Can you see farther with the halogen high beams than the hid lows? If your headlights are aimed properly, yes you can.
But it's not the brightness, it's the beam pattern.

The projectors for the low beams have a cutoff shield in them, they only allow light to come out of the lense on a slight downward angle (if that makes sense) - this allows you to light up the road for a kind of short distance in front of the car, not 5 miles down the road.
The reflector high beams have no such shield, they put out tons of light (even with halogens) pretty much straight ahead - not good in traffic but really useful on a dark country road


If you get the chance to see a true bixenon retrofit in action you will be blown away. Good non glaring light on low, and super bright extra long range on high, much brighter than the halogens.

Saving pennies for a retrofit myself

 

thread please that talks about adding resister? Thank you much, I am also in the market for some, will probably purchase next month...

 

What I'm wondering. and i already know its a newbie question. but the black painted ones you paint or buy on Ebay for instance? With just halogens are they dimmer because your painting the housing and getting rid of the reflective surface???? I'm actually thinking about just buying a pair of black housing OEM style lights from a vendor on ebay?

 

Problems aside the ebay projectors just look too ricey. Black painted housing stockers or retros all the way.

 

mine arnt ebay and they dont look ricey. They do however suck **** trying to aim though. And thats why im gonna buy new OEM's and toss these POS's.