higher voltage headlights

[creamy]

i have seen at the shop headlight globes that are 900/100 and 100/130.
the standard ones are only 55/60.
will i have a problem putting the more powerful globes in my v.l i.e, will it overheat the wiring, fry the wiring or any other problem. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[DANNY8]

I think not so much the wiring, but the fuse rail if u still use a standard rail, as they melt easy. Best way would be to run the headlights through a relay. Also the hotter globes could effect the headlight itself....like melt it, make it brittle...that's what mine had done.

[Tom_1569]

Affect wiring to. Some idiot put 100 watt globes in mine, melted all the wiring inside the headlight and and the globes melted and smoked. Only done it on high beam though.

[creamy]

if i run them through a relay,
you say the hotter globes could affect the headlight itself,, how and what affect?

[creamy]

or how else can i get brighter lights without having problems?

[commsirac]

You are nearly doubling the power of the globe. Cant say whether there will be problems in the VL headlamp or not. Heat rejection is very much a factor of the lamp design. Poor heat rejection can affect the reflecting surface within the globe and polycarbonate lenses.

Possibly due to poor heat rejection by the lamp bodies, the higher power globes will run hotter than designed and not last longer than several months......been there!

The wiring is most likely to be severley affected, especially at the connector to the globe. This is where the most heat can be generated.
The heat generated in the wires depends on the square of the current. You will be effectively doubling the current with a 100W+ globe and increasing the heat generated in the wire by factor 4.

Does the VL have a headlight relay already? (they are much more reliable without them) However, you would definitely need to run one with the higher wattage lamps.
You can try these new fangled more expensive globes that have a higher light output for the standard 55/60W input.......may be cheaper and easier than upgrading/damaging stuff. NARVA +50s etc......never used them myself but thats the direction Id go if I wanted more light.

[VrWagz1]

I would not attemp to run them at all without upgrading the wiring and plugs, plus like commsirac said, the heat they will generate will be astronomical and you will be doing globes very regulary. I would just consider some new flashy 55/60 globes. If you do want to continue down that path, i would use the existing wiring to hook up some relays in the engine bay, and run some heavier gauge wires from the battery through the relays to the lights.

[Zuicider]

im running 30 watt lights in mine and they are brighter than my high beams. hid all the way, easy plug in and lasts ****en ages

[TWOJZ]

I'm running 100watt highbeams in my car, but then, its a toyota

I have HID's for the normal lights, and they are almost as bright as the 100watt highbeams.

[creamy]

roughly how much for hid globes and complete kit,?
and where to buy them?

[bradcad]

Alternatively phillips do bulbs- +80% light or so they say. Standard wattage, worth about $90, vast improvement over standard.

[immortality]

i ahve the narva +50's and they give more light further then the standard bulbs. if fitting 90/100watt bulbs updgrade the wiring is a must. i'd fit a new relay near the headlights with it's own feed directly from battery. upgrade/increase wiring size from relay to headlamp. also drill some holes in back cover of headlamp to reduce heat as it will be a problem.

hid conversion is the ulitmate upgrade but not legal unfortunatly unless you have self levelling projector style headlamps. still many people have fitted them anyways. you can get cheap conversion kits on ebay although some poeple say the chinese made kits have issues with bulb life.

[rb26dett]

Probably best off getting some new headlights, as the reflective part usually goes all brown.

[TWOJZ]

I bought a cheap HID kit, it still works, but sometimes the globes don't fire, and therefore, don't come on!

I believe it to be the powersupplies, not the globes, but who knows.

I'm running 100watt halogen highbeams, and 35watt HID low beams in my Toyota, The headlights have a single cavity for both low, and highbeam globes, so heat shouldn't be an issue, and the globes seemed to somehow use the same main relay and I think same fuse? so, I didn't upgrade anything, the highbeams and lowbeams are both on at the same time (when the highs are on that is )

[Zuicider]

hids can very in price, from your local auto shop they demand nearly 500 to 700 dollars, but u can get the same ones off ebay. i paid 80 for my kit imported from china they work fine after a year.

[harry3]

some headlights dont cope well with brighter lights, having been designed to work best with the original lights
an older mechanic said VL headlights were always thought too dull from new, but they run quite hot with standard globes, a plastic part that holds the parking globe is usually damaged by the heat

[Holdfast]

some headlights dont cope well with brighter lights, having been designed to work best with the original lights
an older mechanic said VL headlights were always thought too dull from new, but they run quite hot with standard globes, a plastic part that holds the parking globe is usually damaged by the heat

Spot on harry3

Mate I replaced the front lights and indicators with new "after-market" ones.

Added a couple of new globes and the lights are pretty good.

[deanos70]

i have seen at the shop headlight globes that are 900/100 and 100/130.
the standard ones are only 55/60.
will i have a problem putting the more powerful globes in my v.l i.e, will it overheat the wiring, fry the wiring or any other problem. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Wiring would be an issue
it would be illegal
and you might get sick of oncoming traffic flashing and putting their high beam and spotlights on you thinking your high beam is on