http://autos.yahoo.com/news/do-high-priced-halogen-headlight-bulbs-shine-brighter--210841757.html
Certainly not the last word but interesting.
Certainly not the last word but interesting.
Consumer Reports headlight test
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Those comments were funny. Showed total ignorance of the subject.
Anyone notice they refer to the 9003 as a single element bulb, the H7 as a dual element then show a picture of a 9007?
Originally Posted By: Darren270
Those headlights are [censored] annoying whether coming at you or from behind you.
I don't mind the premium halogens, it's the nitwits who drive around with their fog lights on all the time that bother me.
Those headlights are [censored] annoying whether coming at you or from behind you.
I don't mind the premium halogens, it's the nitwits who drive around with their fog lights on all the time that bother me.
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Those comments were funny. Showed total ignorance of the subject.
yep.
I guarantee every one of them has halogen bulbs in their cars.
Those comments were funny. Showed total ignorance of the subject.
yep.
I guarantee every one of them has halogen bulbs in their cars.
There are some real advances in bulb technology, such as the HIR 9011 and 9012 and the H8 bulb. The H8 is now used in the 9012. In vehicles with 9006 and 9007 these can be use to great advantage with a sight modification to the bulb's tabs. They should only be used in fixtures that shade the bulb in the low beam sector of the fixture. There is not real cure for the poor lighting produced in a duel filament bulb fixture. Some work OK but that is not saying much.
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Premium bulbs might be a good choice if you prefer a more intense or whiter light, but don’t expect big changes in the distance you can see compared with standard or new OE bulbs.
Of course the conclusion is true. If we were interested in visibility distance, we would be using yellow light rather than blueish (like French used to do). Blueish light is just a fashion statement and annoyance to oncoming traffic.
Physics teaches us lower wavelength light scatters more.
Premium bulbs might be a good choice if you prefer a more intense or whiter light, but don’t expect big changes in the distance you can see compared with standard or new OE bulbs.
Of course the conclusion is true. If we were interested in visibility distance, we would be using yellow light rather than blueish (like French used to do). Blueish light is just a fashion statement and annoyance to oncoming traffic.
Physics teaches us lower wavelength light scatters more.
I think what most people forget is that there are legal limits on how much light an H1, H3, 9006, etc can put out. So the differences between most bulbs is quite small.
The only real leg-up anyone has is with stuff like the NightBreaker which has a more efficient and smaller filament, meaning you get more focused (and less wasted) light.
The only real leg-up anyone has is with stuff like the NightBreaker which has a more efficient and smaller filament, meaning you get more focused (and less wasted) light.
Originally Posted By: dparm
The only real leg-up anyone has is with stuff like the NightBreaker which has a more efficient and smaller filament, meaning you get more focused (and less wasted) light.
In my experience, Consumer Reports is right that most upgrade bulbs don't offer a significant improvement. There will be some (especially if your car has the original long life bulbs still in it). But it's not dramatic.
Most of the better upgrade bulbs have a completely clear glass envelope. This is good (no light-stealing filters), but it also indicates that the bulb still produces legal levels of light. The bulbs that offer the most improvement are those like the Philips Xtreme Power/Xtreme Vision and Osram Nightbreaker. Look closely: they have a thin blue filter ring at the very front of the bulb. Contrary to popular belief, this blue ring isn't there to color the light for ricers.
It's there to steal away some of the bulb's output to keep the bulb in the allowable range of output. But it does so at the very FRONT of the bulb, where the light is largely unused anyway (being taken up by the glare shield found in front of most bulbs in modern housings). The light output from bulbs is measured in an Integrating Sphere (Wikipedia link). An integrating sphere measures total output of the light source without respect to spatial direction. In other words, it doesn't matter how the light is distributed inside the sphere...it simply measures total flux. Without the thin blue ring on the front of bulbs such as the Philips Xtreme range and the Osram Nightbreaker, these bulbs would produce extra-legal levels of light.
I say all that to note that although these two bulbs (and perhaps some others) are street legal bulbs, they do produce more of a performance improvement than otherwise possible because of this thin blue ring, which again removes light from areas which aren't used by the housing anyway. These bulbs stand out from the crowded arena of clear-glass upgrade bulbs (and are certainly superior to bulbs with full color filters like the Sylvania Silverstar, GE Nighthawk Sport, etc).
Consumer Reports did not test either the Philips Xtreme Vision or the Osram Nightbreaker. If they had, I believe they would have found more of a performance improvement.
All of this performance improvement, obviously, is at the expense of life. There is no free lunch.
The only real leg-up anyone has is with stuff like the NightBreaker which has a more efficient and smaller filament, meaning you get more focused (and less wasted) light.
In my experience, Consumer Reports is right that most upgrade bulbs don't offer a significant improvement. There will be some (especially if your car has the original long life bulbs still in it). But it's not dramatic.
