ADUK Archive

As title really. I've stumbled across these Philips halogen bulbs and they claim to give out 130% more light than other halogen bulbs. They also claim a much longer and wider beam than standard halogens, with whiter light, while remaining completely road legal and non-dazzling.

Crucially, from an AD perspective especially, they claim a 45 metre increase in beam/vision length which they say equates to an extra 2 whole seconds of reaction time to hazards compared to standard halogen bulbs. Well worth it if true, surely?

Has anyone got any experience of them? Are they worth the 'upgrade' from OEM standards or is it a gimmick? I note that Halfords sell their own version of these as well and they're currently buy one get one free for both the dipped beam headlights and the fog lights with this technology.

If they're worth buying I could therefore take advantage of their cheap fitting option (my car is a PITA for fitting new bulbs, including removing mud guards and the air filter box).

I just wondered if anyone here had any experience of them. TIA.

M6L11 wrote:As title really. I've stumbled across these Philips halogen bulbs and they claim to give out 130% more light than other halogen bulbs. They also claim a much longer and wider beam than standard halogens, with whiter light, while remaining completely road legal and non-dazzling.

Crucially, from an AD perspective especially, they claim a 45 metre increase in beam/vision length which they say equates to an extra 2 whole seconds of reaction time to hazards compared to standard halogen bulbs. Well worth it if true, surely?

Has anyone got any experience of them? Are they worth the 'upgrade' from OEM standards or is it a gimmick? I note that Halfords sell their own version of these as well and they're currently buy one get one free for both the dipped beam headlights and the fog lights with this technology.

If they're worth buying I could therefore take advantage of their cheap fitting option (my car is a PITA for fitting new bulbs, including removing mud guards and the air filter box).

I just wondered if anyone here had any experience of them. TIA.

I've tried many of these bulbs over the years and they simply don't live up to the claims, so I no longer bother them - slightly better is about the best you can hope for and certainly nowhere near what they claim. The only way you're going to get a noticeable improvement, if you don't want to go down the illegal route, is to get a car with xenons.

Silk wrote: I've tried many of these bulbs over the years and they simply don't live up to the claims, so I no longer bother them - slightly better is about the best you can hope for and certainly nowhere near what they claim. The only way you're going to get a noticeable improvement, if you don't want to go down the illegal route, is to get a car with xenons.

My experience is somewhat different. I have used, for a few years, the earlier +100% Xtreme Vision bulbs and am very pleased with their performance. I have them fitted to a 1990 911 and a 05 Fiesta and the improvement was as claimed. A good guide is here:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessorie ... lb-reviews.

When I bought my XK8 the dipped beam headlamps were woeful. Shortly afterwards I fitted some of the Halfords bulbs. While there was a tangible improvement, they're still little better than candles!

I have the comparable Osram product, Night Breaker Plus I think, and whilst they're fine, I don't think there's an enormous difference, and the lighting setup is outclassed by most newer cars.

trashbat wrote:I have the comparable Osram product, Night Breaker Plus I think, and whilst they're fine, I don't think there's an enormous difference, and the lighting setup is outclassed by most newer cars.

My previous car had xenons, but I didn't spec them on my current car as Audi wanted about a grand and a half for them. I missed them at first (although, to be honest xenons, whilst good, are not really "all that" and can't perform miracles) and bought a set of Halfords most expensive halogens (on two for one offer). One blew after a few weeks and the other one is still working. I now have one of each and it's hard to tell the difference. I think I can tell - but that's probably because I know which is which.

In the end, physics is physics and all you can do with a headlight system is change the brightness or aim. It's very difficult to design a halogen bulb that's brighter without consuming more power (legal requirements mean it can't exceed 55W). It usually involves making the filament thinner, which seriously effects its lifespan. Aim is a function of the lens system and the actual design of the bulb has very little effect here apart from the fact that filaments can vary in shape resulting in quite a variation in light pattern, especially when magnified in a reflector or lens.

Xenons, on the other hand are vastly more efficient and only consume around half the power for around 2.5 times the brightness. As they also have the light concentrated on a predictable point source that tends to be more consistent between bulbs, they're much easier to aim accurately in order to avoid dazzling other road users - this isn't possible on higher wattage (illegal) halogen bulbs for the reasons given.

Snake oil, IMO.

I've had good results with them but the life can be shorter, as Silk says, because of the thinner elements. The more extreme the extra light claims, the shorter the life tends to be, so a compromise somewhere in the middle is often best for performance vs. pocket. The Halfords ones seldom do well in the Auto Express tests.

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:I've had good results with them but the life can be shorter, as Silk says, because of the thinner elements. The more extreme the extra light claims, the shorter the life tends to be, so a compromise somewhere in the middle is often best for performance vs. pocket. The Halfords ones seldom do well in the Auto Express tests.

I only used the Halfords ones, so I've no idea if other brands are significantly better. I'm sure there is a difference, just not enough to justify the cost.

Back to xenons on the next car, probably.

Thanks for all the interesting replies and experiences, everyone. It seems from answers here and elsewhere that they can make a difference but only if you stick to Philips bulbs, and expect them to die sooner.

Anecdotal experience generally isn't worth much either, because they're not a product you tend to compare side by side. A bulb fails, you replace both with a new pair (or at least I do, especially when changing product) and you immediately forget what the old ones were like.

There are comparisons out there, but a lot are crap. You need one done with a manually set camera, i.e. the same exposure settings.

For me I find they last at least 18 months, and their cost is minimal in the scheme of all things motoring, so I just get them in the hope they work out better than the cheap stuff.

I have also tried 'Nighbreakers' on my other focus and also had poor life out of them.

My ST is the first car I've owned with Xenons and I think they're fantastic - so much so that it would influence my choice of car in the future. I am aware they can be dazzling for oncoming drivers though...especially if the headlight is mucky - the washers - while being a legal requirement - don't actually keep it clean in my opinion.

I have the osram night breaker plus in and they are brilliant in the fiat grande punto. Miles better than the candles on the 126!!!

Old CUBby, now almost 15 years of age, is still on the original headlight bulbs, (keeping the long life clutch company, I expect ), and I have wondered about replacing them with something a bit better, but I haven't done anything about it so far.

Aftermarket bulbs of higher output have been discussed periodically on PH, and some people swear by them, but I'm not sure I would want to accept a much shorter life from them, especially if there is doubt about the extra performance to be had. I think I'll hold off a bit longer.

TripleS wrote:Old CUBby, now almost 15 years of age, is still on the original headlight bulbs, (keeping the long life clutch company, I expect ), and I have wondered about replacing them with something a bit better, but I haven't done anything about it so far.

Aftermarket bulbs of higher output have been discussed periodically on PH, and some people swear by them, but I'm not sure I would want to accept a much shorter life from them, especially if there is doubt about the extra performance to be had. I think I'll hold off a bit longer.

Yeah that's something concerning me. On my car headlights are a real pain, as is the case so often these days. Offside is a case of removing the wheel and wheelarch liner then sliding in from underneath to get the bulbs. Nearside is the same but you also have to remove the air filter box. How I miss the simplicity of my old 90s cars.

TripleS wrote:Old CUBby, now almost 15 years of age, is still on the original headlight bulbs, (keeping the long life clutch company, I expect ), and I have wondered about replacing them with something a bit better, but I haven't done anything about it so far.

Worth spending a fiver on even a replacement pair of cheap non-branded bulbs by now, then, Dave. The filament burns off and plasters itself as a grey film over the inside of the glass over time. New bulbs, even cheap ones, will be a big improvement.