Mutley Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Appologies if this has been mentioned before. Now i drive a 90 300tdi and i'm guessing any one else who drives a Defender up to this model will appreciate that at night we are for the best part driving by CANDLE light!......Me i like to see where i'm going or at least what i'm going to hit, so what to do about the crappy light situation?????? Well as the little note on th MOT suggested the lights where soon to need replacing (oh deep joy more money to spend on the girl)......So after doing a bit of home work I decided that a new set of Wipac Crystals was in order (my choice and for the money i didnt think they were bad, I dont do off roading so don't need flood lights), plus there is some tech info on here somewhere about up grading the wiring for lights as at standard it's not the best.....Having read the info and made various notes to do this little job an order was placed with VWP. The wiring was a pain but hey it's for the greater good! new lenses fitted!.......Now for the bulbs (fed up with having to keep lighting the candles at night!!!!).......Again home work was done and reports read on different makes and models. As i have said I dont want flood lights as such and would rather they be road legal (some of the rozzers can be a bit funny about this sort of thing). Anyway it turns out that Phillips X-treme and Osram night breakers are in the top field. carp now to pay a visit to Halfords (next to B+Q my 2 favourite hate places). Looking at the pretty bulbs and trying to decide which of the 2 to choose a young spotty oike asks if I need help (me thinks it is he who needs help possibly with a Diaper Change!), but what the hell i humour the little lad and tells of my quandary " i want some good bright white lights not the 6 pack of candles i already have, so which of these do you recommend?".....Well as you can imagine the young chap goes straight for HALFORDS own brand!!! The Halfords Extreme Brilliance and assures me these are better, after i had finished laughing i thought what the hell i can always bring them back and blame the Muppet for advising me to buy them. With new bulbs in i waited for night fall and go for a little drive down the back country lane that has no street lights or house lights for miles........Well speechless is an under statement, the light was something else just with dip beam i could see the hedges both side and some 150 yrds of road ahead, full beam and wow! I drove the whole of the road (3 miles) on dip beam didn't need to use full, bless the little spotty oike was right these bulbs are fantastic. So much so that i now have modern day cars flashing me at night thinking i have left full beam on, and when i flash back the whole of the interior of their motor is lit up! I even took the Landy to the MOT place to have the headlights aligned before i went out the first night so i know there is no problem with how they are set and the bulbs are road legal (plus with new lenses and wiring up grade) the set up is bang on and i now have a smug grin on my face when some one flashes at night! These bulbs are well worth a look if you have a similar issue "Halfords Extreme Brilliance" they come in nice pink boxes and are buy one get one free so for the money good value. Just thought i'd share this with you Cheers Mutley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I have never had a problem with the lighting output on my Defender. I did the job properly as described in many of my replies to lighting posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty_wingnut Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I absolutely adore being blinded by these superbly powerful modern bulbs when out on my pushbike, so glad you can see so well now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landy V8 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 mine are standard H4 bulbs in standard Halogen lamps and they are excellent,but might try these as well as they are road legal.you can never have too much light. together with 4 x 100watt spots on the rack it should be good on main beam if someone thinks i'm on mains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Standard H4 bulbs are very good....You need proper wiring which isn't standard on a Defender Sorry to say rack fitted lights are illegal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Sorry to say rack fitted lights are illegal. That's not strictly true. If they are wired in to the main beam, they must have an isolating switch so main beam can be used without them coming on. As I understand it: Driving Lights, max height 1200mm, min height 500mm Fog Lights, max height 1200mm, min height 200mm If roof mounted lights are classed as 'additional main beam lights' then according to the Statutory Instrument 1989 No. 1796, The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, there are no regulation requirements relating to longitudinal positon, vertical postion, distance between pair, angle or even any maximum wattage. However, they must be within the outer limits of the dipped beam lights, be aligned to the front and be either white or yellow and can must be able to be deflected at the will of the driver to become a dipped beam or can be extinguished by the operation of a device which at the same time causes another lamp to emit a dipped beam. The light must also be adjustable while the vehicle is stationary. Vehicles constructed after 1986 must have a visual tell tale to indicate the lights are illuminated. Even if this is not true, the legality only relates to using them on the highway, not to fitting them. Which bit of legislation they fall under seems to be determined by whether you class them as fog, driving or additional main beam lights. Having them connected to the main beam switch, via an isolator would tend to make them an additional main beam light. Back on topic. I too bought some of the Halfords lights (which are on offer