I realise that this is probably an old topic, although I can't find this specific question anywhere.  What is the easiest/cheapest upgrade to the mk7.5 headlights without changing anything other than the bulbs ? Now that the dark evenings are back with us,  I find the originals decidely weak and yellowy  Are the more expensive bulbs brighter ?

You've answered your own question about the easiest option...just change the bulbs for brighter (legal) ones. You can get 50%, 100% or even 200% brighter bulbs that are a straight swap. Downside is that they might not last as long as standard bulbs but probably a price worth paying to see better. They might be less yellow too.

If you want a whiter light then look at the Osram Cool Blue Intense bulbs....They're not blue, just blue in the light spectrum, so whiter to your eyes. I use these in my extra main beam bulbs and Static Cornering lights and they provide a good colour match to the Xenon headlights and LED DRL's. They are brighter than standard but not as bright as the 200% bulbs, maybe 100% (according to Osram). 

Link to bulbs on amazon  - I think they are H7 on the Fiesta, but please check.

I've used the Osram Night Breaker bulbs. The light was whiter than the standard bulbs and they appeared very slightly brighter. I can't honestly say I think I could see any further ahead at night as the difference was very minimal. The downside was they lasted only 12 months (I do about 11,000 miles a year and about half of that in the dark). I wouldn't bother buying them again.

I prefer Phillips WhiteVision over Osram Nightbteakers.  

Neither are pure white though, simply not possible with a halogen bulb.

Thanks,all of you.  What I really wanted to now was if the claimed "100%" and "200%" brighter bulbs really was true or just  marketing blurb. So it seems they are brighter (somewhat) but at the expense of life which makes sense as they probably run much hotter.  12 months seems very short as I still have the original headlight bulbs in my Fiesta after 8 years (probably spoke too soon) although the night time driving I do is minimal. Car has only done 23,000 miles in that time. (The profile photo is out of date by the way -  that's my previous car).

Nightbreakers are just awful quality nowadays.  I've had the Phillips set for 4 years now...admittedly I haven't driven for a year, but that still means they did at least 3 years.  Have also had them in other cars and never blown a single one so far.  

EuroCarParts are usually a bit cheaper for Osram/Phillips bulbs than Amazon... usually 🤔

14 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Nightbreakers are just awful quality nowadays.  I've had the Phillips set for 4 years now...admittedly I haven't driven for a year, but that still means they did at least 3 years.  Have also had them in other cars and never blown a single one so far.  

So Nightbreakers still have the reputation of doing what the name suggests, Breaking at night!! In saying that I ran Nightbreaker main, and Philips equivalent dipped in my previous car for several years with no problems.

I'm glad no one has suggested fitting HID or LED bulbs as they are illegal and will (or should) fail an MOT, but you probably already know that.

Oh goodie, another 'bulb' thread LOL

 

14 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Oh goodie, another 'bulb' thread LOL

I'm sure the OP will thank you for shedding light on the subject ! 😉