Defender headlights
Julian Pollard
Crystal headlights on my 300tdi 90. I presently have Wipac Quadoptics with
H4 bulbs
Anyone any opinions or advice
Julian
jOn
"Julian Pollard" wrote in message
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Julian Pollard
"jOn" wrote in message
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Julian
I appreciate that xenons are much brighter but understand more electrics are
necessary and don't want to get involved in that
Julian
DaveB
pol...@btinternet.com says...
If there is nothing wrong with the Quadoptics, stay with them. If the
reflector is begining to corrode at the bottom, then the change is
perhaps due. The "Crystal" lamps are good. At least equal to the
Quadoptics in brigtness, but the beam pattern is subtly different with
it all formed buy the reflector, not the lens.
I did that change myself a couple of years back, with standard bulbs.
I've not been disapointed at all. They are good lamps, and look good
too. The only "in service" downside, is in fog or falling snow, even
on dipped beam, there is a lot of light that goes almost straight up,
forming a light curtain right where you want to look through.
My works car (a Mazda 6) suffers the same as well sadly.
"Standard" 65/55W H4 bulbs are more than good enough for the Crystal
lamps.
More powerful H4 bulbs will fit, but may not have the 'E' mark, so could
be a MOT fail too (Unless you have a 24V FFR vehicle!) Plus, you will
need to uprate the wiring to the lamps to make the best benefit of them
with 12V electrics. 150/65W H4 lamps are available, but take care if
any part of the headlamp fitting is plastic (even the back bowl, dont
ask!) The vast majority of that extra power ends up as heat!
Just feeding standard bulbs, via dedicated high current (low volt drop)
feeds and relays etc, make a noticable improvement, and wont melt your
dip switch either! I added relays after the main/dip switch failed and
had to be replaced. It wont fail that way again.
My MOT guy says, that even a 6V moggie minor pin's his light meter on
the end stop, so they can't tell what power the bulb is if they can't
read it on the forward facing mounting ring. Crystal lamps make that
easy, if they choose to look!... He also says that most HID
conversions fail due to the wrong dip beam pattern. There are also
Radio Interference issues with some HID kits too.
Avoid the "Ice Blue" H4 lamps. As well as the glass tint, they run the
filament a lot hotter, and that reduces the life considerably. Plus,
the stupid cost of them, for what benefit?
I recently toyed with the idea, of fitting a H1 HID bulb, in a rotating
amber beacon! Thankfully, the beer ran out, and the source of H1 HID
motorcycle kits dried up. The 100W H1 bulb in there at the moment, is
more than bright enough anyway! Impressive on a dark foggy night! :-)
Just my ramblings on the matter. Others may vary.
Cheers All.
DaveB
Joskin
news:L6ednUGxY86plzLQ...@bt.com...
Prompted by an article in the latest LRO magazine I am tempted to put Wipac
Julian
One of my Quadoptics was cracked & needed changing before a recent MOT. I
replaced them both with Wipac Crystal units from Paddocks (arrived quickly;
satisfied customer, no other connection). They were a direct replacement,
no problems. They came with bulbs but I was using Osram Nightbreaker bulbs
so transferred those. (The Nightbreakers need no wiring change and
definitely seem brighter).
The Crystals look a bit more 'bling' - it's wasted on my 'fender, but the
light pattern is good.
They are polycarbonate, not glass - I don't know if this will turn out good
or bad in the long term.
Joskin
jOn
"Julian Pollard" wrote in message
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Julian
Julian
No wiring changes necessary the bulbs are still 55/60W just a bright white
light
way better, use them in my bike too
Jon
Pantelis Giamarellos
Another very effective way to improve the performance of the front lights on
all older type Landies is to provide direct electric feed from the battery
or the alternator.
Bypassing the factory wiring and switches makes the bulbs operate with up to
13.8 Volts and not less than 12.0 Volts as it usually happens with the LR
designed and fitted system.
A drop of 1% in voltage usually results in a drop of around 3.5% in light
output on incadescent bulbs so dropping the voltage from 12 V to 11.5 Volts
will result in around 14.6% drop in the lighting efficiency of the bulbs of
our cars.
But increasing the voltage from 12 Volts to 13.8 (this is usually the
voltage generated by the alternator) will bring an increase of light output
of around 52.5%.
http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Documents/IN%20Voltage.htm
What you will need is a relay taking the on/off information from the factory
loom and providing electric feed directly from the alternator or battery.
