Blue headlight bulbs?

[MrBonk]

Greetings,
Just went for a drive and noticed that one of my headlights
has died. I've not had the car long, but as soon as I got it I noticed that
the headlights gave off a wierd 'blueish' light. I didn't think any more
about it until just now when I removed the offending bulb, only to find
there's an odd semi-reflective looking coating on the glass of the bulb.
What sort of bulbs have I got here? They're marked 60/55 H4 etc, so they
look like normal bulbs apart from the strange coating on the glass.

Is there any advantage in sourcing the same type to replace it with? IE are
they any better than standard bulbs?

Thanks,
MrBonk
www.mrbonk.com

[Casper]

"MrBonk" <mrbonk69@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:42832371$0$16477$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
> Greetings,
> Just went for a drive and noticed that one of my headlights
> has died. I've not had the car long, but as soon as I got it I noticed
> that the headlights gave off a wierd 'blueish' light. I didn't think any
> more about it until just now when I removed the offending bulb, only to
> find there's an odd semi-reflective looking coating on the glass of the
> bulb. What sort of bulbs have I got here? They're marked 60/55 H4 etc, so
> they look like normal bulbs apart from the strange coating on the glass.
>
> Is there any advantage in sourcing the same type to replace it with? IE
> are they any better than standard bulbs?

First obvious disadvantage - they are cheap and prone to blowing. Some blue
bulbs are not legal.

>
> Thanks,
> MrBonk
> www.mrbonk.com
>
>

[fcuk'n]

"MrBonk" <mrbonk69@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:42832371$0$16477$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
> Greetings,
> Just went for a drive and noticed that one of my headlights
> has died. I've not had the car long, but as soon as I got it I noticed that
> the headlights gave off a wierd 'blueish' light. I didn't think any more
> about it until just now when I removed the offending bulb, only to find
> there's an odd semi-reflective looking coating on the glass of the bulb.
> What sort of bulbs have I got here? They're marked 60/55 H4 etc, so they
> look like normal bulbs apart from the strange coating on the glass.
> Is there any advantage in sourcing the same type to replace it with? IE are
> they any better than standard bulbs?

Bonkmeister,

Ditch 'em they are only blue for 'style effect' so they look a little like the
very expensive xenon bulbs. Get some decent 'vanilla' halogen bulbs and drive
safer at night!

fcuk'n

[Toby Ponsenby]

On Thu, 12 May 2005 19:56:04 +1000, fcuk'n wrote:

> "MrBonk" <mrbonk69@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:42832371$0$16477$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
>> Greetings,
>> Just went for a drive and noticed that one of my headlights
>> has died. I've not had the car long, but as soon as I got it I noticed that
>> the headlights gave off a wierd 'blueish' light. I didn't think any more
>> about it until just now when I removed the offending bulb, only to find
>> there's an odd semi-reflective looking coating on the glass of the bulb.
>> What sort of bulbs have I got here? They're marked 60/55 H4 etc, so they
>> look like normal bulbs apart from the strange coating on the glass.
>> Is there any advantage in sourcing the same type to replace it with? IE are
>> they any better than standard bulbs?
>
> Bonkmeister,
>
> Ditch 'em they are only blue for 'style effect' so they look a little like the
> very expensive xenon bulbs. Get some decent 'vanilla' halogen bulbs and drive
> safer at night!
>
> fcuk'n

Ummm, the +50 or +20's from the 'well-known' manufacturers are a good
shot.
They should be marked blue cut - meaning they don't have a high
content of UV which buggers up plastic lenses and is reputed to bugger
up plastic housings.
While you may not have plastic lenses on the lights, it's a fair bet
the housings are made of the shite.

There are also blue and yellow tint bulbs on the market that 'look'
like they are throwing white light, as they should.
The green tint ones are likely to score a rain of coke bottles, road
verge gravel and other material as a matter of form from other drivers
who don't appreciate having their night vision fucked about with.
Blue tint bulbs that produce blue light are cop magnets.


