Which bulbs are closest to Xenon HID? at Car Bulbs Direct Canada.

Xenon HID

If you're looking for a bulb that will deliver the closest match to Xenon HID, it's important to establish exactly what you're looking for. Once you've done this, the choice of which product to choose is much easier.

Are Xenon HID Kits illegal?

Xenon HID is an excellent lighting system but must be factory fitted to be road legal. Illegal HID kits may claim to deliver the same quality and performance, but they often fail to do so due to poor manufacturing and quality control. They can also be a safety risk - how many times have you experienced glare from an oncoming vehicle with super bright headlights? This is usually the result of an HID kit.

Therefore if your vehicle has a halogen headlight unit, it's much better to upgrade the existing halogen bulb rather than add an HID kit into the vehicle. It's fully road legal and doesn't require any modifications to the vehicle, nor will it void your warranty, MOT or insurance.

Maximum light output or styling?

Xenon HID does two things; it delivers a lot more light on the road and it also has a distinctive blue/white colour. Unfortunately, the limitations of halogen mean we're not able to fully replicate these together to the same level, so it's much better to isolate one of these factors as a priority. This will ensure you get the best type of product for your needs.

I want to see as much of the road as (legally) possible

Choose a maximum performance product such as Philips X-treme Vision. This will deliver 100% more light than a standard bulb. It is not designed for styling so although the colour will be whiter than a standard lamp, this isn't the purpose of the product, so customers who are specifically looking for a bulb that will deliver the closest colour match to HID should choose another product.

I want to obtain the closest colour match to Xenon HID

If you're more interested in the styling aspect of HID and you'd like the light generated by your headlights to be a crisp white colour with a subtle blue styled tint to oncoming traffic, then you should look at a product like Philips Blue Vision Ultra. It has been specifically designed for this purpose and has a colour temperature of 4000K (Kelvin) - a factory fitted Xenon HID system is about 4300K, so it's a very close match. It also delivers 30% more light than standard, but increasing light output is not the main purpose of this product. If you want the most light on the road then you need to look at another type of product.

Can I get both maximum light output and styling?

In all honesty, no. It's much better to choose the objective that is most important to you in order to avoid disappointment. However, Philips Blue Vision Ultra does deliver 30% more light than standard, so if you are style conscious and relatively happy with the levels of light output generated by your existing bulbs (assuming they are standard in specification) then this product may serve as both a styling and modest performance upgrade for you.

Any questions?

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