The new news 24 thread

[Six-cylinder]

14 hours ago, grogee said:

I don't know how Mr MoT would know...? The headlights are externally the same... So is the dipping mechanism (a little solenoid connected to a flap). All of it is as Ford intended, apart from the light source. 

So unless they have some way of measuring colour temperature, I don't know how they'd know? 

I have been looking for legal LED replacement bulbs. I am told the way the MOT testers fail them is instead of the dip beam showing a sharp cut off on the road LEDs give a graduated edge to the dip beam patten. 

[grogee]

4 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

I have been looking for legal LED replacement bulbs. I am told the way the MOT testers fail them is instead of the dip beam showing a sharp cut off on the road LEDs give a graduated edge to the dip beam patten. 

Mebbe but as I say there's a physical flap that cuts the beam. When shone on my garage door the cutoff is indistinguishable from xenon light source. The only difference is the light is whiter. 

If MoT fails I'll swap back to xenons, 10 min job. 

@SiC@SiC  I tried new Halfords xenon bulb; no difference . OK maybe not Osram but also not Chinese shite. 

I did have great success changing xenons on my Saab but it made fuck all difference on Mondeo. 

Also tried re-silvering the reflectors. 

If LED output degrades I will ask for money back. Should be no issue with returns via Amazon. 

[D.E]

Bought a small lot of Kadett bits and this mirror was included, but I don't think this has any relation to 1980s Opels. It's a "Monaco Grand Prix". Aftermarket brand I presume?

 

 

[Six-cylinder]

1 hour ago, grogee said:

Mebbe but as I say there's a physical flap that cuts the beam. When shone on my garage door the cutoff is indistinguishable from xenon light source. The only difference is the light is whiter. 

If MoT fails I'll swap back to xenons, 10 min job. 

@SiC@SiC  I tried new Halfords xenon bulb; no difference . OK maybe not Osram but also not Chinese shite. 

I did have great success changing xenons on my Saab but it made fuck all difference on Mondeo. 

Also tried re-silvering the reflectors. 

If LED output degrades I will ask for money back. Should be no issue with returns via Amazon. 

My Fiat Seicento is simply a H4 bulb with no shutter.

I can also change the bulb without any great drama but would be happy if it was legal to start with.

[IronStar]

They do spectacular brightness and quality Xenon-HID compatible LEDbulbs nowadays. A mate retrofitted his F02 7 series, and I have them in 156 and 159. Cooler, lower power usage, no need for (expensive) OEM ballasts prone to failure. 11/10, would recommend. 

[LightBulbFun]

19 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

My Fiat Seicento is simply a H4 bulb with no shutter.

I can also change the bulb without any great drama but would be happy if it was legal to start with.

if you want to stay Legal then a Proper Halogen H4 is your only option, i'd say just chuck a set of non-blue, Osram Nightbreaker's in there  

[IronStar]

2 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

if you want to stay Legal then a Proper Halogen H4 is your only option, i'd say just chuck a set of non-blue, Osram Nightbreaker's in there  

You’re probably the right person to ask - why do Osram Nightbreakers last so short compared do normal bulbs?

[LightBulbFun]

1 minute ago, IronStar said:

You’re probably the right person to ask - why do Osram Nightbreakers last so short compared do normal bulbs?

because they basically are driven very hard right at the edge of the allowable H4 spec, if you where to messure their actual wattage at you will find they are not likely to be 55W/60W!

i'd recommend reading the posts I made in these threads for the technical details

https://autoshite.com/topic/56403-legal-brighter-headlight-bulbs-h4/page/2/#findComment-2953609

https://autoshite.com/topic/65598-what-upgrade-headlight-bulbs/#findComment-3373008

(I do have a set of Osram Nightbreakers and a set of Regular Osram H4 bulbs which I bough both at the same time for the explicit purpose of giving a technical writeup/demonstration with, but I still need to get a Round-Tuit!)