Of course if you can trust yourself to set the lights properly and
aren't prone to using the high beam at low speed, grab a set of UV cut
100/60's. Generally hard to find, these may or may not be legal. If
they are illegal, (they certainly are in Europe, so you shouldn't find
an E marked version of the bulb, they're at least not obviously so.
Go above that without a relay set-up and you'll cook off the terminals
and wiring - which goes first depends on the vehicle manufacturer
which wiring components they gave a shit about that year.

--
Toby.
quidquid latine dictum
sit, altum viditur

[Uncle Bully]

"MrBonk" <mrbonk69@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:42832371$0$16477$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
> Greetings,
> Just went for a drive and noticed that one of my headlights
> has died. I've not had the car long, but as soon as I got it I noticed
> that the headlights gave off a wierd 'blueish' light. I didn't think any
> more about it until just now when I removed the offending bulb, only to
> find there's an odd semi-reflective looking coating on the glass of the
> bulb. What sort of bulbs have I got here? They're marked 60/55 H4 etc, so
> they look like normal bulbs apart from the strange coating on the glass.
>
> Is there any advantage in sourcing the same type to replace it with? IE
> are they any better than standard bulbs?

Bluish white is supposed to be better than regular yellowish white but
Halogen doesn't burn blue so it sounds like a cheap attempt at acheiving
Xenon type bulb results.
Here's a good link with more detail:

http://www.tbyrnemotorsports.com/hids/hids.html

[Greg Stewart]

"MrBonk" <mrbonk69@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:42832371$0$16477$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
> Greetings,
> Just went for a drive and noticed that one of my headlights
> has died. I've not had the car long, but as soon as I got it I noticed
> that the headlights gave off a wierd 'blueish' light. I didn't think any
> more about it until just now when I removed the offending bulb, only to
> find there's an odd semi-reflective looking coating on the glass of the
> bulb. What sort of bulbs have I got here? They're marked 60/55 H4 etc, so
> they look like normal bulbs apart from the strange coating on the glass.

It is a coating designed to filter out a lot of the red/yellow light,
leaving you with a higher colour temperature white light.. as well as less
light..

> Is there any advantage in sourcing the same type to replace it with? IE
> are they any better than standard bulbs?

They are usually worse than standard bulbs due to their reduced light
output.. go a buy decent brand, normal halogen lamps with clear glass, make
sure you buy 2 while you are there and swap out the other one also..

[Toby Ponsenby]

On Thu, 12 May 2005 20:29:42 +1000, Greg Stewart wrote:

> They are usually worse than standard bulbs due to their reduced light
> output.. go a buy decent brand, normal halogen lamps with clear glass, make
> sure you buy 2 while you are there and swap out the other one also..

I'll bet he tells us the battery is in the way of the other one:-)
--
Toby.
quidquid latine dictum
sit, altum viditur

[MrBonk]

"Greg Stewart" <gstewart@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:d5vb59$7ks$1@nnrp.waia.asn.au...
>
> It is a coating designed to filter out a lot of the red/yellow light,
> leaving you with a higher colour temperature white light.. as well as less
> light..
>
>> Is there any advantage in sourcing the same type to replace it with? IE
>> are they any better than standard bulbs?
>
> They are usually worse than standard bulbs due to their reduced light
> output.. go a buy decent brand, normal halogen lamps with clear glass,
> make sure you buy 2 while you are there and swap out the other one also..

Yep, that's what I figured, but I thought I'd ask anyway :-)

It's funny you know.....all this time I've been assuming the crap headlight
performance was simply a product of the age of the vehicle (1989) and the
plastic headlight protectors it's got over them......now I find it's more
likely to be the stupid 'rice-boy' bulbs the previous owner
installed.....unreal.

MrBonk
www.mrbonk.com

[MrBonk]

"Toby Ponsenby" <toby@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:znxyp8csd1a6$.fxuzwtnjx83j.dlg@40tude.net...
> On Thu, 12 May 2005 20:29:42 +1000, Greg Stewart wrote:
>
>
> I'll bet he tells us the battery is in the way of the other one:-)

Pfft.....ye of little faith! I've already had the RHS one out so I could
put it in the LHS and confirm that it was the bulb that was buggered and not
something vastly more troublesome!

