Headlamp power, well I never knew that!

[HDI]

Three so far, my daily driver, '00 X2 Forte, my recently crashed '00 X2 SX, and an old, '96 X1 TD that has been out of use for years. All are 55 watt dip, 100 watt main beam.

[Stickyfinger]

The difference between main and going to dip must of made night driving more fun (Xantia headlamps being crap on dip !)

[HDI]

The difference between main and going to dip must of made night driving more fun (Xantia headlamps being crap on dip !)

I've driven worse. My Evo 6 for example, the headlights are terrible. Well, were terrible, I fitted a Cibie HID kit, literally night and day improvement.
I'd like to try a car with LED headlamps, some of them are apparently outstanding.

[van ordinaire]

If you're going the high wattage route it's best to fit relays & uprated cables - a smart move with many Citroens anyway as their light switches don't like handling even 45w bulbs over any sort of period.

That said, I've been using 100/80's, even 120/90's when I could get them, for longer than I've known about relays &, ironically, the only problem I've had is when one relay on the 2CV got very wet - & I found I couldn't turn the headlights off.

It's all bit oldhat now (HID's & LED's aside) though, because anything up to +120% bulbs are now readily available, in most fittings.

E-marks are covered by the references to "approval marks" throughout the lighting Regs. & are specifically referred to (& illustrated) in a footnote. For further information you'd have to trawl through the Approval Marks Regs. (which I'm not prepared to do).

[HDI]

I think the approval marks refer to the headlamp unit itself, not the bulbs.

[elma]

I haven't had time to check but I thought that in addition to the 1989 legislation there was even more legislation that forbade changing the wattage of the oem bulbs on a car. If there isn't I'm going for fatter wires and 100w, new cars all seem to have 1000w pointed in my face.

[bobins]

As an aside, I heard rumours that there's supposed to be a regulation that says you should be able to replace lamps without recourse to specialist tools. Anyone know if that's true ?

[HDI]

I hope so!

[white exec]

Agree that there is much to be gained by
- relays on dip and main beams, if not already fitted, sited close to the headlights and battery/beam fuses
- uprating cable size for headlight bulb supply, including earths
- removing the headlight beam load from the lighting/dip-switch (beneficial for switch life, eliminates a long cable run
All jobs that need to be done to a high standard, only by competent folk.

[GiveMeABreak]

I've done a bit of research on HID conversions below, although I'm still looking for detailed info on bulb regs., but so far I think it comes under the highway code rule 114 - "You must NOT use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders".

Regarding HID conversion kits - these are not really legal for on-road use and even though online sellers try to get around this by saying they are for off-road use, it is misleading as that really means for buggies and motorcross bikes etc. The only way to upgrade your lights legally is to replace the whole headlight unit. There are campaigns to get the 'conversion kits' removed from sale.

The EU commission says that only "Type-Approved lighting systems can be sold legally in the EU under UN Vehicle Regulations (1958). And the Vehicle Regulations and Transport Innovations Section of the United Nations Economic Commission (UNECE) said one reason why the required Type Approval cannot be granted to HID conversion kits is that the bulb type and its base do not match. As the kits are incompatible with halogen headlamp optics, they are unfit for purpose – falling foul of the UK’s Consumer Rights Act of 2015.

The UK’s Road Traffic Act (1988) cites that it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts that do not comply with the required Construction and Use stipulations.

And as the driver is responsible for ensuring a vehicle’s roadworthiness (under the Highway Code), a prosecution could result under Road Vehicles Construction and Use Regulations (1986) and the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations (1989). Plus, the act of selling a conversion kit might incite the driver to commit an offence, so this could lead to wider legal issues".

DVSA have confirmed that HID conversions would cause a car to fail the IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) test making it non roadworthy.

[Peter.N.]

The 100w bulbs apart from being illegal (or at least they were) draw about double the amps and the electrical system isn't designed for that so you are going to get a voltage drop which my well render the 100w lamps little brighter than the 55w. They could well cook the light switch unless they are relay driven.

Peter

[HDI]

It does seem that they are standard fitment. So far they haven't caused any problems and all the wiring looked fine when the bulbs were changed. A 100 watt bulb will take about 7-8 amps, depending on battery voltage, the wiring that I saw going to the bulbs will easily take that, probably double that. There was no sign of excess heat anywhere. The headlamps are switched by relays as standard, so the switch won't be affected.

[elma]

If 100w bulbs are legal, still haven't had time to look, I'd be putting in suitable wiring and relays to power them. I'm an industrial electrician so cable selection is second nature to me. I'm pretty sure they aren't road legal but this thread has made me think it's worth double checking.

[white exec]

XM, strangely, has OE relay on dip beam, but none on main beam, where the poor old headlight dipswitch has to take full whack, as well as bringing with it an unnecessarily long cable run. Worth checking out the relay provision on other specific models.

[CitroJim]

the poor old headlight dipswitch has to take full whack, as well as bringing with it an unnecessarily long cable run.

This is the point to watch on the Xantia if using 100w bulbs... The wiring may seem prima-facie to be up to it but the lighting/dipswitch may not be too happy for long! Generally the quality of Citroen wire and switchgear of that period is very poor so any load you can relieve from it is all to the good.

In any Xantia the headlight relay mod is a very good modification to make, regardless of the bulbs used... It is easy enough too... Do both dip and mean-beam..

My Activa has been done and the lights are now good. And that's on standard 55w bulbs...