Sealed beam headlights - any good?

[bmcecosse]

Well - if it really was flickering I can see the arguement - although still not convinced!

[MGFmad]

Well you can still buy sealed beams and in fact the higher power 75/45 units were available again recently. These are only legal on early cars (not sure of date) and later cars must not have more than 55W lights. But - there is no doubt - halogen lights are far supperior if you wish to drive at night - especially is you fit the 'super white' type bulbs (not the daft blue ones !) which claim to be 30% brighter. I put these in my Meriva main beams and they are much brighter! But my Traveller still has it's poor old standard 60/45 sealed beams- and I had to use it early one morning recently in the dark - and I was horrified at how bad the lights are compared to modern lighting. So - if spending any money on the lights- do go halogen - they really are much much better!

The super white bulbs are good, I put them in my MGF as its standard lights are poor, what a difference, I can now see in the dark.

[bmcecosse]

Eat more carrots!

[rayofleamington]

another cause for bulbs failing early = dodgy alternator (excessive voltage). On cars I've had with failed alternator regulators I've also had failed bulbs at the time or soon after as the higher voltage will reduce the life massively.

[callyspoy]

i fitted super expensive xenon ones(by my standards, they were £22), and they are amazing. i sometimes drive my parents "modern" and its horrific! genuinely seems like i only have the sidelights on! quite funny. oddly though, dads mog has halogens and they are okay. not nearly as bright as mine, but brighter than the "modern".

[bmcecosse]

Must be an odd 'modern' - because in general their lights these days are a whole step better than even halogen 7" units ! Sure they are adjusted correctly?
And yes - I have had a battery cable come off (during a rally) and the lights were indeed super bright - for a while, until one by one out they went!

[alex_holden]

I think these modern super-bright lights (brighter than Halogen) are really annoying and potentially dangerous because they are so dazzling to other drivers. Unfortunately they are becoming more and more common on new cars.

[rayofleamington]

I think these modern super-bright lights (brighter than Halogen) are really annoying and potentially dangerous because they are so dazzling to other drivers.

Aftermarket HID kits (high intensity somethings) were meant to be illegal. I think the reason was that without passing an approval test process they are likely to be badly out of alignment and potentially blind the oncoming traffic.
I have been known to slow right down if the idiot behind has dodgy HID's and when they've passed, put the high beam on to let them know my annoyance. Very stupid thing to do (and I do try to be more forgiving) but they can be a prize pain in the eyesight, which is dangerous.

The one's fitted by the OEM's tend to be much less dangerous, however as they do conform to reg's there is not much can be done to stop them being supplied. I can go on at length about why they appear brighter even though they meet the same rules, but I should go to bed instead!

[bmcecosse]

Super white bulbs should not be dazzling - if properly adjusted. I only fitted them to my main beam - dip beam stays as supplied, so no more dazzling than before!

[simmitc]

I only fitted them to my main beam - dip beam stays as supplied

I'm intrigued. Given that there is a single lamp unit (on each side of the car!) with a single bulb using two filaments, how could you change the main beam and not the dip?

[callyspoy]

bmc has them on the meriva...

[bmcecosse]

Yes - I was referring to my Meriva which has twin bulbs in each light. My Traveller doesn't get out at night much!

[Onne]

I was under the impression that modern boxes should have autmatic height adjustment if fitted with Xenon.

[bmcecosse]

Indeed that is so - but it doesn't react to waves/dips in the road - only to on-board loading. So these lights still 'blind' oncoming traffic as the car wallows over the waves and dips.

[mike.perry]

It's a good job they didn't have Xenon bulbs in the days of BMC hydrolastic suspension. If you put anything heavier than a toothbrush in the boot of an Austin Maxi the headlights would point at the stars.

[bmcecosse]

The 1800 was even worse.

[mike.perry]

Yes but the Maxi was a better passion wagon. It had a double bed which folded up to make seats if you had the misfortune to have to drive the thing.

[polo2k]

with xenons, technically, you need headlight washers too.
the color temp kakes a big difference. I have 6000k ones in my golf and avoid driving with them adjusted fully down. the output and lighting is still spot on. on the MOT he passed with them adjusted to the highest setting and passed. I only ever lift the adjustment when out in the country or late night on empty motorways.
they do scatter more light so make reflective items more visible (signs, cats eyes). The h7 type xenon kits place the arc in the exact same spot as the filament so minimise focus changes.

[newagetraveller]

If your car has a dynamo and the voltage regulator has been set to too high a voltage this can make them blow as well.

[bmcecosse]

Well known 'trick' for brighter lights in the 'old days'! I had a switch that bypassed the regulator and put full battery volts to the dynamo Field connection. This was very handy for night running on Rallies with both headlamp filaments ON and two extra Spotlights. Of course - the dynamo didn't last long, but I had a pile of spares!