Upgrade headlight bulbs?

[Jag-D]

Ok so I'm happy with the S40, runs nice, not bad on fuel, clean and reliable, but the headlights are SHOCKING!

They're so bad that I actually turned them off the other night before I realised that they were actually on

I dont know much about upgrading headlight bulbs so was wondering if you guys could point me in the right direction

[bazking69]

I've bought some of the Autobulbs ones from ebay for a couple of cars now, massive improvement over standard halogen output with the bonus that they don't stand out like a sore thumb like the cheap ones do. Just clear white light with no tinge of Halfords blue light.

They are about £10 delivered so much cheaper than the main branded ones which often sell for £20-£30 for 2 bulbs.

Just avoid the cheapy China supplied ones as they are rubbish.

[LuS1fer]

Just check them before driving. I had to "force" a Freelander to turn off his dipped lights because they were actually blinding me. I thought they were on full beam but he dropped them to sidelights after I gesticulated dipping them. Of course I have no idea if he'd upgraded his lights or not but they weren't right!

[danrc]

I have PIAA's in mine upfront, made a huge improvment, not cheap though.

Are your headlights glass or plastic? Plastic has a habit of getting scratched and making the beam fuzzy.

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

HID conversion all day long. Just done my 911 - if you'll pardon the pun, they're brilliant! Like night and day (groan...)

Sourced from here

[snoopstah]

Jag-D said:

Ok so I'm happy with the S40, runs nice, not bad on fuel, clean and reliable, but the headlights are SHOCKING!

They're so bad that I actually turned them off the other night before I realised that they were actually on

I dont know much about upgrading headlight bulbs so was wondering if you guys could point me in the right direction

Halogen headlights can dim significantly as they age. Assuming it's the car in your profile, they could be as much as 12 years old if they've never gone.

There's a good chance that simply putting in some new bog-standard bulbs from your local autofactor will make a significant improvement.

[bazking69]

snoopstah said:

Jag-D said:

Ok so I'm happy with the S40, runs nice, not bad on fuel, clean and reliable, but the headlights are SHOCKING!

They're so bad that I actually turned them off the other night before I realised that they were actually on

I dont know much about upgrading headlight bulbs so was wondering if you guys could point me in the right direction

Halogen headlights can dim significantly as they age. Assuming it's the car in your profile, they could be as much as 12 years old if they've never gone.

There's a good chance that simply putting in some new bog-standard bulbs from your local autofactor will make a significant improvement.

For an extra few quid you could get xenon gas filled ones which will be much better than any standard halogen ones.

[y2blade]

Jag-D said:

Ok so I'm happy with the S40, runs nice, not bad on fuel, clean and reliable, but the headlights are SHOCKING!

They're so bad that I actually turned them off the other night before I realised that they were actually on

I dont know much about upgrading headlight bulbs so was wondering if you guys could point me in the right direction

I fitted Xenon H1 bulbs in my 850 T5, made a good differance without altering the beam pattern..they give out a nice clean white light instead of the murkey dull light from the std ones

like this

Edited by y2blade on Friday 20th November 13:26

[FreeLitres]

Be aware that anything over 55w is not technically legal!

Halfords are selling 100+ Watt bulbs (for show purposes only!).

[Jonny671]

I've gone through quite a few sets of bulbs, mainly because I like to try different ones..

I'd like the HIDs but as i've read alot about them, their illegal on certain headlamps.. Like mine.

These are very good though..

http://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/H4-Philips-X-trem...

And you get a free set of 'blue' sidelight bulbs, which actually shine white so get rid of the yellow look

[Jag-D]

Some good advice here

I wont go for the HID kit as it's not worth spending as much on the conversion as I did for the car (sad but true )

Could do with some more opinions on the xenon filled bulbs as the last thing I want is to be THAT irritating tosser who looks like he's got his main beam on all the time

Speaking of which, there was some tit on country roads in Yorkshire last week driving round with FB on constantly

[bazking69]

Something like:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VOLVO-S40-04-XENON-CAR-BULBS...

Just check that this range is the right fitment for your car/year ie H1, H4 or H7 etc. Also, just buy the dipped beam ones if you want (check the manual for the fitment)

I've had these on my old BMW and our old Mini Cooper and they both produced much better light, pure white with no tinge of blue. I've just ordered another set for my Astra runabout too.

[petrolveins]

I had an issue the headlights on my Skoda Fabia, and I got some Osram Nightbreakers and I have to say there was a big improvement in light produced, not only do they let me see further ahead but give out more light to the sides too, meaning I won't be clipping any kerbs on back roads anymore. I got them from autobulbsdirect about 2 weeks ago and got a free t-shirt.

[bazking69]

If it is H7 fitment...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RANGE-ROVER-02-XENON-WHITE-C...

[julianm]

This is a very helpful site :
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/bulb...

[matchmaker]

Unless you have projector headlights, DO NOT go down the path of fitting HID bulbs in the existing lights. You will blind every other bd on the road and look like a chav

[Jonny671]

petrolveins said:

I had an issue the headlights on my Skoda Fabia, and I got some Osram Nightbreakers and I have to say there was a big improvement in light produced, not only do they let me see further ahead but give out more light to the sides too, meaning I won't be clipping any kerbs on back roads anymore. I got them from autobulbsdirect about 2 weeks ago and got a free t-shirt.

Autobulbs are very good, order before 2pm and their next day delivery for free.

[Taita]

Osram Nightbreakers
Phillips Superwhite or something similar.


www.powerbulbs.co.uk

[TallPaul]

Gaz. said:

Halfords sell 100w motorsport bulbs but you need to upgrade your wiring & have a friendly MOT station as they aren't road legal if your race car ever gets driven on the road.

I ran 100/55 bulbs for a few years and you're right, you need to sort the wiring. Admittedly it took 3 years but the plug to the bulb and a small section of loom burnt out due to the heat.
Not sure how an MOT tester would differentiate between 100W and 55W bulbs though- all that is tested is dip & main beam operation, not brightness. They are illegal under C&U regs though.

[A M G]

TallPaul said:

Gaz. said:

Halfords sell 100w motorsport bulbs but you need to upgrade your wiring & have a friendly MOT station as they aren't road legal if your race car ever gets driven on the road.

I ran 100/55 bulbs for a few years and you're right, you need to sort the wiring. Admittedly it took 3 years but the plug to the bulb and a small section of loom burnt out due to the heat.
Not sure how an MOT tester would differentiate between 100W and 55W bulbs though- all that is tested is dip & main beam operation, not brightness. They are illegal under C&U regs though.

Another loom-fire-sufferer here, after fitting 100W bulbs without changing the wiring...not worth the hassle.