Low Beam Bulb Upgrade

[springer]

The high beam is usually a focused spot where as the low is a spread beam, look at other manufacturers and see the wattage of their low beams and you may find a lot have 60w+ for low beam so it should be no different in hilly areas as most other cars low beams.

PS
A simple mod like this can void your warranty and insurance if an accident occurs at night and they check your globes and find they are modified they can cancel a claim, HID upgrades have already taken cars off the road via police checks?!

[Ris]

Hi Humbug,

My NT also has S--t lowbeam and is basically dangerous at night (with a defined blackspot about 80-100 mts in front of the vehicle). I have had them lifted by MM but am still far from satisfied. Can you tell me the basics of what bulbs you had and what you changed them to?

[Angry]

Ris,

Just go to the start of the thread & read the first couple f pages after that every man & his dog has an opinion, its justa pity that some people expressing the loudest opinons dont have a clue about things mechanical.

The up grade is basically a 60watt bulb in the lowbeam which originally had a 55watt bulb.
Because MMA brought out the NS/NT Paj's with H9 & H11 headlight bulbs you cant buy a normal upgraded bulb, like for example a falcon you can get the standard lowbeam / highbeam upgraded from 55/60watt up to even 90/100watt.!!

The higher wattage bulb simply throws more light on low beam which standard are very very average to say the least.

Because yiou can buy normal lowbeam H11 bulbs in 60watt, you use a high beam bulb but some people cant seem to understand its going in the lowbeam headlight which has a different shape to the highbeam & cuts off the light across the middle of the beam, it just makes the provided ligt brighter but still cuts off the beam as its...low beam, read the first couple of pages of the tread , ignore the armchair mechanics.

[Mike DiD]

You will have great trouble seeing the difference in brightness between a 55 watt and 60 watt globe.

You will get as much improvement putting in a new 55 watt globe.

[Mike DiD]

If they're driving lights as you say then they should only operate in conjunction with the high beam.

Various manufacturers (toyota and holden to name a couple) web sites call them fog lights though, even though they are clear, so still should not be used.

When you're required to be on low beam (a car within 200 metres) you can only have two lights on - no foglights, even if they had the same cutoff as low beams.

[Ris]

Ris,

Just go to the start of the thread & read the first couple f pages after that every man & his dog has an opinion, its justa pity that some people expressing the loudest opinons dont have a clue about things mechanical.

The up grade is basically a 60watt bulb in the lowbeam which originally had a 55watt bulb.
Because MMA brought out the NS/NT Paj's with H9 & H11 headlight bulbs you cant buy a normal upgraded bulb, like for example a falcon you can get the standard lowbeam / highbeam upgraded from 55/60watt up to even 90/100watt.!!

The higher wattage bulb simply throws more light on low beam which standard are very very average to say the least.

Because yiou can buy normal lowbeam H11 bulbs in 60watt, you use a high beam bulb but some people cant seem to understand its going in the lowbeam headlight which has a different shape to the highbeam & cuts off the light across the middle of the beam, it just makes the provided ligt brighter but still cuts off the beam as its...low beam, read the first couple of pages of the tread , ignore the armchair mechanics.

Angry,

Thanks for that, I will have them in by the end of the weekend. Some blokes do carry on (I see what you mean when I follow through the Threads)

Thanks again

Ris

[Hookedon4wding]

Where's the best/cheapest place to get the new H9 globes from? Is there a certain sort to get?

Seems like a good upgrade bang for your buck!

[Angry]

Where's the best/cheapest place to get the new H9 globes from? Is there a certain sort to get?

Seems like a good upgrade bang for your buck!

Hooked, I just bought a pair of normal Narva H9's from Autobahn I think .

But as I didnt want to spend too much on any thing special (in case it didnt work), & I've still got the same ones in there I put them in one arvo & I'm so impressed I havent changed them.

[21Delta]

When you're required to be on low beam (a car within 200 metres) you can only have two lights on - no foglights, even if they had the same cutoff as low beams.

Like Angry and others have alluded to - it's the lens / reflector etc that makes the difference in 'blinding' people.

That's EXACTLY the issue surrounding Fog lights. It's not the colour of the lens (yellow for fog, blue for snow etc etc are just good ideas - apparently).

FOG lights have lenses/ reflectors that SCATTER the light emitting from the bulb. The idea being that this will create light wavelengths AT DIFFERENT ANGLES, in the hope that some light waves get through - further at least - than normal lights that may have the direction of thier lightwaves aligned. Hence why the posers 35W fog light blinds you when it it on-coming, and why their 60W low-beam (or 90W) will not.

The Different colour of SOME fog lights is there to ADD to its scattering effectiveness by producing a different wavelength to the (white-ish) light of the mist/ fog. Again, it's physics and all about cancelling out wavelengths of light.

A THIRD, and more useless way fog lights work, is to place them lower to go 'under' the fog. I've not seen the type of fog that is so thick but 40cm off the ground and above only, in Aus. Only in the UK (where these things are far more usefull).

So for the sake of others, sacrifice the 5 metre's of vision directly in front of your car which you don't need anyway above about 20km/h and stop blinding others.

