Which headlight units?

[Mutz]

Right, after driving out last night in the dark down some "B" roads i now need to replace my sealed beam lights, combination of poor illumination, poor eyesight (age related LOL) and dismal weather conditions i couldnt hardly see at all as other cars came towards me and couldnt drive above 40mph.

Question is which lights have you replaced yours with and are they any better than the others, Not going down the HID route.

There are some replacement items on flea bay.

Crystal freeform.£32 + delivery = about £42 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221074972347?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648

and some basic replacements. £19.99 + delivery = about £29 http://www.ebay.co.u...d=390442005327

are the crystal really worth the extra?

[mmgemini]

Get proper headlights with a proper dip. While chrystal might look bling I'm told the performance isn't that good.

I will only recomend HELLA then wire then up correctly as per my wiring instructions that's in many places on the web.

Fit standard H4 lamps. Note an H4 has an envelope covering the filament not a bulb !!!!

How about supporting your local firms ? Look in Yellow pages for a good auto electrical supplier.

Wiring here....

http://landytown.myfastforum.org/about7578.html

[g90]

i bought some crystal untis from bolt on bits about a year ago, they look good, wouldn't say that they are any better at lighting up the road. I have a pair of 8" spotlights mounted on an A bar which really make the difference, obv cant use em with someone coming the way though!

[western]

the freeform Wipac headlights are fine, with some decent H4 headlight bulbs they work very well, been fine in my 110, the Wipac units are plastic body so won't corrode.

[Mo Murphy]

I never found the crystal headlights to be any better than standard halogens.

Hth

Mo

[Mutz]

@ mmgemini. I intended to do the wiring mod when i relace the units. Hella's are few and far between and price is high, i do try to use local companies, but comes down to price at the end of the day ie 1 unit from local company same price as 2 off tinternet!!

could you explain " proper headlights with proper dip" and "H4 has an envelope covering the filament not a bulb"

@g90. Have a pair of 100watt each longrange spots, illegal to use on road, will blind you!!!! but can get a good view at night (they make it like daylight)

Right so as it stands we have, 1 for crystals and 2 against. with crystals being no better beam pattern etc. than the cheaper replacements.

Any more advice?

[TSD]

I'm with mmgemini, Hella lamp units every time. Name brand bulbs with sensible power (ie 55/60W, not 130/100W), and decent wiring.

[mmgemini]

I'll go for lamps first.

A lamp consits of a bulb, a base, a filament, a set of filament holders and contacts on the base. A bulb is part of a lamp.......So what people call a bulb is part of a lamp....

With a QI or halogen as it's now called. The filaments are encased in a quarts envelope.....Remember the filament in a QI lamp runs at 3,100Deg C.

It isn't know why QI actually works. LOL. When the filament heats the halogens are drawn to the filament....When the filamet is switched off then the halogens are expexted to go back to the quartz. They don't always do that which is why when a QI fails the filament is intact.

I don't consider that Hella's are expensive. I paid 22 quid each for my last pait. Two quid each down on the price I paid in 1991

Why not go the whole hog and go LED headlights ? LOL

Having used Lucas and Wipac, I can say that the Hella are lumens if front of either. In fact the Wipac on high beam has a black spot at about two o'clock

Wher the beam is missing.

[Mutz]

I always tell people a bulb is something you plant!! its a lamp!!

[=jon=]

I've just swapped over the wipac clear lenses from my series to my 90 - with one of each in the wipac is considerably brighter. I also put Halfrauds uprated bulbs lamps in while it was all apart.

When they were in the series I didn't notice any problems with beam pattern or dark spots.

[Simon Smith]

Sorry all you electrical bods, a lamp is actually the whole thing, goes back to the days of oil lamps and candle lamps, the term has been hijacked relatively recently by electricians to mean a bulb. An oil lamp doesn't have a bulb.

Anyway, to get back on topic, I have Chrystal Wipacs on mine and contrary to what has been said on here I find them 100% better than the quad optics they replaced, especially in the rain as the beam pattern is formed by the reflector instead of the lens. Which is exactly why 90% of modern cars have crystal lenses, ie those that aren't LED or HID. They have a very good patern with a sharp cutoff. Would recommend them to anyone.

[Guest]

Whilst I don't think that the Wipac crystals can preform magic and create light that is not there, they are just as good as a standard Hella unit but have the advantage that they are made out of polycarb so don't rust and are less lightly to crack or break.

