Headlight Bulbs

[sotal]

I have wondered if mine just don't point in quite the right direction? I'm quite looking forward to maleborns results - if he can state that they are better even by a marginal amount I will buy some from eBay

Having said that though all his auctions have now ended! should be back with some more though I expect!

Nobody offered a solution to get piston rings off a piston seriously if anyone knows a way without damaging the piston please let me know. I've been stuck for a week now (after managing to get the seized piston out of the cylinder!)

[cookci]

my last car... rover coupe had absolutely terrible headlights.

I upgraded them with bulbs from eBay and they were still crap so got the biggest wattage bulbs i could find and stuck them in...

problem sorted :D

[GT4 BOOSTER]

i just noticed on the oe headlight bulbs , they are only 51 watts , so i get at least 4 watts more , scanning label for sotal , cos it says 55w then underneath says 85w ?????? contact the guy here--harry0010@hotmail.com

[GT4 BOOSTER]

looking at the labels , i think it means it has the equivelent power of 85 watts opposed to a 55w bulb from 12 volts.

[sotal]

humm, I see what you mean

Do you have any idea what difference the 3900k or whatever makes? I saw these on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...7947001558&rd=1

They claim to be 6500k hb4's for £10.49 inc p&p but that sounds a bit far fetched - I prefer the look of the ones you got - let's just hope they perform well - the suns starting to set now! B)

[sotal]

looking at the labels , i think it means it has the equivelent power of 85 watts opposed to a 55w bulb from 12 volts.

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Not sure about that but I think I know where you are coming from.

You mean if you took a stock bulb and increased it's wattage upto 85w it would be the same brightness as this one??

[GT4 BOOSTER]

they maybe better i also just noticed the ones for the celica are halogen , and the ones i got for the vitara are xenon.

yeah 85 watts from 12 volts instead of 55w

[sotal]

Well atleast that gives you a reason to send them back - the item number you posted at the beginning (yes I realise now I could have worked the seller id out from that :P ) gives the following product:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...item=7945367898

Which says upgrade from halogen to xenon

Still not sure on the wattage. It's either:

a) they call it the 9006 12v 55w so you know it will fit in when you look up what yours should take - but it actually uses 85w

B) they are trying to compare it to the original type by saying it is the equivilant of 85w. Not sure why though.

I would think it is B) and they actually use 55w otherwise they could run into problems with the lighting circuit not being powerful enough to run them??

[GT4 BOOSTER]

they look completely the same when switched on , bright white with a soft blue tinge

only £ 8-99 , like i said they will do for spares if they turn out to be crap.

[sotal]

lol - just realised what your eBay name is!

It wouldn't be obvious at all! :D

As you say for that price it doesn't matter too much - but I wouldn't mind saving myself a tenner if they do turn out to be crap. Honestly if you say there is any marked improvement I will get a set as soon as it is possible as I think the current ones are quite poor

[GT4 BOOSTER]

they are meant to look like this ?

[sotal]

thats cool , you flick them on and evryones house and shop lights turn a different colour.

[GT4 BOOSTER]

pretty cool or what

they do light up that curb on the left you would of hit though.

[sotal]

could save you hundreds in repair bills! Best purchase you've ever made

[GT4 BOOSTER]

a bit brighter on unlit roads also a more pleasing light being so white , if you want more light you need to look for a higher wattage bulb for sure.

[sotal]

Is that a recomendation or not??

If I'm on an unlit road I can see my headlights on the road, but they aint brilliant.

If I'm in a 30 zone with street lights I can't even tell if they are on, they don't show up anywhere where as if I go out in the other car it just about lights the road up infront and the kerb to the side.

Can you describe what yours were like and what they are like now cheers

[andrewl41]

Would be very useful to know if these are any good. The lights on the Gen 6 really are quite poor.

[GT4 BOOSTER]

in short , yes they are better in unlit areas definetely , in lit streets they look like they aint on .

[sotal]

doh! probably would improve things a bit, but I was really after something that would give a lot better light output.

Do they look a lot brighter if you look into them? Or just whiter?

I really should stop being a cheap ***** and just buy some!

Oh one other thing did you ever work out if they were halogen or xenon?

[GT4 BOOSTER]

i'm going to work in the jeep tonight its got the h4 xenon ones in , i will see if they are any better , yes when you look into them they hurt your eyes the stock ones dont , and yes quit being a tight a**e and go buy some. :P

[sotal]

ok, ok I'll buy some - I think I'll try some different ones to the ones you got - then we can compare.

[GT4 BOOSTER]

well like i said before , the light they give off is way way whiter than stocks.and makes night time driving much easier.

cant wait for tonight cos the jeep ones are both dipped and main on the same bulb , and i'm gonna whack em on main for a while down the country lane ,pitch black it is too.

[sotal]

Right I just purchased some from eBay last night. I got some slightly different ones:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...ssPageName=WDVW

Ice Blue xenon 6500k HB4 - Total cost £8.49 inc P&P

Will let you know how I get on when they arrive

[mikeb]

This could be your answer. Deep breath. When i got my mazda which has identical stanley headlights to the celica i noticed the headlights were much brighter than the celicas.. Ahh. Thinks i. I`ll swap bulbs.... Swap done no diference. The mazdas were still brighter. Couple of seconds thinking and it`s out with the multimeter. Turns out the mazda has 13.7 volts at the headlight compared to the celicas 11.4 volts.

Going to try putting a couple of relays in to see if that makes a diference. Or it could be an alty problem though voltage elsewhere all checks out at 13+ volts.

Any other ideas anyone? 

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The reason for your Celica only having 11.4v at the headlamps is due to the voltage drop down the wires and through the switch/relay contacts. It can be tested by unplugging the bulbs, then measuring the voltage across the connector. You should read a much higher voltage then. To rectify this problem you will really need to rewire with bigger wire. Of course, the higher voltage you present to the bulbs the shorter they will last before they blow....

I use 85/100W H4 bulbs in my gen 5. They are a massive improvement over 55/60W bulbs (although not strictly road legal). I have been running them for 2 years without blowing a fuse/melting any wires. And they cost about £3 per bulb from trade motor factors. Of course, they won't fit a gen6 though.

If you are prepared to spend some money, get an HID conversion kit. Whifbitz sell kits for most types of bulb. They are a lot of money, but if you've ever been in a car with HID headlights, you will know just how much difference they make.

Something really simple you can do is to make sure your headlamps are clean. In this winter weather, it only takes a 10 minute journey and the glass is coated in salt.

[sotal]

Something really simple you can do is to make sure your headlamps are clean. In this winter weather, it only takes a 10 minute journey and the glass is coated in salt.

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The headlight washers work well. I was quite impressed couldn't see a thing the other day, one short press and they were back to their normal (not brilliant) standard.