mike799

as title

would like to change the bulbs for brighter ones

what would you recommend.

thanks mike

finalzero

If your headlights are in good order then I would recommend some Xenon bulbs, something like the HID 6k.

I have a set which have a slight blue tint but work really well and have not let me down yet. Stay away from the eBay crap, I tried a few and either they blew up for no reason or took out my fuses in the process - not fun.

While your at it get your corner lamps done as well, I got some silver jobbies from my local TMC which I put into a pair of smoked crystal corner lights and they work great, not too bright when full lights are on.

I got my 6k's from my local Motorist Centre but I think Halfrauds do a few generic sets.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Firstly, and importantly, DON'T buy higher wattage bulbs.

DO buy so-called "uprated" bulbs, ie: those advertising 30%, 50%, 60%, 80% and now even 90% uprated.

Next comes the price: Halfords do a good 50% uprated bulb on BOGOF, made by GE. The others are dearer and for not a lot more light

DO stick to major manufacturers like GE, Philips, Osram, Hella, Bosch etc. Buying cheap usually means a poor optical build quality, so the extra light you've bought is scattered, rather than focused where it should be

Next, be aware that almost every BULB you put in to a classic light will disappoint. This is because the classic headlight is a crap design, and poorly focused itself.

So.........you COULD go HID, but I'd recommend you to read the thread in electrical: "HID? Yes or no?" before buying.

DO be aware that although they do give brighter dips, many folk are disappointed with main beam, and ALL HID aftermarket kits are illegal to buy, fit and use on public roads in the UK, so you COULD end up with a pull from Plod or a failed MoT

Alcazar

MMT WRX

I just put a pair of Halfords 50% brighter bogof ones in my Classic and to be honest I think i've just wasted £15.

I put some cheapo ones in last year but they failed the MOT, light going everywhere, so the MOT guy put me some new ones in. Now they may have been good bulbs hence, I cant tell any diference now i'ev put the Halfords ones in.

Either way still no good.

IN THE STICKS

a good test here Make Light of Winter | Products | Auto Express

help2003

iTrader: (1)

Went through every blubs out there to try and get better lights, in the end got a HID kit from Bob's on here, and wish i did it in the first place

MMT WRX

Arghhhhhh .........might be worth you reading through these 2 threads.

My synopsis

Classic = s4ite lights
H4 Halfords bogof £15 legal = Minimal improvement
HID replacement illegal and should fail MOT = Good dip beam + not so good full beam.

Here 1

Here 2

Alcazar knows his onions on this

PeeVee

iTrader: (1)

As has been said, the Subaru classic headlamp unit is not all that good to start with, and I would agree with the comments about sticking to known brands. One thing to remember is that you generally get what you pay for!

We have over the years tried many different makes & type of bulb for both rally & road applications and the clear winner every time is PIAA, they are a pricey item, but once you have tried the competition there really is no one else that produces a bulb to match the increase in both brightness and the pure white light that the Platinum/Super White series bulb produces.

Whatever bulb you eventually decide on, I personally would stay away from any bulb that has a color tint to it (i.e. blue/yellow) as colors do not project light very well, you want to go for the whitest light possible.

Phil

mike799

thanks for everybody's input

your thoughts on philips x-treme are they any good,what is h4 h7

thanks mike

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I've uswed GE Megalights, and have them in my classic Morettes. I've also used Philips Vision Plus 50% uprated.

My lad's Corsa 05 has Halfords 50% uprated bulbs, and so does the other lad's 53 plate Ibiza, and they are as good as any, trust me They are made by GE.

H4 H7 etc refers to the bulb type. In a classic the headlights are H4, which is a twin filament bulb, one for dip, one for main beam.

Alcazar

scoobyjas

I use philips extreme which i got recommended to me by Tim @ Scoobyparts.com, they are definitely better than the standard bulbs, a lot whiter light and a fair bit brighter but as said above don't expect miracles!! i think Tim will throw in the side light bulbs as well if you buy the headlights. i believe you need H4 type bulbs in a classic (thats what mine were) but ring Tim and he will confirm.

