Welcome to Just Commodores, a site specifically designed for all people who share the same passion as yourself.

New Posts Contact us

Just Commodores Forum Community

It takes just a moment to join our fantastic community

Register

vs headlight bulbs /whats the strongest u can use

muzza

New Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2005
Messages
306
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
50
Location
gladstone
Members Ride
vx berlina
hi guys i have standard headlight bulbs in my vs was wondering how high a wattage can i use the standard ones i think r like 65/55 or sumthin i would like brighter ones that dont cost a fortune any ideas ?
cheers muzza
 

hsvpunk

volunteer firefighter
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
592
Reaction score
21
Points
0
Location
Mornington, Vic
Members Ride
vy ss II M6
in mine ive got 100/55 or over 60 (cant remember exactly) and 130watt highbeams
But mine are bright.. ppl driving in front dont like them lol..
U can pay as little as 20bux and as much as 100bux depending on the colour of the light.
 

kopper69

New Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
2,617
Reaction score
38
Points
0
Age
37
Members Ride
VRII Acclaim
You dont really have much option as they are really only sold as standard and 2x standard (130/110 or something like that). 2x doesnt necessarily mean twice as bright, it means they use twice as much power. You need to remember that doing this will mean that the bulbs:

Are close to double the temperature - can get very hot inside the housing
Make the relays work twice as hard
Make the losses in the wiring greater
May make your fuses blow
Will attract extra attention from the police
May be a distraction to other drivers

I would suggest spending a bit more and going with something that produces a whiter light than the factory/cheap bulbs but having the same power rating.
 

DannyboyDS

Just hand me the pliers.
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
2,255
Reaction score
38
Points
0
Age
39
Location
Melbourne
Members Ride
VS Berlina
Kmart sell a good set of H4's I think they are 100/55 arctic blue, ever since I whacked them in ive been so happy, the white lines on the road reflect so much more and they cut into the fog, they are only $24
 

PanthaVS

New Member
Joined
May 9, 2008
Messages
374
Reaction score
9
Points
0
Members Ride
VS S-Pack SII
you'll fry all your wiring....!!!

do NOT put higher wattage globes in...

if you MUST... hi-beam ok... because its only rarely used... but still a no-no!

do research into lighting and visible spectrums...

GREEN light is the most visible to the human eye (why do you think night vision goggles show in green), ideally, all our headlights should be green. but thats not gunna happen!

more power = more current
more lumens = more light

hence... look into how much lumens the globes produce... i could find a torch that will be 'brighter' than your standard headlight, and it wont be anywhere near 100W.
 

kopper69

New Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
2,617
Reaction score
38
Points
0
Age
37
Members Ride
VRII Acclaim
PanthaVS, you probably wont fry your wiring. There are guys here who have done it and sometimes dont need to do a thing, not even replace the fuse. You can also upgrade your wiring for the lighting circuit if you wanted to.
The bulbs that DannyboyDS suggested are high beam double the current too, with low beam being standard 55W - but you cant assume that a person will use high beam less. At night there are places where you can easily find a stretch of road and drive for hours with high beam on just about all of the time.

I dont know if green is the most visible to the human eye? as I have read other things. I think there is more to it than just one colour being 'most visible'. The eye and brain can differentiate more greens than other colours, I think that is why the night vision goggles are green? You definitely would not want your headlights being green as all you would see would be the green objects - you would not see any other coloured object. You (in theory) would not see the red stop sign, or the brown kangaroo in front of you or the drunk with a yellow t-shirt. You want white headlights, so that all colours can be reflected back to your eyes (white being a combination of all colours).

The only problem with choosing a bulb based on its lumen output is that manufacturers don't always put that information on the product, because they may not even have it, and can also use other measurements to measure the output - which you cant really convert to lumen's. I also read this on wikipedia:

"Luminous flux (lumen's) is not used to compare brightness, as this is a subjective perception which varies according to the distance from the light source". When I purchase a bulb for the house, you can compare the lumen's (seems to be common on household bulbs) and choosing a higher lumen output will mean a brighter bulb. Obviously at the same distance the bulbs will appear brighter/darker based on the lumen output - would be good if the manufacturers did the same for car bulbs.
 
Last edited:

HuskeyVR

New Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2011
Messages
74
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Alaska
Members Ride
NONE
Green is the easiest visable colour, and yellow is the hardest. interesting as they are only changed by the blue content in them. but anyways i wouldnt put a higher watt bulb in, yes it might not do any damage, but tgen again you could be the unlucky one. just find a brighter bulb not just one that draws more watt
 

RX25SE

Real cars are steel cars.
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Messages
1,260
Reaction score
10
Points
38
Location
Melbourne
Members Ride
MY07 Liberty 30R Spec B 6sp wagon
I think higher wattage would eventually fry the wiring, unless the headlamp circuit is upgraded.

I have seen plenty of headlamp fuses melted into the fuse box.
 

Opulent

New Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2014
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Age
64
Location
Adelaide, SA
Members Ride
VSExecutive S2
High Power globes DO fry the wiring. It did mine and I had to buy new lights as the wiring is incorporated.(easier any way)
So don't up the anti, look to blue light or alternative.
 

kezvs

New Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2013
Messages
16
Reaction score
1
Points
3
Age
65
Location
tugun gold coast
Members Ride
96 commodors wagon
i replaced mine the plugs melted on the globes they were 90/130so i replaced the globes back to 55/65h4s new ceramic plugs works fine just a bit dull
 
Top