GetMeMyStogie
02-27-2012, 06:29 PM
So, after swapping out a headlamp for a used OEM replacement, I also changed the headlight bulbs. I went with the GE 9007 NightHawk Platinum NHP bulbs. I am very happy I did, because they are awesome!
Prior to those, I had a single Phillips 9007XP bulb, with about 1.5 years of runtime on it, and a single Phillips 9007 Vision Plus bulb with about 2 years of runtime. The VP bulb was in an awful aftermarket housing (what I replaced) so it's output was dismal. The XP bulb, while in an OEM housing, had quite reduced output that was noticeably yellow. It's not unexpected for halogen output to reduce over time - that's the tradeoff for higher initial output. After the swap, I saw the difference and had a close look at the filament of the old XP bulb. It was visibly deterioated, and proably wouldn't have lasted much longer.
On to the new 9007NHP: I just came back from a 5-hour nighttime drive from Montreal to Toronto, and was pretty happy with the lighting.
On the way to Montreal, also at night, the weather was bad, ranging from nearly dry roads, to lightly-slush-covered with wet snow. Speeds rarely exceeded 130 km/h (80 mph). The light from the headlamps was even without any hotspots or noticeable 'beams' projecting through the precipitation. At cruising speed, even with falling rain/snow/hail, I could see ahead quite comfortably most of the time. There was just 1 curve when distance visibility reduced, and I felt a bit panicked. But I was still many seconds away from the curve and had no problem negotiating it - it just came up sooner than most of the other curves.
As for the way back, the weather was much better. Clear, and dry all the way home, with a waxing crescent moon. Speeds ranged from 130-170 (80-105). Most of the time, the low-beam was sufficient. I used the high beam when there was no other traffic around, and even at those speeds, I could see ahead a good 20 seconds or so (I didn't really time it) in areas with no other form of man-made lighting. In high-beam, some of the foreground lighting was reduced, as distance lighting increased. More noticeable was that side-lighting increased a lot. I'm sure that adjusting the aim a bit lower would have resulted in less foreground loss, but I think that would not have increased for distance visibility. As it was, I think I was maxed out on the distance capability. When flying along at 90 mph, I'm not looking 50 or even 500 feet in front - I'm looking more like 400m or 500m (over a 1/4 mile).
Also worth mentioning, I had zero eye-strain on either leg of the trip - only some highly-reflective signs got a bit too bright on approach with the high-beam.
I would recommend these bulbs to anyone who wants maximum visibility without the sacrifices of HID*, and who doesn't mind replacing them every year.
* All OEM functions maintained with the halogen bulbs, including:
dipped beam (low beam)
driving beam (high beam)
daytime running lights
flash-to-pass
street legal
all OEM wiring used - no new wiring or quality-of-installation issues to worry about
Xenon bulbs and ballasts do not like to be cycled on and off - the high-voltage charge needed to start the burn reduces the capsule life, which is why OEM HIDs use a single capsule with either a folding shield for a low- and high-beam (bi-xenon) or a separate halogen for a high-beam. Most aftermarket HID sacrifice capsule life for 'bi-xenon' functionality. Halogen, otoh, has no problem with being cycled on and off repeatedly, although capsule life is also sacrificed to get more output.
Prior to those, I had a single Phillips 9007XP bulb, with about 1.5 years of runtime on it, and a single Phillips 9007 Vision Plus bulb with about 2 years of runtime. The VP bulb was in an awful aftermarket housing (what I replaced) so it's output was dismal. The XP bulb, while in an OEM housing, had quite reduced output that was noticeably yellow. It's not unexpected for halogen output to reduce over time - that's the tradeoff for higher initial output. After the swap, I saw the difference and had a close look at the filament of the old XP bulb. It was visibly deterioated, and proably wouldn't have lasted much longer.
On to the new 9007NHP: I just came back from a 5-hour nighttime drive from Montreal to Toronto, and was pretty happy with the lighting.
On the way to Montreal, also at night, the weather was bad, ranging from nearly dry roads, to lightly-slush-covered with wet snow. Speeds rarely exceeded 130 km/h (80 mph). The light from the headlamps was even without any hotspots or noticeable 'beams' projecting through the precipitation. At cruising speed, even with falling rain/snow/hail, I could see ahead quite comfortably most of the time. There was just 1 curve when distance visibility reduced, and I felt a bit panicked. But I was still many seconds away from the curve and had no problem negotiating it - it just came up sooner than most of the other curves.
As for the way back, the weather was much better. Clear, and dry all the way home, with a waxing crescent moon. Speeds ranged from 130-170 (80-105). Most of the time, the low-beam was sufficient. I used the high beam when there was no other traffic around, and even at those speeds, I could see ahead a good 20 seconds or so (I didn't really time it) in areas with no other form of man-made lighting. In high-beam, some of the foreground lighting was reduced, as distance lighting increased. More noticeable was that side-lighting increased a lot. I'm sure that adjusting the aim a bit lower would have resulted in less foreground loss, but I think that would not have increased for distance visibility. As it was, I think I was maxed out on the distance capability. When flying along at 90 mph, I'm not looking 50 or even 500 feet in front - I'm looking more like 400m or 500m (over a 1/4 mile).
Also worth mentioning, I had zero eye-strain on either leg of the trip - only some highly-reflective signs got a bit too bright on approach with the high-beam.
I would recommend these bulbs to anyone who wants maximum visibility without the sacrifices of HID*, and who doesn't mind replacing them every year.
* All OEM functions maintained with the halogen bulbs, including:
dipped beam (low beam)
driving beam (high beam)
daytime running lights
flash-to-pass
street legal
all OEM wiring used - no new wiring or quality-of-installation issues to worry about
Xenon bulbs and ballasts do not like to be cycled on and off - the high-voltage charge needed to start the burn reduces the capsule life, which is why OEM HIDs use a single capsule with either a folding shield for a low- and high-beam (bi-xenon) or a separate halogen for a high-beam. Most aftermarket HID sacrifice capsule life for 'bi-xenon' functionality. Halogen, otoh, has no problem with being cycled on and off repeatedly, although capsule life is also sacrificed to get more output.