I purchased 9005/9006 super white bulbs to replace the default bulbs in my CL. It is like a night and day difference.

What I would like to know is, what is the difference between the HID's and these bulbs I purchased? I realize HID is much more costly, and is a whole kit including wiring, ballasts, and relays, but is there that much of a difference?

Mine are really clear and bright with a blue-ish tint to them.

 

there is a HUGE difference....basically HID use less energy and produces much more light output.. those immitation bulbs just filter out all light except the bluish or purple, depending on the coating on the bulb...which in turn makes them less bright, mainly just for looks...i have the Cool Blue, and they arent very blue, but they look pretty nice i guess.. I personally would much rather have HID, when i get some money i will..i know several people on here have them, lets see some comparison pics..

 

just get HIDs if you're interested in light output and looks. Those "super-ultra-hyper-plasma-xenon" lights are a lot dimmer because the light has to go through a color layer before being reflected on the road. HIDs are WELL worth the price, believe you me!

 

Yea what they said The real HIDs are so bright and have a nice color plus they look so cool when they warm up. The bulbs you have probably have less light output than the stockers.

 

ACtually, I replaced just one side for a comparrison to the orginals and it was a difference in lighting. It shines brighter, emits a blue tinted light that provides greater detail. It was a really noticeable differnece from what was in there.

I just really have a hard time spending 400 dollars on a HID kit....

 

your eyes tell you that they are brighter because of the blue in them but they really arent unless they are higher wattage.

 

Oh, yes, these are 25 watts more than the originals.

 

The higher wattage is just to try and account for the dimmer light. They're really not brighter (lumens), they just look like it cause they're whiter. In the rain those lights suck. Plus with the extra wattage, they will blow within 6 months most likely. The lights you have probably have a 25% brightness loss at the same wattage and more like a 15% loss with the extra wattage. So basically they're cop magnets, they dont last, they are dimmer, they suck in the rain. HIDs last the life of the car, are 3x brighter for half the wattage.