High intensity headlights (Xenon, etc)

In a perfect world, all light sources (aka bulb) would be a point, and you'd just need to get this point into the correct position and any type of light would work as long as it was the correct brightness. However each bulb is not a point source, so the headlight lens and reflector are designed for the source of light. Changing the source for one that is a different shape (and if poorly done, position) will only scatter your light around where is doesn't do you any good and hurts other users of the road. Coloured bulbs get that way by blocking some light, thus there's less available to light your way. All you need to know (and more) is at:

Xenon bulbs are direct replacements for your halogen items, except the gas inside them (xenon) produces a bright white light when charged, as opposed to a yellowish light with Halogen. I've just fitted Xenons to the dips and mains of my S70 and it makes a hell of a difference at night.

J.

Replaced my main and dipped bulbs on my S70 with Osram Silver Star Xenon bulbs. They take exactly the same current so the standard car electrics are not affected in any way.

The improvement in light output and visibility is amazing.!!!

The normal price here in the UK is £19.99 (US$ 37) per bulb but I bought the genuine item from ebay for £9 (US$16) for 2 bulbs. For further information look at the Osram website

NB: The bulbs sold as "Osram Silver Star" in the US are completely different from the ones sold in Europe. If the OP is in the US, he should *definitely* read Daniel Stern's site (already posted) before purchasing any bulbs that do not match the OEM spec.

There's considerable debate among people who have studied the effects of "whiter" bulbs on whether it's actually helpful. I have no interest in arguing this point, but I would suggest that anyone considering changing their bulb type do some research.

Also, as Stern notes, you may well get the largest improvement in lighting performance by rewiring your lighting system to reduce voltage drop, not by changing bulb type.

I have followed David Hueppchen's instructions in this article and had tremendous results. YMMV ;_) :

NickZ.