What Bulbs

HashSlinging

I'm stuck in a dilemma, anyone know what bulbs I should get, I am looking at

These

OR

These

Has anyone fitted either, I do a lot of back road driving, very early in the morning/late at night. I heard these bulbs are very good I just cant decide which are better.

VeVeX

Ive heard good things about them new nightbreakers. I have Osrams Silverstar bulbs in my car at the minute and they are a good bit brighter then standard. The nightbreakers are said to be better again.

TychoCaine

I've an NCT coming up in March and I know in the UK some of these high output lights are "for show use only" i.e. not street legal. Is there a similar requirement here, and do the NCT guys check that bulbs aren't too bright when they're checking alignment?

Also, some of these bulbs burn pretty hot and the heat can damage polycarbonate headlight lenses..... I had some Philips +30% bulbs in my old Focus for a while (they blew after 4 months!) and the lenses have been slightly cloudy since. Headlamp glass for my S80 is €60 a side and a total b1tch to swap, so I'd rather not have it happen again.

Masada

maybe you should look into HIDs if you drive on very dark roads a lot.,

Oilrig

Snakeoil. Both aimed at the "cosmetic" market.

You'll be replacing them so often you'll soon get pissed off.

HashSlinging

Whenever you change bulbs ensure you do not touch the glass with you fingers as the residue on your fingers will leave a mark which creates a hot spot on the bulb causing the bulb to blow pretty quickly. I have fitted upgraded bulbs in most of my cars and have never had any problems with bulb life. If you do accidently touch the glass you need to clean it with IPA to remove the residue. You could of course have just had a faulty batch for the focus but these bulbs are usually very well made.

Is there anywhere in dub that would do a HID conversion, changing bulbs is about as good as it gets for me..

oilsheik

This weeks autoexpress has a feature on bulbs they tested Osram, Bosch, Philips and other brands, might be worth a look.

C_Breeze

VeVeX wrote: »

Ive heard good things about them new nightbreakers. I have Osrams Silverstar bulbs in my car at the minute and they are a good bit brighter then standard. The nightbreakers are said to be better again.

Yeah same here, Ive heard and read only good things about the osram nightbreakers. I'd be curious to see what theyre like myself. ... But after having HID's installed on my last car 3 cars i doubt they'd be an improvement!

HashSlingin .. Again HIDs are also a good option - very easy to fit - if you can change a light bulb you would definitely be able to have a go at it yourself.

JHMEG

You can legally use any wattage bulb here. Just get 80w H7's, and you will be guaranteed a lot more light.

I'd avoid HID retro fit as most kits are cheap chinese muck.

MercMad

JHMEG wrote: »

You can legally use any wattage bulb here. Just get 80w H7's, and you will be guaranteed a lot more light.

I'd avoid HID retro fit as most kits are cheap chinese muck.

Ehhh ??

I thought 55w/60w was the maximum that were allowed. Certainly you see a lot of bulbs clearly marked "Off Road Use Only"

C_Breeze

Yeah, get 80W bulbs - you'll have the added benefit of blinding other road user aswell as a potential fire hazard and risk frying your wires :rolleyes:

Zorba

C_Breeze wrote: »

Yeah, get 80W bulbs - you'll have the added benefit of blinding other road user aswell as a potential fire hazard and risk frying your wires :rolleyes:

Exactly, i put some 100W bulbs in my car and was told to get them out quick before they melt the casings and burn out wires which was gonna happen cos of the extra heat.

Got some Nightbreakers and they're just as good as the 100W for light but at 35 quid a go they're a bit expensive, will see how long they last, might end up going down the HID road myself.

tc20

Lads, what is/are HID ?

cheers

Ice_Box

I use the PHILIPS X-TREME H7 in my car and they're good. They're 100% legal as far as I know. Passed NCT with them too.

C_Breeze

tc20 wrote: »

Lads, what is/are HID ?

cheers

HIGH INTENSITY DISCHRAGE or Xenons - they are the bluey white lights you see on the likes of mercs and beemers. They light up using xenon gas rather than regular halogen filaments.

