@doubleclutch Yeah that’s what I said five years ago. The car came with HID standard and I said I didn’t want it, but didn’t have any choice. Now I wouldn’t go back. Like driving in daylight and animals seem to be attracted to me and they are much easier to see in the ditches. Outside of the fog and snow issue I mentioned.
I’ve always found halogen bulbs to work just fine with one exception and that’s with the headlights on the Lincoln Mark VIIIs. (the last few model years offered HID but most Marks did not have this)
In the case of the Marks the problem is not the bulbs; it’s the reflectors in the housing which tend to burn and dull from bulb heat. Some of them even turn orange followed by black and then cracking.
Ford Motor Company really screwed the pooch on these things. They’re horrible beyond belief and in all seriousness, a pair of magnetic flashlights stuck to the tops of the front fenders would work much better.
I just got my first HID equipped car last week and I drive through rural areas with lots of deer running around. I have to see the difference from my other halogen equipped vehicles is incredible. I can now drive more comfortably knowing I can actually see the deer BEFORE they try and run in front of me.
I am trying to be civil but those that have not driven cars in rural and other very dark roads (i.e. desert areas) may not understand the tremendous difference. My first HID car was a 1999 Lexus and it was like turning on a light switch in a dark room. I know there are people out there that have passion and may feel differently, but try it and you will literally see.
The proper modification usually is replacing the entire light unit/housing with HID model if existed on your vehicle. This also requires the related items that power it.
Aftermarket is for posers who want the look but not function. Like inexpensive performance tires.
The only thing I’ve noticed is that in a snow storm, the light reflecting off of the snow flakes makes visibility worse than normal lights.
I suspect the real issue is not the type of lamp, but rather the position. How close is the lamp to your line of sight?
Try this some foggy night. Park your car in a dark area and turn on the lights. Now get out of the car and try moving around. With no fog having the the lamps in in your line of sight should give you the best light, but if you move off center you will see more fog and less road.
I had a Miata with the lamps that popped up when turned on and they were right in my line of sight. Great light, even in fog. if I moved to either side, I lost a lot of the vision as the light was being reflected back at me off the fog.