Headlight Question

[stuartgb100]

I've decided to take my Sprint to France this summer (hopefully they've got a summer over there !).

It will involve 2000+ miles driving, and some of it will be at night, so I've decided to upgrade the lighting.

I've plumped for a halogen conversion kit from Rimmer Brothers which includes 2 units plus standard halogen bulbs (something like 65/50 w) but also added some 100/80 w bulbs. The kit was approx ?35 and ?11 for the additional bulbs.

The wiring diagram shows that there are already relays in the circuit.

Question: are they adequate for the lower-rated halogen bulb? And for the higher-rated bulb?

Any help much appreciated.

Regards,
Stuart.

PS in removing the sealed beam units, I obviously had the fail-safe lights UP, except that after about 45 mins they started to go down.

Is this ok or not ?

[oldokie]

I've had Z-beams in mine for over 30 years! Just pulled the sealed beams and installed them, have used 100/80's and 130/90's, have had some run-ins with 'The Law' over the 130/90's!

[Vanden Perre]

Hello Stuart,

Standard H4 or H7 bulbs are 55W. You can find 110W bulbs as well but they are not allowed on the road + the fact that they go up to a much higher temperature than the 55W and most of the lights are not designed to withstand these higher temperatures.

What about the lights you bought? I presume they are LHS drive (for UK) but if you go to France you are supposed (however few people do it nowadays) to blend your light to avoid dazzling of oncoming drivers.

Bear also in mind that you need the power to light these bulbs. If you have the original dynamo, 2 bulbs of 110 W will take almost all the power you have (250 to 260 W or 20 to 22 A at 12 V). In this case you need an alternator.

On my S3, I have swapped the original sealed beam for H4 Valeo lights without any modification. They work much better than the original (sealed beam) but nothing to compare with the discharge lamp (Xenon) lighting of a Le Mans prototype!!

Cheers.

Olivier.

[bcmc33]

Stuart,

I changed to halogens at the same time as fitting electric lifters. I fitted standard H4 65/55W + 50% Osram bulbs from SVC for which the 35A relays will be adequate. I modified the circuit to get both relays operating on main beam ? and Olivier is quite right to suggest that an alternator will be required to fully satisfy this arrangement.

I am interested in the 100/80W bulbs. I was advised that the 65/55W + 50% Osrams are marginally legal in the UK, and draw the same current as standard 65/55W units. The 35A relays should be OK for 100/80W units, but I would seriously consider uprating the wiring if you?re still running with originals.

Don?t forget to fit RH dip overlays.


Brian Clarke
(1972 Sprint)

[Leo Leentvaar]

When I take my LH drive car to the UK, I usually use black electrical insulation tape to blind off the lights for oncoming traffic. I stick the roll of tape and a pair of scissors in my tool box but to my experience the tape lasts for 2 weeks at least.
Another tip: being on the wrong side of the road(whether its a LDH or RHD car) it can be difficult to see traffic from your rear view mirror.
I added a door mirror to the passenger side and bought a wide angle lens at halfords for about GBP 1,50 that just glues to the mirror wit double sided sticky tape. Upon return I could just remove it and use terpentine to remove the residual glue. It helps to see that blind angle you have when watching beside you when overtaking. And what fun it is when you take a Lotus on a long trip without overtaking?? At least I gave me plenty of confidence to overtake slower cars and lorries (trucks).

P.S. have fun in France!!!

[stuartgb100]

Thanks all for the advice.

I'll try out the lower-rated bulbs first, and see how it goes. I'm a little concerned that the higher-rated might warm up the wiring ! We'll see.

It's been rewired in aircraft-grade wiring and alternator is fitted (PO was an electrical engineer).

Having lived in Germany for 4 years, driving on the right is not a problem. Having said that, I've never driven over there in a car as low as the Elan, so good visibility is a must ......... thanks for the mirror tip.

Regards,
Stuart.