reduces the likelihood of an accident. Therefore, many manufacturers increase the lamp life significantly.
Driver reviews of classic lamps
Most often used today are classic H4 car bulbs. What are the best devices to choose will help to understand consumer reviews. There are 3 main models in this category.
Philips Vision (700 rubles) was noted by drivers as reliable devices. They increase the light intensity by 30%. Devices for headlights Mtf-Light Longlife Standard (500 rubles) are marked with good quality. Their resource is greater than that of other varieties.
Another high-quality illuminator is the Osram Original Line model (990 rubles). The disadvantage of this device is its price. But this is one of the most reliable devices that will not let you down under any circumstances. For year-round use, this manufacturer produces a special series of lamps [email protected] Its distinctive feature is improved high beam performance. The lamp can be used around the clock, while the resource of the device is higher than usual.
High brightness lamps
Considering what good H4 bulbs (reviews of which were provided by car owners) are on sale today, you need to pay attention to the high brightness category. With their standard power (60/55 W), they are capable of producing a luminous flux 30-60% more than the previous version.
This effect is achieved thanks to the improved structure of the lighting fixture itself. However, to provide an increased level of brightness, a special headlamp design is required. In older cars, the declared effect may be somewhat reduced.
The disadvantage of this category of lamps is a shorter service life. But for drivers with poor vision or over the age of 60, increased brightness is a must. These vehicle owners require 5 times more light on the road than 30-year-old drivers.
Reviews of high-brightness lamps
If the driver of the vehicle is interested in the question of which H4 bulbs shine better, you need to pay attention to the following devices. Philips X-Treme Vision (900 rubles) is recognized as one of the best in this class. They are characterized by the highest brightness among standard wattage lamps.
The top three also includes the Osram Night Breaker illuminator (950 rubles). A feature of this device is the ability to produce an enhanced luminous flux at a distance of up to 35 m. In adverse weather conditions, the presented devices are able to provide the highest quality lighting. However, when using such lamps, it is necessary to correctly adjust the headlights so that the beam does not blind the drivers of oncoming cars.
Improved visual comfort
Many drivers love the bluish-white glow that H4 halogen bulbs give off. Which is better, will help determine the operating conditions of the devices. The fact is that the white color of the luminous flux is as close as possible to daylight. Therefore, the eyes may not get tired for a long time if such lamps are used.
Devices with increased visual comfort are simply indispensable for people who are on the road for a long time at night. This light is better reflected by road signs. In this case, the pointers appear brighter and more visible.
The disadvantage of lamps with improved visual effect is their greater reflectivity in bad weather. Raindrops or fogs reflect bright white light. It can blind the driver. Therefore, the presented devices are used most often only by truckers.
Driver reviews about high-comfort lamps
Considering which H4 bulbs are the best among the devices with an improved visual effect, the top three should be singled out. They were chosen by drivers and experienced auto mechanics.
Mtf-Light Titanium lamps (990 rubles) are recognized as the best in this area. Their white-yellow light is especially pleasing to the eye. They are very similar to the more expensive xenon bulbs. The next in the ranking is the Philips WhiteVision model (900 rubles). It has a rich white light output. Its temperature is fully consistent with xenon devices. Many drivers note that the price of such illuminators is the most acceptable in the category presented.
The third among devices with increased visual comfort is the more expensive model Kioto White Beam III (1000 rubles). Drivers note their increased brightness at standard lamp wattage.
All weather lamps
If the driver often has to drive in bad weather, he is naturally interested in the all-weather varieties of such a device as H4 bulbs. Which is better?
Wet asphalt, fog or rain reflect and scatter bright white light. This significantly impairs visibility in bad weather. To solve this problem, lamp manufacturers began to apply special spraying to the devices. In this case, the stream of light has a yellow tint. It is this feature that distinguishes the lamps in the class of all-weather devices.
The yellow light on wet pavement looks like a contrast. This makes it easier to distinguish road conditions in the dark. The use of all-weather lamps reduces the likelihood of an accident. Therefore, drivers who often drive at night in bad weather are advised by car manufacturers to use just this type of device. There is a wide variety of all weather lamps on the headlight equipment market.
