HID Lights
 

So...I installed a pair of Sylvania SilverStar High Intensity Discharge lamps in the Explorer today. I needed to replace one of the headlamps anyway, and I thought 'Gee, it would be so cool if I could actually *see* the deer standing in the middle of the road around here before I'm on top of them', so I paid out the $40 and installed them.

Anyone have any long-term experience with these? Like 'em? Do they last? Do you feel it improves your driving safety? Or do you just think that people who use them are all assholes because they blind you while *you're* driving?

i dont see the whole "blind you" thing. They're just a different color. ditsract you momentarily, maybe. but blind you? dont stare into them, dumbass!

HIDs? For $40?

If you had normal headlights before and replaced only the bulb/glass section and it required no extra circuitry that runs for ~$2000, then I don't think you got real High Intensity Discharge Lamps.

I stand corrected...they are *not* HID. And I *am* an idiot.

The Silver Stars are a "high performance" halogen bulb that puts out about 20% more light.
HID lights for the Explorer run about $800.

The Silver Stars are a "high performance" halogen bulb that puts out about 20% more light.

Ah! I had a set of these on my Honda for awhile. Very good, not at all blinding (at least not until I got them aligned correctly -- oops), and they lasted a hell of a lot longer than the normal lights. The light from them looked a lot "cleaner" and more pleasant to drive with.

I just drove around awhile ago with the new lamps for the first time. Much "crisper" light, and more intensity as well. It really shows up in reflective surfaces, like stop signs and such. The whiter light is also a big improvement. You think regular halogens are pretty white, then you use these...

True HIDs would be pretty damn sweet, based on the reading I've just done, but man...expensivo.

According to the resident expert on rec.autos.driving, the Sylvania SilverStar produces more glare (so yes, it can be more blinding) and no better visibility.

The actual brigher lights he lists are "Sylvania
Xtravision, Wagner BriteLite, GE High Output, Philips High Visibility, Candlepower Bright Light, Narva Rangepower, and -- confusingly -- Osram Silverstar"