Even in the daytime, drivers may experience poor visibility and may not always be able to quickly spot an oncoming vehicle. One of the main safety conditions for driving at night, and sometimes in the daytime, is the correctly selected dipped beam to provide illumination of the roadway and shoulders.
Car bulbs
Nowadays, a huge selection of light bulbs is provided on the shop windows. Many motorists have their eyes wide when buying, and knowledge of their markings will help to make the right choice. Correctly selected bulbs will not only make it easier to travel in the dark, but also will not harm the drivers of the oncoming lane.
Poor visibility, and with it high eye fatigue, significantly affects road safety, increasing the risk of an accident. In such situations, fog lights help, which in conditions of poor visibility create better light.
Despite the fact that in different countries the decoding of markings may differ, and some manufacturers want to get unique designations, there is a certain standard.
The first type of markings is by purpose and type:
- H1 is a universal type of bulbs that will fit any optics. By their structure, they are single-stranded;
- H2 - bulbs with this marking are intended for the main light, that is, high or low;
- H3 - bulbs of this marking are auxiliary lighting or for fog optics;
- H4 - are also intended for main lighting and are double-strand by their structure. In addition, they can be used as a fog light;
- H7 are designed for a four-light system. It can be in the form of marking HB3 - high beam and HB4 - low beam. They are in great demand for cars of American and Japanese assembly. This brand is the most popular and demanded in European countries.
The domestic manufacturer marks by model and development number: A (standard), AC (soffit), AMN (miniature), AKG (halogen or quartz).
Also, when choosing, you need to know the number of contacts in the base: s - 1, d - 2, t - 3, q - 4, p - 5.
After all the letter designations, you can see numerical values that will indicate the power of the bulbs in watts (for example, 12W). Two power values can be indicated, this happens if the lamp is double-stranded, and for each of the threads its own power is indicated. Some manufacturers indicate, in addition to power, voltage and therefore several digital values can be observed (12V21W - for single-strand, 12V21 / 4W - for double-strand).
Lamps H3
The h3 lamp, designed for use in the headlights of modern vehicles, has gained worldwide popularity as a bright, excellent quality lighting fixture with a powerful luminous flux. During operation, h3 are characterized as lamps with excellent color temperature, high luminous flux quality and low electrical energy consumption. The strong white glow of the car lamps provides confident high-speed movement of the car even in impenetrable darkness.
The fog lamp is very convenient in poor visibility conditions. PTF are used in conjunction with head optics and side lights. But with normal visibility, it is better not to include the PTF as a head light. The H3 bulb is not designed for this. Moreover, in some European countries, you can get a fine for the included PTFs in good visibility conditions. Modern models can be equipped with optics, which already have built-in foglights. But most often, motorists install them on their own.
Dimensions and construction
The dimensions of h3 automotive lamps are different for each manufacturer of lighting fixtures. Only the basic dimensions are respected, and the details are slightly different.
For headlights and PTF, h3 LED standard lamps are produced with the following parameters:
- total length from the tip of the flask to the beginning of the tip - 57 mm;
- the diameter of the glass flask - 12.3 mm;
- rated voltage - 12 v, 24 v;
- power consumption - 20 W;
- luminous flux - 780 lm;
- luminous flux angle - 270 °;
Advantages of LED light source:
- low energy consumption
- compactness
- long service life
- shock resistance
- shock and vibration
- powerful illumination of the roadway
Halogen
This is the most affordable, but quite effective option. The advantage of the H3 bulb is the price. You can buy it for 100 rubles. It is because of the affordable cost that these lamps are in demand. The light bulb is arranged very simply. It is based on a quartz glass flask filled with inert gases and halogen vapors. Most often these are bromine and iodine. This makes it possible to significantly increase the combustion temperature of the coil and improves light output compared to a conventional incandescent bulb. Now manufacturers produce a very wide range of halogen products.
Parameters of standard h3 halogen lamps:
- total length from the tip of the flask to the beginning of the tip - 42 mm;
- the diameter of the glass flask - 12.2 mm;
- plinth height - 10 mm;
- rated voltage - 12 V and 24 V;
- power 55 W;
- luminous flux 1500 lm;
- color temperature 4000 K;
- the period of continuous glow is 600 hours.
Xenon
These are modern lighting devices that can now be found in standard headlight equipment. Moreover, the lamps are equipped with expensive equipment. This is also a tilt level regulator. There is also an H3 xenon bulb. It works great in fog lights. By virtue of its design, the lamp is distinguished by greater efficiency, increased luminous efficiency, and a high level of reliability.
Parameters of standard h3 xenon lighting sources:
- total length from the tip of the flask to the beginning of the tip - 42 mm;
- the diameter of the glass flask - 12.2 mm;
- distance between electrodes - 4, 2 mm;
- length of power wires - 150 mm;
- rated voltage - 13.5 V;
- power - 35 W;
- luminous flux - 2600 lm;
- color temperature - 4500 K;
- service life - 2000 hours.
The advantages of xenon light sources:
- increased light output
- no filament
- large work resource
- ease of installation and replacement
- lack of adjustments during operation
LED bulbs
H3 LED bulbs for cars are the most modern and progressive solution for use in fog lights or in low beam. Distinguish products by power. In this base, light bulbs are made with a power of one to 80 watts. Devices with low power can be installed in headlights, side lights, brake lights and direction indicators.
Cons of LED bulbs
Although they are not more expensive in cost than xenon, the system as a whole can cost a round sum. But prices are constantly falling: as their popularity is growing, manufacturers, especially Chinese ones, supply fakes under well-known brands to the market. A diode lamp has a complex design and can seriously overheat during operation. Therefore, they must be equipped with radiators. Also among the disadvantages is the need to install a special control unit.
LED bulbs are a "lottery", as you can run into a fake. If we analyze the advantages, it turns out that now LED solutions have the best characteristics.
