Upgrading Head Lights To Higher Wattage

[junkofdavid2]

I'd like to upgrade my headlights to make them brighter.

1) What does "100/120" mean, in the specs of the bulbs?

If, for example, 100 is the low-beam and 120 is the high-beam, that doesn't seem like such a big difference... yet why is there such a big brightness difference between low and high beam?

2) From what I know, if you upgrade head lights, you also need to change wiring and the relay or something, or else it's unsafe and a fire hazard if your wiring and relay are not upgraded at the same time?

What exactly should I change/upgrade aside from the bulbs? What part of the car?

[H2oDunc]

Just replace the bulbs that are in the H lights with Halogen bulbs. No need at all to change the wiring loom. Other option is to stick some spot lights on the bumper

Edited May 29, 2009 by H2oDunc

[Thanh-BKK]

Umm....

All cars these days have halogen lights, except for those that already have HID (those bright white/blue-ish ones). For some reason here most motorbikes still come with old type bulbs, THERE changing to halogen makes a difference.

In the car, if you have H4 lamps, they are 55/65 watts. 55 being low beam, 65 high beam. The reason the high beams appear brighter is because they are using the full reflector and hence get a shipload more light onto the road, while low beam is basically deliberately out of focus (and additionally half blocked by a shield inside the lamp itself) and hence using only half of the reflector.

When you change to 100/120 lamps they draw about twice the current (Amperes), that is why you should use an additional relay and/or thicker wires as well as stronger fuses. Also be prepared to change the actual lamp sockets every so often - the high current combined with the extreme heat of those burners will literally melt those over a rather short time. Try to get hold of ceramic sockets, but i haven't seen any in Thailand.

Also make sure your reflectors are metal OR the head lights themselves are large enough! A small light with a plastic reflector will, again, literally melt.

"55/65" respectively "100/120" is the wattage of the bulbs. I.e. 55/65 vs. 100/120 watts of power. The difference isn't too big - for double the light yield you'll need 4x the wattage. So with the 100/120 bulbs you gain about 50%, if your headlights are poorly constructed you won't see much difference (experience with a Volvo 460 - the difference wasn't worth it).

Also do NOT forget to switch the lights off! The battery will be dead in half the time it takes when the "normal" bulbs are used

Best regards.....

Thanh

[bazmlb]

A Custom loom with heavy guage wire and directly fused from the battery and decent relays, one for each side makes a big difference with just the same bulbs in most cases.

I put 90/100's in a car I had years ago and melted, the wiring and just about everything else back to the fuses.

[junkofdavid2]

Thanks for the replies...

For all the trouble associated with the upgrade and only 50% more light yield, I'm beginning to think it ain't worth it...

[Pez]

Headlamps have been going thro some development in recent times. LED is all the stuff. But, for the normal guy the upgrade has to be via HID, buy the kit and get it fitted. But do not be tempted to get the Blue ones as they are crap in the wet. I had a HID lamp on my bike, hel_l it caused problems, on-coming cyclists were blinded. Note, HID uses only a fraction of the power of normal bulbs.

[bazmlb]

Whilst this article is mainly aimed at Land Rovers it makes an interesting read and has some good info.

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~rover/headlamps.htm

[hansgti]

Sorry what car is it?

There are other bulbs that wont cause so many problems 60 /80 for instance?

[junkofdavid2]

Toyota Camry 1995... Standard is 55/65 I think...

[thaicbr]

I have been looking into this Bulb upgrade for a bit of time and would like to know where in LOS would i find Osram Night Breakers or some other similar high quality halogen bulb. These look like the dogs <deleted>.

[Lancelot]

A Custom loom with heavy guage wire and directly fused from the battery and decent relays, one for each side makes a big difference with just the same bulbs in most cases.

Agreed. I did that once and it did make a noticeable difference. Less voltage drop = more power = brighter lights

[SMEEERE]

Go with xenon hid, and i stress 55w, most are 35, 55w is much better, especially on dip where you need it in built up areas,

[junkofdavid2]

1) Are there any legal issues regarding the xenon HID?

2) Do I have to change any relays and/or wires if I get the xenon HID?

