Upgrade to Stronger Bi Xenon Lights

[Ozsko]

Is there a stronger than the standard 35 watt xenon globe that can be fitted to the factory Bi Xenon lights? I have done some reading and the only thing I can find is a globe with a higher light temperature which is of no interest.

[kamold]

Haven't used them so can't give you any real world info, but the marketing blub says these are brighter:

OSRAM Xenarc Night Breaker Unlimited D1S Xenon HID Bulb | PowerBulbs

[Ozsko]

Thanks Kamold, I had seen those and they are the right temperature so I wonder how they put out more light, it will be an expensive exercise if they are no better than the old ones though. Perhaps I had better explain the problem, I am an old fart as you would know and us old farts lose the ability to see as much light as younger people see by a considerable amount. I have upgraded the inner halogens to 125W and that made a difference and my son reckons the lights are brilliant but he does not see it through my eyes. I suppose now the GBP has gone down the gurglar this is the right time to buy, I have just had to buy a new alternator and getting it from the UK saved me over $600. I will wait a bit and see of anyone here has fitted them and can confirm they are an improvement over standard globes.

[kamold]

I would not buy another car unless it had HID or LED headlamps.

Agree that night driving safety is greatly improved by good lights, in particular I find it greatly reduces fatigue by allowing you to relax whilst still being alert ie not having to sit bolt upright and peer into the gloom.

Osram are good kit if they say they are brighter I wouldn't doubt their accuracy from a technical perspective. But as you rightly point out, it's all about perception as everyone's eyes are different.

BTW Powerbulbs have 20% off everything currently...

[Ozsko]

I have always been pedantic about lights, this is from rallying at night through the gumtrees when you had to light a match to see if the standard headlights were turned on or not. I can recall when halogens first came into use around the time I started driving and how we thought they were such an improvement (which they were BTW) and today they look like candles compared to xenons. Like you I will never go back to halogen, they are simply redundant these days. Up until this car I always had two Cibie Super Oscars on the front to help with driving at night in rural areas which I do every time I leave home. I drove my son's Mk 7 Golf PP at night and was fairly disappointed with the xenons on that, they are certainly not in the same league as the Skoda to my eyes.

[woofy]

Cibie Super Oscars, my Dad had those on cars for years in the 80s and throughout the 90s. We kept getting them stolen so eventually as welded the bottom of the nut. My worst job up until I left home and even for years when I visited was holding them while my Dad tightened them up, they seemed to always come loose on rough roads, particularly when he started getting Patrols as a work car.

[Amalgam]

Try here

Best HID headlight bulbs 2016 | Auto Express

The two performance bulbs were a clear step ahead of the standard versions, with Osram getting the nod over Philips. Both are excellent choices, and the margin of superiority was a surprise. Our pick of the standard HID bulbs is Philips’ Vision – because of the question mark over what you are actually buying with Ring. The GE-made burners in the Halfords and Ring packs are strong performers and are worth considering if you want a standard HID bulb.

1. Osram Night Breaker Unlimited Xenarc
2. Philips X-tremeVision
3. Philips Vision

[Ozsko]

Try here

Best HID headlight bulbs 2016 | Auto Express

The two performance bulbs were a clear step ahead of the standard versions, with Osram getting the nod over Philips. Both are excellent choices, and the margin of superiority was a surprise. Our pick of the standard HID bulbs is Philips’ Vision – because of the question mark over what you are actually buying with Ring. The GE-made burners in the Halfords and Ring packs are strong performers and are worth considering if you want a standard HID bulb.

1. Osram Night Breaker Unlimited Xenarc
2. Philips X-tremeVision
3. Philips Vision

This where I begin to get confused, are those globes being tested a xenon globe that fit standard xenon lights or a conversion for halogen lights? They talk of H7 and that is a standard halogen globe base and they use a projector style light which I understand uses a halogen globe as standard.

[Eaglen00b]

I have always been pedantic about lights, this is from rallying at night through the gumtrees when you had to light a match to see if the standard headlights were turned on or not. I can recall when halogens first came into use around the time I started driving and how we thought they were such an improvement (which they were BTW) and today they look like candles compared to xenons. Like you I will never go back to halogen, they are simply redundant these days. Up until this car I always had two Cibie Super Oscars on the front to help with driving at night in rural areas which I do every time I leave home. I drove my son's Mk 7 Golf PP at night and was fairly disappointed with the xenons on that, they are certainly not in the same league as the Skoda to my eyes.

I still have Cibie Super Oscars on my Troopy Landcruiser. Ditched the 100W halogen H1 bulbs for HID 55W H1 4500K bulbs (I find 4500K give out better useable, intense light). Pencil beam lights up road markings (and I'm not talking bout cateyes or reflective signs either) about 700m++ ahead, spread beam lights up 10 - 15m each side. Headlights are HID 55W BiXenon 4500K filling in the gaps in between. Freakin' awesome lights!!

[Ozsko]

I still have Cibie Super Oscars on my Troopy Landcruiser. Ditched the 100W halogen H1 bulbs for HID 55W H1 4500K bulbs (I find 4500K give out better useable, intense light). Pencil beam lights up road markings (and I'm not talking bout cateyes or reflective signs either) about 700m++ ahead, spread beam lights up 10 - 15m each side. Headlights are HID 55W BiXenon 4500K filling in the gaps in between. Freakin' awesome lights!!

Interesting, the inner headlights on my Skoda are H1 base, I wonder if the Canbus would object to H1 HID's instead of the 125W halogens that are in there at the moment. The Cibie Oscar was designed about 50 years ago and is still one of the best lights around if not the best.

[Amalgam]

First gas discharge bulbs are nearing end of their life, so we test eight standard and upgrade HID bulbs

From this, I read it as replacing xenon bulbs in cars that came factory fitted with a standard (like for like) replacement and a upgrade (brighter) replacement, not a halogen conversion.

[Ozsko]

The whole HID/Xenon thing is about as clear as mud. I am sure people talk about one when they mean the other or are both meant to mean the same thing, is a HID by default a Xenon and vice versa or is the "HID" referring to conversions where "Xenon" is referring to OEM supplied lights.

[kamold]

High intensity discharge is the common technology name. This is often called Xenon because of the xenon gas used in the gas discharge tube. They are generally used interchangeably but there is probably a technical reason why hid is the most accurate term (maybe some use another noble gas rather than xenon?)

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