[Momentary Lapse Of Reason]

1 hour ago, D.E said:

Bought a small lot of Kadett bits and this mirror was included, but I don't think this has any relation to 1980s Opels. It's a "Monaco Grand Prix". Aftermarket brand I presume?

 

"Period part"

(once a month)

They are aftermarket 60s and 70s go-faster accessory.

I had a pair on a Sunbeam Stiletto that I removed with the aid of an unseen car park barrier ... 

 

[grogee]

29 minutes ago, IronStar said:

They do spectacular brightness and quality Xenon-HID compatible LEDbulbs nowadays. A mate retrofitted his F02 7 series, and I have them in 156 and 159. Cooler, lower power usage, no need for (expensive) OEM ballasts prone to failure. 11/10, would recommend. 

I think this is the part that nobody (except Ironstar) is understanding on this thread. 

It is a xenon bulb replacement, not a halogen bulb replacement. 

I am fully behind stopping twats fitting LED floodlights to their Fiat Puntos. 

But when the light source is a) shuttered for dip beam and b) level controlled via suspension ride height sensors, I don't see the problem in using a more modern light source. 

As it is, the headlamp arms race is now at the stage of laser/LED with active beam pattern, so in my view I am just making sure I can see the road ahead when modernz approach me with their solar flares activated. 

[comfortablynumb]

1 hour ago, D.E said:

Bought a small lot of Kadett bits and this mirror was included, but I don't think this has any relation to 1980s Opels. It's a "Monaco Grand Prix". Aftermarket brand I presume?

 

 

I'd be checking the usual sales sites, there's quite a market for some retro mirrors

[IronStar]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

because they basically are driven very hard right at the edge of the allowable H4 spec, if you where to messure their actual wattage at you will find they are not likely to be 55W/60W!

i'd recommend reading the posts I made in these threads for the technical details

https://autoshite.com/topic/56403-legal-brighter-headlight-bulbs-h4/page/2/#findComment-2953609

https://autoshite.com/topic/65598-what-upgrade-headlight-bulbs/#findComment-3373008

(I do have a set of Osram Nightbreakers and a set of Regular Osram H4 bulbs which I bough both at the same time for the explicit purpose of giving a technical writeup/demonstration with, but I still need to get a Round-Tuit!)

Thanks LBF! Reading this, I understand that you could, in theory, get bulbs that are H4 connector and shape, but technically not H4 as they are out of spec IE running too much power? Is such thing available, and if yes where would one be able to buy such a bulb for…erm…eh…experimental purposes?

[LightBulbFun]

7 minutes ago, IronStar said:

Thanks LBF! Reading this, I understand that you could, in theory, get bulbs that are H4 connector and shape, but technically not H4 as they are out of spec IE running too much power? Is such thing available, and if yea where would one be able to buy such a bulb for…erm…eh…experimental purposes?

I take no responsibility if you melt your modern plastic  head lamp housings!

https://www.osram.com/ecat/SUPER BRIGHT PREMIUM - SUPER BRIGHT-Halogen headlight lamps-Car lighting-Automotive/com/en/GPS01_1090070/ZMP_1066359/

[richardmorris]

A 30 bagshot an hour ago…

[richardmorris]

Blue Audi ( May not be this one, as there’s another audi missing wheels too) and Ferrari racing each other, went through the lights just before the Costa and hit the van turning. Two other cars hit out of shot too.

air ambulance, fire engines, police and ambulances. 

[Leyland Worldmaster]

48 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Blue Audi ( May not be this one, as there’s another audi missing wheels too) and Ferrari racing each other, went through the lights just before the Costa and hit the van turning. Two other cars hit out of shot too.

air ambulance, fire engines, police and ambulances. 

Shit! The forces involved must have been massive- looks like the van hit the house after being hit in the side. 

I hope nobody was seriously injured- it is often the case that the cunts that cause these things walk away...

