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Upgrading My Headlights

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Tophatchef

Jedi Hopeful
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(I've got an 1989 xj6)
I recently purchased new headlight housings that come with a
standard H4 bulb which is interchangeable. I'd really like
to buy some stronger bulbs, but how strong should I put in?
How strong of bulbs can my car support? I now the later
models need conversion kits for xenon bulbs, but what if I'm
just putting in like an H20 bulb or something of the sort?

Thanks
 
IPF makes an H4 high output 100W that uses the same power as the stock 55W H4. Might try something like that. Otherwise you will have to use heavier wire from relay to light.
 
Ah, so YOU'RE one of them folks likes to blind the rest of us!
It was bad enough, then the kids started the green and blue halogens, which pierced to the back of the skull.

Do you have any idea how really bright that stuff is when you're driving at night in a RHD car?
Worse.

Lower and further to my right side of the road, the adjustment seems to focus right about the bridge of my nose!
 
Well, TOC, I do take a bit of offense from that.

I do have an idea how bright "that stuff" is, and I assure you that I am not purchasing some black market headlights. I really need something brighter when I am driving in the country because I'd like to avoid hitting an innocent raccoon.

Now, I assure you that my new headlights will be perfectly legal, and up to par with the standards set by the DOT.

Larry, I went to the auto parts store today, and didn't see what you had mentioned, but I'll check again later. If I can't get a stronger bulb that uses similar amps, then I guess I'll have to change the wire out. Right now, my headlights seem unsafe for how dim they look.
 
Yup, all DOT h/l are "legal".
But, wait until you get to the point in your life where that brightness hurts.
All the way to the back of your skull.

The stock Halogens are more than bright enough.
But Landing Lights?

Everything I drive is standard sealed beam, including the Jag.
Plenty bright, and doesn't eat up headlight switches, sockets and wiring, nor require aftermarket relays (I know, yours has relay powered already........mine don't).

I have house lamps that allegedly have the brightness of a 100 watt for 85 watts of power, but are they?

Anyway, have fun, make sure they are adjusted!
 
Chef, the "DOT legal" bulbs won't change your issue. The 100W bulbs aren't "for road use"...

But if you do a bit of digging you'll find 'em. And they make a great difference.

TOC: If the things are adjusted properly it doesn't matter WHICH side of the car the oncoming driver occupies. IMO your issue with lights from oncoming traffic stems primarily from "children" or other irresponsible folks buying goofy garbage to look "kewl". And payin' no attention to how they're aimed nor do they care. I keep a set of Cibie Oscars inna grill for those guys. And a GTV I owned DID have "landing lights" in the 5" openings. They're USEFUL. Being able to see the road at night is as well. Being responsible is less easily found in average car owners. I doubt the Chef is irresponsible.
 
I used to think so, being in auto repair for 35-40 years.
BUT:
I can drive any other car, LHD, and not have the piercing pain I get with a RHD whilst driving on the RH side of the road!
Who knows.
Maybe it's the windscreen!

I do know from reading that my Lucas sealed-beams are for RHD (LH of road) and LHD (RH of road) focused.

The difference is amazing from one night driving a RHD to the next driving a LHD.

https://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Headlight_-_History_of_automotive_headlights/id/1457931

"The first dual-filament halogen bulb (to produce a low and a high beam with only one bulb), the H4, was released in 1971. The U.S. prohibited halogen headlamps until 1978, when halogen sealed beams were released. To this day, the H4 is still not legal for automotive use in the United States. Instead, the Americans created their own very similar standard (HB2/9003). The primary differences are that the HB2 sets more strict requirements on filament positioning, and that the HB2 are required to meet the lower maximum output standards set forth by the United States government. The H4 is limited to roughly 60% of its potential low beam output due to internal shielding required to fit two filaments in the bulb. More recent dual filament bulb designs include the H13."
 
It's the LENS and bulb shield configuration wot does most of the work. If the envelopes were made to be used for driving on the right side of the highway and the unit alignment is correct there should be no issue. In England (and those countries which insist on driving on th' WRONG side) the lenses and bulb shielding are biased to keep the light goin' to THEIR curb side on low beam.
 
Tophatchef: Go to Roverparts.com, look under lights. They have them for about $45 for each bulb. I have them in both Rovers and my MINI S along with driving lights and fog lights. I also have rear fogs on all vehicles. Better to let them know you're there than get hit. If lights are adjusted properly there will be only a 2% increase in glare to the oncoming driver. Guys, the colored bulbs the kids use are not a proper bulb, but copies of what they see on real race cars, which have a covering over the lights to produce the color for sepeartion of classes. Real Zenons when aimed properly do not have a distorted glare and color chnage that you see with the fakes. I use my lights for off-road and night time driving on back roads. But, if you come at me with your brights on, I'll give you so many seconds before I flash you what I got. Mostly a 1/2 million candle power. I used to use landing lights for high beams, now there are gentler beams available, and less aggressive on altenators and wiring.
 
If your Jag does not have relays for the headlamps, adding relays and beefier wiring will dramatically improve brightness.

No, not original to the car, possibly, but such improvements fall into the safety category and are a bit more palatable to purists.

Easy project, great results. :yesnod:
 
Right, well all of that is helpful to know.

What I've done with my headlight casings is removed the bulbs they came with (they were painted blue for the fake xenon look), and replaced them with sylvania xtravision I bought from walmart for about $20. The vision increased dramatically, and really, it's the most power you'll need for the low beams.

If anyone is interesed, these are the headlights I bought from eBay.
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/5-IN-INCH...sQ5fAccessories
They're not very good looking on the jag, I really need to buy a set for the high beams to have everything match. I just wanted to see how it would look before I did that. The headlight casings are not of great quality, but they don't look too bad, and they are easy on the pocket book.

A question for when I replace the high beams:
What is the difference other than position on the car? Do I need to buy different bulbs?
 
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