Alternatively there is a "plug and play" wiring which does not require and
cuts or modification on the factory loom. You just remove the factory plugs
from the bulbs, fit one factory plug to the male plug of the "plug and play"
loom, fit the new female plugs of the "plug and play" loom to the bulbs,
connect the black and red wires of the "p&p" loom to the alternator or
battery and off you go with much brighter lights on your car.
You can see a photo of the "plug & play" loom here:
http://i52.tinypic.com/24zlj5t.jpg
A is the male plug which connects to one of the female plugs of the factory
loom that originaly is fitted to the bulb on the light cluster.
B is for the electric feed and ground wires to be connected to the battery
or alternator
C and D are the new female plugs of the "p&p" loom that are used on the
bulbs
H is the "p&p" loom electronic unit and relay
I is the fuse box of the "p&p" loom
J is the small bag with the tie-raps and connectors for the connection of
wires B to the alternator or battery
E, G and F are the bulbs and light clusters we use here in Greece when we
upgrade the lights on Defender vehicles.
Take care
Pantelis Giamarellos
LAND ROVER CLUB OF GREECE
"Joskin" <nospam@thisaddress> wrote in message
news:4dafeb80$0$2502$db0f...@news.zen.co.uk...
DaveB
>
> People Hi,
>
> Another very effective way to improve the performance of the front lights on
> all older type Landies is to provide direct electric feed from the battery
> or the alternator.
>
> Bypassing the factory wiring and switches makes the bulbs operate with up to
> 13.8 Volts and not less than 12.0 Volts as it usually happens with the LR
> designed and fitted system.
I did mention that in an earlier post. I've even done that on the
m'cycle. Twin 36/36W Halogen's fed via a relay, as the bar switch
wasn't up to the job. Yes, the alternator & regulator is, I checked.
The best place on a Landy, is to take the feed from the main terminal on
the starter solenoid. Via a 100A fuse (Fire protection) to a bank of
relays with individual fuses for each bulb and filament. (So, if you
twat a tree anyway, only the fuses for that damaged lamp die, the rest
cary on working.)
Use at least 30A relays, as incandesant bulbs do draw "heck of a lot" of
current at first, before the filament gets hot.
Fit all such fuses and relays in a waterproof box. Wish I'd done that..
:-|
Oh.. Remember *NEVER* fit fuses and relays in the battery compartment!
Think, what does a battery produce when used, and what do relays and
fuses do when "used". Could ruin your day, though I've not known
anyone suffer that....
>
> A drop of 1% in voltage usually results in a drop of around 3.5% in light
> output on incadescent bulbs so dropping the voltage from 12 V to 11.5 Volts
> will result in around 14.6% drop in the lighting efficiency of the bulbs of
> our cars.
> But increasing the voltage from 12 Volts to 13.8 (this is usually the
> voltage generated by the alternator) will bring an increase of light output
> of around 52.5%.
Actually, the output of a good alternator, is some 14.4V. If you have
a smart regulator, it can be higher to fast charge batteries, but then
they back off down to 14V when charged.
13.8V is a generic long term "Float" charge voltage for a 12V Lead Acid
battery.
> http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Documents/IN%20Voltage.htm
But also take note of that "Life" curve. The hotter the filament, the
less long it lasts, by a drastic ammount!
>
> What you will need is a relay taking the on/off information from the factory
> loom and providing electric feed directly from the alternator or battery.
>
> Alternatively there is a "plug and play" wiring which does not require and
> cuts or modification on the factory loom. You just remove the factory plugs
> from the bulbs, fit one factory plug to the male plug of the "plug and play"
> loom, fit the new female plugs of the "plug and play" loom to the bulbs,
> connect the black and red wires of the "p&p" loom to the alternator or
> battery and off you go with much brighter lights on your car.
>
> You can see a photo of the "plug & play" loom here:
> http://i52.tinypic.com/24zlj5t.jpg
Looks like only one fuse, for both side main AND diped. Not good. (At
least there IS a fuse!) Plus, the wire gauge is not much more than
used as standard anyway (from the relay box 'H' to the lamps) and those
white nylon (if that's what it is) connector shells are "less than
optimum" for high power lamp use, so less of a benefit than you might
think.
Why is the ground wire so much thiner than the red + feed? Doesnt make
sense, as it has to carry the same current...
It's a good point to remember, that the ground connection is also
critical for nice bright lights (or reliable anything electrical on a
vehicle.)
This kit will extend the life of your dip switch though, so that's good.
