I tried some of those wannabe blue bulbs, hated them and went back to o.e.
There’s the problem. They’re usually halogen bulbs tinted blue and may use higher wattage to make up for it. The result is rather dismal to say the least. Since blue is usually the color that scatters the easiest, you get pretty much no light during a rain storm, save for reflections off a street sign.
When standardized sealed beams were abandoned in favor of stylists rendition of plastic headlight buckets, automotive lighting became a crap-shoot, some worked quite well, others are almost useless…
Every time this debate about headlights comes up, there is always a group bemoaning the demise of the sealed beam lamp. It occurred to me, that if you’re old enough to recall their use (myself included), perhaps it is not so much that headlamps have gotten worse over time… ;-D
OEM lighting is designed within the standard and is usually not a problem for oncoming traffic. It’s when the vehicle is modified (e.g. lifting) or aftermarket HIDs are installed when it becomes a problem. That’s when I’m tempted to fight photons with photons. A 35kW/sr short arc Xenon lamp would send a clear message…
If the old sealed beam headlights were anything like the lights on my old Chevelle, I’ll take the new fangled things any day. Not sure if it was just that they weren’t lined up very good, but they produced just a circular smidge of light a few feet down the road, barely lighting anything up. With the high beams on, then it was alright; similar to modern day brights.
I want to see the whole road and parts off to the side, not a couple portals of illuminated roadway.
Test drive a car with HID at night and you’ll be sold. Lights up the road like day light. I’ve got fog lights and they really don’t do a thing for night vision as far as I’m concerned. They may help a little in snow because they are low to the ground but otherwise help drivers to see you rather than the other way around.
I have found that one of the best uses for fog lights is their ability to make potholes more noticeable at night.
As our roads become ever more pock-marked with holes, I have begun to use my fog lights at night on roads that are in poor condition.
I would suggest you use more softer lights than brighter ones. As someone with good night vision, whenever HID or Halo light equipped vehicle comes around a curve and the beams hit me in the eyes, I am blinded for several seconds. I have more than once almost crashed due to those ‘super bright’ lights. And on a road with s-curves, that might mean I will end up in your lane. And I have encountered vehicles with multiple lights that are not ‘super bright’ and I can still see after they pass. Just not while they are passing. Remember while you are compensating for your disability, you are actively causing others a problem that is just as dangerous.