Headlight Upgrade needed

[Kevin88RRC]

Originally Posted by OkieRover

This was indeed for my RRC.
I guess it's IPF H4's from Great Basin.
Thanks.

Hey Okie....
Check with http://www.rallylights.com/ There site has a lot of info and their prices are pretty good too. I'm probably going with the Hella Vision Plus when I upgrade because I don't like how the E codes have that sharp cut off line. I like how the DOT approved throw a percentage of light upwards. I'm not sure but I think you could also change the bulbs in the Vision Plus to anything you wanted since they're H4s.
Rallylights also offers wiring harness too if you want to upgrade that as well.

cheers

[Adam in NYC USA]

Hello from the Discovery side of the forums.

Whenever I hear about upgrading headlights, especially H4 headlights, and doing upgrading headlight wiring, my ears begin to burn and I end up over there. Maybe it is my second calling in my life.

I have done upgraded lighting in two vehicles, burnt the electrical wiring in one due to heavy-duty lighting, so I have a little expierence and hard earned wisdom in the matter.

You are using old, antique wiring to operate modern lighting. H4 bulbs are different even from the same manufacturer. Science moves on, and products are subject to improvement and market forces..

Use the best materials and technology whenever you are upgrading your headlighting.
Please. If you are going to do, do it right. H4 and their kin of halogen bulbs want to run with mininual voltage drops and a lot of electrcial current. You have a sizable investment in proven but very well worn technology.

There are available to you third party wiring harnesses that can handle the much needed capability, cheap (for Tiawan)or expensive(ARB).

Use them.

Your problems with your existing lighting would improve only modestly by just changing the lensing and the lighting used. Awhile you are there, drop the harness in and make sure you have clean soild electrical connections to the battery. You will see a noticeable difference for your effort and your eyes will thank you whenever something or someone pops out in front of your vehicle.

Since you have installed the harness, try out your old bulbs. See the difference.Try out new bulbs, heck you can even play with the devil and try out those 130 watt jobs without risk of melting your old factory wiring nor any of your relays or switches giving up the ghost.

You will see a NOTICEABLE difference. NOTHING woke me more than when I installed projector lamps into my old Mitsu Mirage and they work as well as the HID system I dropped into my 1996 D1.

By the way, if anyone knows of a kit that makes a D1 look like a RRC or Defender, let me know. I like the look but the square lights are not quite my favorite.

Adam in NYC

[RR5L]

I located the site I used when doing my upgrade probably cost me around 30-40 bucks including relays. Dont skimp buying cheap light duty relays get some decent units that will handle the amps.

I used the original wiring to the head lamps to trigger the relays for both low and high beam.

http://users.mrbean.net.au/~rover/headlamps.htm

[sevenrover]

Yep, I am 80% sure that an H4 is an H4, so, unless the manufacturers are morons and make them millimeters smaller or bigger, you can use any H4 bulbs.

[sevenrover]

Oh yeah, and Great Basin's website wont be updated for a while cause of some construction that is going on at the shop. So your best chance is to give them a call.

[daway]

http://www.landroverparts.us/RangeRo...ges/RR1Cat.pdf

did some price shopping and everywhere seems to have really close prices. on page 14 (RRC link above) at british pacific u can just buy the lens for around $35.00 ipf and add your own bulbs 60/55 were around $17.00 each and i did not look up the price for the 110/80. also they have the wiring system that r required for the high watt bulbs. might be a good idea just to add the wiring system if u only want the 60/55 for right now and can then change to the higher watt bulbs in the future.
hope this helps

[DevilDisco]

Originally Posted by Disco Mike

For those of you that might have a D2 and want more light, buy a set of Hella H4 85/100, they are so much better then the 55/65 from the factory and are close enough to legal that noone will say anything. Hey at $12 a piece they are great and no wiring is needed.
Mike

Not trying to high jack but...
What if you use H4's and H7's. I think the H4's are the low beams. I have a silverstar H4 in one and stock H4 bulb in the other low beam. The silverstar is a little brighter and whiter but still quite dim. I was thinking of getting the HELLA or IPF. Has anyone heard of or tried the Phillips power2Night High Intensity bulbs, available from rover connection?

