nEED ADVISE ON HEADLIGHTS

[Bleedin Thumb]

Hi all, on a recent fear and loathing trip to Qld, one of my headlights copped a stone so I need a new one.

As the originals are the old round Lucus H4 sealed beam things that are about as bright as a ............. can't actually think of a relavent platitudinous remark (please insert your own).

Anyhows I've decided to replace both lights with ones where I can put my own hallide (or are they Hallogen) bulbs in.

Trouble is I don't know diddley squat about them, so what bulbs are the brightest.
You can get Arctic Blue. Ultra White, 50/50 (which I think may be a pinkish light plus lots of others no doubt. I don't care how pretty they look to others I just want to see those potholes/small animals etc.

So has anyone done any research or had experience with these new(for me) headlights.:?

[DJ’s Timber]

Can't advise on what type of globe to use as I can't remember what I used in the old Holden before I got my new Hilux, but I can tell you this. You will need to have a relay put in as the original won't cope with the extra output of the H4 Halogen globes

[journeyman Mick]

BT,
they're halogen bulbs:) . It's possible to get bulbs that are 130/90, ie 130 watts high beam, 90 watts low beam. Sealed beams are usually 60/55, but may be as low as 60/45. Halogen has a whiter light compared to tungsten (sealed beam) and more light output for the same wattage. There's newer bulbs that give out a blue/white light that's supposedly brighter again. As a lot of the newer vehicle have plastic headlights they require special bulbs that have a different light frequency output so as not to degrade the plastic over time (UV?). Be asware that if you go for higher wattage bulbs you will probably need to upgrade your wiring to suit. If you want I can give you more detailed instructions for this.

Mick (who had lights so bright in his car he made a train dip its lights:D )

[silentC]

BT I think you should be replacing them with fluoros. Don't you care about global warming?

[Barry_White]

Try these.

[arose62]

"Blue" is not necessarily better -

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/bad/bad.html

Cheers,
Andrew

[Wood Borer]

Another solution would be to fit standard halogen globes plus additional driving lights for when you are out in the bush.

That way you won't be blinding other drivers in normal driving and you have the option of the stronger beam when you need it.

A mate up this way has four driving lights. One set beam out to the sides to illuminate roos and the other set beam straight ahead for the ruts and potholes. Each set have their own switch.

[scooter]

Just to add, I had a blown globe & replaced my VR Commodore main headlight globes this week with "Plus 50" by Narva I think, same wattage as the standard issue (60/55 high/low beam) but definitely better output. Still a white light, not blue or anything else. $30 the pair I think.

A lot of the globes mentioned UV Cut, which would be what Mick is talking about above re: polycarbonate lensed headlights.

I have found in the past that the higher wattage globes have not lasted as long - dunno, but that's what I've experienced. That's why I went for the standard wattage.

Have read that the blue lights aren't as good in foggy conditions as the more yellow (relatively speaking) of standard halogen.

If you go with driving lights, the setup I had once was one spot & one spread beam, I found this was a good combination. They were Narva lights, sold as a "Combo" kit.
190mm dia head I think.

I think anything would be an upgrade on sealed beams.


Cheers.....................Sean

[Yonnee]

You haven't said what car it is. If it's a standard headlight size; 7" round single, 5-1/4" round twin, 240 x 160 (I think) rectangular (common from the early 80's), then you can buy an upgrade/conversion kit which will have everything in it required to convert your sealed beam headlights to semi-sealed (replaceable globe).

As was said, anything will be better than what you've got.

However... Some 4X4's have sealed beam to stop water from getting into the lights during water crossings. You can get replacement 7" round sealed beam Halogen inserts that are still sealed, but are brighter than the originals.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Thanks guys, all good imput as usual (... excepting Silents' obviously:D )

I have heard that I may need the relay and as the old rangie uses world infamous Lucas electrics its a guarantee really.*


Mick (who had lights so bright in his car he made a train dip its lights:D )


Mick I am not in the least bit interested in making trains do that.... I want to start small spot fires:D

Anyone know how much I would expect to pay for the relay? Can I do it
myself (I'm petty handy with auto electrics)? IE can I buy a relay off the shelf?

* possibly the only worst car electrics was the VW with its 6 Volts of dimness.:no:

Sorry Yonnee, just read your post, its an old Range Rover round lights 7" and I already have ordered the conversion lights. I'm not sure that they have the globes but my thoughts were If i'm doing this I might as well overdo it!

Good thinking about the seal, I might apply some of that spray on skin that you use on the distributer and coil.

[silentC]

:(

[Bleedin Thumb]

Well OK Silent I dont want to see you upset soooo..
your idea has some merits namely:


1. as they take a while to brighten, you won't be able to drive off too quickly, letting the engine warm up and therefor saving wear and tear.




2. ermm.... there is no 2 actually:D .

[Ross]

Try the Hella replacement headlights, no need for a relay unless your wiring is old and breaking down. The Rangie should (depending on DOM) have a relay already.

