jont wrote:I'd much rather see standard dipped bulbs, and leave the Xenon's for mainbeam, where having a really high level of light can be useful. However I've heard they take a short while to warm up and produce full levels of output, so having to keep switching them on and off probably wouldn't help.
I have so called 'bi-xenons' - ie xenon for both dipped and main beam. So far as I can work out the dipping arrangement uses a mechanical shutter, so there is no delay while you wait for the lights to warm up when you switch to main beam.
I don't get flashed. We have three cars with Xenons. In common with all original equipment Xenon fitted cars they come with automatic beam adjustment, and there is no manual override. I presume this is a requirement.
I recognise the point StressedD makes about the very sharp cut-off of dipped beam, and the fact that this can mean you see less beyond the cut-off. This seems to me to apply on my wife's car but not on my M3. Stressed D, you must try my car in the dark and see what you think.
On the upcoming new car I have ordered 'Intelligent light system' which is a further upgrade on top of 'Bi-Xenon lights with cornering feature'. The cynic would say that I am a fool and that a fool and his money..... I hope to be able to drive more safely and/or swiftly in the dark. Time will tell.
So far as upgrading main beam only is concerned, I think that most ordinary main beam lights are good enough for normal speeds. It is dipped beam lights which are speed limiting, and which are worth upgrading if possible. The case for Xenon main beams is to avoid the contrast with the brightness of Xenon dpped beams.