MrBonk
www.mrbonk.com

[Patrick Young]

Uncle Bully wrote:

> "MrBonk" <mrbonk69@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:42832371$0$16477$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...
>
>>Greetings,
>> Just went for a drive and noticed that one of my headlights
>>has died. I've not had the car long, but as soon as I got it I noticed
>>that the headlights gave off a wierd 'blueish' light. I didn't think any
>>more about it until just now when I removed the offending bulb, only to
>>find there's an odd semi-reflective looking coating on the glass of the
>>bulb. What sort of bulbs have I got here? They're marked 60/55 H4 etc, so
>>they look like normal bulbs apart from the strange coating on the glass.
>>
>>Is there any advantage in sourcing the same type to replace it with? IE
>>are they any better than standard bulbs?

Could be a variety of Xenon charged halogen (as opposed to HID). I
tend to find a whiter light easier to work with. Xenon charged halogen
can give a white light. Something like Autotecnica Silver Max. I'd stay
away from blue, blue light is also somewhat incompatible with seeing
well in rain conditions.

> Bluish white is supposed to be better than regular yellowish white but
> Halogen doesn't burn blue so it sounds like a cheap attempt at acheiving
> Xenon type bulb results.
> Here's a good link with more detail:
>
> http://www.tbyrnemotorsports.com/hids/hids.html

Any and all aftermarket HID is illegal and not ECE or ADR compliant.
Must be E-Marked with self leveling and cleaning.

USA and Japan/Canada do not have to use/comply with these regulations,
so no use ordering such kits from there.

[Mark H]

> Is there any advantage in sourcing the same type to replace it with? IE
are
> they any better than standard bulbs?

Get a pair of 130/100w H4's if you like your night vision bright and your
high beams blinding.
You might have to get new relays and fuses though if you take this route ;)

Generally, blue is bad for actually seeing where you are going, and rain
will kind of wipe your vision completely.

If you have crappy reflectors in the car though, I'd be going a
higher-wattage route. 60/55 are fine, but 100/90 are better and 130/90 are
best. Just make sure your lights aren't pointing towards other cars ala AU
Falcon headlights, and you should stave off the highbeam blinds from
oncoming traffic.

I run a 130/100 in my RHS and a 100/90 in my LHS as I do 90% of my driving
at night, and my reflectors are pointed towards the ground. Basically
doubles the brightness of your normal pool of light and increases the
distance slightly.

Just be sure your wanker lights (if any) are wired to your high beam... if
the car is an ex-rice, it's probably got a set or two.

-mark

[Michael C]

"Uncle Bully" <wakeupcall@optushome.com.au.REMOVE> wrote in message
news:42832f5e$0$8123$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...
> Bluish white is supposed to be better than regular yellowish white but
> Halogen doesn't burn blue so it sounds like a cheap attempt at acheiving
> Xenon type bulb results.
> Here's a good link with more detail:
>
> http://www.tbyrnemotorsports.com/hids/hids.html

Shit, they aren't cheap!!

XD-4k-90069006 4300k HID Conversion Kit (low beam)$429.99
XD-4k-90059005 4300k HID Conversion Kit (high beam)$429.99

XD-6k-90069006 6000k HID Conversion Kit (low beam)$549.99
XD-6k-90059005 6000k HID Conversion Kit (high beam)$549.99

XT-65k-90069006 6500k Xtreme HID Conversion Kit (low beam)$399.99
XT-65k-90059006 6500k Xtreme HID Conversion Kit (high beam)$399.99

XT-8k-90069006 8000k Xtreme HID Conversion Kit (low beam)$399.99
XT-8k-90059006 8000k Xtreme HID Conversion Kit (high beam)$399.99

XenonXenon HID headlights$589.99


>
>
>

[Sir Lex]

MrBonk wrote:
<snip>
> Is there any advantage in sourcing the same type to replace it with? IE are
> they any better than standard bulbs?
>
> Thanks,
> MrBonk
> www.mrbonk.com

Not really. I've used a set before and hated them. They were fine in
dry weather, but as soon as you have to do some night time driving in
the rain, the light was quite appalling.

After mine blew, I replaced them with Hella Plus 60's, which were far
better than a standard bulb, and much better than the blue bulbs.

I'm now running some Narva Plus 50's as they were half the price of the
Hella 60's, and they're also pretty good.