I like the upgrade idea suggested by Angry and am keen for others to post their results.

[Angry]

21Delta,
At least you've read the thread correctly, it seems I'm coping a bit of critisism but it all stems form the issue that some people are reading things incorrectly.
For the record let me state;
1/ the standard lowbeam on the NS/NT is rubbish.
2/ I have tried an upgrade of the standard bulb with special +50
Narva/Bosch bulbs & found them next to no imoprovement.
3/ I have now tried the H9 upgrade to 65watt & found it to be great.
4/ I have NEVER promoted the use of Fog Lights around town or the
use of Highbeam in town.
If you find the standard lowbeam to be rubbish this is a cure .
For the rest ...if you dont then dont worry about it, but dont criticise someone who is trying to fix it.

[NSVRX 07]

Angry now that you have tried the H9 globes have you noticed any problems with the original wiring handling the higher wattage? (assuming you haven't upgraded the wiring)
I know it's only a small increase in wattage from the original globe so assume it would be ok.
I would hate to try this and end up with melted wiring.
The low beams are terrible on the ns especially after dipping from my HID spotlights on high beam!

[Angry]

Angry now that you have tried the H9 globes have you noticed any problems with the original wiring handling the higher wattage? (assuming you haven't upgraded the wiring)
I know it's only a small increase in wattage from the original globe so assume it would be ok.
I would hate to try this and end up with melted wiring.
The low beams are terrible on the ns especially after dipping from my HID spotlights on high beam!

No problems at all, everything just plugs straight in, wiring is fine its oly a 5/10watt increase, I updated my territory lowbeams form 55w to 90watt & it had no problems.
Everything is fine & yes you REALLY notice it after dipping the highs back to the lowbeam.
Worth every cent great upgrade I cant understand why they are so poor from the factory

[Chugga1]

Angry you are a hero in my eyes. Since upgrading the stress of night driving has been greatly reduced with no problems. A very senior NSW cop recently retired we met out bush with his new Pajero complained the only thing he could fault with the car was the low beam. He also complained that driving with no fog lights on was stupid especially in the Pajero. His opinion was a sledge hammer was used to fix a minority of cars with improper lights. Interesting to note that he is the first we have met in the bush with a Pajero in two years traveling. Most are Cruisers Patrols or those funny looking uncomfortable lawn rovers.

[AJC]

So for the sake of others, sacrifice the 5 metre's of vision directly in front of your car which you don't need anyway above about 20km/h and stop blinding others.

Hear hear, I move to live in Canberra a couple of years ago (yeh yeh, bring it on...) and probably the second thing behind tailgating, or is it third behind inability to 'zipper' merge..is many Canberran's (and surounding NSW drivers for that matter) love their fog lights. Its not just the doof doof crowd, its also the Audi/BMW/Mini euro trash crowd and even some mum and dad Falcodore/Magry/Hondaru types...

fogs are fogs, whether blue, yellow or white (only to be used WHEN ITS FOGGY); low beam is low beam (and a upgrade within reasosn is OK); high beam is high beam (and again a reasonable upgrade is ok...to 100w, not to 130w as most drivers dip from highbeam as if they still had in factory 60w, with the result they blind the oncoming driver and don't adjust for the upgrade by dipping earlier).

Save the spotties for the bush roads, and when you use them, please dip earlier than you would dip off normal high beam...whilst the sudden drop makes it feel like you're in the dark, being alert drivers you've just used the good light to read and memorise the road ahead, dipping early also gives you time for your eyes to adjust to the lower light before you pass the oncoming car, lessening your own chance of sideswiping the. You've already lessened their chance of sideswiping you due to bright white marks in their retinas...!

and remember, a good trick for the fog light dudes as they tailagte on a clear, starry night on the Fed Hwy around Lake George ... hit 'em with your rear work light ... a couple quick toggles ... they'll either get po'd and pass or back off...soemtimes even, the brighter ones [no pun intended] even think to kill the fogs!!!!

Ps. i read the thread as i'm thinking off adding Narva plus 50's to my NP / Gen 3 ... from what i've read, they will give me a bit more light on low and hi, don't cook the lense and are ADR compliant.

Al

[cooperplace]

JMI, As i said prevoius the NS has attrocious lowbeams this is an upgrade from 50watt to 60watt, as H11 lowbeam Bulbs are rare as & it is nearly impossible to find upgrades, although I found Narva +30 they were rubbish with barely any discernable increase in light output.
I cant undrersatnd you guys, a few years agio when everyopne had H4 bulbs an upgradee from 55watt lowbeam to 90watt did raise an eyebrow, yet this is a 10watt increase & everyones ducking for cover.
Considering the standard NS/NT lowbeam isnt worth a damb. Do you have an NT or NS ???, do you REALLY think the standard lowbeam is any good in this day 7 age ??.

Just trying to help out .

Hi Angry,

I've checked the Philips website and one difference between H9 and H11 is that H11 has the tip of the bulb covered in black paint, the H9 doesn't. I'm concerned that this difference could cause more light to go up to eyes of oncomign drivers. Do you know if the low-beam pattern with the H9s fitted is still the same?

thanks

Peter