[sodirty]

my buddy has a D1 and he installed silverstar bulbs. They look AMAZING in his truck so i ran to the auto parts store to get a set for my RRC. Installed....theyre better but definitely not as white or bright as my buddys D1. =/ I want BRIGHT BRIGHT bulbs. *sigh*

[daway]

Originally Posted by sodirty

my buddy has a D1 and he installed silverstar bulbs. They look AMAZING in his truck so i ran to the auto parts store to get a set for my RRC. Installed....theyre better but definitely not as white or bright as my buddys D1. =/ I want BRIGHT BRIGHT bulbs. *sigh*

might need to get that wiring system like some talked about. what i read that it will even make your sealed beam headlights way brighter.

[Adam in NYC USA]

Originally Posted by sevenrover

Yep, I am 80% sure that an H4 is an H4, so, unless the manufacturers are morons and make them millimeters smaller or bigger, you can use any H4 bulbs.

Actually, they are not all the same. But buy some of the no-name hi power bulbs from JC Witney and see for yourself. They are cheap, and their focal points are in the wrong place.

As for myself, I had installed the cheap wiring harness, had installed voltage boosters to increase the brightness of the bulbs. They work but they also halve the lifespan of the bulbs.

In the end, I installed an HID kit for H4rs and I have not looked back.

[p76rangie]

There are different brands of silverstars. Some are better than others. You should not have to upgrade the wiring as such, but put a relay near the headlight. I am running 130 watt H4's on the standard wiring with a relay with no issues. You can get a twin headlight relay. That is, it has a twin fused relay in the one box.

If you want the best globe (without going to HIDs) go for the IPF X51's. They put out over double the light of a standard H4. I have them in my car and love them. The best thing is that they are brighter on low beam than high beam. But due to the beam direction of the lights, they do not blind any oncoming cars. 95% of you driving would be on low beam, so getting something that works well in this position has good benefits.

Ian

[sevenrover]

[quote=Adam in NYC USA]Actually, they are not all the same. But buy some of the no-name hi power bulbs from JC Witney and see for yourself. They are cheap, and their focal points are in the wrong place.

yeah, I meant size wise, not focal point wise. Of course all the lights would be different.

[Landrovie]

All H4 headlight bulbs are the same size, any H4 bulb will fit into any H4 headlight body. I think that is what sevenrover was reffuring to, not the difference in focal points. Of coarse there are going to be many different bulbs, some that are much better than others. I run IPF 's on all of my rovers. They are the best I have tried for their cost.

[Adam in NYC USA]

Originally Posted by Landrovie

All H4 headlight bulbs are the same size, any H4 bulb will fit into any H4 headlight body. I think that is what sevenrover was reffuring to, not the difference in focal points. Of coarse there are going to be many different bulbs, some that are much better than others. I run IPF 's on all of my rovers. They are the best I have tried for their cost.

Actually there was to be one standard. Two standard types of H4 bulb ended up on the market. On the Japanese cars, the bulbs are labeled HB4 and that should have been the definitive standard. It did not turn out to be.

If you drop a cheapie bulb in the factory H4 enclosure, you will notice two things, it will not seat properly (they wiggle in the socket after properly aligned and installed with the spring clip) and the glass enclosure and supports holding the filaments are not the proper length. They end up being behind the true focal point of the autos enclosure.

You then see a weaker and fuzzer pattern as a result.

It is amazing after some 13 or so years, that no one has come about and corrected these minor engineering problems.

Another is that when the NTSA decided on a headlight standard, it was based on a 12v standard. No modern vehicle operates lights at 12v. 12v is the resting voltage of a properly charged auto battery. When a 12v vehicle is operating, the internal voltage is never at 12 volts.

The output of the alternator plus the voltage of the battery puts the headlight voltage from 13.8v to 14.5v. The results can be from 50% to 120% more light output than was expected by the Federal standard.

More glare from modern headlights are the result.

There is more mentioned in the website here: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/nhtsa/NHTSA.html

and the PDF here:

http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/pdf82/176157_web.pdf

Anyhow, I thought it it should be mentioned.

For more reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlight

[toyota_jon]

I went out and bought cibie e-code headlights for my toy, and i know you can get them for your rover as well. even cheaper. and runrover knows i RAVE about them. my cousin first had them on his toy pickup and so the first thing that i did when i got my truck was put them in. i won't go back.