There's a detailed explanation of the pros and cons of blue bulbs here...

<http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/blue.html>

[ant]

Casper wrote:
> First obvious disadvantage - they are cheap and prone to blowing. Some
> blue bulbs are not legal.

I hate that blueish flash you get from some cars; at first you think it's
the cops or firies, but then you don't see it again.

ant

[Toby Ponsenby]

On Fri, 13 May 2005 09:45:17 +1000, ant wrote:

> Casper wrote:
>> First obvious disadvantage - they are cheap and prone to blowing. Some
>> blue bulbs are not legal.
>
> I hate that blueish flash you get from some cars; at first you think it's
> the cops or firies, but then you don't see it again.
>
> ant

That colour thing is NOT native to HID lights.
It's been deliberately added by the manufacturers purely for the Wank
Value as they perceive is required by their customers.
I ponder that every time I see thair light show effect.

And like why on earth did ANY regulators - the very same ones that
would boot a ricer up th arse for their blue tinge bulbs - allow that
rot in the first place.
As yet, I haven't come up with a solution.


--
Toby.
quidquid latine dictum
sit, altum viditur

[JD]

ant wrote:

> Casper wrote:
>> First obvious disadvantage - they are cheap and prone to blowing. Some
>> blue bulbs are not legal.
>
> I hate that blueish flash you get from some cars; at first you think it's
> the cops or firies, but then you don't see it again.
>
> ant

I think it comes from projector type low beam lights where the light is
focussed by a lens not a reflector. The problem is that affordable lenses
have chromatic aberration, that gives a coloured fringe to images, in this
case to the image of the mask giving the cutoff at the top of the low beam.
The red side of the fringe is less obvious because it merges into the
bright light, the blue merges into the shadow, and hence is more
noticeable.
JD

[kevcat]

>
> Could be a variety of Xenon charged halogen (as opposed to HID). I
> tend to find a whiter light easier to work with. Xenon charged halogen
> can give a white light. Something like Autotecnica Silver Max. I'd stay
> away from blue, blue light is also somewhat incompatible with seeing
> well in rain conditions.
>


they are also crap for country driving
blue light shining on grey road, green/grey bush and brown/grey wildlife
makes them almost impossible to see
you will get eye strain

and they are mush worse in the rain than normal lights

the only good thing about them is they reflect well of white objects
making guide posts easy to spot

Kev

[kevcat]

Michael C wrote:
>
> "Uncle Bully" <wakeupcall@optushome.com.au.REMOVE> wrote in message
> news:42832f5e$0$8123$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...
> > Bluish white is supposed to be better than regular yellowish white but
> > Halogen doesn't burn blue so it sounds like a cheap attempt at acheiving
> > Xenon type bulb results.
> > Here's a good link with more detail:
> >
> > http://www.tbyrnemotorsports.com/hids/hids.html
>
> Shit, they aren't cheap!!
>
> XD-4k-90069006 4300k HID Conversion Kit (low beam)$429.99
> XD-4k-90059005 4300k HID Conversion Kit (high beam)$429.99
>
> XD-6k-90069006 6000k HID Conversion Kit (low beam)$549.99
> XD-6k-90059005 6000k HID Conversion Kit (high beam)$549.99
>
> XT-65k-90069006 6500k Xtreme HID Conversion Kit (low beam)$399.99
> XT-65k-90059006 6500k Xtreme HID Conversion Kit (high beam)$399.99
>
> XT-8k-90069006 8000k Xtreme HID Conversion Kit (low beam)$399.99
> XT-8k-90059006 8000k Xtreme HID Conversion Kit (high beam)$399.99
>
> XenonXenon HID headlights$589.99
>

Set of HID Hella spots will set you back around $2000
and they need a 10,000V coil to get them started

Kev

[Patrick Young]

kevcat wrote:

> Set of HID Hella spots will set you back around $2000
> and they need a 10,000V coil to get them started

Around 25 kV. Easy to build the right inverter given
the right MOSFETS.

HID rocks orfroad. IMHO it is a bit too regulated on
road. Flat beam rectangular should be allowed as
headlamps (with no kick to the side).

Inserts to original housings should not be allowed
for obvious reasons.