車両照明のアップグレードには多くのオプションがあります
暗闇の中で運転する場合、照明の質と量は安全にとって最も重要です。あなたの周りの人々の安全。近年、自動車メーカーは照明システムに多大な労力を注ぎ始めています。白熱灯の時代から、ハロゲン ガス、高輝度放電 (HID)、発光ダイオード (LED)、そして最近ではレーザーによるアップグレードまで、照明は長い道のりを歩んできました。アフターマーケットも急速に進化しているため、夜間のドライブをより安全にするオプションをいくつか見てみましょう.
光源オプション
工場のヘッドライト交換オプションは、利用可能な最も人気のあるアップグレードです。白熱灯、LED、HID の 3 つの基本的なオプションがあります。白熱電球は、電流が流れると白く光る高温フィラメントを使用します。電球の構造に使用される材料とガスの選択の進歩により、効率と寿命が向上し、光出力も増加しました。数年前、着色された白熱電球が人気でした。それらは、高価な HID キットのような白/青の外観を与えていました。ただし、光源と照らそうとしているものの間に何かを置くと、光出力が減少します。涼しい？はい。明るい？それほどでもない。
最近の流行は LED ライトです。トヨタ カローラ、アキュラ MDX、新しいホンダ シビックなどの車両には、LED ヘッドライトが用意されています。これらの光源は非常に明るいです。オンにすると、フル出力が非常に速く生成されます。アフターマーケットでは、LED 交換用ヘッドライト バルブの人気が高まっています。利用可能な LED の品質は、需要に合わせて向上しています。ただし、光出力 (ルーメンで測定) は、HID 電球よりも少し遅れています。 LED ライトは、需要と供給の問題で生産数が少ないため、多くの場合、より高価になります。 LED ライトには、外部冷却も必要です。アルミニウム ヒートシンク、編組金属タブ、およびファンは、LED によって生成された熱を放散するのに役立つ一般的なソリューションです。これらは、インストールと利用可能なスペースに関して問題を引き起こす可能性があります。
1996 年のリンカーン マーク VIII は、HID ヘッドライトを搭載した最初の生産車であるとされています。このシステムは、12V の車両電気システムの電圧を約 100 ボルトまで上昇させることによって機能します。この電圧は、ガスで満たされたチャンバー内の一対の電極に送られます。 2 つの電極間の安定した火花が光を生成します。ただし、ライトが機能し始めるには約 25,000 ボルトが必要です。そのため、最初に HID システムの電源を入れたときに、小さくて明るいフラッシュが発生します。 HID ライトは、市場で最も明るいものの 1 つです。それらが生成する光の色は太陽光の色に近く、白熱電球よりも青色の含有量が多くなります.
明るい色
光の色について話す必要があります。より正確には、光の温度はケルビン スケールで評価されます。 3,500 ～ 4,500 K 程度の低い数値は、黄色とオレンジ色の含有量が多く、白熱電球に似ています。スケールを上げると、4,500 ～ 6,000 K はより青く、太陽光に近くなります。 That said, as the blue content increases, so can the propensity for eye fatigue – blue light can be tiring to look at. You don’t want to go too high for daily use. Bulbs rated at 6,000–10,000 K are for appearance purposes only. The light becomes more purple toward the high-end of the spectrum. These are fine for a show car, but not practical or safe for daily use.
Light Intensity
Many people believe there is a direct correlation between color temperature and light output. That depends, of course, on the manufacturer of the bulb. The thinking is that lower temperatures produce more light output. Ultimately, the amount of light that is produced will determine how much and how far you can see.
Light output is measured in lumens. More lumens means more brightness, which, for a given beam pattern, means that the road will be illuminated better.
Beam Pattern
When upgrading your headlights, it is critically important that you are conscious of the resulting beam pattern. The light that is emitted from the front your vehicle is in a specific pattern – not round like a flashlight. The beam has a flat line through it, ever so slightly below horizontal. This allows the light to illuminate the road without blinding oncoming drivers. The light should also be brighter near the edge of this cutoff, putting more light down the road rather than in front of the vehicle. Too much light in the foreground will cause your pupils to close slightly, reducing how far down the road you can see.
Likewise – and this is a great night driving tip – the brightness of the vehicle interior can have the same effect. Keep the dash and radio illumination as dim as possible. That can help you see further down the road.
If the new light bulbs you install change the beam pattern, remove them. They are not compatible with your headlights, and they will blind oncoming drivers. This is extremely dangerous and can cause accidents.
Headlight Styles
There are two types of factory headlight assemblies in use today:reflector style and projector style.
The projectors are fairly easy to recognize – they have smallish, 2–3” round lenses. Reflectors have a large, molded, mirror-finish bowl behind the light. While one is not necessarily better than the other, you do need to know which you have when you go shopping for upgrades. Aftermarket HID kits don’t typically work properly in reflector-style headlight assemblies. The beam pattern becomes uncontrolled, pointing light into the eyes of oncoming drivers. In many cases, depending on the specific design of the kit you choose, you can use an LED upgrade in those applications.
In projector-style systems, the shape of the internal reflector is designed to work with either incandescent or HID style bulbs. The position and shape of the light source differs between these two bulb types. You can often get away with putting HID bulb kits in a projector designed for Incandescent bulbs without any detrimental effects, but they may not be quite as bright or focused as an HID bulb in a projector designed specifically for that application.
Retrofits
If you are looking for the ultimate lighting upgrade, you may want to contact your local mobile electronics specialist about a retrofit. A retrofit involves removing the headlights from the vehicle, taking them apart, and installing new projectors with OEM-quality bulbs and ballasts. Most of these solutions use what is known as a bi-xenon projector. These projector assemblies have motorized shutters that move to produce a “high beam” light pattern. The output of these systems is among the best there is – perfect beam pattern, excellent cutoff and great light output. Some headlights are easier to work on than others, so contact a local specialist for details about your lights.
You can also make some cosmetic changes while the lights are apart. The installation of LED halo rings, and painting some of the interior components can have a dramatic effect on the look of the vehicle.
Wiring
When you want to change headlights, wiring is often involved. Many new vehicles have systems in place to detect when a bulb is burnt out. They can also modulate the voltage to high-beam lighting circuits to operate them as daytime running lights.
When it comes to wiring, nobody is better than your local car audio specialist retailer. Work with them to ensure that your new light wiring can provide enough current and operates the way it should. Relays, capacitors and load resistors may be required to achieve the results you want. Don’t ever skimp on wiring – it affects the reliability of the lights you install, and your safety is at risk.
A Word of Caution About Vehicle Lighting Upgrades
We want to remind you that your headlights are a tool. They are not toys, and their performance and reliability are of the utmost importance to your safety and the safety of those you share the road with. Lighting upgrades are a great way to improve your safety at night. Drop by your local mobile electronics specialist and discuss your options.