What headlight bulbs?

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TheInsanity1234
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What headlight bulbs?

Postby TheInsanity1234 » Sun Mar 25, 2018 7:38 pm

So I've noticed my headlight bulbs are not as good as they were before, so I'm now thinking about upgrading them to something a bit brighter, since they're so crap.

Just wondering what you advanced folks use on your cars, and how much they are.

Mine are the standard bulbs that came with the car almost 2 years ago so they're getting on a bit and there's a definite drop in dipped beam brightness.

How often do you change your bulbs?

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GTR1400MAN
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Re: What headlight bulbs?

Postby GTR1400MAN » Sun Mar 25, 2018 7:43 pm

TheInsanity1234 wrote:How often do you change your bulbs?

If/when they fail. ;)

I replace with a matched pair of bulbs.

Be wary of the 150, 180% brighter ones. They achieve this by burning hotter and lasting less time ... even the ones from reputable manufacturers.
Mike Roberts - Now riding a Triumph Explorer XRT. My username comes from my 50K miles on a Kawasaki 1400GTR, after many years on Hondas of various shapes and styles. - https://tinyurl.com/mikerobertsonyoutube

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Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
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Re: What headlight bulbs?

Postby Mr Cholmondeley-Warner » Sun Mar 25, 2018 7:50 pm

Osram Nightbreakers are good. Be aware of what Mike says though - hotter and brighter is achieved with a thinner filament that burns out quicker.
Nick

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Strangely Brown
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Re: What headlight bulbs?

Postby Strangely Brown » Sun Mar 25, 2018 7:54 pm

“The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long. And you have burned so very very brightly, Roy.”
Last edited by Strangely Brown on Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

TheInsanity1234
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Re: What headlight bulbs?

Postby TheInsanity1234 » Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:12 pm

Hm... Maybe won't bother with buying new bulbs then, especially since my sister's the main user and she rarely drives in the dark or outside urban areas...

Only thought of it as I need to buy some new fuses for the car as I've blown the fuse controlling the washer system, due to attempting to wash my windscreen by pumping a block of ice, rather than pumping some water :oops:

I've got a £20 voucher I can use in Halfords so just pondering what I could spend £20 on... Loads of replacement fuses I guess? :mrgreen:

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Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
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Re: What headlight bulbs?

Postby Mr Cholmondeley-Warner » Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:17 pm

If you don't fancy buying fancy "brighter" bulbs, standard ones can be had very very cheap (depending on fitting). H4s can be had for 99p for 2 online. Spend just a bit more and you have perfectly serviceable bulbs.

If yours have darkened due to intensive use (and if you do a lot of night driving, it's inevitable), there are still cheap gains to be had. The tungsten burns off and deposits itself on the inside of the glass.
Nick

TheInsanity1234
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Re: What headlight bulbs?

Postby TheInsanity1234 » Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:39 pm

I don't do more than your typical share of night driving, I think, but I do drive with my headlights on almost all the time. It's a force of habit for me to get in the car and immediately turn the lights on. The Yeti and my car both have DRLs so not necessary, but my driving instructor's car didn't, and so I got into the habit of turning the lights on every time I got in his car, which then carried over into my car.

Would you say 2 years is long enough or should I just leave them?

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Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
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Re: What headlight bulbs?

Postby Mr Cholmondeley-Warner » Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:49 pm

If you can change them yourself, spend a fiver and do it. Put the old ones in the glovebox or somewhere as spares.
Nick

Silk
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Re: What headlight bulbs?

Postby Silk » Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:50 pm

TheInsanity1234 wrote:So I've noticed my headlight bulbs are not as good as they were before, so I'm now thinking about upgrading them to something a bit brighter, since they're so crap.

Just wondering what you advanced folks use on your cars, and how much they are.

Mine are the standard bulbs that came with the car almost 2 years ago so they're getting on a bit and there's a definite drop in dipped beam brightness.

How often do you change your bulbs?


My previous and current car both have LEDs. The one previous to that Xenons. I would never buy another car with "normal" bulbs. It's like driving in candle-light by comparison. It's just incredibly annoying that you have to order a higher spec just to get the option. They should be standard on all cars IMO.

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angus
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Re: What headlight bulbs?

Postby angus » Sun Mar 25, 2018 9:02 pm

Um, didn't you complain on another thread about being dazzled? and you're looking and getting brighter bulbs?

But as Mike said, the brighter bulbs don't last as long, so get good quality, "normal" bulbs and if you can, replace both together. And save up for a car with Xenons - much brighter - haven't tried LEDs for headlights yet, but gradually changing the lights at home and school to LED, so it makes sense.

I did see H4 LEDs the other day, anyone tried replacing halogen bulbs with LED?


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