If these are the super-bright blue ones that blind me every time I drive by them, I blame them for many accidents.
I literally have to place my hand between their beams and my eyes, which is dangerous.
You got a lot of irrational hate on this thread. What I think you and others aren’t realizing is that the lights that are blinding you aren’t factory HID (commonly referred to as “Xenon”) installations. Factory HIDs are mounted in projector housings with specific cutoffs that keep light from shining above the road surface to the left of centerline. They come with an auto-leveling system that raises and lowers the cutoff to keep the light below oncoming traffic at all times. They’re also not blue, they’re a very pure white. (They can look “bluer” next to a standard halogen headlight bulb, because the light halogens emit is on the yellow side of white, but seen on their own factory HIDs just look white.)
But some people put aftermarket HID conversion kits into their cars, either to get the “look” of expensive headlights or because they want to see better. Putting an HID bulb in a lens designed to project halogen light won’t work properly because of the orientation of the light-generating elements, so in these aftermarket installations you’re putting out more light than the headlamp was designed for, and you’re putting it in the wrong places (like the eyes of oncoming traffic). People generally don’t bother installing the auto-leveling systems either, so if there’s extra weight in the back seat or the trunk the lights aim even more into other drivers’ eyes.
What’s worse is that some people saw that the pure white HIDs looked “bluer” than yellowish halogens, and thought that more blue must equal more light. So they started making aftermarket HIDs in higher color temperatures. This actually does make the light blue, which is a terrible color for glare and for night vision, and also puts out less absolute light, so the headlights are both more glaring and less effective at helping the driver see the road.
Some people don’t even bother with the HID kits, and just get replacement halogen bulbs that have blue coatings to try and “look like” HIDs. These put out less light than normal halogen bulbs (because the blue filter blocks some) and what’s left is blue, which is both glaring and poor for night vision. Probably less glaring than aftermarket HIDs, but still annoying due to the color. These also have nothing to do with proper HID installations.
It’s possible to properly convert a car from halogen to HID headlights, but it will typically involve getting the complete factory HID headlamp system and auto-leveling sensors from the dealer, or doing a great deal of work to properly install projectors in the existing headlamp assemblies. Most people just stick in the bulbs and connect ballasts, which gives the poor results above and is probably illegal (although not really watched for by cops) in every state.
Sorry for the rant. There are a lot of myths and misinformation about HID headlamps, even among normally quite rational people, as evidenced on this thread.
do headlight nukers really help the driver?
my understanding is...
old style headlamps, in a properly aimed system...
the hot spot is maxed out.
new style, the extra light goes to
the side, where you may or may not need it,
or even unhelpful,
and/or,
mis-aimed to help the driver
Xenon lights are night time status symbols.
ML/NJ
As a professional truck driver who gets tired of being blinded from the aftermarket ill adjusted lights in my mirrors, I hate them. They are nothing more than a glaringly bright sign that tells the world, “Look at me I’m an inconsiderate asshat”
Xenon headlights are like a nice ass on an ugly woman.
Looks great from behind but hard to look at.
For anyone who is bothered by oncoming xenons, take note of which makes have lights that particularly annoy you, and which don’t.
After you observe for a while you will realize, as I have, that the offenders will almost always be Japanese makes or Cadillacs.