Car Lights: Types and Functions
22 July, 2021
To add lighting to cars, many car users like to replace them with brighter lights for better visibility. Currently there are quite a lot of types of car lights that can be used according to their use, but still the driver must really pay attention to the safety factor of fellow road users so that they are not disturbed by the lights you use.
What are the types of lights often used in the main lights or headlights?
Types of Car Lights on the Exterior
On the exterior, the car has at least nine types of lights spread from the front to the back. But on some types of cars, there are also lights on the side of the body.
High Beam Headlight
Beam Highlights are divided into two types, namely low beam and high beam. High beam headlights, as the name implies, work to provide far ahead lighting for better visibility on quiet and dark road conditions. It is located in the headlights of the front of the vehicle and its use should be limited as the light can be blinding for other drivers coming from the opposite direction.
Low Beam Headlight
The second type is a low beam headlight which is a short lighting as its function is to illuminate the street during normal night conditions. Drivers must turn on this light when driving at night or crossing dark tunnels during the day. This lamp is more friendly to other road users because the beam is directed towards the road and does not shine directly ahead.
City Lights
Evening lights or city lights have an even lower light beam compared to low beam lights discussed above. City lights can also be used during the day as a DRL (Daytime Running Light) lamp for driving accessories. However, its main function is as a driving safety device when in the evening time.
Fog Lights
As the name implies, fog lights are used during bad weather to help the driver’s visibility and as a sign for cars coming from the opposite direction. Although according to the rules the fog lights are allowed to be white, it would be better if the lights were yellow.
Turn Signal Lights
The turn signal has a very important function as a means of communication between the driver and other road users. This light is used to signal that the driver will change lanes or take a turn. These lights are usually located on the front and back of the car. However, on some types of cars, these lights are also located on the side of the car (usually above the front fender) or become one with the car’s rear view mirror.
Hazard Lights
Hazard lights are lights that have the main function of giving a danger sign, usually used when the car is in trouble. The hazard lights have the same components as the turn signal lights, only the difference is that the two turn signal lights will light up simultaneously on the left and right sides.
Taillight
Taillight is a red light located on the tail that lights up at the same time as the car’s brake lights. In certain types of cars, these lights have become part of the car, but there are also additional car accessories.
Brake Light
The brake light is generally red which is located at the back of the car and will light up when the driver presses the brake pedal. In its use, the brake lights and taillights will work together which indicates the car is braking and reducing speed.
Reverse Light
The white reverse light is located around the brake light which will turn on automatically when the driver enters into R (Reverse) or reverse gear.
Choosing The Brightest Type of Car Lamp
Currently there are dozens of lamp types that car owners can choose from, but broadly speaking, these types of lamps are divided into three. What are those?
Light Emitting Diodes (LED)
Most of the newest cars use LED lights. Apart from just aesthetics, there are various factors that make LED lights have started to be widely used.
The first reason is in terms of service life, LED lamps have a much longer service life compared to other types. LED lamp life can reach 20,000 hours, which is very long when compared to HID or Halogen lamps. Apart from service life, LED lamps are not the brightest lamps but are more efficient when compared to other types of lamps.
High Intensity Discharge (HID)
Types of lamps that are often found in the market are HID lamps which are also often known as xenon lamps. For information, Xenon is not the name of a lamp brand, but the type of gas that is in the lamp.
Compared to LED lamps, the price of HID lamps is much more pocket-friendly. In addition, the advantage of this HID lamp is that it has the brightest light compared to other types of lamps which reach 3,000 lumens, much brighter when compared to halogen lamps of 1,400 lumens. With this bright light, it can automatically provide much better visibility at night.
However, the drawback is that HID lamps have a higher potential for glare compared to other types of lamps, so they are quite annoying when used inappropriately. In addition, HID lamps also take a while to achieve perfect brightness.
Halogen
This is the type of standard lamp that is most commonly found in cars currently available. The price is relatively more affordable compared to other types of lamps. The halogen lamp has a filament wire on its inside, which can emit light when it gets an electric current. The halogen gas that surrounds the wire will make the lamp light brighter.
The disadvantages of this halogen lamp are that the light is not too bright and the service life is very low compared to other types of lamps. Therefore, you will need to replace them more often than if you were to use other types of lamps.
Almaz RS as the latest SUV variant from Wuling Almaz RS already uses LED projector lamps for the headlights as the main lighting. In addition, the Almaz RS is also equipped with additional front fog lamps and DRLs that allow drivers to drive safely and comfortably in any situation.
During the Covid-19 pandemic and activity restrictions imposed by the government, Wuling From Home is available as a form of customer care to support the stay safe at home movement. You can find out information about Almaz RS on our website or do the booking process easily by finding our service and dealer information on My Wuling+. You can also place car orders at the Wuling store on the official e-commerces.
That’s the complete explanation of the types and functions of car lights. We hope it has been useful and remember, always drive safely!
