Steve Richards

I have got Cibie spot lamps fitted in place of my STi 'Covers'. One of the bulbs has blown and it turns out to be 12V 100W H2. I can only find 12V 55W H2's at Halfords and various other places I have tried say that 100 watt bulbs are illegal and that 12V 55W H2 should be used instead (everyone I tied has these).

Does anyone know where I can get the 100 watt version from? Is it worth the bother/cost and would 55 watt versions be adequate for the purpose?

Thanks for any advice.

Regards,

Steve
MY98 STi IV 5 Door

necromax

Both Halfords & Motorworld near me have 100w bulbs..try another store, or different member of staff

ChrisB

Demon Tweeks do H2 100w (RU480) and 130w (RU491) Ring bulbs.

Dave T-S

If they are E marked, they are legal, if they aren't, they aren't

Bulb wattage is not linear to lumens output. A 100w bulb probably only puts out about 10-15% more light than a 55w. The extra brightness comes from running a thinner filament which burns brighter, but the downside is they have a shorter life expectancy because of this, and are more subject to vibration failure.

The spring clip type bulb holder Cibie use with the H2 bulb is a poor design and exacerbates these problems.

ChrisB

Do you know what bulbs do the PIAA kits use Dave?

Dave T-S

PIAA use H3. Spade connector wiring connection, much better than H2. You can get 130w H3 bulbs from Halfords

Don't know if they are E marked, and don't care

Steve Richards

Having tried all the local Halfords and other car accessory shops without success, I finally ordered a 100w H2 from Demon Tweeks. Naturally, I shall only use it during 'off road excursions'!

Thanks for all your input.

Steve