After market headlight bulbs a bright idea?
12-09-2005, 10:55 AM
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Most of the time, they do not improve vision whatsover.
However, there is a logic behind "whiter" light. Whiter light can sometimes be good, as white is the most reflective color. That's why you'll notice that road reflectors often appear brighter with "hyper white" bulbs. I'm not sure if I have the concepts 100% down, but from what I understand, there is less color absorption with a whiter light. But you have to be aware that 90% of these bulbs simply are painted blue, to appear whiter, but you are just filtering out colors at that point. And by filtering, you reduce the total amount of light emitted. Also, many bulbs work by simply burning the bulb hotter. . .
HOWEVER. . . higher reflectivity isn't always a good idea. There's a reason why you DO NOT use your high beams in fog. . . it is because more light is reflected back towards you, and less pierces through to the road. Most fog prone areas use YELLOW lighting for that very reason. This is the reason why many true foglights are yellow.
In poor weather, you'll often find your super bright headlights useless. . . in fog or rain. . . even HID's. So much light is reflected off the asphalt that you barely get any on the actual road. It's a problem for me with HID equiped cars and the rain. And in fog, you can't see anything at all, versus cheaper halogen bulbs work great.
I like the light output of HID's, and the fact that they run cooler and are more efficient. I would like to see them in other colors except neon blue. But yes, in ideal conditions, they are AWESOME.
However, there is a logic behind "whiter" light. Whiter light can sometimes be good, as white is the most reflective color. That's why you'll notice that road reflectors often appear brighter with "hyper white" bulbs. I'm not sure if I have the concepts 100% down, but from what I understand, there is less color absorption with a whiter light. But you have to be aware that 90% of these bulbs simply are painted blue, to appear whiter, but you are just filtering out colors at that point. And by filtering, you reduce the total amount of light emitted. Also, many bulbs work by simply burning the bulb hotter. . .
HOWEVER. . . higher reflectivity isn't always a good idea. There's a reason why you DO NOT use your high beams in fog. . . it is because more light is reflected back towards you, and less pierces through to the road. Most fog prone areas use YELLOW lighting for that very reason. This is the reason why many true foglights are yellow.
In poor weather, you'll often find your super bright headlights useless. . . in fog or rain. . . even HID's. So much light is reflected off the asphalt that you barely get any on the actual road. It's a problem for me with HID equiped cars and the rain. And in fog, you can't see anything at all, versus cheaper halogen bulbs work great.
I like the light output of HID's, and the fact that they run cooler and are more efficient. I would like to see them in other colors except neon blue. But yes, in ideal conditions, they are AWESOME.
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