Upgraded halogen Bulbs

[Phil D]

hi
has anyone tried the +30 or +50 halogen bulbs - available for about 30 quid the pair? ifso would you recommend them as giving a sufficient improvement in light output or is it just a marketing gimmick to sell you bulbs at 3 times the normal price?
Phil

 

[turnipsock]

yes, you only get what you pay for.

Try a search around this forum, the topic has been covered many times.

 

[television]

Looking in my CPC cat the ring xenon plus halogens give 30% more light at £14.67+ pair
the Osram Silver Star give 50% more, a clear light £14.65 + pair

The EEC approval number is R37


Malcolm

 

[Vangogh]

Hi Phil
I have just changed my dip/head bulbs for Halfords Super Brilliant bulbs. They do make quite a difference and at the moment they are buy one get one free at £19.99 a pair.
Vangogh

 

[Phil D]

thanks for that - H7 ? and presumably a straightforward fit?
Phil

 

[maldon]

The lights on my 03 ML are rubbish.

Will the Osram Silver Star be a straight swap?

 

[Andy Wr]

The lights on my 03 ML are rubbish.

And my 02 ML, I think we need to decide on the best bulb for the job and give it a try.

Malcolm, from your catalogue could you please give us the best brand and model for a significant improvement.

 

[television]

And my 02 ML, I think we need to decide on the best bulb for the job and give it a try.

Malcolm, from your catalogue could you please give us the best brand and model for a significant improvement.

I do not have any more info, the chances are that they are all made on the same prodution line and badged. Of the three main contenders I think the Xenon gas filled silver stars from Osram would be the best bet with 50% more light. I do not like Ring products much compaired to others and find that they are as cheap as you can get.

I used the 100w lamps on my 124,but this does put the failure indicator on.
It was never picked up on a MOT.

Malcolm

 

[stargazerplus]

Halfords two for one is a good deal. Autoexpress tested them here:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/203966/bulb_test_h4_plus_50_per_cent.html

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/203961/bulb_test_h4_plus_30_per_cent.html

 

[Janice321]

Changed mine, after reading Autoexpress, from Halfords (2for 1)Really pleased with the result I think they were £20 for two (Cclass 220 CDI )

 

[Timechaser]

The Halfords ones seem to be only available for H1 and H4.

What's the general consensus here about H7? I would like something brighter than my current halogens, plus a whitish tinge if possible!!!

 

[Vangogh]

HI
My SLK has H7 and my Halfords had good stocks
Vangogh

 

[Timechaser]

Thanks. Is there anywhere I can buy them online? I dont have a halfords close by.

 

[television]

The Halfords ones seem to be only available for H1 and H4.

What's the general consensus here about H7? I would like something brighter than my current halogens, plus a whitish tinge if possible!!!

Then the Osram Silver Star H7 will fit the bill, 50% brighter.

Malcolm

 

[Phil D]

I've just ordered Osram Silver Stars from www.powerbulbs.co.uk for 20 quid including shipping. If you're desperate to get them they do an express delivery for an extra fiver - here's hoping they do the trick (and if so I'll get another set for my wife's Mini - the dipped beam performance is so dire I took it back to the dealer to get the alignment checked but was told all was well !)
Phil

 

[Chas]

hi
has anyone tried the +30 or +50 halogen bulbs - available for about 30 quid the pair? ifso would you recommend them as giving a sufficient improvement in light output or is it just a marketing gimmick to sell you bulbs at 3 times the normal price?
Phil

Go for these ones Phil. H7 X TREME POWER

http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk

I ordered mine in December, and the first shipment is next week from USA.
I have the Philips blue vision at the moment, and they are a lot better than the standard Merc bulbs
Philips X-Treme Power H7
Categories > Philips > H7 > Philips X-Treme Power H7
New! Get up to 80% more light on the road!

Due to overwhelming demand of Xtreme Power, Philips Automotive Lighting are temporarily out of stock . To avoid disappointment we are accepting pre orders to ensure you receive this product as soon as stock arrives with us.

