bulb upgade
02 February 2001, 09:50 PM
#2
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Would not recommend that you put 80w or 100w bulbs in your car !!!!!!
Frist of all the wiring harness is not up to the job and heats up and sets your car on fire
Secondly the reflectors in the scooby's are only made of Sh*** plastic and melt with the extra heat generated by the bulbs.
Not a good idea at all.
Now I'm glad that you recognise that the impreza lights are CRAP at the beat of times.
Here are your options to see a bit better.
1) cheapest way out is to fit a pair of xenon bulbs which give 30% more light but without extra heat or current.
2) replace your fog lamps with a set of Driving lamps. This is by far the best way of improving lighting performance. It turns night into day.
Options are
CIBE from Scoobysport @ £200 sterling
PIAA from your local dealer @ £350
Mac's Power/Hella @ £140
CIBE are the most powerful with 130 watts and give an excellent spread of light, but they are very hard on bulbs which are H2's and very hard to get.
PIAA are a narrower beam but also very effective, but very expensive. They use 120w H3 bulbs.
Our Mac's Power/Hella are the best fit to look original on the car. Performace wise similar to the PIAA with a narrower beam but very effective. Best VFM in my opinion
For safe fast night driving you need something better than the original candles on the car.
Paul.
Frist of all the wiring harness is not up to the job and heats up and sets your car on fire
Secondly the reflectors in the scooby's are only made of Sh*** plastic and melt with the extra heat generated by the bulbs.
Not a good idea at all.
Now I'm glad that you recognise that the impreza lights are CRAP at the beat of times.
Here are your options to see a bit better.
1) cheapest way out is to fit a pair of xenon bulbs which give 30% more light but without extra heat or current.
2) replace your fog lamps with a set of Driving lamps. This is by far the best way of improving lighting performance. It turns night into day.
Options are
CIBE from Scoobysport @ £200 sterling
PIAA from your local dealer @ £350
Mac's Power/Hella @ £140
CIBE are the most powerful with 130 watts and give an excellent spread of light, but they are very hard on bulbs which are H2's and very hard to get.
PIAA are a narrower beam but also very effective, but very expensive. They use 120w H3 bulbs.
Our Mac's Power/Hella are the best fit to look original on the car. Performace wise similar to the PIAA with a narrower beam but very effective. Best VFM in my opinion
For safe fast night driving you need something better than the original candles on the car.
Paul.
02 February 2001, 10:04 PM
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sorry Paul I should have mentioned that I'm driving a 93 legacy turbo as far as I'm aware the wiring is up to the job. but the reflectors ? I don't know.
do you do HID kit for h4 bulbs or PIAA bulbs
do you do HID kit for h4 bulbs or PIAA bulbs
02 February 2001, 10:31 PM
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I use 100/80w and have done for years I have never had any problems.
Years ago quality bulb manufacturers that made bigger bulbs were few and far between (because they were and still are only legal for off road use)
this meant that the bulbs that were available were poor quality and created a greater load on the wiring circuit this would then cause damage.
This was usually in the form of heating the contacts inside the headlight switch on your steering column causing them to eventually melt slightly meaning that you would end up with either no dip or no main beam or at the worst no lights at all.
I have never heard of a car with bigger bulbs going on fire !
As far as the reflectors in scoobys being made of $hit plastic and the wiring loom not being up to the job how come then that all STI v5-6 come from Japan with 100/80w bulbs as standard and they run the same light units and wiring as their cousins ? Maybe the guys at STI in Japan aren't that good after all ?????
Years ago quality bulb manufacturers that made bigger bulbs were few and far between (because they were and still are only legal for off road use)
this meant that the bulbs that were available were poor quality and created a greater load on the wiring circuit this would then cause damage.This was usually in the form of heating the contacts inside the headlight switch on your steering column causing them to eventually melt slightly meaning that you would end up with either no dip or no main beam or at the worst no lights at all.
I have never heard of a car with bigger bulbs going on fire !
As far as the reflectors in scoobys being made of $hit plastic and the wiring loom not being up to the job how come then that all STI v5-6 come from Japan with 100/80w bulbs as standard and they run the same light units and wiring as their cousins ? Maybe the guys at STI in Japan aren't that good after all ?????
03 February 2001, 05:02 PM
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Hi Lego, Sorry didn't realise that you we in a legacy. Don't know much about this.
Mavrick,
I personally know of some people running with the higher watt bulbs with no problems but I have also seen 2 wiring harnesses burnt out completely and one of them nearly set the car on fire. As for melted reflectors I recently replaced a set of standard lights with a set of Morrette Twin Lights and the original reflectors were well melted. He had been running with high wattage bulbs.
I hope the SIDC dont mind but here is an piece from the SIDC FAQ. All I can give is my opinion, whether you decide to accept it or not is up to you. Personally I'm not a betting person so I don't take the risk.
4.6.1 Lighting
One of the main problems with the standard Impreza, is that the headlights are extremely poor for the levels of performance offered by the car. Traditionally, owners wishing to increase the output of their headlamps would fit higher wattage bulbs (illegal in the UK!). Unfortunately, in some sort of cost/weight saving frenzy, Subaru seem to have equipped the Impreza with plastic reflectors and the absolute minimum thickness of wiring necessary to drive the standard headlights. There have been numerous cases reported of the wiring getting very hot, and in some cases reflectors and wiring melting with higher wattage bulbs fitted. Some owners have been running the higher wattage bulbs without problem for several years. Fit these types of bulbs at your own risk!
