I have a 08 XKR, I been doing research on different headlight bulbs but I couldn't find anything. Are there any brighter headlight bulbs out there that you guys recommend? I'm ready to change my bulbs asap. Thanks a lot

 

The stock headlights are already quite bright. You might want to find out why yours aren't.

 

Are your plastic lenses at all cloudy? If so, kits are available at any store that handles auto parts and auto care products that provide the materials and instructions to polish the lenses and remove the clouds. If you are not a DIY person a highend car wash or car care service can do the job for around $35-$50.

 

This has been a topic of discussion before, and certainly the Jags lamps are not as good as one would expect. Both my Lexus and Audi HIDs were a good 20-30% brighter.
The general conclusion I made was that Jaguar scatters far too much light to the nearby surroundings, whereas Lexus and Audi direct the full intensity of the beam down-range with no local scatter. Somewhere I read the scatter was a deliberate design to aid in illuminating roadside signs. I'm not sure the validity of that, as I had no issues with prior cars and tighter focused beams.
I have often thought of puling the ribbed scatter plate inside the headlight housing, to see if there were gains to be had down-range, but that is a project for some other time.

2 cents
Vince

 

Perhaps the OP is looking for Whiter, not necessarily Brighter. My wife's Avalon has 6000K HID lamps and does look much whiter than the XKR lamps.

 

I don't know... when I had my XK8, my wife's Lexus headlights made mine look silly. When I got the 2010 XKR, these make HERS look silly.
Does anyone know... do the Active Headlamps use different equipment lamp-wise?

 

Another thought is you are referencing your 2010 (2nd Gen.) lamps against the OP and my 1st Generation setup. Any chance the hardware and projection system got an upgrade in 2010?

My 05 Audi, and 06 Lexus both had active headlamps, and I miss the Audi setup dearly. Not only for range, but more responsive to steering wheel input through the corners.

V

 

I feel my headlights are plenty bright, but I also don't really drive in complete darkness very often as I live in an urban area.

 

Thanks alot for the replys guys, appreciate it. The fog lamps are H11 bulbs right?

 

Yes my headlights are alittle cloudy but my bulbs can definitely be whiter, do you know which Brand kit is best for me to purchase to clean my lenses?

 

I do have the adaptive headlamps with stock bulbs. I do find them very bright. However I did remap the aiming of the beam as it was far too low for my preference.
I am thinking of sourcing a non-US lamp enclosure the reason being the extra reflective elements on the enclosure are of no value to me.

 

Not sure as to which brand is best. I bought an inexpensive kit at Bed Bath and Beyond for our old Lexus and that did the trick. I think it cost about $10-$12. We no longer have the 2008 Lexus so I can't attest to the treatment's longevity. Suggest you go to AutoZone, Pep Boys, Reilly or some other auto parts and accessories retailer or check out what's available on line from Griot or another source.

 

I've found that common paint compounds work just fine for clearing foggy lenses. I've even gone so far as 2500 grit wet sand paper for really bad ones. I always go in reverse order of grit. I start with swirl remover. If that isn't enough go for McGuires step 2 polish. Still not enough then light compound. More? Heavy cut compound. Still no good? 2500 wet sand.

You just have to go back down every step you go up all the way down to the swirl remover. Of course I have a commercial buffer so it's easy. Finish with McGuires headlight protectant.

http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotiv...ht-protectant/

 

Can you clarify what you mean by "extra reflective elements"? And presumably your car is a Canadian-market car, correct? So If that is the case you already have a "non-US" lamp enclosure but are they different? Not sure.
My car (Canadian market) has the adaptive headlamps and they are absolutely brilliant optically . Having the lens clear and smooth makes a huge difference in brightness (speaking to the original posting member with this comment).

 

This is the plastic add-in I refer to that scatters light upward. I would love to open the lens and remove it totally.

Vince

 

That is actually an absorbing element.

 

Not sure about that. Silver is reflective. Black is absorptive....
The multi ridged (think sawtooth with the 45deg angled part facing the beam) and curve shape grabs the lower part of the beam and reflects it 90 degrees upward in an arc.

I see this as lost light that belongs down down the road.

My thoughts anyhow...
V

 

The almost matte silver is fairly absorptive, the shape, acts as a trap, sending the light back into the housing. That part of the headlight housing only gets lit when the brights are on, and it covers the headlight washer assembly. That light will reflect upwards without the shield, or reflect back into the housing with it. Its primary purpose is to absorb/redirect light that would be reflecting forwards and upwards. It gives the light a cleaner profile.