Recommend any good headlight bulbs?

[MonkeyVR6 0]

Hi guys, I've just had to change my RHD standard headlights for some LHD Audi/BMW style headlights to comply with BFG rules over here in Germany and I was thinking it was a good time to change my headlight bulbs.

 

So, are the headlights H4, or H7? What about the sidelights?

 

Can anyone recommend a particular good headlight and sidelight bulbs?

[Yandards 0]

H4 for main/dipped and H3 for main only.

 

Get some philips xtreme power in H4 for the mains, very good in fact probably better than an uprated loom. (Did a comparison between a stock car with these bulbs and one with an uprated loom.)

 

As for the H3 best you can do is 30% brighter, Halfords ones are pretty good.

[Mystic Rado 0]

Hi guys, I've just had to change my RHD standard headlights for some LHD Audi/BMW style headlights to comply with BFG rules over here in Germany and I was thinking it was a good time to change my headlight bulbs.

 

So, are the headlights H4, or H7? What about the sidelights?

 

Can anyone recommend a particular good headlight and sidelight bulbs?

 

Yandards is right for standard headlights, but if you've fitted Inpro or similar angel eye type lights - is that what you mean by Audi/BMW style headlights? - then I think the bulbs are H7. If they're just LHD standard Corrado headlights they're H4 and H3. Second the new Philips Xtreme bulbs btw, but uprated loom makes a big difference too.

[MonkeyVR6 0]

Ya, I think they are the 'Angel Eye' kinda style headlights. I guess I'll have to check out some Phillips H7 bulbs then, so the main headlight bulb is a H7, what about the sidelights? I think they'll pretty small?! :iamwithstupid:

 

The car is a late-model Corrado if that makes any difference.

[Mystic Rado 0]

Ya, I think they are the 'Angel Eye' kinda style headlights. I guess I'll have to check out some Phillips H7 bulbs then, so the main headlight bulb is a H7, what about the sidelights? I think they'll pretty small?! :iamwithstupid:

 

The car is a late-model Corrado if that makes any difference.

 

If they're angel eye-type lights, I think the bulbs in both lights are H7, one bulb does dip and the other one does main beam, so you'd just need four H7s. Unless you've got an uprated wiring loom, stick with the standard wattage as anything else is going to be too much for the original wiring :?

[MonkeyVR6 0]

stick with the standard wattage as anything else is going to be too much for the original wiring :?

 

The standard wattage being? :?

[Supercharged 2]

55w - anything higher is illegal (over here) and the extra heat will damge the reflectors

[davidwort 0]

55w - anything higher is illegal (over here) and the extra heat will damge the reflectors

 

always thought that was daft as Watts is the energy used and not the light output :?

[Supercharged 2]

Surely 100W will be brighter and output more heat tho?

[davidwort 0]

It was the fact that you can buy bulbs that output more light but are the same wattage (Phillips, Halfords etc.), I thought the original idea of having a 55/60w limit was to stop cars having lights that could dazzle one another, mind you, domestic lightbulbs have always been sold in the same way, which can make it difficult to choose the right energy saving one, the 'equivalent to 60W conventional bulb' isn't always accurate in my experience.

I've not found 80W dipped beam elements to harm my lenses either, although I dare say they are hotter than 55W ones.

Are the Halfords (higher light output) bulbs any good?, I see they are doing BOGOF again.

[Supercharged 2]

Yeah - i'm really impressed with the Halfords ones (forget who actually makes them) - much better than the Osrams and good beam pattern (doesn't seem to dazzle) - only £10 a pair if you can aquire a trade card...

 

Yeah, I think it's only 100W that will damage the reflectors really...

[junkie 0]

If you have the angel eye type headlights then why not put 1 of the HID kits in, cost 10 times as much as just bulbs but then your going to get 10 times better visibility i would imagine.

[Yandards 0]

It was the fact that you can buy bulbs that output more light but are the same wattage (Phillips, Halfords etc.), I thought the original idea of having a 55/60w limit was to stop cars having lights that could dazzle one another, mind you, domestic lightbulbs have always been sold in the same way, which can make it difficult to choose the right energy saving one, the 'equivalent to 60W conventional bulb' isn't always accurate in my experience.

I've not found 80W dipped beam elements to harm my lenses either, although I dare say they are hotter than 55W ones.

Are the Halfords (higher light output) bulbs any good?, I see they are doing BOGOF again.

 

Wattage is basically 'flow' and voltage is 'pressure' in mechanical terms.

 

The new higher light output style bulbs are just a refinement of manufacturing tolerances producing a smaller unit but one that outputs more light. By increasing the wattage you will increase the heat in the bulb but depending on the type of driving you do, lots of stop/start in town or motorway, will impact the heat in the headlight due to a cooling airflow. The lenses can take the heat but the reflector being plastic sprayed with chrome is not at all heat tolerant.

 

The whole dazzle thing is long out of the window, HIDS are terrible and the fact that a lot of MOT testers never adjust the beam pattern correctly does not help either.

 

The Halfords 50% super brilliance bulbs are good, combined with a 30% H3 bulb I found a marked improvement over the uprated bulbs I had previously fitted and a 'whiter' light pattern with more range. However, the philips xtreme power bulbs are better again with a very crisp white beam pattern and I find that I am no longer searching for reference points when vehicles with bright lights pass me.

