Demand rising for HID bulbs

High intensity discharge bulbs are now increasingly being seen on vehicles entering the independent aftermarket

Demand rising for HID bulbs

ELTA has reported “a significant increase in demand” for replacement HID bulbs in recent years and expect the trend in growth to continue.

HID bulbs first appeared in automotive applications in the early 1990’s as an option on the BMW 7 Series, but it was not until the end of the 1990’s however, that the first Bi-Xenon headlights as we know them today appeared on the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class.

Since then HIDs have risen in popularity and an increasing number of vehicles fitted with them are entering the realm of the independent aftermarket.

After all, 90,000 miles is by no means ‘end of life’ for a vehicle today, especially the high-end and prestige marques that commonly feature HID systems.

What are HID bulbs?

HID systems, also known as gas discharge bulbs, provide 200 per cent more light on the road than a standard halogen bulb.

Unlike these bulbs a HID system uses xenon gas, which is ignited by creating an electric arc between two electrodes.

HID headlamp burners produce between 2,800 and 3,500 lumens, from between 35 and 85 watts at 12.8-volts, compared to between 700 and 2,100 lumens using 40 to 72 watts for a standard halogen.

HID bulbs are designated as either ‘S’ burner or ‘R’ burner.

An ‘S’ burner has a plain glass shield and is used in projector type optics, whereas ‘R’ burners are designed for reflective type optics and have an opaque mask on certain parts of the shield to create the cut off boundary near the top of the low beam.

Just like their OE counterparts, ELTA’s recently launched VISIONPRO HID bulbs provide 200 per cent more light on the road than standard halogen bulbs, as well as the same average life of around 2,000 hours.

Encompassing both projector (S) and reflective (R) type optics the range includes D1R, DS, DR, D2S, D3R, D3S, D4R and D4S, plus the latest D5S and D8S versions, alongside upgrades offering a boost in Kelvin temperature up to 6,000k or 7,000k, for a modern blue tint.

To assist workshops to raise the importance of the lights on their customers’ vehicles, ELTA has produced a visually powerful point-of-sale (POS) stand, which both highlights the extent of the VISIONPRO range and brings the issue to the forefront of the motorist’s mind.

The ELTA ELBS10 counter-top display stand provides workshops with an instant lighting stock solution – 140 of the fastest moving bulbs, which include both headlight and ancillary external/internal bulbs – individually boxed in the company’s striking VISIONPRO branding, to encourage quick and easy sales.

For more information concerning VISIONPRO or VXPRO, or any of the other brands within the ELTA Automotive product range, call 01675 466999, email [email protected] or select ‘more details’ below.

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