(My current halogen bulbs are 55/65 on a toyota camry '95)

[thaicbr]

JUnk. Go for some uprated halogen bulbs loads easier and only 800baht for the OSRAM Night Breakers from here.

http://www.vvcarpart.com/product-th-222372...HT+BREAKER.html

Reading some reports on the net they look great. but will not last as long as regular bulbs. no biggy really

[katabeachbum]

A Custom loom with heavy guage wire and directly fused from the battery and decent relays, one for each side makes a big difference with just the same bulbs in most cases.

Agreed. I did that once and it did make a noticeable difference. Less voltage drop = more power = brighter lights

Before doing anything with headlights, measure the Volt on battery and lights when light on and engine running. battery should be 13,8 to 14,4 Volt. If light voltage is the same, you already have sufficient wires. If its less, follow bazmlb advice, and get much more light with same bulbs.

If you want even more light inexpensively, replace bulbs with 90/110 W. Check voltage again. If still same on battery and lights, no need to do anything more. If voltage dropped, again follow bazmlb advice. A wiring, relay plugandplay kit with 2,5mm2 cabels can be purchased at 300 baht.

90/100 watt bulbs and 13,8 volt at the bulb you are close to Xenon/HID light.

Spend more money? Buy and install Xenon/HID bulbs and transformer. This is not Voltage sensitive since the bulbs run at very high voltage from transformer.

Be aware.

High watt bulbs are very hot. Do not use headlights when car is not moving/lights are not cooled by wind. The reflectors and sometime glass (normally plastic nowadays) melts

Have a good nightvision

[Lancashirelad]

I think running at 90 to 100 watt dipped, you will find yourself getting flashed often by oncoming vehicles who think you are on main beam.

And they will reflect off wet roads in town even worse than 55's do.

[katabeachbum]

I think running at 90 to 100 watt dipped, you will find yourself getting flashed often by oncoming vehicles who think you are on main beam.

And they will reflect off wet roads in town even worse than 55's do.

More light has advantage and disadvantage.

Flash back ones when oncoming flash you. They dont your on high beam any more.

Use foglights, not headlights, driving slowly in town when raining.

More headlight in general hugely increases visibility and safety.

[Jungian]

Try having your headlights aligned first. I tend to keep my cars original thinking the engineers that designed them and did the specks know a lot better than me thus I only take my cars to the dealer and use original parts.

[katabeachbum]

Try having your headlights aligned first. I tend to keep my cars original thinking the engineers that designed them and did the specks know a lot better than me thus I only take my cars to the dealer and use original parts.

Building cars engineers dont get their way. cars are build to a price. Normally headlightwires are 0,5-0,75 mm2. Should be 2,5 mm2 to avoid voltagedrop. Some modifications can improve car very much.

[greenwood0311]

I'd like to upgrade my headlights to make them brighter.

1) What does "100/120" mean, in the specs of the bulbs?

If, for example, 100 is the low-beam and 120 is the high-beam, that doesn't seem like such a big difference... yet why is there such a big brightness difference between low and high beam?

2) From what I know, if you upgrade head lights, you also need to change wiring and the relay or something, or else it's unsafe and a fire hazard if your wiring and relay are not upgraded at the same time?

What exactly should I change/upgrade aside from the bulbs? What part of the car?

Most vehicles come with 60/55watt headlight globes as standard fitment from the factory and if as you say you now have 100/120 someone has already change them over to higher globes.

In essence, if that has already happened you should for safety sake have a relay installed in the system, because I have seen instances where wiring has caught fire because of the extra current needed to operate the higher wattage globes.

I have only seen 100/55, 100/90 or 130/100watt as stronger globes, but when fitting them please bear in mind that when fitting the higher wattage globes in the end you will cause damage to both the light lenses and reflectors as those parts are only built to take the working heat from the standard 60/55watt globes.

Also with a lot of the later model cars that do not have Xenon headlamps, they now have plastic and not glass lenses and will distort, discolour and in extreme circumstances melt the lenses.

My advice is to buy a set of 100watt driving lights as an accessory fitment to the vehicle if you need extra light or some headlamp globes that offer improved lighting but only operate on the 60/55watt power .

