TonyNesta

I tried the Halfords bulbs, but they made only a marginal improvement. I have been using PIAA SuperWhite BC2s which are a massive improvement, although very pricey.

andrew6321

Hi all,
Heading into my second winter with the car and have finally decided to do something about the (lack of) headlights.

I checked back through earlier posts and it looks like a simple change to a Halfords bulb(?) might see some improvement. Is it really as easy as that?

Any help/suggestions appreciated......

dela

I've changed to Osram Super H4's, which I picked up from Demon Tweeks for about £14.
Seem to be a vast improvement, although I can't comment on them compared to the PIAA's, but at around £50 they would have to be pretty special before I parted with my hard earned

Dales

I too am appalled at the quality of standard headlights. My local motorsport shop (minisport) recommended a bulb upgrade (either 100w/90w or 130w/90w for £16) but I'm concerned about whether the wiring could take it (standard bulbs are 60w/55w I think)

Anybody tried an upgrade like this?

TRIGGER

Excuse my ignorance but which PIAA bulb do I need to get, and will the wiring stand up to it etc ?

TonyNesta

The ones I have are called SuperWhites and the code is BC2. I got them from GGR and they cost just under £50 each including VAT and delivery. They draw 80W but put out the equivalent of 135W (allegedly!).

In over 12 months, I have had no problems with melting wires, reflectors or anything else - just make sure you don't turn the engine over with the headlights on, as the surge may make them go pop.

I have just replaced one bulb whose dipped beam failed. I am notoriously tight-fisted and I think they're worth the expense, considering the light they put out.

Hoppy

I can also endorse the PIAA Superwhites, bought from GGR. My dealer advised me there shouldn't be a problem with the wiring as the current they draw isn't that much greater than standard, but he advised against getting anything with a higher rating. Don't forget the matching side-light bulbs which are a recent addition.

Hoppy

Chris L

Just to clarify if anyone is confused. There are several types of PIAA Super White bulbs available. The main ones are:

EWC1 - rated at 60/55w - these are 'E' marked and road legal (roughly £50 a pair). I use these - superb.

BC2 - rated 80/80w they are NOT 'E' marked (roughly £40 each) - as far as I know the maximum road legal rating for headlamps is 60/55w. I would seriously check before fitting these to your car - because technically they are illegal and you could invalidate your insurance.

Chris

Jonesy

I decided to have the PIAA driving lamp conversion. Very impressive until you go back to dipped beam It's really only worth considering if you do a lot of night driving on empty B roads. Failing that the PIAA SuperWhites seem to be a popular choice.

Neil

Mungo

Sorry to prolong this headlight agony, but I too want to get better headlights. I have PIAA driving lights, but I need better performance on dipped beam as a lot of driving is done with oncoming traffic.
1) Which are the recommended Halfords bulbs for headlights?
2) Which are the recommended high performance bulbs for sidelights?
3) If they are not 'E' marked, does that mean they are not legal for road use?
Thanks to anyone who can clarify this.

P.S. I'm asking about Halfords as I don't really want to splash out on more PIAA stuff just for dipped beam.

DavidRB

Went down to my local Halfords at the weekend looking for bulbs. They had a manual listing the types of bulbs for each car and for a UK MY00 Subaru, the headlights are coded "472" and the side bulbs are "501".

They sell three types of "uprated" bulbs: All-weather, SuperWhite and Diamond Blue. I was after the Xenon SuperWhites, but typically, they don't do the sidelights in SuperWhite, but of course, they do them in All-weather and Diamond Blue. I don't want shiny bright headlights and sickly yellow sidelights now, do I?

Prices were quite cheap, but I'll look into the Demon Tweeks ones.

[This message has been edited by DavidRB (edited 02 November 2000).]

Andrew Dixon

David.

In my experience the Halfords SuperWhite (and most other 'cheap' white/blue type) bulbs actually produce <I>less</I> light than a normal bulb! This is due to the dichroic filter filtering out the yellow part of the spectrum, which is where this type of bulb makes most of its light. They are also less use in bad driving conditions as what light is produced is more easily scattered, producing proprtionally more glare.

A friend of mine changed from Halfords SuperWhite to Osram Super H4 bulbs and was impressed with the improvement. The Osram bulb uses a similar technology as the PIAA 'brighter' bulbs, but for around £14 a pair. I think Demon Tweeks sell 'em.

Some more in depth information here

sasim

I have just fitted a pair of Halfords Xenon bulbs, I find them noticeably brighter, I've even had a few oncoming cars flashing at me, I should probably check the alignment .

SS