Marc's X7, C3 Aircross, Rants, Raves & Everything Else

[GiveMeABreak]

2000 lumens, eh. Made me wonder what the +130% etc bulbs throw out. A quick scan gives me Osram Night Breaker Unlimited - 1500 and Philips X-treme Vision +130% - 1500 ±10% so still some way to go.

I take it you are referring to normal Halogen bulbs Paul? Only so much they can do with that technology of course. The thing I'm interesting with these new Osram Lasers D1S bulbs is that they have increased the range, the brightness and have managed to maintain the longevity of the bulb when compared to the standard Xenon HID.

I know I paid about £160 ish for the pair of my Night Breaker Unlimited Xenarcs about 4 years ago, so these newer ones are not too much more considering the better output.

[white exec]

Have followed your link to Osram, and the product data sheet.

It states very little about light output, except that the intensity is 3200 lm.

There is no data about wavelength, i.e. colour, except "Up to 20% whiter light compared to the minimum legal standard", which is almost meaningless.
If they're comparing to minimum standard for headlight output, I should jolly well hope to see an improvement over the historic standard.

Sorry, but it's a matter of physics, not marketing slogans. A light source can be brighter, for sure (= lumens), but cannot be "whiter" than something which is already white: it can only shift its spectral value, which, in this case, is a shift towards blue. The shift has nowhere else to go (except to the red/yellow)! *

* If you doubt this, try adjusting your PC monitor's white balance. You can have reddish-white, greenish-white, blue-ish white, or . . . white-white. The last is what you judge to be tint-free, "best white". You cannot improve this, only shift it to achieve a 'warm' or 'cool' white. What the headlight vendors are offering is invariably the latter (without letting it get too blue, in the case here).

[GiveMeABreak]

I think they just mean crisper white, rather than the yellowish white. I have a choice of warm white or daylight white on my home lamps, so just deem this to be colour temp. Good enough for the lay person.

I know my current bulbs are far brighter than the standard D1S bulbs (also Osram) fitted at the factory, so that is my baseline against which I measure any improvements. A marked difference in both distance and brightness.

[Paul-R]

I take it you are referring to normal Halogen bulbs Paul? Only so much they can do with that technology of course.

Indeed. One of the great disappointments about my X7 was going back to halogen bulbs compared to my Mk1 with HID bulbs (only dipped beam unfortunately).

I've gone just about as far as I can with halogen bulbs. I couldn't justify the exponential cost increase of the +130% and settled for +110% bulbs and, to be fair, they are noticeably brighter than standard. But I do crave a better light. I am so seriously tempted by the Philips LED bulbs which are manufactured as a direct replacement for H4, H7, H-whatever bulbs. The thing that impresses me the most is that Philips designed their own LED chips so that they could be placed in the same position as the standard filament of a tungsten bulb inside a standard lamp casing. All very much not MOT compliant of course.

But interesting all the same...

[GiveMeABreak]

Yes, it’s incredible that they sell those in places like Halfrauds right next to the legal bulbs. You have to locate the small print very often to find the ‘off road use only’ bit.

[EDC5]

I'm actually disappointed with the X7's halogens, they're actually p**s poor. a very narrow beam of light and of course you can't adjust the aim on the hydractive models for some reason

I used some Philips +130% and also some Osram nightbreaker lasers but found they had awful lifetime... a few moths at best. I'm now using some decent quality GE bulbs that have no outrageous claims.... we'll see how long they last.

However, when I win the lottery, I will be buying a set of OSRAM's latest laser replacement HID bulbs for the D1S at just under £200. These provide about 200% more light than the standard HID and are about 20% whiter in colour.

If you do that you might be asked to help out when the local lighthouse goes down for maintenance

But seriously, I'm very jealous of the guys with HIDs in their X7s, much needed in my view.

