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LED or Xenon Aftermarket Headlights? Light Kits Compared

Posted on: 2025-01-13
Comparison of LED and Xenon light bulbs

 XENON OR LED | PROS AND DEFECTS

The question is: Xenon or LED is better?

Trying to Answer in a Concise and Focused Way: 

Xenon and LEDs are very different from each other, and the choice between a Full LED Kit and a Xenon Kit is a subjective choice keeping in mind the advantages and disadvantages, which we will explain below.

XENON

Xenon bulbs work with the gas contained in the single lamp (Xenon gas);

They end their life with the exhaustion of the same;

Switching on is not immediate and the response to changing lights from low beam to high beam is not as rapid as with LEDs;

The whitest color of light defined as ice white or lunar is reached with 6000K (degrees Kelvin), But a Professional Xenon Kit Ensures Clear and Homogeneous Brightness and Light Power at the Maximum Levels, which years ago was unattainable for LED technology.

Time has changed this, so much so that the latest professional LED car kits such as those present on QSPCARS.COM have reached and exceeded the same light power.

Qspcars Xenon Bulb White Light 6000K
QSPCARS Xenon Lamps | 6000K
See Ice White Xenon Replacement on QSPCARS.COM
Exhausted Xenon Bulb
Xenon Fragility

What is the Enemy of Xenon?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is vast, Xenon bulbs are very delicate, just think that there is the gas inside them

  • Dirt
  • Water
  • Dust

Even the touch of your fingers on the glass of a Xenon lamp can compromise its lifespan.

Our hands, even in a small part, retain impurities and touching the glass of the Xenon lamp with bare hands causes the impurities to deposit in the form of a simple and small imprint, which overheats when switched on, damaging the lamp or compromising its lifespan.

It is good practice to install, especially Xenon lamps, with suitable gloves or to rely on an expert.

LED

LED bulbs were initially used for position lights, daytime running lights, angel eyes, reversing lights, fog lights;

This is because the LED did not guarantee the power of Xenon and even of Halogen lamps, but today this is no longer true.

The advantages of LED have always been:

  • Pure and clear coloring
  • Low Consumption (W)
  • Immediate Operation (Even when Changing Lights between Low Beam and High Beam)
  • Surprising Durability
A Professional H7 LED Kit on a Car, in Ideal conditions (Ventilation) can last up to 3/5 Years in Daily Use, compared to the scant 2 Years of Xenon.
The Only Big Enemy of LEDs is Heat, Ensuring Good Ventilation and Owning a Full LED Kit with Latest Generation Heat Dissipation Means Having a Light of Constant Power and Long Lasting.
QSPCARS LED Bulb with Copper Meshes
LED Light Kit for Cars and Motorcycles
See Professional LED Kits on QSPCARS.COM
Heat Dissipation in LED Bulbs

How important is heat in LEDs?

After many tests QualitySpCars can confirm that:

The Materials and Heat Dissipation Structure of an LED Light Kit are also often the reason for the price difference between the cheaper ones and professional Kits.

During our tests, the most striking case was on an LED kit with 9,800 LUMEN of declared lighting power, where the heat was not disposed of correctly.

In just 8 hours of operation, its real lighting power stabilized at around 2670 lumens, 3 times less than what was initially purchased.

In the case of purchasing an LED light kit, it is best, as a first factor, to check:

  • Construction Materials
  • Type of Heat Dissipation

THE DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE OF CAR AND MOTORCYCLE LIGHTING

Even car manufacturers have acquired LED technology on low beam and high beam headlights.

Because the same power as Xenon has been achieved if it is not already surpassed, but with greater Reliability and Response.

The Strength came with the advent of Electric Cars where consumption (W) has become an Important Element, and the LED Easily Takes Over given its Propensity to Have 2 Different Values ​​that Can Easily Not Depend on Each Other.

We talk about WATT and LUMEN (an article dedicated to this):

WATTS understood as the power of a lamp, with LEDs this often no longer makes sense, because the power is measured in Lumens (unit of measurement of luminous flux).

The Future of LED Lighting Goes Towards Lamps with Less WATT (Meant as Absorption = Consumption) and More LUMEN (Lighting Power)

Car with White LED Lights QSPCARS

REPLACE HALOGEN CAR LAMPS WITH LED OR XENON?

Deciding to Replace Halogen Lamps with Xenon Lamps or LED Kits You Still Have Some Doubts | Which is the Best?

The Answer is the List of Strengths and Defects of the 2 Counterparts Comparing Professional Lighting Kits:

Lights response speed:

  • Kit Full LED: Excellent
  • Kit Super Xenon: Poor

Reliability over time:

  • Kit Full LED: Excellent
  • Kit Super Xenon: Good

Lighting power:

  • Kit Full LED: Excellent
  • Kit Super Xenon: Excellent

Light Color:

  • Kit Full LED: Excellent
  • Kit Super Xenon: Good

Risk of blinding drivers of front vehicles:

  • Kit Full LED: Low
  • Kit Super Xenon: High (especially with parabolic headlight)

Duration:

  • Professional LED Kits : 3/5 Years (with excellent ventilation)
  • Professional Xenon Kits: 2 Years

Consumption:

  • LED lamps: Low
  • Xenon lamps: Average

Homogeneity of the light beam:

  • Kit Full LED: Excellent
  • Kit Super Xenon: Excellent

Approval | Sour Note:

Unfortunately, neither LED Kits nor Xenon Kits are approved for road use,

Even if we were in the presence of an LED or Xenon kit with E-Mark approval certificates, i.e. approved by a European body:

An Extraordinary Review would be Necessary on Mandate and Project Signed and Inspected by an Engineer, in civil review;

After having spent a lot of money to assemble a system compliant with the law, everything could be subject to approval or rejection by the executive, as:

in Italy, modification of the lighting system of any vehicle is prohibited.

 (A Guide will soon be available on QSPCARS.COM to clarify the legality of the Lighting Transformation)

Finally, the risk of being discovered and stopped by a control block with a light conversion kit is higher with Xenon given the immense power of some Xenon kits which sometimes even blind drivers head-on.

While the clear light, color and controlled power of LED lamps often goes unnoticed (but is not a MUST).

Choice which will be the preferred technology between the 2, you must not forget to choose the suitable kit based on whether your headlight is a parable or lenticular one, for both the LED and the XENON there are kits manufactured for use on one or The other.

If you want, you can rely on us QSPCARS.COM , and try our SEARCH system for your car, where we have reserved an area for each car, in which there are accessories and LEDs with compatibility tested for it.

Posted in: QSPCARS BLOG

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