Complete Headlight Bulb Comparison Thread

[lardygeezer]

VT_RainMan previously said:

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS SITE

That's a great source of information.... I learned a ton on that site in short period of time. Go to the tech segments and read all 4 Bulb Articles sections. Wow... I had no idea. Basically all of this HID/hyperwhite stuff is absolute nonsense.

Wow that is some really intense stuff (no pun intended). Now if only the Fed's would have the same concerns about the idiots with their "Boom" cars!!

[lardygeezer]

frankv64 previously said:

Just read the article, it seems that i probably wasted a couple of hundred bucks on bulbs already.

Yep...but hey life's like that.

But I'm sure others will agree with my sentiment that your intention was commendable and worthwhile.

[VT_RainMan]

Eventhough the article says the ultra whites and what not are completely wasted money and in some cases worse than regular. I was driving home last night and when I got onto the backroad leading to my house, I turned on my offroad lights. I don't care what that guy says on his site.... It is better to have bright freak'n lights when glare is not an issue (no signs, pavement, painted lines, etc.). so... IMO it's not wasted money if you use the hyper whites when offroading.

[VT_RainMan]

I think the stuff he says about "retrofitting" HID's into regular halogen projector housings is definitely something to avoid though. I almost wasted money there.. and had no idea that it could be a legal issue... and with good reason too.

[scphilli]

FJoel previously said:

Now for the numbers...

I decided to test my stock before and after I cleaned the headlight domes. I was happy with my findings.

Stock with dirty domes: 244 Lux
Stock with clean domes: 311 Lux

BIG Difference!

If you want to see at night, keep your headlights clean!

I will list the lux ratings in descending order, so don't confuse the lux numbers with the photography timeline I used above...

PIAA: 411 Lux

Koito: 396 Lux

Silverstar Ultras: 379 Lux

IPF: 377 Lux

GE Nighthawk: 357 Lux

Silverstar: 339 Lux

Hella: 336 Lux

Raybrig: 311 Lux

Stock: 311 Lux


Notes: While the Raybrigs offered no improvement over the stock bulbs in terms of light density, they did provide a "less" yellow light, so I listed them above stock. Potentially a waste of money here...

I expected more from the Hellas... though the color of the light was improved, possibly only bested by the Koitos and PIAAs, the density was not the drastic improvement I expected.

My first set of PIAA's only lasted me 11 months, so longevity may be the trade off for their extremely white and dense light. However, I cannot say if I did not touch the bulbs or not back then because I was so excited to get them in there. Perhaps my next set will do better now that I know to NEVER TOUCH THE GLASS!

The afterglow of the IPF Magic's is just plain cool!



Any questions... post up or PM me.

If you want my opinion... get the PIAAs. Those aren't for sale by the way.

Excellent write up! The PIAA's definitely appear to be brighter, but the 11 month failure is a bummer. ANyone else have experience with these bulbs? I have been running the Ultras in all of my vehicles and have almost 2 years one set with no problem. I live in the country (dark) and the Ultra's have been a great improvement over the stock lights on the silverado, odyssey, and FJ.

[VT_RainMan]

IIRC... FJoel said something about accidentally handling the bulb with his fingers. I've never had one die out on me that fast... unless it was exposed to the elements or touched by hand before installing.

[williamryankey]

I have LEDs in my mirror lamps and I want to find a bulb that has the same blue tint to it that the LEDs have. Any suggestions?