Over-wattage headlamp bulbs

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What is the general consensus on using these things? In particular, I am looking at these: http://www.autobulbdepot.com/bulbs_superh. tpl?cart=3033364693114594 What do you guys think? The main thing I am worried about is melting the housings, which I have heard of with over-wattage bulbs. Also check out the Hiper bulbs at the above site - not over wattage, but supposedly produce more light than PIAA's or Sylvania Cool Blues.

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'00 2500 4x4, LB, 5spd. ,
3. 54 LSD, trailer tow,
camper special, plow
prep, Van Aaken CPC,
265/75 cooper's, Line-X,
Activator II, alumasport
diamond toolbox, auto
ventshade, cold front,
cup smoothie, pioneer
custom fit cd, bazooka
bass tubes, SS
convertaball, silencer
ring removed

apprentice BOMBer

 

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What did you end of doing for bulbs?
I am sitting on some 85/100's but fear the melt factor also.....

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Green Monster's cyber garage (and TDR multimedia sandbox)
Yahoo messenger: davidc3y

 

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I've been running mine for 3 years, without doing the " headlight wireing fix". thow in the last couple of weeks I'm getting a fluctuation in one, I thought it could have been the bulb, but when I was taking it out the light got bright, been working ever sence. My 2 cents. Adam

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'96 2500 4x4 3. 54 traclok,billit grill,blue head lights,tenzo blue fog lights,clear tail lights w/red bulbs,chrome front & rear dif covers, alumium bed rail covers and tailgate cover,3" stageII lift,35"BFG M/T's on alumium rims, Kenwood sterio system,tinted windows,westach 60lb boost/egt guage,NOS,bullydog LPG injection,360 degree K&N,"tweaked" pump, 4" exaust w/ flowmaster and a 5" tip,Jim Leonard dual disc clutch, 121k,best performances to date=14. 35@97. 8mph(2wd)Weds Mar22,TuesMarch21 351Hp on the motor,394Hp w/ NOS,428Hp w/ NOS and LPG on, You know the rest,yep brand new pherd there tonight, people came and talked tome,said the book says it make 400hp,LOL, running 22. 4 et, HeHe. '98 Prostreet FXR,Kenny Boyce,96" S&S,Thunder Header,Metzler,12. 10et@105mph

 

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Dan Stern (a lighting expert) recommends no using over wattage bulbs,. I copied the following from his webpage:
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What about higher-wattage bulbs for my DOT-spec headlamps?

One word: DON'T!

If your headlamps have plastic lenses and/or plastic reflector housings, you mustn't use overwattage bulbs, as this can create serious fire hazards and cause extensive (and expensive) damage to the headlamp assemblies and wiring in short order.

Even if your headlamps use glass lenses and metal reflector housings, you still can't safely use these bulbs because the wiring in DOT-spec headlamp systems is not capable of handling the level of current these bulbs will draw. If you disregard this and do it anyhow, you create several serious fire hazards in the engine compartment and, more worrisome, in the passenger compartment at the headlamp switch. This problem could be circumvented with the installation of an extra-heavy-duty relay and heavy wiring, but the wiring is only as robust as its highest-resistance section; the 9004/HB1, 9005/HB3, 9006/HB4, and 9007/HB5 bulbs used in DOT-spec headlamp systems all have extremely small electrical contacts. Go ahead and have a look; they're really spindly! These contacts get extremely hot even under normal (45 to 65 watt) loads. They get dangerously hot under higher (80w, 100w, etc. ) loads. When you go much above 65 watts, these contacts become the point of maximum resistance. Things start melting and burning, and due to the voltage drop involved with such resistance, you will not achieve any improvement in your headlamps' ability to light-up the night. No reputable bulb manufacturer makes these overwattage DOT bulbs for that reason.

The ones you may find are third-rate junk that not only will not last very long, but also are made in factories with little or no quality control and do not tend to be made to the extremely precise filament-placement specifications demanded by today's advanced headlamp designs for proper lamp performance.

Even if you could find (nonexistent) overwattage bulbs in these formats with oversized contacts and ceramic bases, make your wiring adequate to handle the extra load, and be sure your headlamps contain no plastic, you *still* would be wasting your time and money to use the overwattage bulbs, because the optics and beam pattern specified in such headlamps by the DOT does not respond to overwattage bulbs, except to cause massive dazzle to oncoming traffic and drivers in front of you via the rear view mirrors, and to cause extreme backglare in fog, rain or snow. Any way you slice it, overwattage bulbs are a bad deal all around. You'll do well to avoid them.




[This message has been edited by HEMI®Dart (edited 04-07-2000). ]

 

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Europe has been using brighter wattage bulbs for a long time. I don't get why this country does not get with the program on night vision... .

I had a rental in England that actually changed it's headlight aim depending on the speed you are going. Also had a manual override. You could see the aim point moving down and to the left (remember alternate driving pattern in UK).

 

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I put them in. Caught a massive buck deer in my headlights which was eating salt in the center of the road that the plow had dropped moments earlier... I consider these a success.
Experience: Mine are a bit too blue for my liking on low beam in the snow. On high beam I really like the product. I get by the low beam issue by using the OEM fog lights to add the 'softer' white light in the foreground. These do get warm, don't think I will play with any variation of the 'britebox' with these bulbs.

the Buck was no BS, big rack and all!!

 

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When I purchased my truck, after the 2nd DC attempt to fix my ps headlight problem, I discovered myself that the High beam hot and the lamp ground leads were swapped. I switched the pins and all is well. One thing that bothered me was that the ground lead going into the common splice was a higher gauge (less capacity) than the 12 hot from the lamp relay. Since current in = current out, it seems to me that DC harnesses are only built to meet the minimum requirements. I would be careful about any placing any additional draw on them. For example, running HB & LB at the same time or increasing the wattage.

RonL

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98 3500 QC 4X4 Int Blue, Unbombed 6BTA5. 9 12V,
Auto 3. 54 LSD, PIAA Pro90's, Tonneau, Running Boards, 5K Air Bags, Hadley Air Horns, EGT/Boost/transmission Temp Gauges, Cobra / K40, Valley class V, Bugflector II, Bedliner, Tow Hooks, Cup Smoothie, Meg's turn-down tip, SS Fender Flares... .....

99 Lance 1110 Slide-On Truck Camper

 

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You are probably correct.
I plan to do a relay conversion so I don't have to worry about the current draw.