Another option are high performance "Xenon" bulbs, which claim to offer 30% brighter light, for the same power. A growing number of owners are fitting these type of bulbs, including myself, and they do make a noticeable difference. The light produced is noticeably brighter (whiter), especially off-beam, when you can pick up a lot more detail at the edge of the road. As long as you are not expecting them to turn darkness into daylight, then they are a worthwhile improvement. These Xenon bulbs are available from a number of sources, including IWOC member Andrew Batters (andrew@andybat.demon.co.uk) who runs his own garage business, and sells them mail order at a discount. PIAA have also introduced a range of high-efficiency bulbs, with e.g. the 80w bulb producing equivalent light to a 130w conventional bulbs. These are very expensive though!
Mavrick,
I personally know of some people running with the higher watt bulbs with no problems but I have also seen 2 wiring harnesses burnt out completely and one of them nearly set the car on fire. As for melted reflectors I recently replaced a set of standard lights with a set of Morrette Twin Lights and the original reflectors were well melted. He had been running with high wattage bulbs.
I hope the SIDC dont mind but here is an piece from the SIDC FAQ. All I can give is my opinion, whether you decide to accept it or not is up to you. Personally I'm not a betting person so I don't take the risk.
4.6.1 Lighting
One of the main problems with the standard Impreza, is that the headlights are extremely poor for the levels of performance offered by the car. Traditionally, owners wishing to increase the output of their headlamps would fit higher wattage bulbs (illegal in the UK!). Unfortunately, in some sort of cost/weight saving frenzy, Subaru seem to have equipped the Impreza with plastic reflectors and the absolute minimum thickness of wiring necessary to drive the standard headlights. There have been numerous cases reported of the wiring getting very hot, and in some cases reflectors and wiring melting with higher wattage bulbs fitted. Some owners have been running the higher wattage bulbs without problem for several years. Fit these types of bulbs at your own risk!
Another option are high performance "Xenon" bulbs, which claim to offer 30% brighter light, for the same power. A growing number of owners are fitting these type of bulbs, including myself, and they do make a noticeable difference. The light produced is noticeably brighter (whiter), especially off-beam, when you can pick up a lot more detail at the edge of the road. As long as you are not expecting them to turn darkness into daylight, then they are a worthwhile improvement. These Xenon bulbs are available from a number of sources, including IWOC member Andrew Batters (andrew@andybat.demon.co.uk) who runs his own garage business, and sells them mail order at a discount. PIAA have also introduced a range of high-efficiency bulbs, with e.g. the 80w bulb producing equivalent light to a 130w conventional bulbs. These are very expensive though!
03 February 2001, 07:23 PM
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I ran upgraded bulbs but they blew after a few weeks and I just replaced them with standard bulbs.( as I get enough hassle from the police and don't want to be caught with a headlight bulb out!!)
The standard bulbs are rubbish as everyone knows..
David L
The standard bulbs are rubbish as everyone knows..
David L
03 February 2001, 07:56 PM
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David,
What make where the bulbs ? as I briefly mentioned in my earlier post the less common of brands are most likely to cause problems, due to poor build quality.
A good brand like Lucas should be ok why not try them and see.
The biggest single cause of poor lighting on the road is incorrect headlight alignment eg - adjusting the height of them against walls or garage doors, have you lights checked by someone with proper headlight alignment equipment it might make make a big improvement and is definitely worth the try.
What make where the bulbs ? as I briefly mentioned in my earlier post the less common of brands are most likely to cause problems, due to poor build quality.
A good brand like Lucas should be ok why not try them and see.
The biggest single cause of poor lighting on the road is incorrect headlight alignment eg - adjusting the height of them against walls or garage doors, have you lights checked by someone with proper headlight alignment equipment it might make make a big improvement and is definitely worth the try.
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03 February 2001, 10:36 PM
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Good point Mavrick,
Also I know it sounds obvious but you can lose 80% of your lighting with dirty headlights. The Subaru washers are not really up to the job so just get out and give them a wipe. Especially in this weather after being up behind a lorry or something.
P.
Also I know it sounds obvious but you can lose 80% of your lighting with dirty headlights. The Subaru washers are not really up to the job so just get out and give them a wipe. Especially in this weather after being up behind a lorry or something.
P.
04 February 2001, 01:22 AM
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If you're prepared to risk melting the reflectors it's a fairly simple job to wire in a couple of relays and heavier wiring to avoid melting the loom . I've had to do this in previous cars (pug205's) but I'm running 100/80's in the legacy with no problems .
I tried Ring xenon bulbs . One blew the dip beam when I put it in & the other went on the main beam 2 days later - got my money back though . And before you say anything NO I did not touch the bulb or get it wet .
I tried Ring xenon bulbs . One blew the dip beam when I put it in & the other went on the main beam 2 days later - got my money back though . And before you say anything NO I did not touch the bulb or get it wet .
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