Reply With QuoteI've fitted Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs to two of our cars now and they're definitely an improvement over the standard ones.
R
Boring I know, however I drove the wife's 2010 Prius the other night and the headlights (low beam) were shockingly bad and almost medieval.
Can anyone recommend workable (Canbus Error free) replacements.
Many thanks.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I've fitted Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs to two of our cars now and they're definitely an improvement over the standard ones.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
As above or the Osram Nightbreakers .
The car in the dark is a Toyota.
I've used these on two different cars, excellent both times.Originally Posted by DandyHighwayMan
Osram night breakers are fantastic for the money
My 'go to' source for anything car related: -
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accesso...016-group-test
As per Ralphy, I too have used the Philips Xtreme Vision on two of my previous cars and they were far better than the OE bulbs, but looking at this Auto Express review technology has moved further ahead.
+1, made a big difference on our freelander for very little cash.
Indeed for a simple upgrade high quality bulbs will help - next step is a relay kit that makes a huge difference in my experience. If you have headlight washers you could consider an HID upgrade but this will involve taking the headlights apart to fir projectors. Don't be tempted by the HID upgrade bulbs you see on eBay as if you have regular light fittings the light scatters horribly.
Many thanks chaps. I did see some Philips Bulbs (5000K), but for some reason the indicated they were not legal for road use. Any thoughts on this?
Forget that- I have ordered the Ring Xenons 120 (the best I could find for a H11).
Now considering a HID Conversion if they are still rubbish - I did one on my old 911 a few years back and whilst it was a bit of a faff to install, it works really well
Last edited by Andyg; 4th January 2017 at 14:38. Reason: Updated
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Another vote for Osrams here....
Apparantly halogen bulb >4200K is illegal for road use.
https://www.powerbulbs.com/blog/2013...ar-bulbs-legal
Doesn't make sense to me though, why is a different colour temperature ok if produced by HID? Sure these laws are widely disregarded otherwise Philips (and others) wouldn't market them. Remember though that bluer doesn't necessarily mean brighter!
I do not know what the insurance response would be if a car with non legal headlights was involved in an accident at night, even more so if the other car claimed it had been blinded
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I will have a look at the Osrams as my Z4 headlights are the pits, not to bothered as its mainly a summer car, but have used it late at night and when in the lanes it gets scary.
If the light is regarded as 'too blue' i.e. not substantially white, then it could fail the MOT.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Osram Nightbreakers have fallen off the top of the tree in terms of 'generic' H7/4 etc bulbs. Ring have recently introduced a 4000k canbus, error free pair (XenonStar) with a couple of sidelights thrown in for the same money as the NBs (retail about £25). They're very good! Will pass an MoT.
HIDs are double that for good ones, but do require self-levelling for an MoT pass.
The blueness is related to the colour temperature. Why will a HID of a certain colour temperature be less blue than a halogen of the same colour temperature?
Thread reminds me of those yellow lights that the French used to think was a good idea. Maybe they made sense (less dazzling) when driving was at a slower pace.
I dont think self levelling is an MOT requirement, providing the lights are right when the car is tested. The Porsche has levellers (a wheel on the dash) but it's never used and to be honest I am not even sure they work.
I will fit the Ring bulbs this weekend and provide feedback, but to be honest a couple of candles would be better than the current lights.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
It isn't less blue, as you say the colour temp is the colour temp.
Both halogen and HID bulbs come in a range of temperatures and if either are fitted that are deemed not to be substantially white (or yellow) they could fail the MOT.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Self-levelling (or power washers) are not a requirement of the MOT to be fitted, but if they are then they must be seen to work otherwise it's a reason for failure.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
This https://www.powerbulbs.com/blog/2013...ar-bulbs-legal suggests otherwise (HID produce higher colour temps but still legal).
I take it the headlights are set up properly and the existing bulbs are fitted correctly?
They are if you've upgraded to HID's. My car failed a few years back for not having headlight washers although I haven't been tested for them since.
I know it does. But that doesn't change what I said.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Is there a maximum legal output for car lights?
A lot of these aftermarket bulbs are downright dangerous on narrow roads.
There seems to be a completely unnecessary arms race going on with car headlights at the moment.
I think they were a requirement, but not now.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I'll rephrase my question then (although you probably knew what I meant).
Why are different colour temperatures allowed for halogen and HID lamps?
I think the legal maximum is 60watts for filament bulbs (main beam) and 2,000 lumens for gas-discharge lamps.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
That depends on what you mean by allowed, the MOT sets no colour temperature but relies on the criteria I said.