Most of the better upgrade bulbs have a completely clear glass envelope. This is good (no light-stealing filters), but it also indicates that the bulb still produces legal levels of light. The bulbs that offer the most improvement are those like the Philips Xtreme Power/Xtreme Vision and Osram Nightbreaker. Look closely: they have a thin blue filter ring at the very front of the bulb. Contrary to popular belief, this blue ring isn't there to color the light for ricers.
It's there to steal away some of the bulb's output to keep the bulb in the allowable range of output. But it does so at the very FRONT of the bulb, where the light is largely unused anyway (being taken up by the glare shield found in front of most bulbs in modern housings). The light output from bulbs is measured in an Integrating Sphere (Wikipedia link). An integrating sphere measures total output of the light source without respect to spatial direction. In other words, it doesn't matter how the light is distributed inside the sphere...it simply measures total flux. Without the thin blue ring on the front of bulbs such as the Philips Xtreme range and the Osram Nightbreaker, these bulbs would produce extra-legal levels of light.
I say all that to note that although these two bulbs (and perhaps some others) are street legal bulbs, they do produce more of a performance improvement than otherwise possible because of this thin blue ring, which again removes light from areas which aren't used by the housing anyway. These bulbs stand out from the crowded arena of clear-glass upgrade bulbs (and are certainly superior to bulbs with full color filters like the Sylvania Silverstar, GE Nighthawk Sport, etc).
Consumer Reports did not test either the Philips Xtreme Vision or the Osram Nightbreaker. If they had, I believe they would have found more of a performance improvement.
All of this performance improvement, obviously, is at the expense of life. There is no free lunch.
XtremeVision and NightBreaker are not officially sold in the US, that's why CR didn't test them. You can still get them on eBay and some websites, though.
No what you're supposed to do is buy those fancy H.I.D. Xenon "ultra white" bulbs covered in bad Chinglish advertising %300 more light and arbitrarily throw them in your car,
Or even better, a cheap H.I.D. "conversion" kit that does nothing but amplify the light by about 400 times in every single direction but where it is most useful, and you should never properly aim it,
Then you're supposed to just argue that everyone who dislikes having their retinas burned by your lights every time they're within a block are just haters because you're rollin' on the JDM lifestyle and you know you're a road-warrior V.I.P. ballin' to all the ladies.
But realistically I've found cleaning my headlights and polishing them is about nine million times more effective then expensive (DOT legal) halogens. Cheaper too. Polish costs $3.
Or even better, a cheap H.I.D. "conversion" kit that does nothing but amplify the light by about 400 times in every single direction but where it is most useful, and you should never properly aim it,
Then you're supposed to just argue that everyone who dislikes having their retinas burned by your lights every time they're within a block are just haters because you're rollin' on the JDM lifestyle and you know you're a road-warrior V.I.P. ballin' to all the ladies.
But realistically I've found cleaning my headlights and polishing them is about nine million times more effective then expensive (DOT legal) halogens. Cheaper too. Polish costs $3.
I've got an 08 Jeep JK, and the headlight design is terrible. I put Silver Star Ultras in and they made it tolerable, which was a significant improvement. They improved every aspect of lighting, including distance.
Originally Posted By: IndyFan
I've got an 08 Jeep JK, and the headlight design is terrible.
Yes, the H13 design really only benefits the lifecycle cost analysts. It's a long-lasting bulb, an evolution of the older HB5 (9007). But, that's not saying much, and the optics aren't very good with this bulb. Looking at it, you can see that the filaments for high and low beams are positioned very close to each other, just offset a little. The high beam filament is the center one, and is pretty much on-focus in the lamp. The low beam filament is positioned slightly askew, so the low beam pattern is a loose approximation of the high beam pattern, but to the right and down. It does okay, and it usually has a good upper cutoff, but the light distribution isn't grand. You get a wide beam, but glare control isn't great.
As with anything else, it's a compromise. I had Philips Vision Plus bulbs in our 2007 Town & Country, which also used this bulb. They certainly improved the light output, but they couldn't fix the so-so optics.
Fortunately, you Jeep TJ and JK owners can fit aftermarket 7" round headlamps that will VASTLY outperform ANY H13 bulb you can buy. Cibie Z-beams are excellent, but there are bad lamp designs available also, so you really have to do your homework. Look up hilldweller's posts on the Candlepower forums or on the JK forums.
I've got an 08 Jeep JK, and the headlight design is terrible.
Yes, the H13 design really only benefits the lifecycle cost analysts. It's a long-lasting bulb, an evolution of the older HB5 (9007). But, that's not saying much, and the optics aren't very good with this bulb. Looking at it, you can see that the filaments for high and low beams are positioned very close to each other, just offset a little. The high beam filament is the center one, and is pretty much on-focus in the lamp. The low beam filament is positioned slightly askew, so the low beam pattern is a loose approximation of the high beam pattern, but to the right and down. It does okay, and it usually has a good upper cutoff, but the light distribution isn't grand. You get a wide beam, but glare control isn't great.
