501 to 503 bulb; OK or too hot?
Discussion
I'd like to increase the brightness of my sidelights a little by substituting the 5w 501 bulbs for 503 10w bulbs.
They're to go in the OEM halo rings on my 5 series.
But will they be OK or get too hot?
Has anyone done anything similar?
Not interested in LEDs thanks; the output is too low (lower than a 501 5w bulb) and they throw up CANBUS errors even those that are sold as error free. Been there done that & have the T-shirt!
They're to go in the OEM halo rings on my 5 series.
But will they be OK or get too hot?
Has anyone done anything similar?
Not interested in LEDs thanks; the output is too low (lower than a 501 5w bulb) and they throw up CANBUS errors even those that are sold as error free. Been there done that & have the T-shirt!
Fleckers said:
why do you want to make the sdie lights brighter ?
The only time they need to be brighter is in the event of headlight failure...so it's a good question.Sidelights are only of use when the vehicle is parked. If it's moving and any lights are necessary then headlights are required.
Fleckers said:
why do you want to make the sdie lights brighter ?
Because BMW decided to dilute the light output through some silly halo rings.Later versions of the same idea use much brighter halogen bulbs and later still have HID and LED.
I don't really wish to use LEDs (as mentioned already). I have experimented with some and found some CREE LEDs that were very bright and just right but they had to have unreliable CANBUS error cancellers fitted and they got alarmingly hot! The bulbs themselves were not great in quality either.
I may look into the same type of LEDs but better quality (if I can source any) nut that's if there is no other option with halogen.
Sensibleboy said:
Sidelights are only of use when the vehicle is parked. If it's moving and any lights are necessary then headlights are required.
Incorrect. In street-lit areas with speed limits of 30mph or less, sidelights are permitted to be used instead of dipped beams. Take a drive around London at night; almost all the taxis will be on sidelights only.Quite why you would want to make them brighter is interesting, though. They still won't be anywhere near as bright as DRLs!
David87 said:
Quite why you would want to make them brighter is interesting, though. They still won't be anywhere near as bright as DRLs!
He obviously wants to be one of those "cool" people who drive around with their sidelights and fog lights on! Really does boil my piss, first word problems and all that!Thorpy said:
David87 said:
QuitI'd you would want to make them brighter is interesting, though. They still won't be anywhere near as bright as DRLs!
He obviously wants to be one of those "cool" people who drive around with their sidelights and fog lights on! Really does boil my piss, first word problems and all that!
I have DRLs anyway (factory fit), I'd just like the front side lights a bit brighter as they are so dull.
Not great for parking on poorly lit roads around dusk.
I never use front fogs btw.
Censorious said:
You're obviously one of those arse wipe Audi drivers who like to stereotype people.
I have DRLs anyway (factory fit), I'd just like the front side lights a bit brighter as they are so dull.
Not great for parking on poorly lit roads around dusk.
I never use front fogs btw.
Touche I have DRLs anyway (factory fit), I'd just like the front side lights a bit brighter as they are so dull.
Not great for parking on poorly lit roads around dusk.
I never use front fogs btw.
Glad to hear you're not a piss boiling fog light w
ker 
In my experience, if you are going to use LED's on a CANbus car, use normal ones and separate resistors, much more reliable. The resistors come ready to use with a slot for the bulb and a female socket for your wiring to go into. I'd provide a link but i'll be damned if I can find one!
Sorry to resurrect this thread but I couldn't find a PM function on the forum.
I've just swapped my 501 sidelights to 503Hs. I'll be keeping an eye on them over the next few days but so far, so good. My sidelights are sat in the main beam lense though, so the surrounding reflector should be built to take the heat of a 55W bulb.
I've just swapped my 501 sidelights to 503Hs. I'll be keeping an eye on them over the next few days but so far, so good. My sidelights are sat in the main beam lense though, so the surrounding reflector should be built to take the heat of a 55W bulb.
VeeDub Geezer said:
Sorry to resurrect this thread but I couldn't find a PM function on the forum.
I've just swapped my 501 sidelights to 503Hs. I'll be keeping an eye on them over the next few days but so far, so good. My sidelights are sat in the main beam lense though, so the surrounding reflector should be built to take the heat of a 55W bulb.
Thanks for taking the time to post this.I've just swapped my 501 sidelights to 503Hs. I'll be keeping an eye on them over the next few days but so far, so good. My sidelights are sat in the main beam lense though, so the surrounding reflector should be built to take the heat of a 55W bulb.
However, I've traded my lovely 5 series in for a little Nissan Note (£30 a year to tax, 60+ average mpg, cheap insurance, massive inside for my toddlers legs which always kicked my 5 series seat backs and I'll save enough money over a period of time to invest in a weekend toy)
I'll miss that gorgeous BMW 3 ltr straight six though!
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