Jason

bmfcrash

iTrader: (14)

I put philips extreme +80% in my sti 3, not as good as the HIDs on my 20vt but a marked improvement over the bulbs that were in it. Also tweaked the alignment up abit, not enough to get flashes from oncoming cars but also helped with the new bulbs producing more light and whiter.
Would reccomend them if you dont want to go down the HID route.

sarnyboy

if you can find somewhere that still sells them get 'ring' Sportzblue..

excellent bulbs, nice bright blue colour

try ebay

MMT WRX

It looks like you've upgraded to Morrets.
Did you keep the original bonnet, if so how well do they fit?
How easy were they to fit?
How much did they cost and where from?

Looks good.

sarnyboy

ahh, thats my old car (need to update my profile) they were actually twin halo headlights that i converted to use propper hella 90mm projector lamps, still got them in the garage somewhere, paid about £100 for the light units and about a further £90 for the hella units,

they are fitted with the original bonnet and grille in those pics, which i later updated to a facelift grille (modified to fit under the bonnet) but fitted the lights better

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u...y/mycar025.jpg

MMT WRX

Either way it looks good and a big improvment to night vision

sarnyboy

yeah, i only really use the car at night, so good lights are a must have for me

Aztec Performance Ltd

iTrader: (234)

If you can afford it and want the best option without changing the whole headlamp unit, fit some decent HIDs.

3x more light
10x longer lasting than halogens

Have had them fitted to mine for over 17months now and they are far better than any uprated bulb (been there, done that)

ScoobyNet Group Buy Specials

MMT WRX

BOB'5
You keep linking to this GB, but are the HID's a legal option?

I thought reading through the many threads on this subject, including links to various official resources, that they are not and it is infact illegal to sell them for road use as well.

Please advise if this is not the case as I would definitely be interested in the group buy.

Thank you

Mick

Aztec Performance Ltd

iTrader: (234)

Hi Mick,

The kits are sold as 'for off road use only'. In practice we haven't heard of anybody using these kits fail an MOT or have any problems with the police.

I have had mine fitted for over 17months now and have never had a problem with anybody flashing me, getting the car through an MOT or with the Police.

To put it in context re legality, ANY aftermarket exhaust is more of an issue.

I have been down the path of uprated bulbs and found them nowhere as good as HIDs. Many others will testify the same. Not had a single customer go back to halogens

I recommend 4300k in colour, which is what I run on my cars - they are pure white. 6000k is the most popular, which are white with a hint of blue.


Hope it helps


Bob

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Errrrrrrrr, can you justify that statement, Bob?

Alcazar

Aztec Performance Ltd

iTrader: (234)

Surprise

Of course.

Under the same Road Traffic Act, aftermarket exhausts are illegal to use etc.

Police are clamping down on these and its been well publicised on local and national media.

Even Prodrive exhausts fell foul of the legislation (I think Prodrive have sorted this issue on newer models).


Cheers,

Bob

vindaloo

More like.... Out traffic laws are a mish mash of established and reactionary cr*p.

In theory, one can provide an aftermarket exhaust system, CE tested and suitable for purchase. If we had a sensible system, you could then go get your VRO to issue an amendment to your V5 after accepting the validity of the fitted parts.

Difference with HID kits is the DVLA have expressly frowned on the status-quo regarding HID retro-fits.

The current state of affairs just allows TPTB to bully anyone they want to pick on whilst clarifying nothing.

J.

scooby-tc

iTrader: (2)

I use Osram nightbreaker +90% extra light and they are fantastic.Also bought a set of H7 fitment ones for some reason which are still in bubblewrap if you know anyone thats after a set

Aztec Performance Ltd

iTrader: (234)

I agree, the legislation as it stands is a vague and open to manipulation.

Whilst the DVLA may have written a quick notice on their website re HIDs, its exhausts that the police are coming down heavy on.

Cheers,

Bob

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Ah............I see, "more of an issue" means with the police, then?

Rather than one being noisy, and the other dangerous

Alcazar

Aztec Performance Ltd

iTrader: (234)

Yes, you're the one that keeps bringing up legality

If you want to talk about whether they blind people or not, feel free to start a poll (public) and ask the GB participants if they get flashed or not, as I know, that correctky fitted they don't

nooobyscoooby

I wonder if part of the problem with aftermarket HIDS is there is no self levelling device as required on new cars?

Monkeydile

I changed the standard lights on my classic to some Phillips H4 100w bulbs. They should produce a whiter and brighter light but seem to be the same as before. TBH I'm thinking the classic will always suffer with lights due to poor design...

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

OK, so long as YOU start a poll asking how many people have been blinded by HID's?

Alcazar