Headlight Bulbs

[AmanParhar]

I've just fitted my osram H7 halogen nightbreakers which are seriously powerfull even though they have yet only been tested in daylight. Philips X-treme power +80's are supposed to be even better, but I wanted a slightly more white light (not too much that compromises other wavelengths of light).

I ordered from ebay and received free 501 sidelight bulbs from autobulbs, which are "extreme white". I fitted them and threw away the standard sidelight bulbs (big mistake). When I switched the bulbs on I found two things; they are bluey/white not "EXTREME" white, and secondly the light output is slightly less. My standard sidelights produced a bit more light than these. I do tend to use the sidelights in dim light/cloudy conditions when dipped beam isn't needed yet.

After searching I couldn't really find much on sidelights so I'm writing to ask which sidelight bulbs are good/ the best. I've heard L.E.Ds are pants and dont last. As for colour, It would be good to fit bulbs which are slightly whiter than standard, but NOT BLUE!

Thanks,

Amandeep

 

[LEE69]

I use this guys on ebay
http://motors.shop.ebay.co.uk/items...1QQ_ssnZwardenQ5fjp2002?_trksid=p3911.c0.m282

 

[LEE69]

Link to my pic

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1882922&postcount=13


Actually i took these that were a truer indication

 

[AmanParhar]

BLOODY HELL they are bright! Are those "SMD" L.E.Ds? What's the lifetime of the bulbs? Are they legal/passable on M.O.T?

 

[LEE69]

They are leds so years i'd guess/hope.

 

[AmanParhar]

Thanks, since slandering the free blue 501s i might keep them for a bit; viewing them at night they match the imperial blue paint colour of my leon lol! Headlights look different now; blue sidelight with brilliant white osram nightbreaker dipped beam.

On another note, i've read in other threads that fog light bulbs need to be white; i've got a pack of Osram H3 +90% light nightbreakers which have a partial, but not completely covering blue filter to give a "brilliant white light." Will these impair the function of the foglights? When it is said that white light is good to view in fog; does this mean full em spectrum yellowish bulbs or actually white light? basically i'd like to know if I can use my nightbreakers without impairment to foglighting ability.

Thanks,

Sorry for sounding so technical!

 

[LEE69]

No idea tbh i guess all you can do is try them

 

[oldman]

i use the free ones from powerbulbs, Philips Blue Vision W5W, and find them great. Well they are better than the ones that failed my mot which were oem from new.

 

[AmanParhar]

any ideas if the osrams are ok to use in my foglights?

 

[Muttley]

Like any front-facing light, fogs should be white or yellow (not red or blue - red's for the back of things and blue is for emergency services). If your Osrams are pale enough blue to be legal as headlights then they'll be fine in the fogs. Yellow filters are sometimes fitted for appearance's sake but will cut down the amount of light emitted.

The colour of the light confers no advantage in fog-piercing. The water droplets scatter the light from your lamps in all directions, independent of wavelength (colour). Too much light blasted into the fog results in less forward visibility, all you can see is a white curtain of back-scattered light.

Good foglamps work by shaping the beam to be low and wide, lighting up the sides of the road and any road markings, and are intended for conditions so foggy that you can't get any improvement in visibility by turning on headlamps.

In these sorts of conditions you won't be driving much more than 10mph, but with good foglamps you'll get home and not end up in a ditch.

You don't get such fog often in the UK, and unless you drive a lot, or for a living, you'll maybe use them once a year.

I've got Philips Vison+ in the headlights, stop/tail lights and rear fogs. I think that brighter lights are the best modification anyone can make to their car - see and be seen! I didn't bother with brighter front fogs because I think the gain would be marginal as brighter light means more backscatter, and they are used very rarely.

I couldn't find anyone selling brighter indicator bulbs (PY21W) or I'd have had them as well

Those Osrams look good from their description. I'd like to see if anyone has compared them to Vision+. Philips claim 50% brighter, Osram 90%, but I'm always wary of advertising claims.

 

[AmanParhar]

Decision

Thanks for the reply!

Ironically since my last post we had a spout of early morning fog!

As you say, and as I have noticed the fogs are only good for low/side illumination.

I probably wont fit the nightbreaker fogs; I dont think they will be back scattered too much, but I don't really think I need them; nightbreaker main beam seems to be powerfull enough!

Philips xtreme power are supposed to be better; they dont have a blue filter so more light at the same kelvin temperature compared to osrams (allthough osrams burn hotter to overcome this). Philips last longer but the white light of the osrams is perfect for me as I do plenty of driving in the dark, and the whiter colour doesnt seem to make you as tired driving compared to yellow standard ones.