Street Smarts: Which Type of Bulb Should I Get?

Everybody loves fog lights.  Rally cars stack them on heavy.  Manufacturers include them in performance trim level packages.  They just look cool.  But more than that, they’re functional, aimed below the fog so you can see where you’re going without the immediate reflection of high-beams off the misty wall of white. 

So how do you pick a set of fog lights?  Start with bulbs.  There are 4 main types of bulbs out there, and they all have their own strengths.  Well…okay, scratch that.  One of them is the “sealed beam” light, for which you have to replace the main housing every time the bulb burns out.  So we’ll stick with the main 3:

Halogen– These have been around forever.  Most cars on the road use halogen lights.  They’re clear, strong, and proven.  And because they’re pretty old tech, they tend to be a bit cheaper to replace, and you’ll have more options for housings.  On the downside, they will burn out more quickly than some of the other options. 

HID– Short for High Intensity Discharge, HID lights are some of the latest tech in lighting.  They’re prized for their brightness and clarity, but they can get pricey.  A major plus is efficiency.  They use less electricity to provide more light, so if you’re planning a huge lighting arrangement, you still might not have to modify your car’s electrical system.  Xenon bulbs are another type of HID light, using Xenon gas to light the bulb.  HID lights use an arc, rather than a filament, so they have a longer life span than Halogens.

LED– You know Light Emitting Diodes from just about every electronic device you own.  They’re those little colored lights on your phone, your blender, your electric razor.  A few years ago they started showing up in car headlights, now bright enough to light up the road.  LEDs are practically immortal.  Some LEDs built in the 1980s are still in use today, so durability here is definitely a plus.  They can get expensive, but if you plan to keep them a while, these might be the right choice.

By Andy Sheehan