Can I safely fit brighter bulbs?

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Mon 31 Oct 2005 18:40
Can I safely fit brighter bulbs? - 420 Turbo Diesel
Hi,I have a 96 Rover,the headlamps are not very good especially on wet roads.I have in the past fitted 100w bulbs to my other vehicles,my supplier has suggested 130w bulbs (H1),I didn't know if the wiring/switch would handle this jump in size from 55w to 130w.Are the headlamps wired through a relay,if they are this will obviously take the load off of the switch?? What do you think??
Thanks Andrew...
I do like my Diesels to be Turbocharged for that extra OOMPH!!!!
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Mon 31 Oct 2005 18:45
Can I safely fit brighter bulbs? - Altea Ego
Your current draw will rise from 9 amps to 21 amps. More than enough to burn out any existing relay specified for the job. You would have to fit an auxilory relay.

Plus its not legal.
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Tue 1 Nov 2005 02:33
Can I safely fit brighter bulbs? - Pete M
I've fitted higher wattage bulbs on many of my cars in the past. My favourite setup was in a car with quad 5". 130/90W outers, 100W (aircraft landing light type) inners, plus a pair of 55W driving lights for infill lighting. OK, I did put auxiliary relays in for that setup. You could drive at night as if it was daylight, especially with the open road traffic levels in New Zealand in the 1970's! But for just increasing the main bulbs only, I've never had trouble with the relays or wiring. It's not too difficult to fit a higher rated relay if you are bothered. More to the point on modern cars is the buildup of heat from the larger bulbs. You may be able to get 80W bulbs as a compromise. It's not a good idea to put the 130W bulbs in if the headlight 'glass' is actually plastic. I've heard that the plastic can distort from the extra heat, especially if the front of the lens is obscured with dirt etc.
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Tue 1 Nov 2005 09:08
Can I safely fit brighter bulbs? - quizman
I think that it is illegal to use high watt bulbs on the road.

Why don't you try some Osram +50 bulbs instead, these are supposed to improve night vision, according to Autoexpress. If you type "auto bulbs" into Google you will find many suppliers.
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Tue 1 Nov 2005 09:56
Can I safely fit brighter bulbs? - AR-CoolC
www.consumabulbs.com/index.php

I can recomend these chaps, very competitive prices, and next day delivery.

No connection other than satisfied customer.
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Tue 1 Nov 2005 10:16
Can I safely fit brighter bulbs? - Peter D
130's pull too much current, your either goint to ment some cabling or the volt drop to the 130 causes the brilliance to drop and go yellowish and you will discolour the reflector considerabley depending on what it is made of. Regards Peter
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Tue 1 Nov 2005 19:45
Can I safely fit brighter bulbs? - Doc
I think that it is illegal to use high watt bulbs
on the road.


This is a common misconception.
I have looked at the Lighting regs. and I can find no maximum wattage specified.
Perhaps DVD can advise?

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Tue 1 Nov 2005 23:16
Can I safely fit brighter bulbs? - AlastairW
IIRC the maximum dipped headlight wattage is about 120 watts in total ie: 60 per bulb. It is of course legal to add auxillary lamps for use at main beam only.
I may of course be talking rubbish so feel free to correct/admonish as required.
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Wed 2 Nov 2005 08:40
Can I safely fit brighter bulbs? - sierraman
>> I think that it is illegal to use high watt
bulbs
>> on the road.
>>
This is a common misconception.
I have looked at the Lighting regs. and I can find
no maximum wattage specified.
Perhaps DVD can advise?


Maybe,but I notice the packs usually say 'not for road use'.
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Wed 2 Nov 2005 09:51
Can I safely fit brighter bulbs? - jc
Not mentioned (wattage)under C & U,but are certified under EU regs.thats why headlights(and some bulbs have "E" marks).In the UK this is not checked but is in some EU countries.New cars must have all components meeting the EU regs but in the UK you can do almost anything after you own it.
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