Help choosing brighter headlight bulbs please

My experience with OSRAM H7 headlight units are as follows:
  • Have had OSRAM Silverstar 2.0 (+60%) which lasted for me as long as a year and around 20 000 km. Very good bulbs.
  • After that I decided to try OSRAM Night breaker unlimited (NBU) +110%. They lasted for me half of what Silverstars lasted - 6 months and around 10 000 km. Now I'm using Silverstars again.
So I found that price/performance for me is Silverstar 2.0, which in a year duration is like 2 times cheaper and lights really well. For the next change I'm going to try GE +50% bulbs, which costs half the price as Silverstars 2.0 ~8 euro :)
 
I've had Ring Rally 100w for the last year they're significantly brighter but quite yellow. One blew the other week so I swapped them with Lucas Rally 100w which have a blue coating to make them appear much more white. These are working great so far. Got them off eBay. As noted, technically speaking they're not road legal due to the wattage, but I think they're a better way to improve beam brightness than retrofitting HIDs or LEDs into a light cluster that isn't designed to work with that beam patten. I also have updated the high beam bulbs as well to 130w for the same reason. I can now see in the dark.
 
I prefer H7 & H4 Breakers Yard Bulbs ( aka SCRAPPY ) invariably Free and they do seem to offer light at the end of the High Road with enough light in the darkness when returning from South of the Border to take evasive action when Clogg & Brogue Jay Walkers appear from the Common with their Beagles onto the road chasing the Womble . V A G still has much Light to be shed on it's emissions scandal fix and maybe offer a voucher for Specsavers for any A2ers who have not seen the Light yet.
 
spike said:
I'd be concerned about overloading the light switch and wiring due to almost double the current draw (heat in the wiring is proportional to current squared)

I've not checked the wiring diagrams but don't think the headlights even have relays to reduce the load on the switch contacts.

Other concern is the bulb quality as the positioning of the light filament is key to accurate beam pattern. OK, you may be lucky but the next set of bulbs may be rubbish - possibly not a problem since they are so cheap.

A good compromise would be some 80W 'branded' rally bulbs like these Osram ones - http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...46422e3f51a3a7c8238ae487075d7795o0&ajaxhist=0

Cheers Spike
Click to expand...

Must include something with the resistace of the wiring aldo. Has anyone on the forum had problems with H7 100W? I feel all problems have been surfaced here so if it is not on the forum it is not a problem :)
 
Hello everybody.

After testing different models of H7 and H3 bulbs, I think I can provide some information. I shared this information on the German forum also.

Here you have a comparison between

W5W T10 Philips X-tremeUltinon LED 4000K
H7 Osram High Breaker Laser Next Gen 64210NL
H3 Osram High Breaker Laser Next Gen 64151NL

IMG_20201216_180130.jpg
IMG_20201216_180233.jpg

VS

W5W T10 Philips X-tremeUltinon LED 4000K
H7 Philips LED Ultinon Pro9000 HL 5800K
H3 Osram High Breaker Laser Next Gen 64151NL

IMG_20201216_204705.jpg
IMG_20201216_204824_1.jpg


Side by side comparison:

SbS_1.JPG
SbS_2.JPG
SbS_3.JPG

The pictures were taken with a OnePlus 5 in manual mode with the same brightness parameters for both recordings. Same ISO 100 and 320, fixed white balance at 5800K, 1/13, f1.7.
I'm sorry I don't have any better wall to take pictures. My neighbors' parking lots are all occupied.

During the measurements, the vehicle battery voltage was kept as stable as possible using a CTEK MXS5.0 battery charger.

Note that I personally didn't like the 5800K white as I'm more for the 4000-5000K ranges. The lighting is a little better than the Halogen H7 64210NL even in rain and fog. Let's remember that these lamps are also illegal in my country (Spain), but the light cut is even better than on the H7 64210NL (carefully regulated before going out to the public roads). Testing with another car I do not appreciate any kind of glare, of course this is not an excuse if the law enforcement officers decide to punish me (200€ in Spain).

The consumption of these lamps measured with an ammeter is 17-19 W at 14.1 V. The lamps remain completely cold even after more than 1 hour of operation. This can also be a problem in countries with particularly cold climates due to the accumulation of snow. On the other hand, we have a significant reduction in power consumption. I also have all the tail lights, brake lights and plate lights in LED (red / 4000K). I can share more details of tail light/brake lights and plate lights if someone is interested.

I hope this information helps to somebody interested on improve the light output and the fuel consumption at the same time.