:-)
What's in the 'H' box? Relays, or power FET's?
>
> A is the male plug which connects to one of the female plugs of the factory
> loom that originaly is fitted to the bulb on the light cluster.
> B is for the electric feed and ground wires to be connected to the battery
> or alternator
> C and D are the new female plugs of the "p&p" loom that are used on the
> bulbs
> H is the "p&p" loom electronic unit and relay
> I is the fuse box of the "p&p" loom
> J is the small bag with the tie-raps and connectors for the connection of
> wires B to the alternator or battery
> E, G and F are the bulbs and light clusters we use here in Greece when we
> upgrade the lights on Defender vehicles.
>
> Take care
> Pantelis Giamarellos
> LAND ROVER CLUB OF GREECE
>
Indeed, take care.
DaveB
WelshGas
<g8...@uko2.co.uk> wrote:
>
> Oh.. Remember *NEVER* fit fuses and relays in the battery compartment!
> Think, what does a battery produce when used, and what do relays and
> fuses do when "used". Could ruin your day, though I've not known
> anyone suffer that....
> Indeed, take care.
> DaveB
>
>
Does that mean that the Defender has a gas proof Battery container/box?????
Always thought Hydrogen was lighter than air and I can't see my battery box
keeping 1 atom of H inside the box , let alone enough to cause an explosion.
Also, modern batteries are sealed with a specific vent tube for any gases
produced, which, on my 2010MY Defender, is vented outside the box.
--
Welsh Gas
Remove usual to reply direct.
paulatwoodsforddotcodotuk
DaveB
wels...@virginmedia.com says...
No, it's as leaky as the rest of a Defender! ;-) Just in my feeble
mind, it's "less than good" to have anything that naturally Sparks
(relays, contactors) near anything that can in normal use can produce
flammable gas! H2 and O in just the right proportions for a "good pop"
too.
I've seen what can happen in other circumstances when it happens...
Messy, to say the least...
Regards.
DaveB.
Pantelis Giamarellos
sorry for the delay in replying but I was away from my computer.
The white male and female connectors, in fact the whole system is designed
to take up to 230W on the high scale and 180W on the main beam. (up to
115/90 W bulbs per each side if such thing existed.)
The black and red wire has the same diameter. I have such a loom in my hands
right now (ready to fit it to my 1994 evented Camel Trophy Discovery) so can
check the wire diameter if you wish.
The diameter/gauge of the wires used is significantly bigger than that used
on the factory loom.
The fusebox contains TWO fuses.
I can not comment on what is inside box H. This "plug & play" wiring loom
is something I have purchased from its Greek inventor and maker and when I
spoke with him he would not disclose such information. But I think it must
be at least some kind of relay. Or something else that he does not wish to
make publicly known. This devise has been patented so it must contain
something a bit different from a simple relay (otherwise he would not have
been granted a patent and its rights)
-----------------
Separating the battery from fuses and relays is not a bad idea. Eventhough
Defenders are notorious for their "airtightness" (we all know the joke with
the car and the Buddist priest at the end of the Land Rover assembly line)
it is better to be safe than sorry.
----------------
My car electrician is mounting an electric splitter on the bulkhead of the
Defender vehicles he upgrades/modifies/restores them and the client wants to
pay for the added cost. He also prefers doing what you have proposed in
relation to the fuses per light. But then again not so many people chose to
pay a bit more for them.
The electric splitter (sorry if I do not use the proper technical term)
provides power separately to the starter and to the other electrical
"stations". If you need any photos and a more detailed description I will
be happy to ask him and let you know. It is always a joy to discuss about
things that can shed more light to the way car electrics operate and more so
when this discussion can lead to a conclusion that can make our cars safer
and more reliable.
------------------
You are absolutely right about the reduction in life that results from using
higher voltage. But my opinion is that the gains in safety and ease of
driving during the night are worth this "loss".
-------------------
30 A relays and fuses are what we also like to use even with the standard
60/55 W lightbulbs.
And both my electrician and the undersigned are not fond of more powerful
lightbulbs since they tend to "fry" the mirror glazing on the light
clusters. The only light clusters that we have proven to be able to
withstand higher wattage lightbulbs are those made by HELLA. At least here
in the Greek market where we can only have those as a good quality
alternative to the factory ones or to the far cheaper chinese etc made ones.
Take care
Pantelis Giamarellos
www.lrcg.gr
"DaveB" <g8...@uko2.co.uk> wrote in message
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