headlamp bulbs

[van ordinaire]

Not sure about these +X% bulbs - although I run them myself. Perhaps because I don't understand the technology but they do seem to offer something for nothing - & you know what they say about things that seem too good to be true. I'm thinking of going back to high wattage bulbs [not that I have any choice with the C15 (unless I use Indonesian(?) headlamps - but that's another story)] but now with uprated cable & relays.

[GiveMeABreak]

What about the headlamps themselves? Surely they risk overheating and melting the internals or even the lamp units too with higher wattage bulbs, even if you uprate the cables and relays... I suppose it all depends on the headlamp housing material too.

[white exec]

Never been a great fan of Ring lamps, and gave up using them a long time ago. Indifferent light output, short life, and variable beam pattern/coverage is what I remember.

On the other hand, my experience of both the Philips and Osram items above has been first-rate, with lamps continuing to run for years at a time.

Important to make sure that the bulbs are not subject to undue vibration, either as a result of the way they're clipped into the lampholder, or because the whole headlight unit isn't firmly mounted.

Years ago I made use of 100 and 100/80 bulbs, in Hella (metal reflector + glass) 5.75" round and BX headlights. OK in those, but you might have to be careful in some other units, because of the much higher operating temperature. As you say, uprated/revised wiring and essential, not least to protect the lighting/dip switch.

[crapday69]

Well changed my mind and just bought a pair of these
http://www.ringautomotive.com/uk/produc ... 150/RW1577
So I will see how long they last.

Paying extra to see better is not a problem, however, if they do not last long that is a problem, hoping for 2 years at least

No good, one blew today , so that mean it lasted a almost 6 Months!!, nowhere near the two years I hoped for!!

I wouldn't expect them to last given that they claim to be 150% brighter. Brighter means more heat. Heat is bad for bulbs.

[van ordinaire]

Seem to be lagging behind a bit with this but, must admit, wan't expecting responses quite that quick, so here goes:-

Marc, that's a good pont, one I forever overlook - because, in my old skool world metal rules, except (1) Sevilles, which are dreadful - AND they're projectors; an inspiring achievement! & the red Cherokee which has aftermarket "chrystals" (not my choice, but that of a PO who, presumably, had to replace the OE Cibies - that rot like Carellos!) to which I've fitted Osram "Night Breaker Plus" bulbs ('cos I had them & I was replacing the sidelights with LED's) which promise +90% brightness AND +10% life expectancy. Only time will tell - on several counts.
Not sure what you mean by "internals" but you can get "high temperature" H4 sockets. (not that I like them because they have flying leads, which look like OE gauge - I prefer ones that come with terminals that will accept heavier cable)

Chris,
Always got on fine with Ring LAMPS (which, I seem to recall, were originally Polish copies of Hella units & (like OE Lada headlights) provided eccellent optics on a budget), however, as to their bulbs (& specifically H4's) they seem to have invented the +30% which, as they crept up to, now +150% the major/premium manufacturers have picked up on. I suspect they represented far more of a threat than the previous generation of 80, 90, 100 & 130w bulbs, only available mail order fro specialists, often unbranded - or bearing the sort of names associated with '50's Detroit &, now, China. In comparison Ring was a big name manufacturer with similarly priced products, that promised similar performance. Can't say I've experienced any of the issues, which, generally, are more attributable to lens &/or reflector design/quality. Those early high wattage bulbs were prone to premature failure - always a pain because they only came in pairs AND, you could almost guarantee, were no longer available when you needed a replacement. All that said, now they are available (AND I can afford them) I'm tending towards the big, old established names. Looks like Sloppy might be joining the quality product club - I mean, it's not like Ring stuff is cheap any more.
Good point about light switches, I learned quite early that relays are advisable on 2CV's even with standard bulbs because of the design of the switch &, as Citroen contiued to use that movement for decades, is probably equally applicable to many later models. Interestingly, Jeep peeps share the view, curious as the Cherokee switch (common to Wranglers) is no essentially no different from the one in my 100E Fod - but obviously not of the same heavy duty quality!

As for the heat question generally, obviously a, say, 100w bulb will burn hotter than a 60w one but does a +150% one (i.e. the equivalent of 150w) burn hotter than a 130w bulb - while drawing 1/2 the current? Like I said, I simply don't understand the underlying technology & I am beginning to wonder if that is the cause of short life experienced by many, hence my havering about returning to basic high wattage bulbs.