Ross

[Bleedin Thumb]

Ross it a 93 but I think if it has a relay it will need upgrading if I use 130/90's for example.

I find that the older I get the dimmer the lights are getting:rolleyes: so maybe if I get really,really bright lights I may feel young again.:)

[Wood Borer]

Simple enough to do it yourself. You can buy the relay from any half decent auto accessory shop.

Work out what current you will be pulling through the contacts at any given time. Current = Wattage of globes divided by 12.

Basically your internal switches will control the current through the relay coil and the circuit for your lights will be switched by the relay contacts.

The advantage of using this method is that there is less current flowing through your switches (they may be rated for a lower current than what you will be drawing) plus the length of cable carrying the current for your new globes will be shorter. Shorter wires means there will be less voltage drop in the wiring.

You will need to buy some decent cable to run between your relay and your lights too. The thicker the better (within reason).

If you need further details, send me a PM with your EMAIL address.

[Yonnee]

Thanks guys, all good imput as usual (... excepting Silents' obviously:D )

I have heard that I may need the relay and as the old rangie uses world infamous Lucas electrics its a guarantee really.*

)


Mick I am not in the least bit interested in making trains do that.... I want to start small spot fires:D

Anyone know how much I would expect to pay for the relay? Can I do it
myself (I'm petty handy with auto electrics)? IE can I buy a relay off the shelf?

* possibly the only worst car electrics was the VW with its 6 Volts of dimness.:no:

Sorry Yonnee, just read your post, its an old Range Rover round lights 7" and I already have ordered the conversion lights. I'm not sure that they have the globes but my thoughts were If i'm doing this I might as well overdo it!

Good thinking about the seal, I might apply some of that spray on skin that you use on the distributer and coil.

That Conversion kit should have 60/55W globes already in it (depends who's brand, Narva option 100/55W), and those should not require a relay. But I know what you mean about the Pommy wiring. An ERA brand relay you can pick-up for around $35-40 at most auto elec. or parts stores like autObarn, Rip Every Poor Customer Off, SuperCrap Auto... I mean SuperCheap Hardware...

You can go a higher wattage globe, but with that comes more Amps, the need for heavier wiring, and higher temperatures that will shorten the life of the globe. You'd be better adding some good driving lights for high beam applications.

[arose62]

Dick Smith have a relay cradle for $2, which saves you soldering wires to the relay contacts.

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/46a02fd00410f674273fc0a87f9c0718/Product/View/P8036

Cheers,
Andrew

[Ross]

Increasing the wattage does not increase the range by much it only increases the intencity of the light on the ground.

Do not buy a kit with too big a difference between high and low beam because your eyes take time to adjust and at a high speed you may miss seeing something.

I have access to 55/75, 55/100, 65/250, 100/150 and 150/250 and from experience all I use is 55/60 in PIAA headlights.

Ross

[Dan]

A quick test before you do anything would be to check for existing voltage drop.

Turn your lights on, measure the battery voltage (at the battery terminals), then measure the lamp voltage (on the lamp contacts). The difference between the two is the voltage drop and represents power that your lights are missing out on.
You may get a reasonable result by just correcting the voltage drop using a relay, good size wire (and a fuse). Then add some driving lights for high beam.

By doing the test first you'll be able to measure the improvement you've made, instead of thinking a couple of weeks down the track, "well, it looks brighter".

[Bleedin Thumb]

Thankyou one and all again for the useful information. I think I will go the easy way and just increase the wattage by a slight bit so that I I don't have to muck around with wireing and a relay I'll spend that time instead giving the old girl a grease, oil and transmission fluid change....I have been threatening this for a while.

Thanks again.

[Gra]

Bleeding, being an English car, I would be cleaning all of the earth connections.... Seems to be a common failling..

From a serial Pommy car owner

[journeyman Mick]

BT,
if you're going to up the wattage of the bulbs (even slightly) without upgrading anything else, I'd strongly suggest carrying some spare fuses and a a torch for a while when driving at night, specially with the wonderful electrics that Mr Lucas provides.:no:

Mick

[Bleedin Thumb]

Hi Gra, The poms sure know how to build cars eh?:wink: Their electricals are just dandy! Note that I don't say electronics as I dont think they have got that far yet.:D

I recently had a switch on the electric seats fail, so I pulled it apart and was most bemused to see that it operated using a series of brass terminals and ball bearings that made the connections. The type of technology that was redundant by the end of the 70's.

But for all their quirks they have something that turns an otherwise perfectly rational and sane human being into a masochist or what you euphemistically describe as a serial pommy car owner.:D

EDIT ..Mick - Torch? Fuses? those are standard equipment along with spare wire, crimping tool and terminals, soldering iron etc etc...
They never issued a tool kit with them when they were new I guess they thought they didn't have the boot space:D

[Yonnee]

I think I will go the easy way and just increase the wattage by a slight bit...

The problem is that there is no "slight"... The most common globes you'll find are 60/55, 100/55, 100/90 & 130/90, so any upgrade will benefit from a wiring and relay change. You can do it without it, but long term, you'll have dramas.