at the moment with a BOGOF). I'm really impressed with them. My drive to work is through narrow country lanes and I really struggle to see where I'm going when faced with modern BMW's etc with HID or high brightness lights. I agree that by fitting brighter lights, I'm becoming part of the problem - but I can't see another solution. So, I've only gone down this route for my own safety. On the route, get it wrong and in several places you'll be in a ditch but in one place, on a corner, you'll be down a steep embankment and on to a main railway line! I've had a few frightening moments there where I've had to guess where the corner begins. Also, you know that the highway code does not apply to cyclists in rural areas? They don't need lights on dark country lanes - at least, so it seems round here - so I might argue that having headlights bright enough to see them by, benefits them as much as me! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I've used Halford's 'performance' headlamp bulbs for years in a variety of land rovers and euroboxes, and found them very good and decent value for money (especially as they're pretty much always on 'special offer', so the real price is lower than they suggest). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Agreed Simon I too work on that principle. However I understand that it's because the rack lights are behind the front axle that's the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutley Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 These bulbs are H4's and have to say out perform anything in their class, all those that say 50, 90% brighter and whiter they may be but brighter and whiter than what?.....As i have stated i upgraded the wiring before putting in the bulbs so this obviously helps, but my pet hate is the yellowish light given off by standard bulbs and these from Halfords ARE White and Bright to the same extent as the modern lights on new cars. The added bonus is actually being able to see where you are going sorry but these bulbs really are that impressive especially as they are Halfords own brand and how often does that happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Then you haven't realised that H4 are in fact quartz iodine bulbs developed by Phillips Holland for use in the boat industry and the light from them is actually purple.The H4 IIRC was developed by Mazda lighting. Nothing new about them really old hat technology. Wait until you see what the LED headlights are like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutley Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 Don't really care what they are made of and who makes them, the point was to share with others my thoughts and findings and hopefully save some people time and money in experimenting with various makes of H4's.......As for LED, HIDS and the likes i for one cannot offord the conversion so for 20 Quid for 2 bulbs Halfords wins it for me! I'm not tech minded and time and money are short, those of you that know better great, those that know better and want to share their knowledge greater still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SORNagain Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I think I read somewhere that if you decrease the voltage to a halogen bulb by 5%, you get 20% less light. 5% ain't much at 14v, so I guess thats why the wiring is so important. (which is the subject of the other thread on here at the moment...) I am wondering if alot of the improvement in these high performance bulbs is obtained by having a lower voltage rating, which is better suited to the typical wiring in a vehicle? What would happen if they were installed in a vehicle with good wiring? Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveRK Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Its not the bulbs that are the problem, its the lens in the bowl that causes too much 'scatter' It find it extremely tiring when people upgrade with CE approved modern lights as whilst legal the beam direction is poor. This i believe is starting to be addressed by VOSA. My daily car has standard HID headlights that are only 40 watts as factory fitted along with a mercury self levelling setup. Result is a very clearly discernible beam pattern that does not dazzle or produce scatter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutley Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 SteveRK this i can appreciate but those of us that drive an older model and cannot afford the up grade have to rely on bulbs and lenses that fit/suit/ affordable.....I never checked the volts before i up graded the wiring in the Landy, but after the up grade it reads 13.4 volts and all the reviews of the up graded wiring for lights say that the performance is so much better, so i guess with these bulbs and the wiring up graded it is fair to say that they are at their best....Even without up grading the wiring these bulbs are impressive and far less the price of top branded bulbs promising to light up the world.... All i'm saying is that they are worth looking at, you all make your own choices, up grade wiring/new lenses/bulbs what ever.......But even with standard wiring and lenses these bulbs are quite something!........Just worth checking out that's all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 As for LED, HIDS and the likes i for one cannot offord the conversion so for 20 Quid for 2 bulbs Halfords wins it for me! Same here really. I tried a set of these Halfords bulbs as while ago as they were £10 each with the offer they had at the time. I think it made quite a difference really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finnarne Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I never checked the volts before i up graded the wiring in the Landy, but after the up grade it reads 13.4 volts.. I think that is to low. have you found out which way "the missing volts" are taking. What voltage do you have at the battery ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finnarne Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I was out testing on the RRC today. I have a problem with voltage drop and also some misfiring when idling and warm engine. anyway. I have 14.2 volt on the battery. 