Team-BHP - Auto Lighting thread : Post all queries about automobile lighting here

Quote:

Originally Posted by 197Horses (Post 3578293)

Subject : Damage to headlights by heat of bulbs !

My Verna Fluidic did not have a bright and long throw for it's head light. On highways i always felt the lack of light.Stock bulbs were H4 12v 60/55w
Phillips.
A local car accessories shop owner suggested me to upgrade to Osram 100/90w 12v H4 which had a whiter shade and produced more light.
Osram 100/90 bulbs were installed ,the lighting improved drastically and there was a difference in the shade too.

It has been a month since the install , yesterday while i was cleaning her i noticed the chrome of reflector is damaged and had little spots where the chrome was missing.

On visiting the car accessories shop again ,owner explains me that this chrome may have been damaged due to excessive heat produced by the bulbs.
He asked me to get a "Hella Headlamp Wiring Harness 100/130W Max With Relay" installed for using 100/90 bulbs which would probably reduce the heat
produced. Is it so ?

I am in a dilemma over installing Hella wiring harness or should i move back to stock bulbs as i don't want to damage the headlamps.
Please Help please:

I have faced exactly the same issue on my i10. Mine is more damage in fact. I was using Hella 100/90 with Hella harness and then switched to Philips 100/90. The damage hasn't increased luckily.

Quote:

Originally Posted by itwasntme (Post 3578424)

Hi, you'd better be very careful with your reflectors - there is obvious damage on them and that too, within a month.

Your usage is probably not suited to 100/90w and a relay will not help in heat reduction or dissipation - my input would be to immediately revert to the 60/55w bulbs and explore other options such as fitting the Night Breaker or Extreme Vision seried bulbs in BOTH your headlights and foglights.

Another option is to simply invest in a good pair of auxiliary lights from a reputed brand like Hella etc.

Agree, but 60/55 on i10 is as good as driving in a candlelight :D. I had posted the same question here about Philips extreme vision, and it seems the output is somewhere 30-40% more than normal lights.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joybhowmik (Post 3578008)

here are my requirements for a good starting point.

1) Fit a bulb and forget it... I want the upgrade to be that easy. I cannot deal with the possibility of component failure in the kit (excepting the bulb of course).

2) The upgrade itself has to be reliable. Years of use without failure. It should not cause fuses and/or other electrical components to pack up early.

3) The upgrade has to provide better illumination than what I currently get. Better throw and better spread

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgiitk (Post 3578285)

@joybhowmik; legality apart the best options may be in order NB+, 90/100W and HID. HID with a decent colour temperature (4300 or lower) w8ll be the brightest but ideally must be in a projector setup (except fgsk where go for 2700/3000K and no projectors). Once you have decent ballasts you are singing. Bulb failure in HIDs is virtually unknown.

Quote:

Originally Posted by silversteed (Post 3578369)

I concur with what the Professor has said:

However, there are a few caveats:
Osram Nightbreaker+ : very expensive. I've never found them on the favourable side of the VFM scale.
90/100W : Not plug-n-play, as you'll have to install a wiring harness including good quality relays (solid state or normal - the former is more expensive, but will outlive your car). However, this is the most bang for the buck solution
HIDs : Without projectors, you may be in for a nasty surprise if you install just HIDs - the optics of the Innova's HLs are not designed for HIDs, but halogen bulbs, hence the HIDs might result in a really bright (HIDs put out more lumens than a similar rated halogen bulb) foreground and not much throw. Oh, and you'll need good quality ballasts too. Now, about projectors, you have to open up the headlights to install the projectors, and sealing it back can be tricky and if not done properly, you might end up with moisture inside the HL dome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgiitk (Post 3578413)

I am looking at headlamps with clear fronts. Otherwise things do not work out. With projectors once properly sealed the lights should be kosher. Some of these do not requite any cutting (eg Morimoto) only opening to install.

Thanks Prof and Silversteed. Few questions on the options.
Osram Night Breaker Plus

Quote:

NIGHT BREAKER PLUS are the best possible choice at present for halogen headlights, because they offer the highest light output with up to 90% more light on the road an an up to 35m longer beam.

For these drivers who accept a shorter service life in favour of their safety, OSRAM offers the NIGHT BREAKER PLUS headlamps with up to 90% more light on the road (compared to standard lamps).

Pros

@ approximately Rs 1400~Rs 1500 for a pair seems decent if it really gives 35 to 40 m more throw, and if it really gives 90% more light than the standard H4.
Plug and Play from what I read - and I assume the length is the same as the standard halogen - in which case, I won't need to get the headlight professionally focused ?

Cons

My OEM H4 has lasted me since 2009 and still going strong. How short is the "shorter service life" of the NB+?

90/100 lamps

Any specific product choice recommendation for the lamp itself?
What would be the specifications of the relay (either kind) and the wiring harness?
Would this require professional installation?
Would I need the headlights to be professionally focused again?

HIDs
From the conversation ^^^ , I think there's more to this than meets my eye. For me simplicity is key. Hence this option is for some other time.

