Headlamp Bulbs!

[John]

As per usual, my mk1 headlamps are shoite. I don't want to fit hids.

What's the biggest wattage i can go on the standard fuse/wiring? They're h4 bulbs?

Anyone recommend some decent aftermarket bulbs?

something like these?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PIAA-H4-PLATINUM-SUPER-WHITE-PAIR-HEADLAMP-BULBS-HID_W0QQitemZ220509414050QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Car sParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item335762a2a2

Ta Muchly!

[Nova_Tek]

Aren't they illegal at that wattage? Thought the only legal was 60w/55w bulbs IIRC

[John]

Aren't they illegal that that wattage? Thought the only legal was 60w/55w bulbs IIRC

Cool, this is what i'm hoping to find out with this thread.

[Nova_Tek]

TBH I'm not 100% sure but tis what I remember reading many moons ago.

[Jon_nova1]

55W is legal, you can get decent ones that put out enough light, i bought some phillips visionplus, which were alot better than i had before, but with nova light being notoriously crap, i'd consider some illegal ones

[Welsh Dan]

Measure the voltage drop to your existing bulbs John, if its a lot then consider making your own wiring harness, and fitting some Philips Xtremevision or similar. I can't find the graph I saw now, but basically a small drop in voltage translates to a much bigger drop in light output.

[timbo1980]

you could try Halfrauds Extreme Brilliance.Use em in a couple of my motors the amount of people that put on there full beam thinking u have on yours is a pain :roll: . also there buy 1 get 1 free at the moment & they are road legal 55W

[Welsh Dan]

you could try Halfrauds Extreme Brilliance.Use em in a couple of my motors the amount of people that put on there full beam thinking u have on yours is a pain :roll: . also there buy 1 get 1 free at the moment & they are road legal 55W

Those bulbs are crap. Auto Express slated them and they've got a bad rep on another forum I frequent.

[Nova_Tek]

55W is legal, you can get decent ones that put out enough light, i bought some phillips visionplus, which were alot better than i had before, but with nova light being notoriously crap, i'd consider some illegal ones

Wouldn't say Nova ones are crap but that's my own opinion. I acually think they are pretty good. It lights up the road better then my missus' Yaris, now they aren't great especially after the plastic lens gets all cloudy from UV exposure.

I got Philips %30 brighter jobbies 3.5k they have been very good, also get your aim aligned properly/checked makes a difference.

Some of these internet bulbs can be poop though, my bro has bought some before, meant to be a good set, they ended up peeling their shield on the end of the bulb and it failed the MOT due to incorrect light pattern.

[mowgli]

john, get some of a 3 series bmw, cos they are always blinding me on the road

[Guderian]

As said before, the 30% brighter Philips ones aren't bad. I did get a dodgy one once where the flange had been spot welded on wrong, and the headlamp had to be readjusted to compensate.. but that could happen with any manufacturer i guess.

If you're thinking of going to 130/90 or 110/80, i have tried these before in other cars and wasn't overly impressed, frankly. I tend towards standard 60/55w philips extra bright or similar, and am about to supplement main beam with a pair of bolt on 55w units.

With higher wattages (watts being a unit of power consumption not of light emission) i agree with the comment re wiring. Neat and tidy grafting in of thicker wiring, together with relay's to take the strain off the dipper switch, is a very good idea.

[Jack]

From experience (without touching on HIDs)...

PIAA are the best. They draw low wattage but output high, so you actually get decent light. I think the XTreme Force or something was the best I ever had. However, downside is you pay the price.

Next best is Halfords +50%. Legal, and output good light, if a little yellow. I run them on the saloon in the inner (main beam) lamps. Came tops in an AutoExpress or something test iirc.

After that is your philips and white/blue gubbins, then ebay shiznit etc.

Remember that anything over 5-6000k and the light starts getting darker. A blueish/white tint light may look good but the bluer it is, the less bright it is.

As said, also check your wiring is up to scratch, bulbs are getting all the power they need, that the lenses and reflectors are in good condition, and the alignment is correct as this makes a big difference.

[Adam]

No halogen bulb ever comes close to HIDs but thats for another thread.

The philips ones are apparently quite good. I need some decent dipped bulbs for my astra, went halfords today but halfords own "xtreme brilliance" or whatever are £21 PER bulb...... lol

Now im tempted just get some xenon bulbs to fit the astra lamps and run them off the HID kit off my mk3......

[Jack]

Aye, Halfords are expensive (cheap when compared to the PIAAs but still) BUT they do have buy one get one free every now and again which makes them a bit mroe worthwhile lol

[vaughanmc]

I have some < £10 eBay special bulbs in my headlights

12V, 90w/100w and a nice white colour instead of yellow or annoying blue

Seem to be a lot better than the original yellow 55w fellas

Not had any problems with these yet and have been fitted for over a year now

[John]

I have some < £10 eBay special bulbs in my headlights

12V, 90w/100w and a nice white colour instead of yellow or annoying blue

Seem to be a lot better than the original yellow 55w fellas

Not had any problems with these yet and have been fitted for over a year now

Post me the link dude?

