I have a 2011 Hyundai Sante Fe GLS. I need a pair of new low beam headlamps. I have some cataracts starting and need the brightest lamps I can legally use. How many lumens are the brightest legal replacement lamps and where should I buy them?
When you to your local auto parts store or big box store the bulb packages usually have the information on the back of the packaging comparing the various available bulbs. Brightest ones usually cost more and have shorter life but may well be worth it.
Also look at the lenses on your lights. If hazy they can either be polished or replaced- -makes a world of difference.
1 Like
Lumens aren’t an issue, Wattage is the issue, you can only legally use what your car came with.
If your car came with 35 watt bulbs that’s all you can use.
You can use bulbs with as many lumens as you want, as long as they are rated at 35 watts.
I’m using 35 watts as an example, your wattage may vary.
If you do some research, you will find that wattage and lumens will be pretty much the same for any bulbs of your size other than “long life”, which are always lesser lumens, at least from that I’e seen doing my shopping homework.
the higher you go on the price scale, the “brighter” on perception bulbs become, while rated real lumens/intensity is the same, the difference is mostly about how much bluish hue bulbs like “Silverlight” have, at expense of lesser longevity, as they are essentially “overdrive” the filament to shift the spectrum.
human perceive more bluish as “brighter”, and for cross-comparison, bulbs are given “color temperature” ratings, the higher is the more into the bluish part of the spectrum, where “SilverLights” are something like 4000K and are perceived “cool white”, while “long-life” bulbs are something like 3000K (perceived “yellowish”) and you can get in-between bulbs 3500K or so, which are perceived “warm white”
I’m not sure how cataract would affect that, but if for example you tend to have glare from “cool white” spectrum, you might want to aim lower on color temperature
do not get “long life” ones, these are definitely not as bright as you need
Is blinding other drivers really a better solution than getting cataract surgery?
Don’t know about OP but I had the cataract surgery & it made a big difference now no more glass’es my wife has cataract’s & the dr. said they have to get worse before the can be removed.
1 Like
My mother recently had the surgery too. It really clears things up.
1 Like
Yes it make’s a big difference it is like night & day. One thing I did not know until mine got real bad was the stop light’s are LED’s I could set at a red light & cound how many LED’s there were.