 

As for overall Corrado headlight performance I believe there are several issues:

- The wiring loom is too long and pulls too much power due to resistance before it reaches the bulbs.

- Headlight bulbs should be changed every 2 years (Most people just change them when they fail).

- The headlight lense is probably very pitted on most peoples cars unless they have been changed.

- The reflector being made from plastic sprayed with chrome will have degraded, again unless this has been changed.

 

All of these factors are making the quality of light output very poor, although a good clean of the lenses with some glass polish and a new set of good quality bulbs does make a huge difference.

[IrishG60 0]

Hi guys... just to sum up... need to buy better bulbs on Thursday...

 

I have Inpro Angel Eyes (hey, I love eh)

 

So just to ensure I don't make a twat of myself... I need H7 Halford's super bulbs for both Main and for Dipper... 8)

[mariojoshi 1]

Is it just me.. or is it a bit daft using an H4 bulb only for dipped since it contains 2 filaments? Couldn't quite understand it when I got my rado!

 

*Edit - just pondering about the standard headlights.. not your angel eyes fella.

[Mystic Rado 0]

Is it just me.. or is it a bit daft using an H4 bulb only for dipped since it contains 2 filaments? Couldn't quite understand it when I got my rado!

 

*Edit - just pondering about the standard headlights.. not your angel eyes fella.

 

Er, if your H4s aren't coming on with high beam then there's something wrong. On low beam you just get the low beam filament from the H4s, on high beam you get both the H3 main beams and the high beam filament of the H4. So, you actually have four bulbs operating on main beam.

 

If you're only getting the two inner H3s coming on then there's something wrong with your lighting, I think. Standard 'rado lights without an uprated loom are notoriously rubbish btw, as you've probably either worked out for yourself or will quite soon :?

[mariojoshi 1]

Hmmmm.... I didn't realise they came on aswell.. but then, Without being outside the car when the switch is flicked, I guess it's hard to notice ;)

 

What I have noticed however, is that headlights are a bit rubbish, as you pointed out!

I'll be on the search for a 'loom shortly!

[colinstubbs 0]

Standard corrado loom gives you just the dipped beam from the H4 bulb same as mk2 golf, with main beam being just the H3.......unless your lights are off and you flash your lights, then you'll get both bulbs on, i suppose to make it more obvious in daylight. If you get a double circuit uprated loom you'll get both bulbs being used for main beam, Lurvely 8) 8)

[Mystic Rado 0]

Standard corrado loom gives you just the dipped beam from the H4 bulb same as mk2 golf, with main beam being just the H3.......unless your lights are off and you flash your lights, then you'll get both bulbs on, i suppose to make it more obvious in daylight. If you get a double circuit uprated loom you'll get both bulbs being used for main beam, Lurvely 8) 8)

 

Are you sure about that? I have a Mark 2 as well and it definitely has all four lights on on main beam and, if you think about it, the two-light grille must have a main beam on the H4s or it wouldn't have a main beam at all :?

 

If you look at the wiring inside the Corrado headlight - which I am doing right now - the high beam wire comes off the plug and into the H4 connector and then is also connected from there to the H3 connector for the inner driving lamp. It's on the same circuit, so both the H3 and the H4 filament will come on simultaneously. It's different with Angel Eyes which have separate H7s for low and main but unless I'm going nuts, the standard headlights surely use both the H4's filaments?

 

Sorry, I'm just a bit confused here :(

[Mystic Rado 0]

Oh, and btw, on the subject of good bulbs, Osram has just brought out its new high power alternative to the Philips X-treme +80 bulbs. They're called Night Breaker and are available in loads of sizes including H4 and H3 which is what the standard C headlight uses and H7 for In-Pros. They're claimed to give 90 per-cent more light on the road and be 10 per-cent whiter than standard headlight bulbs. Stick some of them in with an uprated loom and you'd be sorted, I reckon :-)

[colinstubbs 0]

Are you sure about that? I have a Mark 2 as well and it definitely has all four lights on on main beam and, if you think about it, the two-light grille must have a main beam on the H4s or it wouldn't have a main beam at all :?

 

I'm not saying you wouldn't have four lights on, just that the H3s will be on and the H4s will only be on the dipped beam filament when main beam is selected unless you hold the stalk all the way back which will do the main beam filament on the H4s. Try it on your Mk2, select main beam holding the stalk back, if I'm right it should get brighter, my C did. I questioned a mate who had a Mk2 when I got my C cos I thought it was buggered and he said his had all been like that. It seemed daft to me so I was happy when the Loom sorted it out.

[Mystic Rado 0]

Oh well, mine doesn't seem to work like that and the way Corrado headlight I have here is wired, it couldn't work like that. Weird eh :)

 

I'll post a pic of the internal wiring from the headlight if I get the time. Like I said, the high beam filament from the H4 and the H3 are connected by the same feed from the headlight plug so they have to come on together. Not that it matters, I'm just surprised that it could work any other way.

[colinstubbs 0]

Once again the imfamous idiosyncrasies of the Karmann Corrado electrical department!!!!!!!!!

[corrado_sunderland 0]

so what bulbs do i need exactly for me rado what types? to replace main and high beam? i been looking yellow ones from the us but i need to kno exactly what i need first

 

 

regards mick

[dinkus 10]

You need H4 and H3 bulbs to replace both the low-beam (H4) and high-beam (H3).