[Fat_Pirate]

Regrettably, I have been involved in another 'incident'.  Thankfully, Chat-GPT has my back:

[Snake Charmer]

2 minutes ago, Fat_Pirate said:

Regrettably, I have been involved in another 'incident'.  Thankfully, Chat-GPT has my back:

You OK though? 

[JakeT]

3 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

I take no responsibility if you melt your modern plastic  head lamp housings!

https://www.osram.com/ecat/SUPER BRIGHT PREMIUM - SUPER BRIGHT-Halogen headlight lamps-Car lighting-Automotive/com/en/GPS01_1090070/ZMP_1066359/

I am not attempting to out-bulb LBF, but there's a less housing-melting option available now! OSRAM do a Road Legal (in some countries) drop in LED bulb now:

https://www.osram.com/ecat/NIGHT BREAKER LED SPEED H4 450-LED high and low beam lamps (street legal)-Car lighting-Automotive/com/en/GPS01_35478322/ZMP_4069678/

[richardmorris]

48 minutes ago, Fat_Pirate said:

Regrettably, I have been involved in another 'incident'.  Thankfully, Chat-GPT has my back:

Are you ok?

[LightBulbFun]

30 minutes ago, JakeT said:

I am not attempting to out-bulb LBF, but there's a less housing-melting option available now! OSRAM do a Road Legal (in some countries) drop in LED bulb now:

https://www.osram.com/ecat/NIGHT BREAKER LED SPEED H4 450-LED high and low beam lamps (street legal)-Car lighting-Automotive/com/en/GPS01_35478322/ZMP_4069678/

if you look at the specifications you will see they are no brighter (1000/1600 lumens stated) then a regular H4 bulb and they are a worse 6000K

this is where old sealed beam head lights get a leg up here, those are themselves a standardised size/form-factor, the 7 inch sealed beam in Proper lightbulb terms is PAR56 and so with a small* electrical system upgrade, @IronStar could for "experimental purposes" fit a pair of these 4541 450W Aircraft landing light lamps to his mini with no body modifications needed at all  

[richardmorris]

1 hour ago, Leyland Worldmaster said:

Shit! The forces involved must have been massive- looks like the van hit the house after being hit in the side. 

I hope nobody was seriously injured- it is often the case that the cunts that cause these things walk away...

For reference it is here , well within 30limit ….

[Leyland Worldmaster]

1 minute ago, richardmorris said:

For reference it is here , well within 30limit ….

Just shouted 'fucking hell!' loudly in response!

Neighbours know I'm mad, innit... anyhoo; that's mental! Could it be that the van was turning right into the Fuel Station?

Goodness knows, however that is insane!

[richardmorris]

1 minute ago, Leyland Worldmaster said:

Just shouted 'fucking hell!' loudly in response!

Neighbours know I'm mad, innit... anyhoo; that's mental! Could it be that the van was turning right into the Fuel Station?

Goodness knows, however that is insane!

Yes, the neighbour with cctv given to the police thinks the van was turning right into costa and punted 50 m into the house,

[Leyland Worldmaster]

1 minute ago, richardmorris said:

Yes, the neighbour with cctv given to the police thinks the van was turning right into costa and punted 50 m into the house,

Shit. O-to whatever speed the California or Audi was doing- sideways- and a 50 metre flight into a house. 

As an aside, I wonder if people have people have become more reckless\aggressive post covid?

I have the pleasure* of working with the general public, innit...

 

[richardmorris]

Just now, Leyland Worldmaster said:

Shit. O-to whatever speed the California or Audi was doing- sideways- and a 50 metre flight into a house. 

As an aside, I wonder if people have people have become more reckless\aggressive post covid?

I have the pleasure* of working with the general public, innit...

 

They certainly have round here. I used to do 4000miles a year on my bicycle commuting to work, but have cut that right down the last year or so as it’s just too aggravating.

