Osram is the leading manufacturer of automotive lighting products, and their products are used as standard equipment by many of the major leading car manufacturers. However alongside their standard range of 12 volt headlight bulbs, Osram has also produced an upgrade range of headlight bulbs for drivers looking for improved lighting and styling performance from their headlight bulbs.

There are three improved styles for the headlight bulbs. These are Osram Silver Star, Osram Cool Blue, and Osram Night Breaker. Each of these bulbs has been determined as legal for the road and has the European testing standards E1 branding. These lights are designed to replace the standard equipment, thus they fit directly into the connectors and holders without need for a tool or modification.

Before using any of the three: Silver Star, Cool Blue, or Night Breaker, you will need to find out which bulbs you have in your vehicle. This information can be found in the owner’s manual of your vehicle. You may also use Google to search for information by using “Car Bulbs Finders” in the search box. Many of the retailers of headlight bulbs list information online in an interactive site to help guide you.

The Osram Cool Blue light is for drivers who want to make an impression. The lights give a night time appearance. Cool Blue has filtered glass that provides a blue tint to the light. It is a lot like the xenon bulbs including the intensity of those bulbs.

With the Osram Cool Blue you will need to understand the ECE rules. There are limits to the amount of blue tint you can have on a headlight bulb. Osram ensures that their Cool Blue is within that limit. In fact it is the darkest street legal light you can have for your car.

The Osram Silverstar bulbs are tailored to improve a drivers night time visibility, and is a considerable improvement over the standard halogen headlight bulbs. Crucially the Osram Silverstar is designed to produced 50% more light onto the road, especially in the 50 to 75 meter range therefore enabling a driver to react earlier to hazards, road signs and potential obstacles.

The flagship of the Osram upgrade headlight bulbs range is the Osram Night Breaker series, which uses pressurised xenon gas, instead of halogen, and a re-engineered filament. The results is an award winning headlight bulb that produces 90% more light, projects 35 meters further into the darkness and is 10% whiter.

The keen driver who wants the best visibility and product will want the Osram Night Breaker bulbs.

By choosing the upgraded lights like Osram Cool Blue, Silver Star, or Night Breaker you will have better night driving safety and lights that fit your needs.

Fitting new aftermarket Car Bulbs can be a quick and easy way to really modernise the look of your car lights and it won’t cost you too much either. Because there is now a wide range of bulbs to choose from in various fittings, including H7 Xenon, there will always be one to suit your vehicle and your budget.

Driving the speed limit often means driving at a high rate, which can be dangerous if your tyre develops a rupture. Even the most seasoned motorists will feel fear as they struggle to control the car.

The depth of the rupture will decide the amount of control you have on the car. It will also have a bearing on how safely you can stop without becoming a hazard for other drivers.

At any juncture when you believe you have a hole in your tyre you will need to fight your instincts and remain as calm as you can. You will want to step on the brakes immediately, but this could result in a worse scenario. Instead by remaining clearheaded you will grab the steering wheel with a firm hand and gently slow your vehicle. You need to avoid rash movements of the wheel or pressuring the brakes.

If you do try to steer or brake at high speed when a tyre has punctured it is very likely that you will lose control and the vehicle could easily enter into a spin, due tothe adverse forces and loss of grip that a punctured tyre can cause. However once the speed has significantly decreased you can gently steer the car to the side of the road and allow it to roll to a stop naturally.

Once the car has been stopped out of the way of other drivers there are some steps to take. You will need to turn your hazard lights on. You will also need to assess the risk to you regarding the changing of the tyre. If you can exit the vehicle and not be in danger of oncoming cars you may elect to change the tyre. A car too close to the road could result in a severe incident, including the loss of your life. When the situation is too risky it is best to call road side services. They can assist you in reaching a better place to change the tyre.

When it is safe to change the tyre on the road you will need to get all mechanical equipment to change the tyre out of the car as well as anyone else in the car. The parking brake should be set. Any lights you have in the car can help you see the tyre more clearly especially during dusk or late evening. Always have your hazard coat on to allow any motorist to see you.

Your cars owner manual will list the safety points for where to place the jack. Before jacking up the wheel secure the vehicle on the jack in the appropriate location.

As you finish ensure that you tighten the lugnuts properly. To tighten them you should use opposite pairs by increasing pressure on one then the one opposite. Also make sure the wheel is secured against the axel before you drive again.

Having to change a tyre at the side of the road can be a stressful experience for any motorist especially at night, so make sure you are visible to other drivers by leaving your Car Sidelight Bulbs on. It is also a good idea to consider installing Brighter Car Bulbs, which will make your vehicle more visible at night.

If you find your headlight bulbs are blowing on a regular basis, then there could be several reasons why it is happening and by identifying what the cause of the problem is, you will save yourself the cost off continually buying replacement bulbs, and the hassle of needing to constantly change them.

Are You Using Your Headlight Bulbs For Long Periods?

The life of an original halogen light bulb is typically 350 to 400 hours. If you do a lot of driving during the winter, at night, or have your headlights on during the day you could be using your lights up in two to three months.

Its important to note that if you have fitted upgrade xenon bulbs they will normally last only around 200 hours, because they have been in effect tweaked to improve their light output. For drivers who do use their headlight bulbs for long periods you can reduce the amount of time between changes by fitting long life headlight bulbs.