Produce much better quality light basically

JHMEG

MercMad wrote: »

Ehhh ??

I thought 55w/60w was the maximum that were allowed. Certainly you see a lot of bulbs clearly marked "Off Road Use Only"

UK ONLY! Find me proof of such legislation here (don't waste your time, there is none).

I've been running with 100W/80W H4's for years without any problems. And I've passed the NCT every time.

OP, never mind cheap chinese HIDs or 55w bulbs that have been painted blue. 55W is 55W is 55W.

C_Brreeze wrote:

you'll have the added benefit of blinding other road user aswell as a potential fire hazard and risk frying your wires

That's what you'll get with your cheap chinese retro fit HIDs.. the beam won't be focussed properly, so "dips" won't really be dipped, and as for fire risks... putting two or more high voltage ballasts of dubious quality under your bonnet isn't too smart:rolleyes:

tc20

@ c_Breeze - cheers. Im aware of xenons alright, just hadnt heard HID before. Ta

Ice_Box

oilsheik wrote: »

This weeks autoexpress has a feature on bulbs they tested Osram, Bosch, Philips and other brands, might be worth a look.

Here is that test
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/212937/make_light_of_winter.html

Philips X-treme Power is the winner.

"On the road, the difference between the best and the worst bulbs was enormous. Adjusted to prevent glare, the Classic Professional barely reached 40 metres, with a mass of distracting light just in front of the car.

Peripheral vision was a little over six metres either side of the driver.
Our Best Buy, the Philips X-treme Power, illuminated the road over 90 metres away with a 20-metre-wide beam and a bigger spread of usable light ahead of the test Volvo. That’s easily the difference between having a collision and avoiding one."

"Head and shoulders above the rest in this test was the Philips X-treme Power, which put in a performance no rival bulb could come near."

Raiser

Oilrig wrote: »

Snakeoil. Both aimed at the "cosmetic" market.

You'll be replacing them so often you'll soon get pissed off.

I'd just like to absolutely contradict Oilrig here; my experience [3 X instance]of these bulbs [Osram Silverstars et al] has been absolutely positive. Definitely brighter, whiter light no negative side-effects and the last set I had lasted beyond my ownership of the car and are prob. still in the new owners motor today.......

Snakeoil? I bet this is pseudo-wisdom and not experience speaking here.

Raiser

Ice_Box wrote: »

Here is that test
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/212937/make_light_of_winter.html

Philips X-treme Power is the winner.

"On the road, the difference between the best and the worst bulbs was enormous. Adjusted to prevent glare, the Classic Professional barely reached 40 metres, with a mass of distracting light just in front of the car.

Peripheral vision was a little over six metres either side of the driver.
Our Best Buy, the Philips X-treme Power, illuminated the road over 90 metres away with a 20-metre-wide beam and a bigger spread of usable light ahead of the test Volvo. That’s easily the difference between having a collision and avoiding one."

"Head and shoulders above the rest in this test was the Philips X-treme Power, which put in a performance no rival bulb could come near."

AutoxpressMag wrote:

Philips’ 75-metre light tunnel at its plant in Aachen, Germany, allowed us to measure beams accurately

Horsesh|t - you flew to jack-boot-land and ate wurst with Fritz until you were comfortably assured that every bulb other than Philips was "kaputz" - Impartiality and journalistic integrity took a back seat once the deutschmark was waved in your greedy little Brit-scribbler face.

/at a guess ;-)

smemon

Just out of interest, these just replace normal bulbs? No extra work needed?

My own lights are brutal atm, just standard bulbs and the past few weeks (now that it's dark all day) i've actually been double checking to make sure they're on in town areas as i can barely make them out when behind the wheel.

I then see every tom dick and harry coming along with their 2 lighthouses blinding me

For the sake of 30/40 quid, i might invest in a set of these bad boys, provided you just need to plug in an go.

