Totalled '04 Corolla on Friday

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bob64 @ Apr 26 2007, 12:16 PM) [snapback]430559[/snapback]</div>

Ok, let's start back at the beginning, cause you seem to have missed the point ENTIRELY.



I agree with you...the foglights are rarely necessary, and the current ones on the prius are nearly useless. In fact, they are so useless that I have replaced mine with some truly effect foglights, but as you point out, there is no real need to use them unless there is fog. That is still not the point of the recommendation for getting HID's, but evidently it was for your conversation.



The whole idea behind HID's is not brightness, because they are not that much brighter. Yes the light is whiter/bluer/more purple, but the idea is 3 fold:

1. to use a more efficient method for a longer lasting burn cycle (so you don't have to replace them as often, which is better for the environment)

2. to create a light resembling more nearly a daylight tone (thus the reason for some branding "daylighters" especially in offroad use) giving the effect are of light greater resemblance to that of daylight, which is where we as humans see best

3. and (could be a subcat of 2) with the daylight tone there is an increased visibility factor as the light is a truer form, a more natural light, which, of course, looks brighter than the yellowish color that hallogens give off. A comparable set of lights, one halogen and the other HID, may both effectively shine 100ft, but to your eyes they may appear to be different lengths. That is because our eyes don't see as well in the dark, and halogens are somewhere in between a candle and daylight, whereas, the light pattern of an HID (temp dependent) is somewhere between a halogen and daylight. A far superior beam for visibility but still not actual daylight, and not dull yellow halogen



The particularly bad side effect of HID's, comes from aftermarket kits and retrofits that are trying to add HID lighting to halogen beam spread patterns. This is particularly dangerous and tends to blind oncoming drivers, thus the reason they are banned in several states, and should be banned in all states. An HID bulb should only ever be installed in a housing with beam patterns designed for that bulb and light pattern.