Thanks to new technology developed by Philips, drivers can see and be seen like never before! X-treme Power headlamps project up to 80 per cent more light on the road ahead (depending on the type of head lighting unit used in the car).

The light is powerful and intense, and the extra quality and quantity of light provided by X-treme Power lamps make them ideal for drivers who want their cars to stand out in a crowd, while ensuring driver and passenger safety is of the highest priority.

X-treme Power is fully homologated for use in all European countries without restriction as replacement for conventional lamps. It is compatible with most head lighting units, including today's modern complex-shape headlights

Philips X-treme Power delivers up to an astounding 80% more light than standard halogens,
DOT legal and come with the same quality and performance we put into the lighting we sell to OEMs around the world.
X-treme Power is a new “must-have” for motoring enthusiasts and high performance drivers.
Interchangeable with existing H4 and H7
Legal for road use and safe to use with plastic lenses
Here’s what Auto Express had to say about Xtreme Power:

This is so new, we could not randomly select test samples, so can’t include it in our assessment. Yet performance of our pre production unit was staggering. Even compared with the current benchmark Plus per cent bulbs, the difference was immediate and dramatic. Philips claim an 80 per cent improvement over standard units, but we think that this is conservative.

The results have been achieved in the same way as the 30 and 50 per cent lamps-by taking the allowed tolerances right to the edge. This time though as well as reducing the filament and burning it hotter, Philips has shrunk the glass casing.

As a result, the gas pressure can be increased for better light output.Engineers have also optimised the geometry and shield position to focus the light where it is needed.

 

[Phil D]

They look very interesting
- Chas - if you are getting them this week could you either repost or send me an email & let me know if they are as good as they sound ?

I put the Osrams in the mini (mainly because it was a doddle to fit them) and the missus is undecided about them - having said that she's not been out in the dark yet !!!!!!!

certainly Power Bulbs customer service has been excellent with very fast, free delivery & a 10% off code for the next order
Phil

 

[Chas]

They look very interesting
- Chas - if you are getting them this week could you either repost or send me an email & let me know if they are as good as they sound ?

I put the Osrams in the mini (mainly because it was a doddle to fit them) and the missus is undecided about them - having said that she's not been out in the dark yet !!!!!!!

certainly Power Bulbs customer service has been excellent with very fast, free delivery & a 10% off code for the next order
Phil

Yes they are excellent people at Powerbulbs.
I sure will keep you informed Phil . USA folk say they are excellent, and are well worth it
I will take pics of my present Blue vision bulbs and the new ones when installed

Reason for delay in UK and rest of world.. (H7 and H4)

Jan 23, 2007 3:05 AM
Philips H4 XP - Current Update
These lamps are made in Aachen Germany and Philips has been experiencing a number of problems with this new product line. Philips has gained it reputation by making the worlds finest bulbs and will not release product until they are 100% happy. To this end they are redesigning the production line from Vision Plus to X-treme Power and this is taking longer than they thought and would have hoped. However it does mean that nobody is getting product at this current time.

We had a number of the initial, limited production and these were sent to allocated orders but none have been released since the middle of November when our last delivery was received. We had no indication to suggest that there was any problem or anticipated delay with production and fully expected the flow to continue smoothly. We continue to work with the Philips team in order to provide the latest updates and delivery forecast.


Here is a link from "Honda folks" showing pics to compare X treme bulbs with standard and 50% + bulbs

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread/1888068

 

[Chas]

Some more stuff on Philips X-Treme bulbs........
Looks like you can get them here now,with free delivery plus introductory discount too

http://autolamps-online.com/halogen/xtremecentre.htm

 

[wscheffer]

I know that here in the U.S. many states in the 40’s had outlawed lights of the blue spectrum. The reason being due to the blinding effect they have on oncoming traffic.

History being the mirror of tranquility; people tend to forget the reason why they were outlawed and had remove them from the books. So you have it, full circle and back to where we started.

So, being a full believer of fighting fire with fire I ordered a pair off e-bay the other day!!! :evil: