Philips Xtreme Vision (+100%) H4 First Night

[nickhl]

Just put on a pair of recently release Philips Xtreme Vision H4 (+100%, stock 55W no color filter, Made in Germany) on my 2010 HL last night and drove for 90 minutes on highway/city. The range improvement over stock H4 is massive and the light is much more intense at night. Having driven next to two different 2005+ Lexus RX with OEM HID for 20 minutes on relatively dark highway, I must say the light pattern in front of me is almost the same in term of brightness/range .

I had a pair of Philips Xtreme Power (+80%) on my previous car for 2 years and very satisfied, but the Xtreme Vision simply outperformed it by a wide margin (to my eye at least). Given previous Xtreme Power's reputation for long life (my pair of XP was gone after 25-26 months (25-28K miles, used as DRL/Low-high beam), I'm hoping these will last the same 2yrs if not longer .

For HL drivers who cares about safety and actual range (not color) this is highly recommended.

[Thunderchief]

What can you expect from a pair of bulbs, just a guess of one year? They burn hotter and brighter thus the filament gives way much sooner. I think all that put in these type bulbs know that in advance. Is there any concern that the heat from these could damage the housing and lens? I wondered about that because I may upgrade.
Can you tell us the price? Are they available local like at Auto-Zone or must you get them on-line?

[05Moose]

I looked at all the options there before buying and decided to stick with the X-treme Power rather than get the X-treme Vision. I didn't want something that would only last 1 year or so. If you look at the two bulbs on their website, you'll see there's a lifespan analysis on the "Power" bulbs (which are +80% brightness). When you look at their +90% or +100% brightness bulbs (like the "Vision" bulbs), they don't show you lifespan because it dramatically decreases the brighter the output. At least they now guarantee the bulbs for 1 year.

Thunderchief, they don't burn any hotter on the outside so there's no risk to the lenses and such. In fact, they state all that info.

I will say I'm not sure if I'm sold on them yet. I've run various other bulbs in our vehicles in the past. We can't stick with stock bulbs because it's just too hard to see with the low-output pinkish light. I want to see the deer/raccoons/fox before it's too late. I initially put the Phillips in the HL, but later switched them to the Tacoma because they put out a weird pattern in the air that didn't quite match up with stock. But in my Tacoma, it made no difference. So we now have the PIAA bulbs in the HL which are actually better than the Phillips bulbs. The thing I don't like about the Phillips bulbs is the high beams. My PIAA bulbs on high beam keep the light very white, whereas the Phillips high beams are more like the stock yellow/pinkish light. The high beams just aren't as bright as the PIAA bulbs.

[nickhl]

Originally Posted by Thunderchief

What can you expect from a pair of bulbs, just a guess of one year? They burn hotter and brighter thus the filament gives way much sooner. I think all that put in these type bulbs know that in advance. Is there any concern that the heat from these could damage the housing and lens? I wondered about that because I may upgrade.
Can you tell us the price? Are they available local like at Auto-Zone or must you get them on-line?

I bought my pair from powerbulbs.com. With 10% off coupon it's 29.xx GBP per pair with free shipping. The shipment arrived 7 days later from U.K.

Xtreme Vision is designed to be direct OEM blub replacement - run at stock 55W and generate no extra heat/UV. In a nut shell, this is the most powerful/efficient H4 55W on the market. Yes PIAA offers some really bright H4 but those are not running at stock 55W and it can cause surprise damage.

As for high beam, I agreed that Xtreme Power is on the yellowish side but Xtreme Vision is quite a bit whiter/brighter than Xtreme Power.

[05Moose]

Originally Posted by nickhl

I bought my pair from powerbulbs.com. With 10% off coupon it's 29.xx GBP per pair with free shipping. The shipment arrived 7 days later from U.K.

Xtreme Vision is designed to be direct OEM blub replacement - run at stock 55W and generate no extra heat/UV. In a nut shell, this is the most powerful/efficient H4 55W on the market. Yes PIAA offers some really bright H4 but those are not running at stock 55W and it can cause surprise damage.

As for high beam, I agreed that Xtreme Power is on the yellowish side but Xtreme Vision is quite a bit whiter/brighter than Xtreme Power.

My PIAAs are stock wattage. But they were a lot more than the price of the Phillips at powerbulbs. So I'm not sure which I would go with next time. Good to know that the Vision has whiter high beams. But I'm still concerned about longevity with a brighter output. Please be sure to update this thread when they burn out (even if it's a couple of years from now). Thanks.

[nov0798]

They burn hotter and brighter thus the filament gives way much sooner.

Im not sure this is the case! You shouldnt get any more heat than the bulbs that were in there, as you are still using the same supplied voltage! I beleive they alter the way the light works by using different gases within the bulb.

[organ]

It's all about the filament, and its size/shape/length which drives efficiency. Tungsten evaporates faster in more efficient bulbs, thus the shorter lifespan. More efficient bulbs also run hotter. There is no getting around the lifespan vs efficiency/heat trade-off with filament bulbs.

I upgrade the bulbs on all my new vehicles. I generally keep an extra pair of bulbs with me as a precaution against the shorter lifespan. I also replace the pair when one fails.

[lb1914]

I got 2.5 years out of these bulbs. I usually don't turn the headlights off when driving, so quite a few hours.

[becks]

Can someone suggest a good site to get the Philips bulbs from in the U.S. ?

Thanks

[2008HLSport]

Can we adjust the beam of the dipper on the 08 highlander. I went through the manual and the actual headlamp but dint find one.

[Yazon]

Been driving with stock lamps in all my cars and motorcycles... no problem at all. I must be doing something wrong.

[albeenno]

any pics of the Philips Xtreme Vision H4?

[peterk9]

I had the Philips X-treme Power bulbs in my '09 Highlander and was very impressed with them. (ran PIAA in my '02 & '06 HL) When I transferred the lease and got my 2011 Explorer Limited with the HID headlamps, I was initially disappointed with them compared to the Philips. The HID's seem to have a different pattern that takes a bit of getting used to.
If I had OEM halogens today, I would try the new Sylvania Silverstar xZe bulbs. They are a halogen/xenon bulb.
Just my 2 cents.

Peter

[sweeneyp]

Originally Posted by peterk9

If I had OEM halogens today, I would try the new Sylvania Silverstar xZe bulbs. They are a halogen/xenon bulb.

That xenon gas in halogen bulbs is kind of a marketing gimik (xenon gas only benefits with the salts and high voltage of HID systems, 12v and a burning filament just doesn't cut it), its the blue coating that makes it have the 4200k/hid color. Unfortunately that coating also kills lumens. I have tried those higher end Sylvania halogen's and gave up because they burn out quickly, and aren't as bright though they are "bluer". I personally think the Sylvania Xtravision ones are one of the best ones out there, it has the brighter burning filament of the silverstar ultra's and xZe without the lumen killing coating. So its brighter, but not bluer. Not to mention its only $20 vs an arm and a leg for the others.
I haven't tried the Phillips but it looks promising because its not covered in a blue coating, just at the very top, the main beam portion is clear.

Originally Posted by albeenno

any pics of the Philips Xtreme Vision H4?

here is the +80% vs OEM

[Ralph6410]

Do you guys running these high powered bulbs ever worry about blinding the guy coming towards you... or is that just tough sh*t.