headlight bulbs

bigrichi · Post by **bigrichi** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 11:33 am

need a bit of advice guys,

i upgraded my headlight bulbs a few months ago to replace the candles that were in there.

i got higher wattage ones from halfrauds.
after a few weeks one of the bulbs blew. (drivers side)

i thought it was just bad luck so i then went to another shop and purchased 2 new bulbs (ring ones) to replace them as a set.
now last night the passenger side one is away.

changing the bulbs is a pain in the a**e compared to a normal car so is this a common problem and is there anythin i can do to prevent it happening again?

cheers

Sanjøy · Post by **Sanjøy** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 11:34 am

Water ingress ?

bigrichi · Post by **bigrichi** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 11:35 am

forgive me for bein a thicko but what is this and how do i sort it?

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 11:36 am

Mine have been fine for months, I know Sanjoy melted his bulb holders but mine are something like 80W high beam not the 120W jobbies. Try a cooler, lower power bulb?

bigrichi · Post by **bigrichi** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 11:38 am

the first one that went was an 80w and the ones that just went were 120w.
is it just luck then how long they last when you go higher wattage?

GregR · Post by **GregR** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 11:45 am

The OEM candles are in there for a reason - I don't think the circuitry was designed for the high output bulbs, although you do hear of people having no problems for a number of years

fd · Post by fd » Thu Aug 16, 2007 12:32 pm

Try some of these : http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk/default.asp ... =&PT_ID=76

I use them in all the cars, they are a very marked improvement over even the vision plus bulbs . . .

Most of the 'high power' rally bulbs specifically state that they don't last as long as normal bulbs . . . plus they melt light covers and electrical connections . . .

Also having your headlamps properly aligned makes the world of difference.

Fd

bigrichi · Post by **bigrichi** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 12:33 pm

i had a subaru before and the headlights are terrible in them as well. they have the same problems when the bulbs are upgradede.

think its back to the candles then, or look for a better standard watt bulb.

dont think my spanner man is too happy at the thought of changing bulbs out every 2 weeks

MacK · Post by **MacK** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 12:34 pm

GregR wrote:The OEM candles are in there for a reason - I don't think the circuitry was designed for the high output bulbs, although you do hear of people having no problems for a number of years

I think it is the law, not Lotus circuitry that defines what the OEM light bulb spec is on a car.

All higher wattage bulbs, 80w/120w are marked "for offroad use only".

fd · Post by fd » Thu Aug 16, 2007 12:46 pm

MacK wrote: I think it is the law, not Lotus circuitry that defines what the OEM light bulb spec is on a car.

Certainly the regs prevent the use of high power bulbs, but Lotus will know this and spec the wiring accordingly . . . the double power bulbs will draw double the current . . . I think it unlikely that any car manufacturer over specifies their wiring by 100% . . . too heavy and too expensive . . . hence . . . the wiring is the danger. As for running the bulbs with no damage . . . unlikely . . . more likely is that you just haven't found the damage yet . . . or that the damage is time cumulative and will only be evident after some prolonged use - the wires will overheat all the time, the insulation may degrade and crack . . . water ingress into the cracks . . . corrosion of the wires . . . all basically invisible . . . then 3 years later something breaks . . . also, knowing Lotus . . . not all cars will be built to the same spec, so one car's headlamp wiring may not be the same as anothers . . .

YMMV

Fd

Brunty · Post by **Brunty** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:37 pm

I've started using PIAA bulbs, standard wattage, but with a much higher equivalent, rather like an Athlon I guess

If vibration is a problem you can get rally/rough usage bulbs too.

Have a look at the link below

Sanjøy · Post by **Sanjøy** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:12 am

After some years and prolonged usage (8-10 hours) I melted my bulb holders with the Halfords rally specs.
I put them in as was too lazy to change the rusted headlights. After changing the headlights I left them in as they were very good.
Have checked the wiring and not crispy or cracking, yet. But as FD says who knows what gremlin it could be causing, you only have to look at my headlight earthign problem!