Candles in the wind

[silloyd]

I upgraded to halogen lights some while ago, which was an improvement, but even those are pretty hopeless.

Does anyone know if it is permissible to have one or more driving lights that come on with the dipped headlights (via a relay) to provide supplementary illumination? If so, are there any rules/restrictions about where the lights are fitted (spacing, height) and power of the additional beams?

Hope there is a way of doing this...legally!

[mike.perry]

You can wire a pair of fog/spot lights through the dipswitch so that they come on with main beam and off when you dip the headlights. You then effectively have a four headlamp system. It would be advisable to use a heavy duty lighting harness

[beero]

As I understand it driving/spot lights have to be wired to come on/off with main beam.
Fog lights can be switched on with side or dip but not main and must be below 1200mm and must have a warning light and can only be used in poor visibility (ie below 100 m) I'm sure all auxiliary lamps have to be in pairs as well.
I'm sure an expert will be along shortly to correct me though.

[bmcecosse]

Of course you can do as you wish - but the extra lights must not dazzle - other lights can be wired in with the Main beam - these are allowed to dazzle, but must of course go off with the Main beam lamps when the lights are dipped. But honestly - if the halogen lights are not good enough for you - there is something wrong with the lights, or your eyesight! Perhaps the system voltage is low - should be 13.8/14 volts (engine revving) - perhaps the wiring connections and/or earthing is poor - perhaps the bulbs are old/blackened - perhaps the reflectors are past their 'Use By' date......or perhaps the lights are just not correctly set?

[silloyd]

If I managed to read that correctly on the screen:

...if the halogen lights are not good enough for you - there is something wrong with the lights, or your eyesight! ...

Cheers BMC, as if I don't feel decrepit enough!!

Slightly more seriously...

Bulbs are relatively new as are the reflectors (~18 months) and show no signs of degradation but I will re-check the earth connections.

I don't think alignment is off but is there an easy method of checking, e.g. park it near a wall and measure?

[bmcecosse]

Take it for an MOT...... but they only check they are low enough, not too low. You can of course pay(oh errrrr!) them to set them correctly. Best bet is a quiet country road after dark - and adjust away until they light up the road nicely! If they are pointing down too much then yes - they will be hopeless. But do check volts and connections.......

[chrisryder]

i recall, when i got my halogens, they came with instructions on how to align them. i believe it comprised parking a set distance from a perpendicular wall, and drawing lines on the wall with masking tape at set positions. you then adjust your lights to fall within those lines.

unfortunately, it was a long time ago, and i doubt i have those instructions anywhere!

if they are alligned correctly, you can get higher wattage replacement headlamp bulbs, which makes the main and dip brighter. but i believe the extra current would definately require a relay to save melting your dip switch.

[bmcecosse]

Only 55 watt bulbs are allowed on the highway..... The wiring is also not designed for higher current..........

[mike.perry]

What make of headlights have you got? Some makes are cxxx.

[silloyd]

I have Wipac reflectors/lenses with 'no brand' 55W H4 halogen bulbs.

The latter is possibly the problem, as I've been smurfing around at and there are a lot of reviews of bulbs that suggest different brands of 55/60W units can have considerable differences on illumination.

Hellfrauds 'Extreme Brilliance' (http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_205263) seem to have the best reviews but at £20 each they're a bit pricey!

Anyone got any other brand/model recommendations?

BTW, I found a video on how to set your headlights - it was written in America-speak but simples enough a process. Will give that a bash one darkish evening.

[mike.perry]

Wipac Quadoptics are good lights for the price, the plastic reflectors don't rust and they have a good beam pattern.
Sometimes Halfords have a special offer on bulbs.
Still not up to the standard of modern headlights though

[rayofleamington]

if the halogen lights are not good enough for you - there is something wrong with the lights, or your eyesight! Perhaps the system voltage is low - should be 13.8/14 volts (engine revving) - perhaps the wiring connections and/or earthing is poor - perhaps the bulbs are old/blackened - perhaps the reflectors are past their 'Use By' date......or perhaps the lights are just not correctly set?

I was just thinking the same (although maybe would have held back on the eyesight comment! )
The Minor headlight wiring is maybe not as good as it could be, and definately subject to problems after so many decades!

Any end every connection in the system can add resistance, which will reduce your light's output.
Cars with bullet connectors often go open circuit bullet housings, and unless they are like new, they are not ideal.
Also the contacts inside the dip switch can add some resistance.
One option is to use the original feed wiring to drive a high current relay and wire the headlamp feed on a nice fat cable from a source close to the battery, through the relay direct to the lamp.
The earths back to the inner wing - especially the inner wing ring terminal are at least as likely to cause a problem.

The headlights will draw ~8 Amps. Thats quite a big current for the original slim wiring. An extra 0.5 ohms in the circuit will reduce your headlights to candles.