Basically, these lights were unbearable to look at when in close proximity. We decided to use figures from the light we crowned the winner of our round LED driving light comparison, which was the LightForce 215 LED. However, as we discovered, round LED driving lights certainly have advantages too. 20in light bars as tested are easy to fit to the majority of vehicles – meaning (in terms of bang-for-buck) money and time wise they make sense for the majority of motorists logistically. LED light bars seem to fill every available nook and cranny possible. One thing that surprised us during the real world testing of LED light bars was the amount of spread or coverage they offered. This allowed us to compare the stats, and judge the effectiveness of HID lights in a controlled environment. These lights were a set of LightForce Genesis 50W HID driving lights, and a set of Xray Vision 220 HIDs. We always knew HIDs had the advantage for long-distance touring, but now we have proven it! FIELD TEST RESULTSĪgain, we took two sets of HID driving lights to LED Lab for a case study. When looking at the Lux figures from the real world test, HID nearly doubled the long-range performance of halogen driving lights. HIDs are king if you are chasing pure distance from your driving lights. The long-range performance offered by HID driving lights has always been legendary, and our testing absolutely confirms this. This is not a comparison more a case study to draw data from. We also took a pair of LightForce Genesis 210mm and two Xray Vision 220 Halogen driving lights. We took two sets of halogen driving lights to LED Lab in Castle Hill (which has done all of our scientific testing). We see a purpose for halogen driving lights for those on a budget, or for those who travel regularly in dusty or foggy conditions (as a yellow beam reportedly works better in those conditions). As expected, the light produced was yellow in appearance and, if I’m honest, was somewhat underwhelming. It must be said, after testing multiple LED driving lights and light bars over the past year, it was a real shock to the system to fire up a pair of halogens.
![hid conversations vs halogen hid conversations vs halogen](https://www.toyotanation.com/forum/attachments/highlander-3rd-generation-2014-2019/7257d1428800806-halogen-vs-hid-vs-led-headlights-comparison-photos-2015-03-06-22.32.43.jpg)
![hid conversations vs halogen hid conversations vs halogen](https://thecontentauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/halogen-vs-hid-1-728x410.jpg)
Essentially, this is a Catch-22… as you want to protect your lights, but considering fitting the covers will knock back (on average) 100 lumens at 1m, you have to question the value of fitting them when the lights are in use. And it is easy to see why: Instead of pushing the light produced out, the cover traps some and reflects it back to the source. From our testing with LED, HID and Halogen driving lights, the figure (while not massive) was notable. Now this is an interesting topic, but we found the supplied lens covers many driving light manufacturers offer either with the lights or as optional extras actually rob you of performance.
![hid conversations vs halogen hid conversations vs halogen](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8wvpBZCot0s/maxresdefault.jpg)
But with years of technological advancements under the belt of LED development, has the gap been reduced? Well we decided it was about time to find out… once and for all! Traditionally, the view was that LEDs are only good for close-distance performance and lacked long-distance punch. While LEDs have been around for longer than unleaded petrol, their use in automotive driving lights has only become mainstream in the last few years.
![hid conversations vs halogen hid conversations vs halogen](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d1/07/8d/d1078d24647632d6244951151696d4fb.jpg)
There was room for improvement, basically. But as always, there was a catch – annoying ballast warm-up time, and the purchase price being out of reach for many punters. Then, HID burst onto the scene and we now had access to a light with great long-distance performance, while running cooler than halogen equivalents. For images and the full Unsealed 4X4 experience, read this in our online magazine.ĭriving lights… you need them, but how much do you know about them? For many years we had a choice of any light we wanted as long as it was a halogen.