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Safe headlight bulb wattage.

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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 08:18 PM
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Safe headlight bulb wattage.

Hey guys,


I have searched for about 30 minutes on this topic and cannot seem to find anything.


I have being looking at replacement headlight bulbs for my FD for about a week now. I basically want something very bright that will not burn out in a few months. I do a lot of night driving in rural areas and need to find something better than the stock H4's.

My work sells both Vision and PIAA bulbs, i am unsure of what wattage to go with. I have heard that high voltage bulbs will melt the harness! I do not want to burn my FD to the ground because of stupid bulbs...


Is a 90w/100w too high for the FD electrical system?


Regards,



=Ben
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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 10:22 PM
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get a quality high/low 5000K HID setup. Add a pair of HID driving lights (piaa makes many) if you want even more.

I have some on my GTR and the light output is FANTASTIC.

Regular 100W H3 driving lights work well too, but are hard to find in small enough housings that work well and won't look ugly.

90W is too much wattage for a low beam (you'll **** people off, even if you don't realize it) and I'm sure that 100W is too much draw for the stock wiring, so you'd be looking at rewiring anyways.
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Old Dec 3, 2008 | 12:17 AM
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Originally Posted by Terrh
get a quality high/low 5000K HID setup. Add a pair of HID driving lights (piaa makes many) if you want even more.

I have some on my GTR and the light output is FANTASTIC.

Regular 100W H3 driving lights work well too, but are hard to find in small enough housings that work well and won't look ugly.

90W is too much wattage for a low beam (you'll **** people off, even if you don't realize it) and I'm sure that 100W is too much draw for the stock wiring, so you'd be looking at rewiring anyways.

Ah, ya i would like to go HID but my student budget only allows for halogen bulbs.


What is involved in rewiring?



=Ben
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Old Dec 3, 2008 | 10:04 AM
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90 watt bulbs will fry your harness, as for being on a budget you can get decent HID kits now for around $75 all over ebay that will do the job and give you all the light you need.
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Old Dec 3, 2008 | 04:59 PM
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Get the stock replacement Sylvania SilverStar bulbs. They make a huge difference over the stock halogen.
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Old Dec 3, 2008 | 09:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Tom93R1
Get the stock replacement Sylvania SilverStar bulbs. They make a huge difference over the stock halogen.
This is so true. Probably the biggest bang for the buck, as well as the simplest 'fix'.

And + eleventy one on being careful with high-wattage bulbs. I bought some 100/130 watt for my Volvo S80 T6 and while they were incredibly more bright, they did indeed melt the entire plugs, wires, and half the back of the housing...all to the tune of about $1400 in repair costs.....
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Old Dec 5, 2008 | 08:11 PM
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Anybody know what is involved in "rewiring" so the harness doesnt melt?



=Ben
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Old Dec 5, 2008 | 09:16 PM
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Grab the Silverstars:
https://www.rx7club.com/interior-exterior-audio-26/found-great-headlight-bulb-upgrade-fd-128567/
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Old Dec 5, 2008 | 09:30 PM
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Originally Posted by apexFD
Anybody know what is involved in "rewiring" so the harness doesnt melt?



=Ben

The issue is you are doubling (at least) the amperage draw, thus much more heat.
I just don't know what you can do. I wish I'd kept pictures of my Volvo's meltdown....the plugs that the bulbs went in to were just...totally cooked. Melted away leaving virtually no plastic/bakelight/whatever it was intact. And the wires feeding the sockets were badly cooked too. The system was just not set up for that much higher amperage draw, and heat.
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Old Dec 6, 2008 | 07:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Mahjik
Grab the Silverstars:
+4.
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Old Dec 6, 2008 | 07:44 AM
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Got my Silverstars on ebay...cheap
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Old Dec 6, 2008 | 09:15 AM
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I have the High/Lo HID kit and the High portion is a complete waste in the stock housing. The best bang for the buck is the SilverStars. Night and Day difference (no pun intended)
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Old Dec 6, 2008 | 01:24 PM
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The silverstar Ultra's worked very well before I went HID.
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Old Dec 8, 2008 | 11:12 PM
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Well, thanks to all who commented. I have decided to stay with a good quality stock wattage bulb for now.


=Ben
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