Here is what I would recommend in particular either the Halogen Plus 50 or Arctic Blue ones. They are what we sell the most at work. They are made by a company called Narva and info can be accessed at http://www.narva.com.au. Hope this helps

Performanace Globes

Narva performance globes incorporate the Plus 30, Plus 50, Arctic Blue and All Weather globe ranges. Each type offers distinct advantages over regular halogen globes and comes in it's own unique eye-catching packaging. All Narva performance globes are UV cut, ADR approved, street legal and suitable for vehicles with polycarbonate headlamp lenses. Other advantages include,

Plus 50

· 50% more light

· 20 metres longer beam

· No increase in power consumption

· Up to 65% longer globe life than high wattage alternatives

· Special 'silver tip' blends with reflector background

Arctic Blue

· Similar in appearance to Xenon gas discharge systems

· Distinctive icy blue/white headlamp appearance for oncoming traffic

· Produces a brilliant white light that simulates daylight

· Superior light reflects better on road markings and signage

[basjke]

I have the hid xenon lights installed on my car.Sometime ago one of the bulbs blew so I wanted to replace it with the same installed,Philips 65 watt 5000Kelvin.Went to the shops and they asked me between 2500 and 3000 baht for a pair.Then walked into a auto-parts shop end saw a set of chinese brand 100/90 watt 6000 Kelvin at 280 baht a pair.Replaced first only the broken one and didn't see any major difference in brightness so replaced them both anyway.

Can someone explain what justifies the extreme price difference for the Philips bulbs.

[junkofdavid2]

Performanace Globes

Narva performance globes incorporate the Plus 30, Plus 50, Arctic Blue and All Weather globe ranges. Each type offers distinct advantages over regular halogen globes and comes in it's own unique eye-catching packaging. All Narva performance globes are UV cut, ADR approved, street legal and suitable for vehicles with polycarbonate headlamp lenses. Other advantages include,

Plus 50

· 50% more light

· 20 metres longer beam

· No increase in power consumption

· Up to 65% longer globe life than high wattage alternatives

· Special 'silver tip' blends with reflector background

Arctic Blue

· Similar in appearance to Xenon gas discharge systems

· Distinctive icy blue/white headlamp appearance for oncoming traffic

· Produces a brilliant white light that simulates daylight

· Superior light reflects better on road markings and signage

So with this type, do I just replace the bulbs with the performance globes? Or, is it an added accessory light? I'm confused.

With these types, do I need to change wiring and relay or not?

Where can I buy it in Bangkok?

Thanks!

Edited June 1, 2009 by junkofdavid2

[katabeachbum]

Performanace Globes

Narva performance globes incorporate the Plus 30, Plus 50, Arctic Blue and All Weather globe ranges. Each type offers distinct advantages over regular halogen globes and comes in it's own unique eye-catching packaging. All Narva performance globes are UV cut, ADR approved, street legal and suitable for vehicles with polycarbonate headlamp lenses. Other advantages include,

Plus 50

· 50% more light

· 20 metres longer beam

· No increase in power consumption

· Up to 65% longer globe life than high wattage alternatives

· Special 'silver tip' blends with reflector background

Arctic Blue

· Similar in appearance to Xenon gas discharge systems

· Distinctive icy blue/white headlamp appearance for oncoming traffic

· Produces a brilliant white light that simulates daylight

· Superior light reflects better on road markings and signage

So with this type, do I just replace the bulbs with the performance globes? Or, is it an added accessory light? I'm confused.

With these types, do I need to change wiring and relay or not?

Where can I buy it in Bangkok?

Thanks!

What kind of car? Model/year?

Every new car I buy with H4 lights (Not Xenon/HID) i always upgrade the lightcabels, by installing a plugandplay realy cabel kit. In 10 minutes I have 30-50% more light by increasing the voltage on lightbulb to the same as battery. No power lost in thin original cabels.

In LOS thats been Honda CRV, Vigo, Yaris, Fortuner.

[SMEEERE]

1) Are there any legal issues regarding the xenon HID?

2) Do I have to change any relays and/or wires if I get the xenon HID?

