 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > Better lighting on dipped headlamps suggestios please? |
 
|
|
|
| K9F Member Since: 12 Nov 2009 Location: Bournemouth Posts: 9610   
|
Without wishing to state the obvious any light/lamp is obviously only as good as the relector and lens it comes with. To get any significant difference out of an OEM unit the wattage would naturally have to be increased. Not sure about the legality but what would be the implications of fitting say some Lightforce 140/170s and kitting them out with 55/60W and using them as extra driving lights to supplement the rubbish OEM ones.
Just an idea?  If you go through life with your head in the sand....all people will see is an ar5e!!
Treat every day as if it is your last....one day you will be right!! |
||
28th Nov 2012 8:56am |
|
| MartinK Member Since: 02 Mar 2011 Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border) Posts: 2665 
|
Front Fogs are illegal to use unless the visibility is less than 100m.
They should also only be used without dipped beam (i.e. with side lights) so that it reduces reflective glare... Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's) |
||
|
28th Nov 2012 9:23am |
|
| ken Member Since: 18 Aug 2009 Location: Banging Birds with my bitches !! Posts: 4328
|
Deleted opps Wrong Forum
  |
||
|
28th Nov 2012 10:06am |
|
| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17382 
|
If you are thinking of fitting a dim dip system bear in mind that it has been established that running modern headlamp bulbs on reduced voltages will damage the bulb, reduce its performance, and shorten its life.
More on dim dip here :- http://www.defender2.net/forum/post107566.html The only useful thing Europe has yet done for UK motorists was to rule that the UK government's requirement for dim dip to be fitted was illegal! |
||
|
28th Nov 2012 10:34am |
|
| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
|
The reason that this keeps coming up is to do with 'E' marking rather than the wattage itself. Until quite recently, it wasn't possible to buy regular headlight bulbs greater than 55/60w that were 'E' marked, hence the widespread belief that it was the wattage that was stipulating the legal maximum. I believe that you can now, although normal rules about dazzling oncoming drivers and alignment obviously still apply. Darren 110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
||
|
28th Nov 2012 11:34am |
|
| leeds Member Since: 28 Dec 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 8581
|
Thank you Darren.
So as long as it is E marked you can have any wattage you like! 
Subject to dazzling oncoming drivers, correct alignment etc etc Brendan |
||
|
28th Nov 2012 11:49am |
|
| leeds Member Since: 28 Dec 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 8581
|
Nakatanenga does an uprated wiring kitwiring kit here
This kit comes complete with enclosed double relay, cabling and connectors and 4 page German instruction leaflet. We have a couple in stock at £99. All I need to do is get an English translation of the instructions. Brendan |
||
|
28th Nov 2012 5:46pm |
|
| ickle Member Since: 22 Jul 2010 Location: South Vendee Posts: 1782  
|
The Ring Rally light bulbs that I theoretically could have fitted are marked 'not for road use' but give a very very good output that if correctly adjusted do not dazzle.
Theoretically through a crystal lens you can read the wattage of the bulbs so if not E marked you'd have to hit them with a small grinder and deface them..... Also 100 / 80 Watts explode when fitted into Warn dipping spotlights......Theoretically  |
||
|
28th Nov 2012 8:40pm |
|
| WelshGas Member Since: 01 Oct 2010 Location: Vale of Glamorgan Posts: 935  
|
MartinK - there is the spirit of the law and the word. I use my lights as fog lights, but if I was in the position of having to travel roads with large stretches of water, not deep, I would use my fogs with dipped beam to provide low level illumination to show the water to protect myself and other road users. You have every right to disagree and that's your privelige . I will take my chances in those conditions and use my fog lights if I deem they enhance my safety and that of other road users.