Ice_Box

smemon wrote: »

Just out of interest, these just replace normal bulbs? No extra work needed?

My own lights are brutal atm, just standard bulbs and the past few weeks (now that it's dark all day) i've actually been double checking to make sure they're on in town areas as i can barely make them out when behind the wheel.

I then see every tom dick and harry coming along with their 2 lighthouses blinding me

For the sake of 30/40 quid, i might invest in a set of these bad boys, provided you just need to plug in an go.

Yes these are just normal type bulbs. Plug and go as you say.

Also, I find it helps if I keep a cloth in my car and give my headlights a wipe every now and then.

_Kaiser_

I have the Philips ones and find them very good. I had a set of the previous gen Osram's in my last car and they were nowhere near as good - don't know about the latest ones though...

For comparison, how much is a HID conversion (for a Passat ideally) and is there anywhere in Dublin that does a good job at a fair price?

Amtmann

What wattage are Philips X-treme Power?

Will they annoy other drivers?

I'm thinking of getting them, and was wondering if they are suitable for a 1.4 '96 VW Golf 5-door CL. Anyone know?

Del2005

smemon wrote: »

Just out of interest, these just replace normal bulbs? No extra work needed?

My own lights are brutal atm, just standard bulbs and the past few weeks (now that it's dark all day) i've actually been double checking to make sure they're on in town areas as i can barely make them out when behind the wheel.

I then see every tom dick and harry coming along with their 2 lighthouses blinding me

For the sake of 30/40 quid, i might invest in a set of these bad boys, provided you just need to plug in an go.

Clean you lense as Ice_Box says. I'm having to clean mine every couple of days or whenever I've been behind a truck. Going home from work last week though lights where off. Gave the lenses a wipe and had great lights again. Bit of a pain, never used to drive on back roads before and never really noticed how filthlly my lights got.

HashSlinging

Furet wrote: »

What wattage are Philips X-treme Power?

Will they annoy other drivers?

I'm thinking of getting them, and was wondering if they are suitable for a 1.4 '96 VW Golf 5-door CL. Anyone know?[/QUOTE

80watt = H7

You might find these handy

H1 = main beams
H7 = dipped beams
w5w = side lights

Ice_Box

Furet wrote: »

What wattage are Philips X-treme Power?

Will they annoy other drivers?

I'm thinking of getting them, and was wondering if they are suitable for a 1.4 '96 VW Golf 5-door CL. Anyone know?

They're 55 watts. And will only annoy other drivers if they're pointing too high. I have them in my car and Im also getting them for my dads car.

They are bright but still only half as bright as modern xenons.

Amtmann

I went into Halford's today and asked if they had the Philips bulbs. They didn't, and some guy there tried to tell me that their own Halford's bulbs were just as good. Needless to say, I didn't buy them!

I then went to another shop and while they didn't have the Philips bulbs either, they did have a range of 55W halogen bulbs for around 22 euro.

Here is a question: when buying them, two bulbs come in a pack. Are these dims or full lights? Could I put them in either position?

Another question - do the Philips bulbs last a long time?

And another: was I right to turn down the Halford's bulbs?

smitas5

HID KIT is a lot better then any halogen bulbs. you think it's expensive? how much is a halogen bulb in the shop? 20-30euro or even more if you want philips painted in blue nonsence. HID (xenon) lasts 8-10 times longer so 160euro for a kit is not very dear. also there is no risk in getting your wires melted like you have with 80 or 100W halogen. you get 1year warranty too. you don't get any warranty when you buy a bulb in the shop. so 3000h of good bright light is what you need. even 100w halogen bulb, doesn't matter if it's Osram or Phillips... can't compare them to gas discharge.
by the way HID means High Intensity Discharge and Xenon is the name of the gas that gives the light. small buble in the middle of the bulb that make the magic.

MuffinsDa

smitas5 wrote: »

HID (xenon) lasts 8-10 times longer so 160euro for a kit is not very dear.

And...WHERE can you get a HID conversion for €160?!

smitas5

address bellow