Greetings to all.
 
leehallum said:
Hi, Apologies if this has already been covered, I have had a look in past posts but couldn't see anything...

I have what I think are pretty standard headlight bulbs and I find them to be a bit poor when driving at night. Can anyone please recommend any decent replacement bulbs that will be more effective?

I have had a quick look online and found some that boast being 50% brighter and give off a whiter light... but I am not sure which ones to go for.

Any help or advice would be appreciated : )

Also I guess its worth changing the side lights as well if there are brighter bulbs out there?


Thanks
Click to expand...
Osram nightbreaker extreme for me
 
Until this group recommends me otherwise, I’m still going to replace mine when they blow with either Philips RacingVision GT200 +200% or Osram Nightbreaker Next Generation +150% halogens - they seem to be the ideal compromise of easy fit, adequate performance and good-enough longevity.

I’ve simply not seen anyone with an LED setup presenting their case as to why we should all be considering the same - despite me looking for this as I still think even the above are still only just OK!

Anyone else care to change my mind?
 
Led lamps are rarely (maybe never) suitable to retro fit to a headlight designed around a filament lamp. This is because a filament lamp uses a reflector to create the beam. The lamp filament is positioned precisely at the focal point of the reflector, and the filament is a very small light source. Led lamps uses multiple leds to achieve the required amount of light. It is very difficult to place these multiple leds close enough together so that they are all at the focal point of the reflector. Any light emitted outside the focal point does not contribute to the beam.
To help choose the best lamp, this review is worth a look.

Best car headlight bulbs 2023 | Auto Express

Our annual test has expanded to cover even more cars
www.autoexpress.co.uk www.autoexpress.co.uk

I went with the same Osram/ Philips combo @dj_efk suggests in late 2019, and am still happy.

Mac.
 
PlasticMac said:
Led lamps are rarely (maybe never) suitable to retro fit to a headlight designed around a filament lamp. This is because a filament lamp uses a reflector to create the beam. The lamp filament is positioned precisely at the focal point of the reflector, and the filament is a very small light source. Led lamps uses multiple leds to achieve the required amount of light. It is very difficult to place these multiple leds close enough together so that they are all at the focal point of the reflector. Any light emitted outside the focal point does not contribute to the beam.
To help choose the best lamp, this review is worth a look.

Best car headlight bulbs 2023 | Auto Express

Our annual test has expanded to cover even more cars
www.autoexpress.co.uk www.autoexpress.co.uk

I went with the same Osram/ Philips combo @dj_efk suggests in late 2019, and am still happy.

Mac.
Click to expand...
Interesting test - I’ve never heard of the winner before! Has anyone tried them?
 
dj_efk said:
Until this group recommends me otherwise, I’m still going to replace mine when they blow with either Philips RacingVision GT200 +200% or Osram Nightbreaker Next Generation +150% halogens - they seem to be the ideal compromise of easy fit, adequate performance and good-enough longevity.

I’ve simply not seen anyone with an LED setup presenting their case as to why we should all be considering the same - despite me looking for this as I still think even the above are still only just OK!

Anyone else care to change my mind?
Click to expand...
I fit the Racing Vision GT200 a few months ago from powerbulbs following a good discount code and I'd recommend them so far, noticeably brighter than previous (standard Phillips) and a nice cooler light (though not LED-level).
 
Having read this thread I went out and bought a pair of these:

IMG_0834.JPG




I think the 200% claim is a bit spurious, I think they mean up to twice as bright. Yet to drive at night but first impressions are that the increased light output is good with no increase of wattage.
 
philward said:
Having read this thread I went out and bought a pair of these:

View attachment 115752



I think the 200% claim is a bit spurious, I think they mean up to twice as bright. Yet to drive at night but first impressions are that the increased light output is good with no increase of wattage.
Click to expand...
Keep the receipt. They have a 1 year warrenty. One of mine blew after 5 months. Exchanged free of charge.
 
I installed some 'Osram Nightbreaker H3's Laser 55w' in the weekend (just for high beam), and alas, they have not made much difference (some, but little).

It all depends on what I was replacing, which I cannot identify. I have read the previous posts with interest, as I do find the standard set-up (even with decent bulbs) not enough for my countryside location....
 
Top quality LEDs is, for me, the way to go.
I understand the MoT issues of non standard lamps, but, so far, no problems on the A2 or TT.
If the beam pattern, and aim is in spec, (no dazzle etc), then what grounds are there for an investigation into what lamps are fitted? I have read that the tester can't remove fixed covers, so is not going to be able to look inside the headlight housing to check.
Just my experience, each to his own, of course. .
Mac.
 
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