 LANDYWATCH
Neighbourhood Watch for Land Rover Owners http://www.landywatch.co.uk/smf2/index.php |
||
|
28th Nov 2012 9:39pm |
|
| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20371
|
Main reason for over that wattage most people shy away including myself is the fact the more or less every bulb set over 55 - 60w I've seen clearly states "for off road use only" aka meaning not road legal. Either that or it's not stated if they are legal or not which is even worse as you'll either not know or when you do find out you could be in some trouble. I also highly doubt they'll pass an MOT either. Think about it most spots / driving lights ect are 100w (some 130) now they must be legally wired to only be used on main beam with a 100w output. Theoretically by having 100w headlights it is the same as driving around with the power of spot light out put but just on dipped beam. Imho far too bright. For me 55 60w Philips +90% H4's headlights only on dipped and when other road users are around. If the road is clear full beam with both 100w Roo spots on too triggered by the main beam stalk so you can quickly turn them off before oncoming traffic comes. Having lights too bright is lethal I think because they are often on-coming traffic at speed and if they can't see because of it they could easily drift onto your side of the road and hit you head on. Even if you were lucky enough to survive and the bulbs were found to be illegal / to high a power ... Well you can work out the outcome for yourself in the courts.
As Brendan (leeds) also said not wishing to cause any trouble but this is my opinion on the subject. Also is there a difference between a "driving light" and a "spot light" I am tending to think a driving light is 55- 60w and spots 80 - 100 - 130w ect? $W33T $0U7H3RN $UG4R 🇬🇧ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ¥ó ®ó §ó ¿ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ·ó ¬ó ³ó ¿ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó ´ó ¿ðŸ‡®ðŸ‡ªðŸ‡ºðŸ‡¸â›½ï¸ðŸ›¢ï¸âš™ï¸ðŸ§°ðŸ’ª |
||
|
28th Nov 2012 10:16pm |
|
| ickle Member Since: 22 Jul 2010 Location: South Vendee Posts: 1782
|
If they are properly adjusted, no problem with MOT at all, have used them in most of my cars for nearly 30 years - from Beetles with Hella H4 conversions through Rover SD1's with 100w H1 mains as well, MG Montego turbos (the ones that turned right when the turbo kicked in) all with no problem at all, but all rewired with heavy gauge wires and relays!
One day when I'm rich I'll get a set of the LEDs, but for the time being 100/80 work well. Keith |
||
|
28th Nov 2012 10:29pm |
|
| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11324
|
That's what I said. The reason being that 'E' marked bulbs over that wattage are relatively rare. The reason they're rare is, I suspect, because few cars are designed with wiring man enough to use them.
The MoT has no means of testing the brightness of bulbs, or whether they are 'E' marked. Only alignment (and that they work, of course).
As was explained by Tim from Mobilecentre in the LED headlight thread, the test for whether a bulb is legal and can be 'E' marked is how bright it is rather than the wattage. The latter is only a crude measure and has become less useful as technology has moved on. Your +90% bulbs probably have about the same light output as a regular 100/80, but better technology means they extract more light from less wattage. As long as the brghtness is within the precribed limits, then the most important factor will be beam alignment.
Again, it's got nothing to do with wattage. The difference is in beam pattern, with driving lights having a wider spread but less range than spots. Even those descriptions are slightly misleading though and their use can vary between manufacturers. Darren 110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
||
|
29th Nov 2012 8:07am |
|
| MartinK Member Since: 02 Mar 2011 Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border) Posts: 2665
|
Disagree entirely . Increased glare is a risk to other users, and does not enhance safety in ANY way. It's illegal, and the vast majority of road users will think you're a muppet who either doesn't know how to use their lights  , or doesn't know what the switch is for...
Fogs are not checked for alignment at MOT, and that's why people have them aligned for spotting aircraft and dazzling oncoming road users  Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's) |
||
|
29th Nov 2012 8:24am |
|
|
|
| All times are GMT |
< Previous Topic | Next Topic > |
Posting Rules
|
Site Copyright © 2006-2024 Futuranet Ltd & Martin Lewis
