Headlight Globes

au^dude · 04-03-2008, 09:28 PM

Hey i need new headlight globes. The ones i have in my car now are 60/55W. Can i get any other more powerful ones say like 100/90W?
I wanna make sure i wont stuff my headlights and they aren't illegal.

Thanks

UU TS50 · 04-03-2008, 09:33 PM

There are special globes that you can get for the polycarbonate
lenses . Probably are illegal but if you have them adjusted right
you would probably be ok ?

au^dude · 04-03-2008, 09:38 PM

Prob jus be safer to stay with the standard Watt ones. Better that then geting in trouble with the cops

UU TS50 · 04-03-2008, 09:40 PM

You can get brighter lights that are still the same wattage
i nearly bought some for an EF my missus had before

Bushbasher · 04-03-2008, 09:53 PM

go and look for Narva +50's .They are the same wattage as normal globes but 50% brighter. They come in most popular globe sizes. I have them in my AU wagon and they are much brighter than a standard globe.

Bushbasher

ayeyew · 04-03-2008, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by au^dude

Hey i need new headlight globes. The ones i have in my car now are 60/55W. Can i get any other more powerful ones say like 100/90W?
I wanna make sure i wont stuff my headlights and they aren't illegal.

Thanks

One of my mates has had 110/100W globes for the past 6 months, says on the pack "for offroad use only" or something along those lines.

He has had no trouble from coppers, they dont look that much brighter on regular, but high beams.. omg.

But yeah, you can get brighter or higher intensity bulbs, even with the same power running through the filament, it's all to do with the surface area of the filament, efficiency and the temperature the filament runs at (Different bulbs have different spectral distributions with different temperatures)

So yeah, just because they are higher power output does not necessarily mean they will be brighter. It is not a linear relationship between the two.

LUXO_8 · 04-03-2008, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by au^dude

Hey i need new headlight globes. The ones i have in my car now are 60/55W. Can i get any other more powerful ones say like 100/90W?
I wanna make sure i wont stuff my headlights and they aren't illegal.

Thanks

you'll stuff your headlights, and probably the globe plugs.
they run hotter, so will tarnish the reflector, and probably even melt the lenses. i have seen the plastic shroud in the headlight cracked due to excessive heat from globes as well.

au's have mint headlights, i cant imagine anyone wanting brighter headlights for regular on road use.

StealthAu · 04-03-2008, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LUXO_8

you'll stuff your headlights, and probably the globe plugs.
they run hotter, so will tarnish the reflector, and probably even melt the lenses. i have seen the plastic shroud in the headlight cracked due to excessive heat from globes as well.

au's have mint headlights, i cant imagine anyone wanting brighter headlights for regular on road use.

I reckon they are pretty crap compared to what I have had in other cars. In fact even cars 20 years older then my AU seemed to have better lights then the AU.

Mr Hardware · 04-03-2008, 11:09 PM

i agree with Luxo_8. Get good quality standard wattage Tungsram bulbs, ensure you have clean polycarbonate and align em right (drive up to a wall (preferably a brick/block one on flat ground) and adjust them using the little orange turny knobs(tm)) and you'll find you've got the brightest lights on the road this side of xenons.

blackers10 · 04-03-2008, 11:14 PM

we got the phillips bulbs for debs car (were around $60 for the pair in a blue box from repco)
they are very white in appearance and are very bright!
being a fairlane its only single bulb for each light
so the low beams are much brighter due to the new bulbs but the high beams are still the old globes so cant comment there

JC · 05-03-2008, 12:50 AM

Fit a HID Bixenon kit. You can get them on ebay for around $150 and they should last around 5 years at least. You will not get better light, and no problems with lenses or reflectors - they actually use less power than "standard" replacement globes (35W compared to min 55W)

LUXO_8 · 05-03-2008, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JC

Fit a HID Bixenon kit. You can get them on ebay for around $150 and they should last around 5 years at least. You will not get better light, and no problems with lenses or reflectors - they actually use less power than "standard" replacement globes (35W compared to min 55W)

less power but draw more amps. shouldnt be a problem though, ive been running a HID retrofit for years in my NC (lexus ballasts, accord euro projectors) without any problems...

if you feel confidant about doing some custom work, a retrofit shts all over a kit, let me tell you

StealthAu · 05-03-2008, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LUXO_8

less power but draw more amps.

Not possible. Less watts at same voltage means less amps drawn.

35watts at 12vdc = 2.916 amps
55watts at 12vdc = 4.583 amps

au^dude · 05-03-2008, 11:49 AM

I'm getting these lights

**Mechan1k** · 05-03-2008, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stockoau

Not possible. Less watts at same voltage means less amps drawn.

35watts at 12vdc = 2.916 amps
55watts at 12vdc = 4.583 amps

The initial amp draw for the ballast to ignite the HID is massive though .. the ballast steps down wattage for the HID filament.

I used to have a kit in my AU headlights ... then in aftermarket headlights. They were good in a way .... but very bad in others

The standard headlight will not be able to control the beam properly causing glare for oncoming drivers ... you don't realise the stray bits of light until you drive up to a wall with them on.

If you can ... get HID projectors (different from halogen projectors) ... and the full retro kit out of a wrecked Euro car .... so many to choose from ... even retro kits can be bought off eBay from the US .... you need to the timer and patience ... and skill to modify the existing headlights.

I just went with halogen projectors inside my AU headlight (careof: The Dok) a few years back ... they have been great.

For headlight globes ... nothing beats the Narva +50 for "legal" halogen globes ... I have tried many and did side by side tests on country roads ... the +50 had much better distance.

JC · 05-03-2008, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LUXO_8

less power but draw more amps. shouldnt be a problem though, ive been running a HID retrofit for years in my NC (lexus ballasts, accord euro projectors) without any problems...

if you feel confidant about doing some custom work, a retrofit shts all over a kit, let me tell you

Hmmm.... I thought Amps = Watts/Volts seeing that Watts = Volts * Amps)
So at a constant 12 V source, moving from a 55W globe to something that uses 35W, means Amps reduces, not increases.

***EDIT*** Oops - looks like others beat me to it!

Chamelion · 05-03-2008, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by au^dude

I'm getting these lights

Could you please post up your results at some point? I'm trying to decide between those exact bulbs or forking out for some HID Xenons.

Cheers

Matt.

LUXO_8 · 05-03-2008, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

The initial amp draw for the ballast to ignite the HID is massive though .. the ballast steps down wattage for the HID filament.
.

yeah thats what i meant, there's no filament in a HID capsule though, hence the massive voltage / amps on startup (the charge has to jump from probe to probe to ignite the gas, once its lit, it can settle to a low voltage to maintain it)
here is a good little vid to show the spike on startup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCqjSLUIkjk