ungrading bulbs

[gumtree]

dont want to bother upgrading wiring, too much hassel and if bulbs are too high wattage they are illigal and piss off everyone, sooooooo i just want to get a good quality 55/60w globes for the front.

has anyone used these and what do u think of them. i have a pair of phillips 80% more light in my sierra and they are ok but would like to see what these are like for my vit. if they output a bluey light then in not interested.
http://www.narva.com.au/Narva_Update-77.html

[murcod]

I found the Osram Nightbreakers work well in my XL-7. I also bought the Philips Xtremes (+80% ) at the same time and reckon the Osrams are better and also give a whiter light.

[Kane]

Hi mate i've used the philips globes for a few years now and have found them to be the best over others i've used eg. Nava, IPF ect. They have better quality glass, better light output and have a longer life span than the rest. Try either the Vision plus (50% more light) or the Xtreem power (80% more power) which i use. They might be a little more expensive however you won't be dissapointed.
Cheers, Kane

[murcod]

Here are some pics I took of the Osram vs Philips vs standard ("Koito") on my XL-7. All taken in the garage, but if you compare the pics there are some differences between them all. The camera taking the pics was set to full manual so the exposure level is the same for all the pics.

http://users.on.net/~murcod/bulb%20test/

I kept the Osrams and gave the Philips away.

[gumtree]

from pics phillips low are exactly same as stock lows, are u sure pic is right coz they are meant to be 80% more light unless your stocks bulbs are really good. also Osrams and phillips high look same quality. Osrams look like the best in both fields where did u buy Osrams from?

i would still like to know if anyone has tried the narvas.

[murcod]

Look at the garage brick wall and you'll notice more difference between each bulb.

I bought them from www.powerbulbs.com - you might be interested in the below Email I received. You should have time to take up the offer?

Due to customer demand, we're repeating this popular promotion and offering customers another chance to save 20% off all orders until Monday 15th December, 5pm GMT.

If you're looking for that last minute Christmas gift for a friend, relative (or even yourself!) then why not take advantage of this saving?

To claim this great offer, simply use the following voucher code with your order:

SAVE20

Once you have entered the code on the shopping basket page, 'apply' it and the discount will be automatically generated. This offer will end Monday, 5pm GMT.

[gumtree]

hmmmm i actually ordered the navas today at 2pm. they were $46 so thats not too bad. as i have the phillips bulbs i can compare stock/phillips and the narvas like you did. i think the narvas will be very close to the osrams.

[murcod]

hmmmm i actually ordered the navas today at 2pm.

Whoa, did you read their blurb?

The result is an astounding 80% more light output and 20% whiter light, providing 100% more vision.

100% more vision? WTF? Sounds like marketing BS...

[gumtree]

hmmmm i actually ordered the navas today at 2pm.

Whoa, did you read their blurb?

The result is an astounding 80% more light output and 20% whiter light, providing 100% more vision.

100% more vision? WTF? Sounds like marketing BS...

dunno, but i guess i will soon find out. they are similar to the osrams that are 90% more light and 10% whiter.

[gumtree]

ok so been testing out narvas compared to phillips and im keeping phillips in as the have a yellower light as opposed to blue tinged light wich seems to not light up black well at all. if u think about it if your reading a black piece of paper and the writing is yellow or white\yellow then its easy but put bluish writing on it and it wont stand out as well. same deals with blue tinged lights.


and murcod, the narvas i got actually have osrams printed on the so i rang up narva and asked and they said they get some of their lights from osram. looking as pics the seems to be the exact same light and the osrans 90% more light 10% whiter, just sold as narvas.

low beams are similar but high beams the dark blue strip at the yop kicks in and gives is too much blue. it appears white when u look at the reflector but throws out too much of a blue ting which seems to fade. i kept the phillips in my daily and the narvas( osrams) in my 4x4 i drive once a month. narvas are still better than stock but would recomend phillips.

here is something that backs up what iv seen. read the first link and there are good comparason pics.
http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgu ... f%26sa%3DN

[Gwagensteve]

I'm sure you already know this Gumtree, but you really need to upgrade wiring/relays before you split hairs about light performance with different globes.

It's not a hassle - my upgraded loom took about 5 minutes to install. Took longer to fit the H4 inserts, which you've obviously already done.

Steve.

[gumtree]

the risk of melting the plastic reflector is too much of a risk as compared to just using normal wattage globes. ive got lightforce 170 spotties for extra highbeams if i want them and im installing driving light down low for good spread which i can always have on and not blind anyone in oncoming traffic. will be a good combo i think.

if u upgrade loom will it plug straight into existing h4 plug and will it make standard lights a bit brighter? where from and how much? cheers.

[macca81]

can make a loom yaself, or ya can buy one from places like arb or supercheap or the like. not sure on price as i made my own and it cost about $10 to make. and yes, it will make your standard lights abit brighter, and it should be virtualy a plug and play type thing if you buy comercialy

[me3@neuralfibre.com]

Only need to upgrade wiring if you upgrade wattage.

Narva +50 is simplest option
HIR Bulbs if they will fit
HID is the best / brightest - but there are debates re. legailty.

