High-brilliance headlamp bulbs

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Sun 18 Sep 2005 16:53
High-brilliance headlamp bulbs - Oz
I see in our local car parts chain store that conventional headlamp bulbs can be replaced with a variety of high-brilliance types (claimed up to 50% brighter). These are not Xenon headlamps per se, although the bulbs contain Xenon gas apparently. Some have a blue tint and some are so blue that they're labelled as not legal for road use.
The voltage/wattages (e.g. of an H7 bulb, 12V 55W) are the same as the basic bulb, just the price is higher.
Are they a good idea?
Oz (as was)
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Sun 18 Sep 2005 17:29
High-brilliance headlamp bulbs - andy76
I bought some Philips VisionPlus bulbs when I had a Smart and they were a big improvement in terms of brightness and length of beam - though mainly on full beam.
I suspect though it depends on how good (or bad) the original bulbs are as to how much of an improvement you would see.

From my experience though I would recomend giving them a go.
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Sun 18 Sep 2005 17:44
High-brilliance headlamp bulbs - henry k
I bought Osram Silver Stars from www.powerbulbs.com.
Osram seemed to come out the best in tests.
In my case I needed two sets, main and dipped.
I am very pleased with the results.
I also upgraded my side lights, with blue bulbs. They came free.
These are much brighter than normal 5W bulbs but show a very white light with only a hint of blue.
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Sun 18 Sep 2005 17:43
High-brilliance headlamp bulbs - Multimeter
I replaced by H7 bulbs with Osram Silverstars and they were noticeably brighter.

From what I've read online, the performance advantage can vary alot according to the manufacturer, so some +50% Xenon bulbs are better than others with the Philips Vision Plus +50% and the Osram Silverstars both being well rated.

I don't think there's any advantage to the blue tinted bulbs other than cosmetic and the blue tint actually reduces light output slightly.
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Sun 18 Sep 2005 18:20
High-brilliance headlamp bulbs - Quinny100
I had good results with Osram Silverstar's on a Xantia - the early models were notorious for having rubbish headlamps.
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Sun 18 Sep 2005 20:07
High-brilliance headlamp bulbs - Stuartli
I found that the Halfords' own 50 per cent brighter H4s really do make quite a difference on my VW Bora - the originals were a bit like having a couple of candles in each headlamp.

Got them at £12.99 for two on a "buy one get one free" basis at the time; the originals are in the glovebox as spares.

This is a good website for bulbs at very reasonable prices:

www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/h4_bulbs.htm
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Sun 18 Sep 2005 20:09
High-brilliance headlamp bulbs - Stuartli
The blue tint is actually colour temperature related which can make the headlights appear much whiter and brighter - on the same theme as that for a computer system monitor configuration.
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Sun 18 Sep 2005 20:31
High-brilliance headlamp bulbs - Oz
Thanks for very helpful comments.
To date I haven't actually been dissatisfied with the standard H7's on my Beemer, but with daylight rapidly shortening, it sounds like it would definitely justify the cost to go down this route and invest in seriously better headlamp performance.
Oz (as was)
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Sun 18 Sep 2005 20:41
High-brilliance headlamp bulbs - NARU
These have been around for a few years!

When AutoExpress tested them, they found these bulbs did offer an advantage. I have a motorbike with marginal headlamp performance, and they do improve the situation.

I used powerbulbs (mentioned above) who were excellent.
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Sun 18 Sep 2005 20:47
High-brilliance headlamp bulbs - Stuartli
Just one point - no use having superior headlight bulbs if the headlight lenses are dirty...:-)

I use a small amount of car wax on mine about once a month and buff the glass up every few days which helps to keep them clean and, hopefully, water marks/dirt free.
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