Not impressed by Philips Vision Plus

[mclasser]

I've had good luck with its XtremeVision big brother. However, the lower price and claimed better lifespan led me to try out the Vision Plus this time.

I installed these in an H11 application and am not impressed. They put less light onto the road than even old standard long life bulbs. And, yes, the lenses are clear and everything is aimed correctly.

Anybody else have a similar experience with these bulbs?

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

I've used quite a few pairs of them and I'm generally happy. Not sure whey you're saying they are less bright than standard bulbs. Did you actually replace them with standard bulbs and noticed a positive difference afterward?

 

[atikovi]

All headlight bulbs sold in the U.S. have to meet DOT regulations. I use the cheapest $3-$4 bulbs I can find and have no problem driving at night.

 

[brianl703]

All headlight bulbs sold in the U.S. have to meet DOT regulations

Theoretically.

In practice, you can find all sorts of non-compliant trash on Ebay, Amazon, and elsewhere.

 

[Vercingetorix]

All headlight bulbs sold in the U.S. have to meet DOT regulations. I use the cheapest $3-$4 bulbs I can find and have no problem driving at night.

The DOT rules are being circumvented. The coatings Philips/Osram use reduce output in non light producing areas allowing them to run a brighter bulb while still meeting the overall output specs.

 

[odie]

SYLVANIA XtraVision . Clear bulb for white light ( 3200K ) . Longer life than more expensive bulbs and same wattage as O.EM.. Under $21 ( 9003 H4 ) , others vary in price . .

 

[UG_Passat]

The DOT rules are being circumvented. The coatings Philips/Osram use reduce output in non light producing areas allowing them to run a brighter bulb while still meeting the overall output specs.

VisionPlus are clear. No light robbing tint on them.

 

[Vercingetorix]

VisionPlus are clear. No light robbing tint on them.

That is not what I was referring to. Implying all bulbs are the same because they all meet DOT was.

 

[UG_Passat]

That is not what I was referring to. Implying all bulbs are the same because they all meet DOT was.

This thread is about Philips Vision Plus, in case you haven't noticed.

 

[Vercingetorix]

This thread is about Philips Vision Plus, in case you haven't noticed.

Did you see what was quoted?
“All headlight bulbs sold in the U.S. have to meet DOT regulations.”
Did you see my reply to that specific quote?

 

[Carmudgeon]

VP was state of the art…in 2003. I've had pretty good experience with the XV, at least in the ~+100/130 guise, in terms of output and lifespan, but I can't speak to the current incarnations which have reached the "+200" level, along with other factors*.

And the marketing game is also deceptive. No street legal bulb is going to produce higher output than the 15% tolerance allowed in the specs.

*No idea what effect Philips' shift of production to China has had on product quality, even for the higher-lines. Anecdotal experience with their more pedestrian Asian-made HB2s was not good, with noticeablely poor misalignment out of the package. A poorly made bulb, based on a crappy design spec. YMMV.

Osram's competitors to the XV and similar lines have never matched the same claimed lifetime as Philips, but they're still made in Germany, and will be given greater consideration.