[IronStar]

32 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

if you look at the specifications you will see they are no brighter (1000/1600 lumens stated) then a regular H4 bulb and they are a worse 6000K

this is where old sealed beam head lights get a leg up here, those are themselves a standardised size/form-factor, the 7 inch sealed beam in Proper lightbulb terms is PAR56 and so with a small* electrical system upgrade, @IronStar could for "experimental purposes" fit a pair of these 4541 450W Aircraft landing light lamps to his mini with no body modifications needed at all  

Some relays and a bigger alternator, and it’ll be right 😄

I could also do something silly with Yugo Cabrio as well. It has US-spec front lights, which are H6054 sealed beams, which probably also have interesting upgrade* options? 😄

[Leyland Worldmaster]

11 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

They certainly have round here. I used to do 4000miles a year on my bicycle commuting to work, but have cut that right down the last year or so as it’s just too aggravating.

Glad that you have done that mate. Yesterday, I was put with Alison. Queuing traffic at temp' lights. 

I was watching both mirrors whilst waiting- training innit- and spotted a pedestrian in a rush.

They ran between car behind and Alison and almost got taken out by a pizza delivery rider.

He was on the case. Was fucking close. And the pedestrian- completely ignorant to the heart in mouth moment- just put their hand up as though to say sorry and ran off...

[LightBulbFun]

48 minutes ago, IronStar said:

Some relays and a bigger alternator, and it’ll be right 😄

I could also do something silly with Yugo Cabrio as well. It has US-spec front lights, which are H6054 sealed beams, which probably also have interesting upgrade* options? 😄

im afraid not, there might "off road only" high wattage versions you could get, like the 80W/100W "H4"'s I linked to, but the rectangular sealed beam was produced purely because of fickle car designers and consumers, optically speaking a round reflector/lens is most efficient, so for serious performance applications thats all you will see, so theres no silly Aircraft landing lamp you can put in the place of a US rectangular sealed beam

 

honestly thats one of the things I find most perplexing about LED headlights, as I have demonstrated, theres no reason, one cannot have stupid bright incandescent/halogen head lamps, if you wanted to, but the reason we dont, is for practical safety reasons, the reason H4 bulbs are what they are is a trade off between performance for the person behind the wheel, vs not glaring everyone else coming the other way off the road

 

so I have genuinely been quite perplexed as to why modern LED head lights have been allowed to be so bad in that regard, theres no reason they *have* to be that bad, and yet here we are...

 

[IronStar]

10 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

im afraid not, there might "off road only" high wattage versions you could get, but the rectangular sealed beam was produced purely because of fickle car designers and consumers, optically speaking a round reflector/lens is most efficient, so for serious performance applications thats all you will see, so theres no silly Aircraft landing lamp you can put in the place of a US rectangular sealed beam

 

honestly thats one of the things I find most perplexing about LED headlights, as I have demonstrated, theres no reason, one cannot have stupid bright incandescent/halogen head lamps, if you wanted to, but the reason we dont, is for practical safety reasons, the reason H4 bulbs are what they are is a trade off between performance for the person behind the wheel, vs not glaring everyone else coming the other way off the road

 

so I have genuinely been quite perplexed as to why modern LED head lights have been allowed to be so bad in that regard, theres no reason they *have* to be that bad, and yet here we are...

 

Well, whilst you can run stupidly powerful incandescent lights, they are rated for XXX W per bulb, which requires both much thicker wiring, much more powerful alternators and results in tons of heat. Modern LED lights are 15-20W, even for the super modern super bright matrix lights and associated electronics. I would also argue that optical construction of lights themselves evolved. I’m old enough to remember just how much better the lights became with the advent of projectors vs standard reflective headlights. 
There’s a very uncomfortable bit of automotive history, where we switched to these ultrabrights, but the technology not to blind other road users wasn’t there yet. Switching to matrix realistically alleviates this issue through electronic wizardry. I really wouldn’t like to be one owning these after a minor bump that takes out the 4 digit priced light cluster, or in 15 years when electronic gubbins start failing.