Fog Lights...

[BTB 500]

Driving a car with halogen headlamps at night now is like sidelights.

Xenon bulbs like Osram Silverstars emit approximately 50% more light than standard halogen bulbs of the same wattage, and for about £18 a pair are a very worthwhile upgrade if you don't have gas-discharge xenon headlights.

(NB these are not the same as the silly 'blue tint' bulbs, which are purely cosmetic)

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product_test/39917/bulbs_plus_50_per_cent.html

 

[Satch]

Xenons are the wrong colour for fog use, the light is reflected back at the driver. The best colour for fog penetration is yellow.

Quite right. The human eye is least sensitive to blue light and coupled with the small fact that blue light is absorbed by water (rain, fog etc) makes all those adverts suggesting that ultra high colour temperature (12,000K!!!!) lights are "better" crass nonsense.

4200K is about right, which is what MB use.

HID is just a way of getting greater light output in lumens for a given energy input and you can buy specialist HID units which are rated at 2600k and so are, yes, yellow!


Fine source of most things lampy here:

http://www.autolamps-online.com/index.htm

 

[Silestanix]

I've got Osram silverstar's on my Vito, and compared to the normal H7 halogens, they do make a difference at night because they're alot more brighter, and more whiter than the old H7's I had. The Osrams still have enough yellow to penetrate fog though, which is something I noticed when I took my mates C240 to Liecester...Xenons don't penetrate fog well at all.

 

[scumbag]

i tried my fog lights once....but i saw no fog so i assumed they didnt work really.