RBoth halogen and HID bulbs come in a range of temperatures and if either are fitted that are deemed not to be substantially white (or yellow) they could fail the MOT.
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I drive home along a pretty rural road and am frequently dazzled by horribly bright headlights, both in my rear view mirror or incoming traffic. Sometimes they're on full beam but mostly horribly intense lights I actually find uncomfortable to drive towards. I'm not sure if they're all 'upgraded' bulbs but the worst offenders seem to be on older cars which I assume have these new bulbs fitted. If so I'm not a fan tbh, they may well cause more problems than they solve
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
I would have thought it was obvious what I meant by allowed. I mean being able (acceptable etc. etc.) to pass a MOT test.
I thought it obvious what I'd meant too.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Just stumbled on this thread - had to drive my wife's car from London to Yorkshire, up the M1 and across the moors the other night. Tyhe standard headlights (Vauxhall Corsa) are terrible - crossing the moors was like trying to find your way by candlelight. Had a take a trip to a motor factors the following morning and picked up some Philips Headlight Bulbs (Xtreme Vision PLUS 130% Extra Light) for £16 - the return journey was much nicer - highly recommended
Don't expect any uprated bulbs, Philips, Osram or otherwise, to last much longer than a year!
The higher the percentage increase, the shorter they last.
Last edited by vRSG60; 9th January 2017 at 14:15.
That's my experience as well. Doesn't really matter how well you can see if the guy coming towards you can no longer see.
Blame misadjusted headlights especially on new cars - they do not seem to be checked during pre-delivery, or after the car is pranged (unless its MOT'ed).
As for drivers not dipping - these are most likely arseholes. I try to flash them in an attempt to remind them of their responsibilities
My Mercedes has automatic dipping which is wonderful - this should be standard equipment on all new cars in my book - ditto automatic lights.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Just ordered a pair of Philips xtremeVision H7 bulbs including free same day delivery for £17.87 from Euro Car Parts.
Use "JANSALE" at checkout to get an additional 25.5% off and then select free same day (mainland) delivery.
Will hopefully be better than the candles on my XC90.
And they've just been delivered !
Wowsers.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk
Excellent, you'll be able to dazzle people in the snow!
Update.
Fitted the Rings +120 Xenons at the weekend and yesterday the wife reported no difference. I have got some NightEye Cree LEDS 1600Lm (to replace the fogs) and will try them in the highlights first to see what difference they make .
I also suggested she take the car to Toyota to get the alignment checked again.
If all else fails I will try an aftermarket HID kit - I fitted one a few years on another car and it was great, plus you can get them for similar money to the standard bulbs - just a bit worried about CANBUS errors, but even this is fixable.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
That is certainly not my experience.
I have used Osram Nightbreakers (50%+, then 100%+ and now I think 130%+) and also used the Philips extreme vision versions in 4 of my cars over the past 10-12 years and never had a single failure. Current Philips extreme vision in SWMBO's Yaris have been in for at least 3+ years. One of our other cars, also a Toyota, has the Osram 130%+ and they have been in for 2 years plus and they replaced a set of Osram 100%+ just because I was curious not due to failure, which were in for 3+ years.
(All above in the H4 fitment; if that makes any difference, I don't know?)
Last edited by vagabond; 11th January 2017 at 14:01.
Just received my Philips xtreme 130% H7. Will keep you posted.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I have nightbreakers. Personally I don't rate them much better than the standard ones they replaced. They're a whiter white but don't think they light up the road better.
Last edited by sprite1275; 12th January 2017 at 07:45.
The headlights on my last company car (63 plate 320d) were woeful, which isn't great when you do 35,000 miles a year. I tried every premium bulb, some claiming to be 130% brighter but they all seemed to perform exactly the same, although did produce differing lighting temperatures, some whiter than others.
In the last 6 months of having the car I had 4 bulb failures.
Thankfully my new car (C-Class) has LED headlights which are fantastic
When I was a young lad cars came with halogen bulbs were 60w main and 55w dipped beam (60/55) or course the first thing we all did when we bought a new car was pop down to the local motor factors and buy some 100/80 off road bulbs. Incredible the difference they made. As long as you set them up properly so that they wouldn't dazzle anyone else they were fine.
Then of course being boys we added a pair of 100w driving lights, and then a pair of 100w fogs (most useless things ever) as the 80w dipped already massively improved fog driving.
Next car I just swapped the 100/80s in and didn't bother with the driving or fog lights - it was certainly good enough.
Ah they were the days, now days I don't even think I get into the engine bay enough to change the bulbs if one blew it so crowded in there.
Posting Permissions