(My current halogen bulbs are 55/65 on a toyota camry '95)

no problem with the law, the isuzu dmax has them as an option, ive had them on 5 different vehicles and a bike, no mods to wiring, they generate less heat than convential bulbs,

[SMEEERE]

JUnk. Go for some uprated halogen bulbs loads easier and only 800baht for the OSRAM Night Breakers from here.

http://www.vvcarpart.com/product-th-222372...HT+BREAKER.html

Reading some reports on the net they look great. but will not last as long as regular bulbs. no biggy really

the uprated higher wattage bulbs are rubbish compared to hid, if that was the case car makers would use them, (apart from them being illegal in some countries ), the idea of the xenon is that the wattage is lower/or the same with a brighter light,

[katabeachbum]

JUnk. Go for some uprated halogen bulbs loads easier and only 800baht for the OSRAM Night Breakers from here.

http://www.vvcarpart.com/product-th-222372...HT+BREAKER.html

Reading some reports on the net they look great. but will not last as long as regular bulbs. no biggy really

the uprated higher wattage bulbs are rubbish compared to hid, if that was the case car makers would use them, (apart from them being illegal in some countries ), the idea of the xenon is that the wattage is lower/or the same with a brighter light,

I totally agree.

Where do you get the HID/Xenon aftermarket kit to replace H4, and much are they?

[junkofdavid2]

Performanace Globes

Narva performance globes incorporate the Plus 30, Plus 50, Arctic Blue and All Weather globe ranges. Each type offers distinct advantages over regular halogen globes and comes in it's own unique eye-catching packaging. All Narva performance globes are UV cut, ADR approved, street legal and suitable for vehicles with polycarbonate headlamp lenses. Other advantages include,

Plus 50

· 50% more light

· 20 metres longer beam

· No increase in power consumption

· Up to 65% longer globe life than high wattage alternatives

· Special 'silver tip' blends with reflector background

Arctic Blue

· Similar in appearance to Xenon gas discharge systems

· Distinctive icy blue/white headlamp appearance for oncoming traffic

· Produces a brilliant white light that simulates daylight

· Superior light reflects better on road markings and signage

So with this type, do I just replace the bulbs with the performance globes? Or, is it an added accessory light? I'm confused.

With these types, do I need to change wiring and relay or not?

Where can I buy it in Bangkok?

Thanks!

What kind of car? Model/year?

Every new car I buy with H4 lights (Not Xenon/HID) i always upgrade the lightcabels, by installing a plugandplay realy cabel kit. In 10 minutes I have 30-50% more light by increasing the voltage on lightbulb to the same as battery. No power lost in thin original cabels.

In LOS thats been Honda CRV, Vigo, Yaris, Fortuner.

Toyota Camry 1995... the reflector is glass (not plastic).

[katabeachbum]

Toyota Camry 1995... the reflector is glass (not plastic).

14 years old I would certanly start with wires and realy. In Phuket I buy the plugandplay kit at Supercheap at 300 baht.

New reflector/ glass will certanly improve much, but may be pricy.

Remember, whatever bulb you install, DO NOT TOUCH THE GLASS of the bulb. The grease from your fingers will stick to the inside of your headlights, when bulb gets hot.

[SMEEERE]

JUnk. Go for some uprated halogen bulbs loads easier and only 800baht for the OSRAM Night Breakers from here.

http://www.vvcarpart.com/product-th-222372...HT+BREAKER.html

Reading some reports on the net they look great. but will not last as long as regular bulbs. no biggy really

the uprated higher wattage bulbs are rubbish compared to hid, if that was the case car makers would use them, (apart from them being illegal in some countries ), the idea of the xenon is that the wattage is lower/or the same with a brighter light,

I totally agree.

Where do you get the HID/Xenon aftermarket kit to replace H4, and much are they?

8000 baht or so in thailand, 4000 on ebay,

[katabeachbum]

I totally agree.

Where do you get the HID/Xenon aftermarket kit to replace H4, and much are they?

8000 baht or so in thailand, 4000 on ebay,

So there is still a reason to do it old fashioned wires/realy/large bulbs at 500 baht total. Even if its not as good as Xenon