14 volt on the ignition, but if I run both the main light (although dimmed) and the fan, I get 13 volt on the "other side" of the ignition. I know I have a problem with a voltage drop, but that's not my point. If I turn of the fan, I get something like 13.5v. When measring the beam with 13.5 volt gave me 155 lux about 1 meter from the headlamp. when turning on the fan, I get something like 130 lux. . Not sure if the bulb should give 55watt on 14 volt or on 12 volt, but the effekt is almost the same. Lets says it should provice 55 watt on 14 volt. Then with 13.5volt, I would get 51.1 watt with 13.0volt, I get 47.4watt But the light changed from 155 lux to 130 lux. 47.4 watt is 92.7% off 51.1 watt 130lux is only 83.8% of 155lux I'm going to rewire the mains, but first I'll try to locate what causes the voltage drop. But if you only get 13.2 on your main light, then I guess you only get 60-70% of the light you could get with proper wiring/charging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SORNagain Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 That's really interesting finname. What are you measuring the light output with? I want one! The change is power might not be as bad as that because the resistance of the fillament will drop as it cools down, but wikipedia reckons light output is proportional to V^3, which is massive. Your voltage drops actually don't sound too bad to me. I had worse in my RRC, which lead me to fit relays for the headlamps. I used thick wire and short runs, taking the feed off the back of the alternator. I think I have gone too far in the other direction, as while the headlamps burn with the light of a thousand suns are very bright, the bulbs are quite short lived! For this reason I think the bulbs not rated to 14 volts, but I don't know what the rating would be. I guess there could be other factors shortening the life too. It's not easy to do the math, but I think it is possible that if your wiring is poor and you fit 100w bulbs to try and compensate, you might end up with less light than you started with! These high performance bulbs seem to get the thumbs up, and I would love to know how they do it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finnarne Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 That's really interesting finname. What are you measuring the light output with? I want one! I'm using this one from biltema.com. Looks like this is the same as from ebay It's not easy to do the math, but I think it is possible that if your wiring is poor and you fit 100w bulbs to try and compensate, you might end up with less light than you started with! Yes, I agree. Also, to get 100watt, you need more current, and with more current, you get more heat in the switches and other places, and possibly more failures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Well I've got some WIPEC crystal (reflector type) lamps in my 90 with I think standard double filament H4 bulbs. they are very good and a much improved over a lens type defractor type. Something I have found is when I re-wired the headlamps the normal low beam/high beam switch over didn't work. so my high beams come on as well as the low beam. I have heard a lot of people say the bulbs aren't designed to have both filaments lit, maybe so but after doing 10k in just over a year I've had no problems (famous last words). One thing to note though, as you are drawing more current through the bulb by having both filements lit at the same time, the common earth wire has to be thick enough to deal with this. Mav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Mav That is how I wire my headlights up. I have done so for a very long time. Since Marechal brought the Ampilux out.....I just kept doing it with the H4's. There's supposed to be a problem as you say but I've not noticed it. QI or quartz halogen should run at at least 13 volt. Any lower and the bulb life is reduced. Not only the earth wire...Have you had a headlamp connector block melt yet ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Not only the earth wire...Have you had a headlamp connector block melt yet ? HAHAHAHA - funny you should say that... before I re-wired the lights, they both came on together as previously said and in the brief period the truck was on the road before her re-build, yeah the original plastic connector block fused itself to the back of one of the sealed beam units - thats when I saw the earth problem too. I put in a whole new fused circuit with relayes for the head lamps, it being an 86 the original wireing was a bit old and scabby, its still in just redundant now. So I adjusted the wireing to suit the light set-up. I think the lamps are better than my 05 focus now, certainly with regard to clarity. Mav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Can someone point me in the Direction of an H4 connector for the back of the headlight? (even better if there is a male version to fit onto the existing wiring for the feed! One of my winter projects is to fit the new bulbs and lenses I have along with a new headlight loom with relays etc . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutley Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 Try VWP for the H4 connector, I know Halfords do them with wires so you just have to join them to existing wires, VWP comes with the pins to be cramped onto what ever wire you are using (I used VWP). Cheers Mutley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Cheers, I was looking on VWP but I hadn't noticed them! Will have to look harder . I hope they will be OK with my 100w-ers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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