h1 headlight bulbs

[Zann]

I can barely see anything at night but I attribute much of that to my yellow aged lenses. I plan to replace my headlights with a aftermarket set (still H1) and hopefully will see some improvement.

My lenses are so yellow I can barely see the internal parts of the headlight and yes I have tried sanding, grits, and other methods but these lights were too far gone by the time I got the car.

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

I just recently became aware the clear covers are both replaceable and available, without replacing the entire headlight assembly.

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...13184586693121

Once you get the yellowed covers issue resolved, there are two realistic ways to get brighter, significantly brighter, headlights that produce useable light.

1) Oshram bulbs, NOT Oshram Sylvania . Oshram bought and owns Oshram Sylvania, but produces completely different bulbs for the European market. They are the standard 55w halogens, but are enhanced with xenon gas (get it? Halogens with HID xenon gas) They are available with the standard bases used in NBs and are legal in the US. I have two threads, here and over on the Vortex, with very positive reviews of these bulbs and I have linked a very good online source in both threads. Go here -
Oshram v. Oshram Sylvania Bulbs!
Or here-
VWVortex.com - Best headlight replacement

2) Rewire your headlights, eliminating the path of travel of the required voltage through the headlight switch. Instead use the headlight switch to control low voltage relay(s) and wire the headlights in close proximity to the power source. Significant voltage drop is experienced, and hence lost, available brightness, the way the headlights are wired from the factory. The wire used by VW is substandard anyway, and this is why so many issues with the headlight wiring are encountered. Why, and how to do this wiring mod is explained in one of the Chapters published on a site by a personal friend of mine, Daniel Stern, who is a consultant to both the automobile lighting and regulatory industries. His site can be found here, where he explains why super white, blue and purple HIDs are bull****, proper bulb selection, modifications to improve bulb performance, wiring diagrams, etc.An escentual read for anyone who is looking to improve performance and not going for show.
Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply

M.

[boertje]

The bulbs in my 01 bug were original and were yellowish and dull. The lenses also had a plastic film on them which I removed since they were hazy. In my quest for the best H1 with the most light and and good reviews, I settled on the Philips X-treme vision bulbs. I'm impressed to the point that I have shelved an HID retrofit.

[Downtown Turbo]

Originally Posted by boertje

The bulbs in my 01 bug were original and were yellowish and dull. The lenses also had a plastic film on them which I removed since they were hazy. In my quest for the best H1 with the most light and and good reviews, I settled on the Philips X-treme vision bulbs. I'm impressed to the point that I have shelved an HID retrofit.

What about heat? Halogen bulbs with coatings to make the light "whiter" / higher up the kelvin scale tend to run hotter. I think my Phillips bulbs overheated the sealant between the lens and headlight housing and I see cracks now...

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by Downtown Turbo

What about heat? Halogen bulbs with coatings to make the light "whiter" / higher up the kelvin scale tend to run hotter. I think my Phillips bulbs overheated the sealant between the lens and headlight housing and I see cracks now...

Actually that is a fallacy. The brightes light/color spectrum is 4300kelvin Anything higher and it changes color to blue and then purple which also decreases the light output. So a 6000k or 8000k puts out less light then a 4300k light bulb.

[Downtown Turbo]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

Actually that is a fallacy. The brightes light/color spectrum is 4300kelvin Anything higher and it changes color to blue and then purple which also decreases the light output. So a 6000k or 8000k puts out less light then a 4300k light bulb.

I understand this. Porsche OE HID's (probably NB OE HID's also) only have an output of around 4300K. My Phillips bulbs don't have an output rating that high. I don't want purple headlights. I'm just trying to get as close as possible to HID territory without going through all the hassle and $$$ on parts

I'm talking about the coating that is used on the actual bulb glass to achieve the higher ratings. Not like the OSRAM bulbs MORAV was talking about that have a xenon boost.

I bought 55W Philips X-Treme Power H1's from powerbulbs which have now been replaced by the Philips X-treme Vision H1's.

http://www.powerbulbs.com/ca/product...eadlight-bulbs

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Manufacturer's Review

To meet the demand for unique lighting generated by custom car enthusiasts, we have created ExtremeVision, the brightest homologated, non-discharge lamp on the market today.

For those who won't settle for anything but maximum racing performance, the X-tremeVision lamp lights up the road further than any other lamp on the market and it's equally long lifetime ensures that you'll only stop when you want to.

The new X-Plosive concentrate of technology:
• Palladium-coated head and chrome-coated base
• Special anti-reflex coating
• Improved geometrical filament design
• New gas composition and adapted pressure
• Quartz glass with new optical finish.
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[Downtown Turbo]

MORAV where are you?

I found this already...

Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply: Superwhites