Jason.

[Mutz]

Jon are these the freeform ones? and is that compared to sealed or H4 units?

[Mutz]

Jason & Simon are you saying the extra for the crystal lenses is worth it then?

[=jon=]

Jon are these the freeform ones? and is that compared to sealed or H4 units?

It's the ones Paddock sell that use the reflector to form the beam, not the lens - http://www.paddockspares.com/pm678-wipac-crystal-halogen-headlamp-conversion-kit-pair-left-hand-dip-uk-and-australia.html

The old ones were sealed beam.

[Guest]

Jason & Simon are you saying the extra for the crystal lenses is worth it then?

I would say so, they work out at about £5 extra per side so not really that much, they don't rust and don't get chipped by stones, they can still fill up with water and as I say with the correct H4 lamps are a significant improvement over sealed beam units but let's face it most things are.

Jason.

[Mutz]

Thanks guys, Wipac Crystals it is then.

[ballcock]

I've just bought the Wipac crystal lens's from Bearmach and a new pair of plastic bowls, I have to get a pair of bulbs yet. I am planning to use a pair of the Nightbreakers as recommended on here somewhere, the Wipac crystals have a set of blue side lamp bulbs supplied do these give a white light or blue? I shall also upgrade the supply cables whilst I'm changing them.

[western]

mine had blue sidelights in as well, I replaced them with standard white bulbs, hate cars with blue side/marker lights, blue is for emergency vehicles only IMHO.

[Guest]

Personally I would go for the ones without the sidelight built in, just another place for water to get in IMHO.

Jason.

[Simon Smith]

Yes, avoid sidelight holes if you can. I think if water can get in then it will! Though if it hasn't got in this week I think it never will I am sold on the Crystal wipacs, and after several years there is no sign of discoloration on the silvering either. As for bulbs I use PIAA extreme white.

Oh, I refuse to call them lamps, I have a lamp in the corner of my room for powercuts, it's made by Aladdin

[unclemicky]

I also used Crystal wipacs and found them quite good.

Like Western says with good bulbs (Philips etc).Other wise if you need better lights at nite cos of ,eyesight, wet winter nites etc go for 100w and up grade wireing,relay switchs While your in there get new indicaters and parkers. There small money.

[mmgemini]

Yes, avoid sidelight holes if you can. I think if water can get in then it will! Though if it hasn't got in this week I think it never will I am sold on the Crystal wipacs, and after several years there is no sign of discoloration on the silvering either. As for bulbs I use PIAA extreme white.

So I['m the odd one out again.

I've NEVER had a problem using Hella with side light holes in them. Even on my rally cars. Of course I don't throw the covers away. I fit them.

I replaced my Hells units last year after over ten years use in my Defender. That was after six years use in my Defender.

The Wipacs rusted after a year.

Yes I do use good H4 lamps. 100/ 65 wired so both filaments come on with high beam. That's the beam I use the least LOL

Try to keep the dip filament as near to standard for the light unit as possible to avoid the scatter that the thicker filament gives.

[mmgemini]

I also used Crystal wipacs and found them quite good.

Like Western says with good bulbs (Philips etc).Other wise if you need better lights at nite cos of ,eyesight, wet winter nites etc go for 100w and up grade wireing,relay switchs While your in there get new indicaters and parkers. There small money.

I wonder how It would be nice if somebody gave me the credit for the up-grading wiring that I originally posted in the early 2000's.....

Nope. I see others get the credit for that.

Up-grade the wiring with relays using a 9mm connector for the contacts otherwise you will get a volt drop over the contact connections.

[Guest]

So I['m the odd one out again.

I've NEVER had a problem using Hella with side light holes in them. Even on my rally cars. Of course I don't throw the covers away. I fit them.

I replaced my Hells units last year after over ten years use in my Defender. That was after six years use in my Defender.

The Wipacs rusted after a year.

Yes I do use good H4 lamps. 100/ 65 wired so both filaments come on with high beam. That's the beam I use the least LOL

Mike,

I think the trouble is that you are comparing the old Wipac units to the Hella ones, whilst I am not doubting that the quality of the Hella units or that they do last plastic technology has moved on and I personally think that Polycarbonate lenses are the way to go. I was not saying the Hella ones are not up to the job, just that I liked the Wipac units.

As for the side lights, my point was really that you don't need them as a Defender already has side lights and as they can be another point of ingress for water why bother?

Jason.