Extra bright lightbulbs?

[MJ]

Has anyone tried any extra bright headlight bulbs, like the H4 +50% offerings from Phillips or Osram?

After thinking the 340 lights were getting a bit dim (the bulbs must be 10 years old at least) A new set seemed a good idea. After considering Phillips and Osram I went for a set of Hella H4 +50%.

Anyway, after going out the other night to test them, I'm rather disappointed, there seems to be no discernible difference

On the plus side, she sailed through the MOT the other day, needing only a new numberplate bulb, but I think I've spotted a small spot of rust on the rear wheel arch I'd better treat it ASAP...

[Ronnie]

Old thread Here

I rate up-rated bulbs!

[MJ]

Ah yeah, I forgot about that topic, well remembered

[jtbo]

Basics for good illumination are enough voltage to bulb and A+ condition reflector and lamp glass.

You can get bit boost with bulbs, but if you have lot of voltage loss in wiring then gain is not what it could be. Situation gets only worse if your reflectors have gone dark or glass is sandblasted.

When car is running, measure voltage from battery and then from bulb while bulb is lit, in optimal situation there should not be any difference, usually there is very little, but it is not rare that voltage drop is as much as 2 volts, which means ton at illumination power.

You can fix it several ways, cleaning connections is sometimes enough, but best bet is to rewire power and ground to bulb with relay and take wake up for relay from old wiring. It is bit of work, but results can be quite impressive.

For sandblasted lamp glass, toothpaste and strong hands are quite good solution, unless you prefer buying new ones.

Dark reflectors are bit of problem, you need to get new ones or get them coated with new layer of chrome or what ever that stuff is, I guess getting new one will help best.

I'm using Osram Night Breaker bulbs in 240, they won't last very long (idea of + rated bulbs is to build them for example 11 volts but use them at 13-14 volts so they burn brighter however life is shorter), but +80% is not completely out from wind, they really have some serious power in them.
Also I have new headlamps, full kits as old ones had gone long past best before date

Then I have HID Hella Jumbo FF320 set of spots, which open the road for me at dark winter nights, can't live without them anymore

I have also Bosch 225 kit, but those are not legal for HID in here, good long beam, just not very wide, with FF320 HID I can see from wood line to wood line and some distance into corners and still get range of 225's so I don't miss too much those 225's, however I might put those into 360, they would look bad ass in there as they are not particularly small

[Chris_C]

Great advice there Jani!

I'm, currently chasing up a company that can re chrome plastic, well, I say chasing up, I have contact details and need to do something about it.

Richard Dodd gave me the details at the VOC rally the other day, but http://www.dual-metallising.co.uk/
phone number 01217082748
Speak to Peter Franks seemingly... I reckon it's worth seeing how much they'd charge!

[Jason B]

I think the wiring on mine is seriously sucking the juice out of my lights, as main beams are rubbish and dipped are appalling!!! - I have two spotlights with 55w bulbs on a totally different circuit and they amazingly bright (with dirty reflectors too!) so I know that there must be something funny going on. Just need to get the time to have a good look at it (amongst other more important things).

[Ronnie]

best bet is to rewire power and ground to bulb with relay and take wake up for relay from old wiring. It is bit of work, but results can be quite impressive.

I thought the headlamps were already relayed, Jani? I've relayed lights on Scirocco before, but was under the impression that the Volvo was engineered better as standard!

[Chris_C]

best bet is to rewire power and ground to bulb with relay and take wake up for relay from old wiring. It is bit of work, but results can be quite impressive.

I thought the headlamps were already relayed, Jani? I've relayed lights on Scirocco before, but was under the impression that the Volvo was engineered better as standard!

They are mate, but the wiring isn't the fattest in the world ever. By using (the already relayed) existing feed, you can put BIG wire between battery +ve, then relay that is triggered by old wire, then BIG wire to ground, meaning you can run whatever you want

[jtbo]

best bet is to rewire power and ground to bulb with relay and take wake up for relay from old wiring. It is bit of work, but results can be quite impressive.

I thought the headlamps were already relayed, Jani? I've relayed lights on Scirocco before, but was under the impression that the Volvo was engineered better as standard!

They are mate, but the wiring isn't the fattest in the world ever. By using (the already relayed) existing feed, you can put BIG wire between battery +ve, then relay that is triggered by old wire, then BIG wire to ground, meaning you can run whatever you want

Also using shortest possible ground is always a good thing to do

Benefit of relaying lights is going to be as much as what is current voltage loss, of course it opens possibilities to use higher wattage bulps but that is usually doom of reflectors and also illegal in most of EU area
For rally events there might be exceptions, staged rallies in here allow drivers to have lot more light than for road, 130w bulbs, corner lamps, spot beams, normal high beams all at once.

Condition of reflectors can be deceiving then, they may look perfect, but put new one next to old ones and there is huge difference
240 reflectors did look to be very shiny and so, but when I put new one next to old one there was 24 years of difference and it did show