Yes, superwhites are less effective than stock lights, unless it is a higher wattage than the stock lights. Any improvement you see is only because the old lights were old, and when they get old they produce much less light.

The Superwhite has a blue coating on the bulb to make the light appear more blue. This coating does not produce blue light, it merely filters out other wavelengths of light. The ratio of blue wavelengths to others is now higher, and it appears more blue. But there is less total light than if they had left the blue coating off. The blue light these light indeed makes them look "superwhite", but they produce less total light than the stock lights. Superwhites don't produce any more blue light than any other halogen light, they merely filter out the yellows, etc.

The proper way to produce an effective blue light is to use a filament or gas that produces blue light. HID uses a gas (not filament) that produces a somewhat blue light. It works somewhat like a neon light does (similar concepts anyway.)

Will Ott
89 325is


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