[GiveMeABreak]

With your Halogens they don’t need a load levelling control because of the hydractive suspension, whereas the bed spring versions do have a manual adjuster - but the aim can be adjusted if you think it is out, but it would need one of those beam alignment tester doohickeys that they use to check at the MOT

[EDC5]

Well, it would be adjusted correctly if the car's height correctors weren't 10 years old and slightly knackered As it happens I think I'm in need of new height correctors. I think they should have left the manual adjustment knob on the steering column as the motors are physically present on the light clusters.

[myglaren]

The thing that impresses me the most is that Philips designed their own LED chips so that they could be placed in the same position as the standard filament of a tungsten bulb inside a standard lamp casing. All very much not MOT compliant of course.

A workmate recently bought a Juke and has replaced the headlights with LEDs - IIRC about £16 the pair and is very impressed by them - to the extent that all bulbs are being replaced by LEDs.

[Paul-R]

With your Halogens they don’t need a load levelling control because of the hydractive suspension, whereas the bed spring versions do have a manual adjuster ...

This brings up an idle thought that I've had in one of my quieter moments.

I wonder how easy (or otherwise) it would be to add headlamp levelling motor control to my car. Either by replacing with complete units off a non-hydractive unit or seeing whether the lamp housing already has the mounting points for the motor. The column cowl will then need either replacing or a hole cutting for the switch. Hopefully the wiring will already be mostly in place but if not what the heck. I don't know if the BSI interferes in any way but I can't see why it needs to be involved and wiring should then be direct surely? And even if instructions do go through the BSI on the pukka system I wouldn't feel the need to do this on my conversion.

Why do this? Well, as I have posted in the past, when I drive in Europe I don't do beam maskers/directors. In the 308 (and previously in the Xsara) I simply knocked the headlamps down a notch or two to reduce dazzle for oncoming drivers. For both the C5s this has not been possible and, frankly, I do feel just a touch of guilt about this. Not a lot. Just a touch.

[Paul-R]

A workmate recently bought a Juke and has replaced the headlights with LEDs - IIRC about £16 the pair and is very impressed by them ...

Those are very cheap and won't be Philips. I wonder how precisely the LED chips are placed in those bulbs.

[Gibbo2286]

Maybe you should wash your headlamps with this...………….it worked for mom on the sheets.

http://www.oldandinteresting.com/laundry-blue.aspx

[EDC5]

With your Halogens they don’t need a load levelling control because of the hydractive suspension, whereas the bed spring versions do have a manual adjuster ...

This brings up an idle thought that I've had in one of my quieter moments.

I wonder how easy (or otherwise) it would be to add headlamp levelling motor control to my car. Either by replacing with complete units off a non-hydractive unit or seeing whether the lamp housing already has the mounting points for the motor. The column cowl will then need either replacing or a hole cutting for the switch. Hopefully the wiring will already be mostly in place but if not what the heck. I don't know if the BSI interferes in any way but I can't see why it needs to be involved and wiring should then be direct surely? And even if instructions do go through the BSI on the pukka system I wouldn't feel the need to do this on my conversion.

Why do this? Well, as I have posted in the past, when I drive in Europe I don't do beam maskers/directors. In the 308 (and previously in the Xsara) I simply knocked the headlamps down a notch or two to reduce dazzle for oncoming drivers. For both the C5s this has not been possible and, frankly, I do feel just a touch of guilt about this. Not a lot. Just a touch.

Interesting, I'd like to do this too. So the light clusters are identical to the non hydractive ones and presumably the wiring is in place. All that needs doing is the swapping of the steering column cowl for one from a non hydractive and adding the switch. I'd have to check but I can't imagine they would make a separate steering column loom for non hydractive cars so with any luck the connector will be there waiting.

[Huskyxantia]

These new mega bright lights as far as I'm concerned are just Dangerous, even day lights are another stupid idea , apart from poor weather conditions.
As the highway code states ... Do not dazzle other road users , now nearly everyone's doing it or just jumping on the band wagon.

So .... Will this be the next pollution filing mot issue ? Government set things up just so it can be used against the motorists... Think about it....

[Huskyxantia]

*Pollution failing stupid auto correct gets on my goat lol