I've got an S4 NA, and my friend has an S5 T2. I'm curious, will we be able to run 110w headlights on the stock electrical system? I think things might start to melt at that point, but I know nearly nothing about electrical anything.

Thanks!

 

Yes. But you're at the limit.
2 x 110w = 220w / 12v = 18+ amps

That's about the limit of the wires so make sure your connections are in perfect shape.

I wouldn't go over 25 amps on the fuse.

The relay up front carries the main load, but I would check & clean the headlight switch connector also.

 

Any worries of wires melting?

 

Only if you have a weak connection.

When you hook them up to test, feel the connections for hot spots at the lamps, the relay, & the headlight switch.
Also measure the voltage drop from the batt+ to the lamp+.

 

I'd worry more about the fact that your taking alot of power from yor car for those light i bet your idle and voltage will drop noticable with your head lights on, and i know i shouldn't talk cause my car is way overloaded for the stock alt. but if you run anything else with your headlights (ie. subs, rear defroster, heat) then you'll prbably want to upgrade soon you'll notice lots of wierd things starting to dim

 

What's the plastic melting smell

Any HID lights, I would beef up the wiring & fuse.

 

And you're poor little FC alternator will unbolt itself from the engine and run away. It'd probably be wise up upgrade to the FD alt.

 

hid lights would need new wiring anyway. they aren't a simple plug and play upgrade.

 

They're not HID's. I am also considering these lights. Me, Jeffraider, and BCTY all on here so far may be getting them. They are a true 110w H4 bulb. They are cheap and go right into any H4 housing. BCTY told us about them when he found them and I think they are same colour or even same bulb as Lemans cars use. Not totally sure, maybe just the same colour, sort of a more intense yellow light, but are supposedly intense bright.

Here are pics of what they look like on the cars:

 

Personally I wouldn't use 110W bulbs without beefing up the wiring. As well as the safety aspect, there's no way the stock wiring will be able to provide full voltage to the new bulbs. In the same way you need to increase the size of your exhaust when you increases the amount of air the engine pumps, you need to increase the size of wires when you increase (in this case double) the current flowing through them. The easiest way to do this is to install new wires in parallel with the old ones. Follow the wiring diagram for the headlight circuit, adding wires from the fuse to the headlight relay, headlight relay to the dimmer relay, and dimmer relay to the headlights.

 

and real HID's only draw 35W...the brightness and power of HID is made from a contained electrical arc, normally a very powerful and dangerous thing

 

yes and most hid kits have a seperate power circuit you wire to the ballasts, at least the ones ive seen

 

Look into installing headlight relay for each side, at least.

That way less risk of meltdown damage.