I have used 130/100 Philips rally bulbs on my now sold i20 for a long time. They were used with a hella relay rated at upto 130 watts if i remember well. Never faced any problems of the lights getting dull or chrome getting spoilt.

My usage of high beams was minimal though as i never felt the same was required as the bulbs were powerful enough on the low beams. Only issue was that there was dust filled in one headlight as the rear cap wasnt fit properly otherwise i would say the combination was bullet proof.

It all depends on the design of headlight also I had plans of putting a relay kit for my 09 model swift but dint go for it instead went ahead with philips xtreme vision an they have lasted for 2+ years now light is brighter than stock and has a very mild whitish tinge overall very satisfied with the setup but definitely miss my i20 setup.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joybhowmik (Post 3578492)

90/100 lamps

Any specific product choice recommendation for the lamp itself?
What would be the specifications of the relay (either kind) and the wiring harness?
Would this require professional installation?
Would I need the headlights to be professionally focused again?

1. I'm using Philips Rally 100/90, and they've served me/are serving me well.
2. Since you are looking for the easiest way, go to any accessory shop and ask for Hella or Philips relay. You can order from eBay also, make sure they are rated for 100/90 or 130/110W bulbs.
3. Not really. You can do it yourself.
4. Ideally, no. However, I'd take a look at the beam pattern on a wall before taking the existing bulbs out, and then compare the new ones' pattern with it, just to be sure. Never had to redo the alignment, but lest you should inadvertently move the alignment screws.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgiitk (Post 3578413)

@silversteed; I am looking at headlamps with clear fronts. Otherwise things do not work out. With projectors once properly sealed the lights should be kosher. Some of these do not requite any cutting (eg Morimoto) only opening to install.

Professor, I meant headlamps with clear lenses. Hope you agree that the optics are different for HIDs and halogens. And HIDs deliver their best with projectors. Except for a few projectors such as the Morimoto Mini, the others are not PnP and require some amount of cutting the reflector

Quote:

Originally Posted by joybhowmik (Post 3578492)

[*]@ approximately Rs 1400~Rs 1500 for a pair seems decent if it really gives 35 to 40 m more throw, and if it really gives 90% more light than the standard H4.[*]Plug and Play from what I read - and I assume the length is the same as the standard halogen - in which case, I won't need to get the headlight professionally focused ?[/list]Cons[list=1][*]My OEM H4 has lasted me since 2009 and still going strong. How short is the "shorter service life" of the NB+?

I'm using the NB+ for more than two years. The life is actually in hours and it all depends on your usage pattern. Don't have any way to measure the increase in throw and illumination, but there is perceivable difference over the stock headlights say 40-50%.

About HID+Projector, apart from what have already been mentioned by various members, the cost involved is huge. At the same time if you go for FXR projectors the result is unmatched.

The decision is all yours.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joybhowmik (Post 3578492)

[*]Any specific product choice recommendation for the lamp itself?[*]What would be the specifications of the relay (either kind) and the wiring harness?[*]Would this require professional installation?[*]Would I need the headlights to be professionally focused again?[/list]HIDs
From the conversation ^^^ , I think there's more to this than meets my eye. For me simplicity is key. Hence this option is for some other time.

Even I would vote for the Rally 100/90. Has been on my car from around four years and it has been trouble free. Guess these bulbs pop out earlier than stock bulbs but since they cost just 150 each, it wouldnt be much of a hindrance. However I have been running the first bulb till date since my usage is very less. I use the headlamps only on dark roads and have rarely used high beam apart from flashing.

Installation is simple and can be DIY if you know where the headlights are and where the battery terminal is stupid:

Though my reflector hasnt shown any signs of damage or fading I would still advise you to switch off the headlights when in bumper to bumper traffic or when the car is stationary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 197Horses (Post 3578514)

Yea i am looking forward about moving back to stock bulbs.

I think it is a good decision. It seems your reflector cannot take the heat generated by those high wattage bulbs.
Now that the reflector is damaged, you will see more light scatter from that reflector when you see the lights against the wall.
To test this, park the car with lights facing a wall and cover one light with a thick towel. Then observe the light pattern and intensity. Now repeat the same for the other light.

Quote:

Originally Posted by danlalan (Post 3579456)

Whats the best lamps for the projector in the fabia. Dont want yellow. White or white with a hint of yellow will do.

Also are these(in pic) bi xenon projectors or just plain projectors. The upper and dipper are in the same projector.

As seen in picture there are fog lamps too. If iam going white in the headlights ill like the same color temp in the fogs. Hence what setup is best.

And lastly should i go in for the HID kit. @ what price in mumbai or just bulbs.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...1&d=1415868745

Your attachment did not open.
General rule- Single bulb with two filaments -go for-> Bi-xenon projectors
Yellow light is the best. White gets washed out during rains. Blue is useless.
So, <4000K is the the only good option.
Edit: Morimoto original can be obtained from AV Tuning in Mumbai. Pricing on the website itself.
http://www.avstuning.com/