Paul

[brad-chevlux]

can make a loom yaself, or ya can buy one from places like arb or supercheap or the like. not sure on price as i made my own and it cost about $10 to make. and yes, it will make your standard lights abit brighter, and it should be virtualy a plug and play type thing if you buy comercialy

loom is easy as, heavy duty 5core, a pair of 5 pin 40amp relays and a pair of sealed fuse holders. i'd also spend the extra $12 and buy a pair of new H4 pre wired plugs.

use the original wiring to switch the new relays

[Gwagensteve]

Sierra wiring is sized as the bare minimum for the stock sealed candles.

There is significant volt drop at the globe on the standard sierra headlight system wiring. Even with stock sierra sealed beams, you get more and whiter light with an upgraded loom alone, even before an upgrade to H4 inserts.

However, filling up H4 inserts with water is a complete PITA. Apparently 75 series landcruiser sealed beams are a significant upgrade for a sierra with an upgraded loom and provide waterproof lighting.

There is no debate re legality - HID is perfectly legal if your car has headlight washing and automatic self levelling. If it does not, the HID is not legal.

Steve.

[on4tou]

Totally agree with Paul.
The narva + 80 are a good buy we sell them for $55 for a twin pack and they come with 2 t-10mm wedge globes they are even ADR approved so there are no legality issues.
Steve

[me3@neuralfibre.com]

There is no debate re legality - HID is perfectly legal if your car has headlight washing and automatic self levelling. If it does not, the HID is not legal.

Steve.

The debate is around if you care about the legailty, and chances of bing caught.....

Paul

[Gwagensteve]

The debate is around if you care about the legailty, and chances of bing caught.....

Paul

That's not a debate about legality, that's a debate about detection/apprehension.

If everyone got caught, nobody would do it. Just because nobody gets caught, doesn't mean it's any more legal.

Steve.

[chimpboy]

Only need to upgrade wiring if you upgrade wattage.

I'm not sure I agree. I have seen plenty of cars where upgrading the stock wiring improved headlight performance, even without any bulb changes from the original. It seems that many car-makers opt to use suboptimal wiring in this area.

[MightyMouse]

Only need to upgrade wiring if you upgrade wattage.

I'm not sure I agree. I have seen plenty of cars where upgrading the stock wiring improved headlight performance, even without any bulb changes from the original. It seems that many car-makers opt to use suboptimal wiring in this area.

X2, Some manufacturers are far too stingy with the copper - there are often gains to be made with the stock lamps and of course is even more effective with an incandescent upgrade.

Another thing to keep in mind that the "+" series of lamps also change the brightness/lifespan balance in favor of brightness. Some of the more complex envelope fillings go some ways to redressing this - but as a general rule greater output / whiter light are achieved at the expense of lamp life.

[stuee]

Only need to upgrade wiring if you upgrade wattage.

I'm not sure I agree. I have seen plenty of cars where upgrading the stock wiring improved headlight performance, even without any bulb changes from the original. It seems that many car-makers opt to use suboptimal wiring in this area.

X2, Some manufacturers are far too stingy with the copper - there are often gains to be made with the stock lamps and of course is even more effective with an incandescent upgrade.

Another thing to keep in mind that the "+" series of lamps also change the brightness/lifespan balance in favor of brightness. Some of the more complex envelope fillings go some ways to redressing this - but as a general rule greater output / whiter light are achieved at the expense of lamp life.

x3

I rewired a mates lighting in his hq ute. The headlights (replacement hella's) were run on very thin wiring and power was directed through the headlight switch. Wiring was so poor that at low revs the lights fluctuated. We used the existing power circuits to instead switch relays and went through some nice thick wiring, (10 amp for each low beam and 15 for each high beam). Afterwards it was a hell of a transformation. All the same actual lights just new wiring.

Also upgraded the front indicator wiring at the same time, and now you can actually see the indicators when they are on.

When I get some money I'll be doing this on my discovery which also does not use relays.

[murcod]

low beams are similar but high beams the dark blue strip at the yop kicks in and gives is too much blue. it appears white when u look at the reflector but throws out too much of a blue ting which seems to fade. i kept the phillips in my daily and the narvas( osrams) in my 4x4 i drive once a month. narvas are still better than stock but would recomend phillips.

here is something that backs up what iv seen. read the first link and there are good comparason pics.
http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgu ... f%26sa%3DN

Did you read all of that link? It's just another person posting their opinion on the two (and then admitting he suffers from night blindness at the end! ) He also did say at the end that the Osrams don't suffer from the blue tinge problem like most "white" halogens:

I've tried both now and these are my conclusions (however I have aftermarket headlight housing, it also affects light pattern):

Philips X-Treme
- Good Colour, very close to stock, still A TAD yellowish but noticably whiter
- Exceptional Throw and Flood especially High Beam. This is a must have for country road drivers or wet+night blind people

OSRAM Nightbreakers
- These are unbelievably white with no blue tinge at the bulb when on.
- Better than any other so called HID Halogen white light available here in Aus, these don't actually diminish the shortrange light quality (anywhere near as much as the blue tinted ones)
- These babies excel the most at highbeam, throws so far and sooo white!!
- Definitely for those who like the bright white light look, except these are actually functional.


My Overall choice
I am admittedly bordering on night blind when the roads are wet therefore cannot use white lights and prefer the yellower tinge. The Philips gave me the best all-round performance for what I needed, it has better short-range (low beam) lighting than the OSRAMS, however this may be a result of my night-blindness.

Having a different car with factory HID's I can certainly say the Osrams don't have any blue tinge in comparison. I'm extremely happy with them.

I'd also recommend the upgraded loom if you're after the best results.