Replacing your existing halogen headlight bulbs with high-performance replacement bulbs can increase night visibility and safety.
By Bill Machrone
Whiter and brighter have always been good selling points, and they're just as applicable to automobile headlights as they are to laundry. The halogen bulbs found in most headlights provide whiter, brighter light than the older, yellowish sealed-beam designs that dominated U.S. headlights until the early 1990s.
Light that is closer to the color of daylight improves contrast and nighttime visibility, so most auto manufacturers have standardized on halogen headlights. An even newer design, the brilliantly blue-white xenon or high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp, is a further improvement, but it's considerably more expensive and is found only on luxury cars.
Replacing your existing halogen headlight bulbs with high-performance replacement bulbs can increase night visibility and safety. The higher "color temperature," or whiteness, of available replacement bulbs is closer to that of HID headlights than it is to that of standard halogen bulbs. (The higher the temperature of the bulb, the brighter it is). The color temperature of non-halogen tungsten headlights is approximately 2000°Kelvin (K); standard halogen headlights are 3000°K; and HID lamps are 4100°K. High-performance halogen replacements are 4000°K, almost as high as the HID lamps.
High-performance halogen replacement lamps are available from several manufacturers, such as Sylvania/Osram, Philips and PIAA. They are made in the same sizes and style designations as standard halogen bulbs, such as H4, 9004, 9007, etc. They meet DOT regulations for light output and wattage and are legal in all 50 states, unlike some aftermarket bulbs favored by "tuners," whose souped-up cars often have headlights with a dazzling blue color — far brighter than the law allows.
Look for approved brands such as Sylvania SilverStar, Philips CrystalVision Ultra Extreme or PIAA Xtreme White. The bulbs typically have a light blue cast to the glass, which helps to filter out the yellowness and make the white whiter. But don't worry: They won't look blue when installed in your car.
Making the Switch
The best way to determine the type of headlights currently in your car is to consult the owner's manual. If your car has round or rectangular sealed-beam headlights that require replacing the entire headlight, it's not a candidate for the upgrade unless you replace the headlight with a reflector assembly that accepts halogen bulbs. That conversion should be done by a shop with headlight aiming equipment.
It's unnecessary to re-aim your headlights when replacing the halogen bulbs. If oncoming drivers continually flash their headlights at you, however, you should assume that they're misaimed and get them professionally aligned.
Always wear clean gloves because skin oils or other contaminants can create heat buildup on the bulb's surface that will cause the bulbs to fail. If you follow the manual and the bulb manufacturer's directions, installation will be quick and trouble-free. If you really feel like you have 10 thumbs, almost any service station or repair center will install the bulbs for a nominal fee.
Some manufacturers recommend replacing all halogen bulbs regularly — as often as every year — because the glass can darken, cutting light output as the bulb ages. Comparing new bulbs to ones that have been in service for 18 months or so shows extremely slight darkening, certainly not enough to warrant replacement. Still, it might be worthwhile to inspect bulbs annually for signs of darkening.
Numerous owner reports describe noticeably better nighttime visibility with the 4000°K bulbs. This writer concurs, based on personal experience. For the $35 to $50 per pair, they're a worthwhile investment.
Bio:Bill Machrone, a writer for Ziff Davis Media, is the former Editor in Chief of PC Magazine. He has written numerous articles about automotive technology topics, including onboard performance monitoring devices, automotive upgrades, remote camera/backup systems and sonar parking systems.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Progressive Casualty Insurance Company or its affiliates.