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Headlamp upgrades?

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 12:09 am
by pogweasel
Headlamp upgrades? Any advice??

Main beam blinding - dipped a bit poo!
A cose of better bulbs needed or are there off the shelf units that wil help illuminate things a little?

Lot's of talk of late about these "smoked hellas" - of any benefit??

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 12:12 am
by E30Adam
Can you explain yourself a little better, do you mean bulbs or actual headlamp units?

Also depends on your budget, smoked Hellas are near on Ԛ£300

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:45 am
by pogweasel
Either really - just like to know what other peeps are using to get brighter illumination. I have standard cheapo bulbs in at present - obviously I can upgrade these fairly easily - I didn't know if there was some kind of aftermarket unit which had better reflective surfaces or shape to make things brighter.

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 9:52 am
by kevin316i
Try the Philips VisionPlus bulbs, they provide better illumination on the same power rating. Beware of cheap bulbs that just have a higher wattage, they can draw too much current and damage the wiring.

I got a set of the Philips bulbs and did notice a difference, but your dip beams are going to seem bad regardless because of their designed low aim to avoid blinding oncoming traffic.

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 11:51 am
by nwmlarge
is there any problem with fitting the white light lamps as i think the yellow tinge looks a bit ghey

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:22 pm
by Russ
nwmlarge wrote:is there any problem with fitting the white light lamps as i think the yellow tinge looks a bit ghey
The Philips VisonPlus give a nice bright white light.

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:33 pm
by nwmlarge
thats what i thought as i put them in the punto and they were great i was just wondering i they caused and malfunctions with the loading

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:45 pm
by Russ
nwmlarge wrote:thats what i thought as i put them in the punto and they were great i was just wondering i they caused and malfunctions with the loading
eh?

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:00 pm
by nwmlarge
i was just checking that the bulbs won't blow any fuses

do you know the bulb sizes and ratings for

main

dipped

side lights??

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:01 pm
by Jhonno
Osram Silverstars are better than VisionPlus' - and cheaper iirc

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:02 pm
by Russ
nwmlarge wrote:i was just checking that the bulbs won't blow any fuses

do you know the bulb sizes and ratings for

main

dipped

side lights??
have a look on the powerbulbs website, and you can select your car.

Same wattage as oem.

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:40 pm
by Simon13
Xenon conversion, once done you won't want a car without them

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 7:41 pm
by charlE30
I'll second that about Osram Silverstars, they make such a difference and if you buy from www.powerbulbs.co.uk you get free Phillips blue vision side light bulbs and free shipping!!! how good is that. If on the other hand money is no object then go for a HIDxenon conversion.

Image

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 11:53 pm
by Brianmoooore
100W H1 bulbs seem to be readily available in France (for anyone on a booze trip), at a similar price to 55W ones. Not actually quite legal in the UK on the road, (as are not non self leveling HIDs), and wiring should be upgraded to avoid voltage drop to get best effect.

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 2:19 am
by Jhonno
you can get 100w bulbs from powerbulbs as well - and get the free sidelights to go with :cool:

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 5:36 am
by E30sixpot
I fitted 100w bulbs, but in my full beam only. I upgraded the dip beam with some xenon copy bulbs which are better than standard.

Where do you get proper xenon conversions from, and how much are they?

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 7:03 am
by charlE30
www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk do the HID conversions, an H1 kit will set you back Ԛ£315 :clin:

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 9:19 am
by Demlotcrew
Brianmoooore wrote:100W H1 bulbs seem to be readily available in France (for anyone on a booze trip), at a similar price to 55W ones. Not actually quite legal in the UK on the road, (as are not non self leveling HIDs), and wiring should be upgraded to avoid voltage drop to get best effect.
Dont forget headlamp wash. :lol:

Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2005 1:26 pm
by CaesarBob
If the dipped beam seems a bit poor you might also want to check the headlight self levelling. That's probably bust and stuck in the lowest position.

Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2005 11:12 am
by hitman
Powerbulbs also seem to be offering 10% off if you buy 2 sets.

Regards,

Hitman