[Sebring]

I'm not seeing 20-25% improvement using ExtremeVision. More like 5% up. At that price it's not worth it. My previous Zen had 90/100 and they were a marked improvement for sure. Used to light up the entire street in the dark.

[RSR]

Originally Posted by Engine_Roars

My Hyundai Xcent S(O) is six months old and runs on stock headlamps. I don't feel confident while driving it at nights, the throw of light is way too less at low beams and just does not feels right. Please suggest the maximum upgrade possible without having to fiddle too much with the wiring to keep the warranty intact.

Headlamp bulbs of the same wattage but with more light output and/or a better throw such as the Philips Xtreme Vision or Osram Night Breaker Unlimited would be your best bet. These are simple plug-and-play replacements that don't affect any warranty. Of the two, the Xtreme Vision has slightly more yellowish light output that would be useful in varied conditions.

You can also put your fog lamps to good use at night, even when there is no fog around. OEM fog lamps are designed to have a lower throw than the headlamp low beam (as they are meant to light up the area just in front of the car). However, using them in combination with the low beam does increase the visibility & confidence for the driver by a decent margin. Some fog lamp bulbs can also be upgraded to ones with better light output from the same wattage, but this depends on type of fog lamp bulb in your car.

You can keep your headlamp level adjuster at the highest position (i.e. one meant for the lightest load) all the time. Also, get rid of things (if they're present) such as the little black "bulls-eye" stickers or tape stuck on the right headlamp (unless of course, the cops in your city are particular about having these on the headlamps).

[drhoneycake]

Originally Posted by john doe

Hi. I am very surprised to hear this. My Fluidic Verna has such terrific headlights which can be controlled with the adjustment wheel / dial really well.

Of course, my car came with regular bulbs. I am guessing that your car came with projector lights. Even then, can they be so bad?

Hi John,

Sorry if I misled you, but mine is a SX CRDi variant, so it came with normal halogen lamps and not the projector ones seen on the SX(O) variant.

Tried all sorts of adjustments on the wheel/dial, but to no avail.

The headlamps dont inspire confidence at all for night drives. In city its fine because of the surrounding lights but on the highways, its a big letdown for a car that costs this much. My Astar had much better lamps and was running on stock bulbs before I sold her off this December.

[Engine_Roars]

Originally Posted by RSR

Headlamp bulbs of the same wattage but with more light output and/or a better throw such as the Philips Xtreme Vision or Osram Night Breaker Unlimited would be your best bet. These are simple plug-and-play replacements that don't affect any warranty.

Hi,

Thank you for such a detailed reply. Much appreciated. I will try and upgrade to one of the bulbs you have mentioned. As far as Fog lamps is concerned, I do keep them on at night and sometimes even at noon when I am driving on highways, I think it helps other cars to notice my car and yes, they do make me feel more confident. I do not have any stickers/tapes pasted on the lights. I like to keep my ride simple but of course T-Bhp stickers are a part of it .

Thanks,
Ashish

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Engine_Roars

As far as Fog lamps is concerned, I do keep them on at night and sometimes even at noon when I am driving on highways, I think it helps other cars to notice my car

I as a rule do not use fogs except at night and that too only in adverse conditions. How about getting FogVisions from Osram, which are available on eBay.

[TheIndian]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Since M&M already warned you, it's always better to go with 35w HIDs. I had these in my swift that ran on projectors. It's more than enough. I would recommend Philips, Osram or P8 HIDs. That should come within that price range but expect Philips to be a bit more expensive.

The stock bulb is already 55W. Their denying warranty is not due to 55W but for aftermarket HID bulbs and ballast which may require cutting the wiring (as per them). However, as I understand, it's all plug n play and no cutting is required.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Two things - Yes they may try and void the warranty. The only legit options are Osram Might Breaker Plus/Ultimate or the Philips equivalents with about 20% more light. These are drop in replacements with the same wattage.

Why not wait till the warranty is over. However, when you go the HID way 35W 4300K should be fine, but make sure you have good AC Ballasts. Hylux/Hyalutek is a good Chinese brand. The price you are mentioning appears to be too low.

I've 3 years warranty Plus 2 years Extended warranty. By the time warranty is over, I might upgrade the car itself

The stock bulbs are is 55W. So, why not 55W over 35W HID? I guess 55W HID would give more visibility than 35W HID?

I think I'll have to "fight" with those guys that since there is no wire cutting, the electrical warranty can't be void (I need that confirmation from them on email before I go HID way)

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by TheIndian

However, as I understand, it's all plug n play and no cutting is required. I've 3 years warranty Plus 2 years Extended warranty. By the time warranty is over, I might upgrade the car itself

The stock bulbs are is 55W. So, why not 55W over 35W HID? I guess 55W HID would give more visibility than 35W HID?

I think I'll have to "fight" with those guys that since there is no wire cutting, the electrical warranty can't be void (I need that confirmation from them on email before I go HID way)

I agree with five years you cannot wait fr the warranty to be over.