As with anything else, it's a compromise. I had Philips Vision Plus bulbs in our 2007 Town & Country, which also used this bulb. They certainly improved the light output, but they couldn't fix the so-so optics.
Fortunately, you Jeep TJ and JK owners can fit aftermarket 7" round headlamps that will VASTLY outperform ANY H13 bulb you can buy. Cibie Z-beams are excellent, but there are bad lamp designs available also, so you really have to do your homework. Look up hilldweller's posts on the Candlepower forums or on the JK forums.
H13's aren't as bad as all that. I get decent output with the H13's in the Cruze with a relay harness. The optics are pretty good in those headlights. They needed more lumens in a bad way.
Also, at least in the Cruze, the low beam is the center filament while the high beam is the lower filament. It surprised me when building my relay harness since I had pinned it the "normal" way first only to find my high beam indicator turned on the low beams!
Also, at least in the Cruze, the low beam is the center filament while the high beam is the lower filament. It surprised me when building my relay harness since I had pinned it the "normal" way first only to find my high beam indicator turned on the low beams!
Does your Cruze produce a "step" in the upper cutoff, giving a higher cutoff on the right than on the left? If it did, that would be something positive. I don't think I've ever seen an H13 system with a nice step up in the cutoff like that...they're typically flat as a board all the way across. Your Cruze should have VOR aimable lamps (it'll say on the front) and the correct way to aim a VOR lamp is to aim the right side of the cutoff at the horizon, meaning on a plane level with the center of the lamp. This should be okay for drivers' mirrors in front of you, but without a slight step in the pattern, glare will be increased for oncoming drivers.
This is one of the beefs I have with the H13 bulb type. It's hard to get a good pattern for you while reducing glare for others at the same time. But, if Chevy has done that in the Cruze, that would be a positive thing; it'd be the only H13 setup that I'm aware of that has utilized that type of cutoff. There may be others out there, but I believe they're the exception rather than the rule for this type of bulb.
You are correct about the filaments in the H13; I had it backwards.
This is one of the beefs I have with the H13 bulb type. It's hard to get a good pattern for you while reducing glare for others at the same time. But, if Chevy has done that in the Cruze, that would be a positive thing; it'd be the only H13 setup that I'm aware of that has utilized that type of cutoff. There may be others out there, but I believe they're the exception rather than the rule for this type of bulb.
You are correct about the filaments in the H13; I had it backwards.
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Fortunately, you Jeep TJ and JK owners can fit aftermarket 7" round headlamps that will VASTLY outperform ANY H13 bulb you can buy. Cibie Z-beams are excellent, but there are bad lamp designs available also, so you really have to do your homework. Look up hilldweller's posts on the Candlepower forums or on the JK forums.
I installed Hella E-codes with Osram Night Breaker Plus H4s in my 1999 Sahara and the improvement over the OEM sealed beams was amazing. I've installed Cibie or Hella headlamps in every sealed beam equipped car I've owned since 1977.
Fortunately, you Jeep TJ and JK owners can fit aftermarket 7" round headlamps that will VASTLY outperform ANY H13 bulb you can buy. Cibie Z-beams are excellent, but there are bad lamp designs available also, so you really have to do your homework. Look up hilldweller's posts on the Candlepower forums or on the JK forums.
I installed Hella E-codes with Osram Night Breaker Plus H4s in my 1999 Sahara and the improvement over the OEM sealed beams was amazing. I've installed Cibie or Hella headlamps in every sealed beam equipped car I've owned since 1977.
I found the best way is to start at the bottom. My first car back in '96 was a '68 Volvo 122s. Cool-looking, unique, but slow as heck, poor lighting, even worse wipers. Anything after that has been such an improvement. Mid 90's cars, way better. 2000's = wow, I can see so easily. Factory HID's = okay now this is just too easy.
Same thing for the clearing ability of the wipers and acceleration. A 4cyl economy car felt fast afterwards. All teenagers should be subjected to a similar first car. Once at the bottom, the only way to go is up.
When I pick up a used car, I grab some Xtravision or similar off Amazon for a deal. I was completely amazed when swapping the bulbs in my 2000 Civic, that the prev. owner had the Osram bulbs already, especially as they did little maintenance and didn't seem like car people at all. While not the best lighting on the road, its lightyears ahead of my old Volvo.
Same thing for the clearing ability of the wipers and acceleration. A 4cyl economy car felt fast afterwards. All teenagers should be subjected to a similar first car. Once at the bottom, the only way to go is up.
When I pick up a used car, I grab some Xtravision or similar off Amazon for a deal. I was completely amazed when swapping the bulbs in my 2000 Civic, that the prev. owner had the Osram bulbs already, especially as they did little maintenance and didn't seem like car people at all. While not the best lighting on the road, its lightyears ahead of my old Volvo.
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