[vaughanmc]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VAUXHALL-NOVA-XENON-SUPER-WHITE-HEADLIGHT-BULBS-100W-H4_W0QQitemZ330284182721QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Cars Parts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item4ce678acc1

[John]

Are you running them on relays, or the standard wiring?

[vaughanmc]

Standard wiring fella - There 12V bulbs...

[Benn]

What makes some of these illegal then? Are they just to bright? Melt the wiring what?

[vaughanmc]

Must be due to how bright they are

We all run those sort of bulbs round here and have never been stopped for them

Some even run 6k HID's but in my opinion there too bright and annoying lol

[Benn]

Ah right, i never got pulled for my hids so normal bulbs should be a prob.
I run bright ice white bulbs in mine, are cleaner colour and a bit brighter but i'd like brighter..lol

[Adam]

Standard wiring fella - There 12V bulbs...
The voltage isnt the issue, the wattage is.

You are pulling nearly double the wattage through the standard nova wiring(which lets face it is pretty toss to begin with....)
So your putting a lot of stress on the wiring, probably find the wires are getting quite warm when in use too

HIDs are dodgy in nova headlamps.

[John]

The voltage isnt the issue, the wattage is.

You are pulling nearly double the wattage through the standard nova wiring(which lets face it is pretty toss to begin with....)
So your putting a lot of stress on the wiring, probably find the wires are getting quite warm when in use too

HIDs are dodgy in nova headlamps.

So what is the max wattage you reckon i could go to ad?

[Adam]

As in Legally? 55w.
Or just stick some 100s in there and wire up a relay with some decent wiring..... lol
Wont be hard to do, just switch the relay off the standard headlamp switch wire...

[16v Nova Kev]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VAUXHALL-NOVA-XENON-SUPER-WHITE-HEADLIGHT-BULBS-100W-H4_W0QQitemZ330284182721QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Cars Parts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item4ce678acc1

i had them in my cavi on std stuff they were quite good:thumb:

[John]

As in Legally? 55w.
Or just stick some 100s in there and wire up a relay with some decent wiring..... lol
Wont be hard to do, just switch the relay off the standard headlamp switch wire...

No too bothered about legailty, more bothered about melting the wiring lol

[CoolTiger]

i have the same as vaughan they are much much better than standard been stopped lots of time never said anything about the lights

had mine in for about a year no melting :D

[Welsh Dan]

Its the voltage drop you should be concerned about, moreso with higher wattage bulbs.


In many cases, the thin factory wires are inadequate even for the stock headlamp equipment. Headlamp bulb light output is severely compromised with decreased voltage. For example, normal engine-running voltage in a "12-volt" automotive electrical system is around 13.5 volts. At this voltage, halogen headlamp bulbs achieve 100 percent of their design luminous output. When operating voltage drops to 95 percent (12.825v), headlamp bulbs produce only 83 percent of their rated light output. When voltage drops to 90 percent (12.15v), bulb output is only 67 percent of what it should be. And when voltage drops to 85 percent (11.475v), bulb output is a paltry 53 percent of normal! [Source: Hella KG Hueck AG, Germany]. It is much more common than you might think for factory headlamp wiring/switch setups to produce this kind of voltage drop, especially once they're no longer brand new and the connections have accumulated some corrosion and dirt.

[Nova_Tek]

Interesting. Sometimes it's very obvious when this voltage drop occurs, cars with ePAS, using elec windows etc so much power is sucked out. Rarely happens on the Nova as there if much less elec equipment but newer cars tend to have this issue more so. Always notice this when driving my aunts Polo.

[Benn]

Interesting. Sometimes it's very obvious when this voltage drop occurs, cars with ePAS, using elec windows etc so much power is sucked out. Rarely happens on the Nova as there if much less elec equipment but newer cars tend to have this issue more so. Always notice this when driving my aunts Polo.

You never watched the battery gauge watch the indicators flash?

[Nova_Tek]

of course, always watch my volt guage in the nova when swtiching stuff on hence why have replaced 90% of bulbs with LED's hardly see the needle move which is great.

What Im saying is that with these new cars even normal driving without the use of things like the heated screen or indicating can have huge drains just like the ePAS. One slight movement of it and headlamps dim like crazy repeated fast movement and its like you've got 2 subs in the boot playing DnB lol

PS. Wheres my pics ;)

[vaughanmc]

i have the same as vaughan they are much much better than standard been stopped lots of time never said anything about the lights

had mine in for about a year no melting :D

I'm the same fella, had no problems with mine either :)

[Jack]

Plus audio can suck power as well. Gotta love the headlamps dimming in time with the bass lol

Mind you, even with all the electrical gubbins on the Celica, I never once experienced dimming lamps on that, but I always put it down to having decent wiring and bigger charge circuit to begin with (and that has 4 bulbs instead of two). All the Novas I've had have experienced lamp fade when the headlights are on with other electrical stuff, except for the current one, even with 4 lamps, BUT thats because it uses HIDs.