You may have to tap into the wires since the connectors for the Ballast may be different. I suggest get the 3M tap in connectors so no cutting is actually done. These just tap in and provide a second connection. I will advise that get projectors, if you do not have them, as a consideration to fellow road users. As for wattage 35W is far more popular, and still you will get a 2x plus improvement on 55W Halogens. Remember the HID bulb is not a replacement since the discharge zone is different from the filament zone, so the beam pattern goes awry.

I have put in 55W HIDs in place of the 35W H11s in my fogs. The connectors look remarkably similar but are not swappable, even through the youtube videos seem to suggest so. The pitch is different. At that time I did not have the 3M connectors so I had to cut and solder the leads. Also, I did not go for relays etc. You can search for my Alabaster Silver Civic thread for pics etc.

One possibility, get 55W ballasts but still 35W HIDs. Then you do not have to change the ballasts. Make sure you get good quality AC ballasts.

[TheIndian]

^^^
Are there any disadvantages of 55W HID over 35W HID bulbs?

Also, am not able to get details of HID kit (H7 55W 4300K.... Bulbs+Ballast+anything else required) for reputed manufacturers like Philips, Osram etc. Some details are available for P8 by Amritras India but not much.

[fastraj]

^^^
I feel the 35w hid bulbs and ballast are more than sufficient and plus it doesn't load your electricals much. Actually nowadays 55w is popular because people want the highest watts, but realistically the improvement in brightness is marginal. I have had 35w hid in both projectors and reflectors. They perform well.

[Engine_Roars]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I as a rule do not use fogs except at night and that too only in adverse conditions. How about getting FogVisions from Osram, which are available on eBay.

Just out of curiosity, I know Fog Lamps are supposed to be used when there is Fog but under normal circumstances using a little more light would not do any harm or would it? I have been using the Fog lamps since quite a while now, and I do think they increase the visibility for driver and makes the spotting of vehicle easier for others too.When on road trips, I have experienced that I notice those cars first which have their headlights on during the day time. So, I chose a mid way, I keep my headlights off, and fog lights on during day time and during nights, both headlights & fog lights on, when on long Road trips.

-Ashish

[Zahir]

Originally Posted by TheIndian

^^^
Are there any disadvantages of 55W HID over 35W HID bulbs?

Also, am not able to get details of HID kit (H7 55W 4300K.... Bulbs+Ballast+anything else required) for reputed manufacturers like Philips, Osram etc. Some details are available for P8 by Amritras India but not much.

Shorter life is the biggest disadvantage. You don't need to worry about battery load too much because your relay & ballasts will take care of that. You might need a good quality canbus to manage error correction if your ecu has the error tracking for bulbs in place.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by Engine_Roars

Just out of curiosity, I know Fog Lamps are supposed to be used when there is Fog but under normal circumstances using a little more light would not do any harm or would it? I have been using the Fog lamps since quite a while now, and I do think they increase the visibility for driver and makes the spotting of vehicle easier for others too.When on road trips, I have experienced that I notice those cars first which have their headlights on during the day time. So, I chose a mid way, I keep my headlights off, and fog lights on during day time and during nights, both headlights & fog lights on, when on long Road trips.

-Ashish

Fog lamps doesnt provide a long reach, rather it provides a wider reach/throw. They are designed to provide maximum visibility over a shorter area. It doesnt make spotting of others vehicles easier (maybe the ones that's right in front of your car ).

[599gto]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I as a rule do not use fogs except at night and that too only in adverse conditions. How about getting FogVisions from Osram, which are available on eBay.

Precisely sir, I think that is the reason why I can not switch on your fog lamps unless I switch on my headlamps on my VW Polo, same with my 2010 Hyundai i20 too, I wonder why other manufacturers don't take the similar route, I find it ridiculous(not distracting) to see people drive around with just their fog lights on, I don't mean to offend anyone but I don't think it serves any purpose at all!

[sgiitk]

@599gto; You need at least the parking lamps on in order to get the fogs to work. This is so in all our Honda's - Civic, City, Amaze and Brio all with factory installed fogs. Of course with locally installed fogs anything goes.

[Engine_Roars]

Mod note: Back to back posts, use Multi Quote [Quote+] instead. Thanks.

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Fog lamps doesnt provide a long reach, rather it provides a wider reach/throw. They are designed to provide maximum visibility over a shorter area. It doesnt make spotting of others vehicles easier (maybe the ones that's right in front of your car ).

And I thought Fogs were saving my life . See, that's why I always wanted to be a part of this forum. It pays. Thanks for your explanation.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@599gto; You need at least the parking lamps on in order to get the fogs to work. This is so in all our Honda's - Civic, City, Amaze and Brio all with factory installed fogs. Of course with locally installed fogs anything goes.

Mine is 2014 Hyundai Xcent and Fogs are factory installed. Never the less they work without the headlamps on.

Anyways point taken, using Fogs without Fog is not required. Today is a good day, learnt a new thing.