Heavy duty components for headlights, which last longer than regular halogen bulbs, provide you the same performance as halogen bulbs.

Do You Wear Gloves to Change the Headlight Bulbs?

If you touch the glass section of the headlight bulb with bare hands, the natural oils within your skin will leave a small residue of grease behind. Once the halogen bulb is illuminated this oil patch will create a hotspot within the bulb and lead to it failing early. Therefore it is a good idea to wear latex gloves when installing new halogen bulbs.

Moisture or Vibration: Are Your Bulbs Affected?

Whilst most of the major bulb manufacturers used toughened glass in the construction of their headlight bulbs, they are still vulnerable to the effects of thermal shock. This means that if they come into contact with water that has leaked into the headlight unit, then it is very likely that the bulb will be damaged. It is also important to ensure the bulb is securely installed as otherwise the extra jolts and bumps it will be subjected to can damage the filament

Is Your Wiring System Correct?

When installing the bulbs make sure that the electrical connectors from the lights power lead are firmly joined to the metal connectors on the base of the headlight bulbs, otherwise it is easy to get a short circuit and blow the bulb.

It is also important to check that the alternator is not overcharging the battery and delivering more voltage than the bulb is designed for. Typically the maximum voltage of a bulb is around 13.2 volts.

Are You Buying Good Quality Headlight Bulbs?

Inexpensive is something you tend to look for because you want to save money, but it is not always better. Quality of the materials used to create the light bulbs has a direct effect on how long they will last. Osram and Philips are two top manufacturers of light bulbs. The highest rating for bulbs is called the E1 mark, which Osram and Philips have. It means testing and quality has been found to be the best.

When the weather is warm and the sun shining, there is no better feeling than going for a pleasant drive in the countryside. The fresh air and scenery certainly beat the normal daily commute and if you are keen driver you can enjoy the performance of your car within the legal limits on relatively uncongested roads.

Unfortunately there is a threat when driving in the countryside, which is a significant cause of many accidents and it is called the tightening radius bend. Normally when you travel around a corner its radius stays relatively the same so once you have turned into the corner you very rarely have to increase the steering lock further. Tightening radius bends are different and require more steering lock the further into them you go.

The typical example of a crash caused by a tightening radius bend is a when the driver turns into a corner at a speed they think suitable for the conditions and corner type, but mid way through the bend significantly tightens.

To try and stay on the road, the driver may change the wheel or steering lock, and unfortunately the speed is usually too much. This causes the car to be under steered. The driver may fight this feeling by hitting the brakes, which will worsen the condition. In this situation the vehicle will hit traffic coming down the other lane or it may wind up in a ditch.

Tightening radius bends are particularly hazardous in the countryside because the view through the bend can be obscured especially in the summer by hedges, trees or bushes. It is difficult to see all the way through the corner and an unsuspecting driver can easily be caught out.

If you want to avoid being a statistic you will want to use visual cues. Before entering a curve make sure you are going the proper speed by braking or if need be changing the gears.

When you cannot view the curve check for telephone poles or light posts, which can signify a change in the road is about to occur. When driving at night using an oncoming cars light beams can work as a guide. You want to enter any bend at a speed you can safely stop with to ensure you do not unbalance your vehicle.

Once the bend starts to open out again and you can see clearly ahead you can begin to accelerate. Remember driving in the countryside holds other hazards for unsuspecting drivers, like slippery mud on the road, slow moving tractors and errant livestock. So always think “what if” when deciding on the appropriate speed for a bend.

A good driver is always constantly critically observing the road ahead and using their skill to anticipate the effect of any potential hazards on their progress, and reacting accordingly before the need to brake sharply. However the unexpected can still happen and knowing how to brake safely in an emergency will ensure you stop safely and remain in full control of your vehicle.

The first important factor in safe braking is to always try and get all of the braking done in a straight line. If you brake whilst cornering you will transfer the weight of the car to the front, whilst making the back go light. This effect, combined with the fact the tyres have extra demands placed upon them, because they are being required to both brake and corner at the same time, means that you could easily enter a skid or spin.

If you are forced into braking heavy when cornering, you will need to gently and progressively apply the brake, this will reduce the sudden transfer of weight to the front and allow you to maintain control.

All or most cars manufactured today have ABS or anti lock braking system. This system is designed to help keep control and stability in your hands when you have to brake heavily, even on curves. There are limitations with the ABS system.

The ABS system has a detection segment for when the wheels actually lock. The brakes will release. This release is short, but it helps keep the wheels from locking up. The system repeats this hundreds of times a second to ensure the wheels do not lock. It is a faster option than what a regular driver can handle.

ABS establishes a situation in which the wheels will continue to revolve, without locking up, when heavy braking is needed. It allows steering to remain in your control, the tyres to grip the road, and you to avoid any danger.

A driver can feel when the ABS kicks in because there is a gentle pulsing in the brake pedal or a grinding sound. When you hear these sounds or feel the pedal pulse you should not remove your foot from the brake. Instead continue with your braking, allowing the vehicle to stop in a short distance while using the ABS.

ABS is a most effective system for heavy or emergency braking. It makes sure you can brake in a safe and controlled manner. You must realise that it cannot defy physics, which means driving to quickly on wet roads can lead to accidents even with ABS.