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-   -   Auto Lighting thread : Post all queries about automobile lighting here (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifications-accessories/93908-auto-lighting-thread-post-all-queries-about-automobile-lighting-here-582.html)

Please do keep us posted.

I am bit worried about the oncoming traffic against your Ertiga. :)

Do you really need so many lights?

About electricians, that is an easy part. I can provide a couple of names.
About fabrication: Not sure who can do it. The finishing may not be good.

Thanks SUN for your comments.

I can understand your concern. The safety is the only reason for this upgrade. I have other option too (HID & all).
HID + Projector is the only option which is practical.
But those are out of my budget. Only HID, I feel it more kind of showoff.

Those work lamp will be focus downward to improve low beam visibility.
The 2 Neo will be points as per the high beam of head lamp.

And no auxiliary will be use in city limit.
In night drive I need these extra lamp on highway.

Please let me know if you have any good Auto electrician's contact number.

I just got my honda jazz headlamps upgraded with a roots relay and osram 100/90 bulbs and the difference is amazingly apparent.
It feels as if i was driving blind beforehand.
It cost me a total of Rs 1200 for the upgrade including the labour.

I would like to share a confusion here which has been gnawing away at my mind for quite some time now regarding the 60W/55W puzzle. Maybe the mods could shed some light on the laws which are in place for headlamp wattages for cars in India being below 60W? I'm sure it's some ancient law, if at all there is, which has not been updated till date which prohibits manufacturers from installing bulbs which are practical enough to have at least safe visibility levels in todays xenon age? And if at all it is illegal, how come the sale of any of the ridiculously high wattage bulbs freely available in the market is possible? Also I heard that most LCV's come with 100/90 as standard fitment. What's with that rule? I think the OE fitment should be of a standard of at least 100/90W all around to be at saner levels.

To clear your doubts:

1. Anything above the RTO(CMVR) approved wattage bulbs are marked either as "For off-road use only" or "Not meant for public roads". And that's how I is sold in the open market.

2. Commercial vehicles which have a 24V electrical system come with 75/70W bulbs as per CMVR again. Smaller vehicles with 12V system again have a cap of 60W.

3. For two wheelers, the limit is 35W per bulb and for four wheeler passenger cars its 60W per bulb per side. Hence some cars which come with separate bulbs for high and low beam can still be homologated since each bulb will be 55W.

Coming to the law, its a mixed bag of arguments. Because:

1. Some people argue that the laws are old.
2. Some people blame poor street lighting and hence the car headlamps are not sufficient.
3. Some people blame poor road manners and improperly focussed lights which make our car lights feel useless.
4. Others like me try to be considerate, but since we don't get the same in return, we go the hard way, still remaining considerate to other people who show some consideration to us :D

So, calling the current configuration as inadequate may not be completely correct. In an ideal case, where everyone uses stock lamps and the streets are well lit and marked, 60/55 is more than enough. But in a practical situation, its woefully inadequate especially for people who hit the highways frequently.

Point 3 there.. the rules might have changed.. the new Activa boasted of a 55w headlight. So the 2 wheeler bit might have changed.

On the last bit.. I agree. I reluctantly went illegal. Today I shifted over to 90/100's. Pity. But with me hitting long distances, whether I like it or not , driving a night usually comes near the end of a journey. For about 2/3 hours. When I am tired and eyes are zonked out.. my 55/60 coupled with the other jokers 90/100@highbeam was a problem for sure. Now.. with my low beam.. I hope to see my side of the road at least. Earlier even the 55/60 high beam was completely useless.

Shuile keeping the original on the headlamps of my Civic, I have changed the fogs to 55W 3000K HiDs quite some time back. i think there are no specific laws about fogs. Also, the law should have some provision about OEM HIDs since the are becoming increasingly common. I do not think manufacturers would deliberately go illegal.

That reminds me. Way back near the beginning of the millennium, the bike Kawasaki Eliminator had a 60/55W lamp which was stock OEM of course, and no-one batted an eyelid. It was also touted as a segment best. Its successor Avenger later got back to 35/35. This is a mystery for sure. Anyone with more info? Anyone?

Nope. It still comes with a 35/35W headlight. It has not changed.

Hi fellow BHPians,

I have decided to go for 55 watt HIDs for my Ecosport which has after market Projector headlamps installed. This is what they look like: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3446428.

I just have a few questions:

1. Can any one suggest a good shop/dealer in Pune where I can get 55 watt P8 HID kit?
2. Please also suggest other good brand I can check-out. I want to stay away from Philips because there are too many duplicates out there.
3. It is my understanding that the Xenon bulb decides the color temperature and not the ballasts. Which means I can buy the 55 watt ballasts and install any Xenon bulbs of my choice (5000k). Is that understanding correct?
4. Can anybody please suggest good Xenon h7 bulbs and where I should buy them from in Pune. My projectors accept H7 bulbs. Please also suggest H1 halogens to go with them (for high beam). I'd like the color temperature of both Xenon and halogen to be same (Pure white, no blue tint)

Thanks in advance.

@EcoBeast; Check that the ballasts are AC and a good brand. One good Chinese brand is Hyalutek / Hylux. If need be get them it off the net (Amazon / eBay, .com if required, and I am told AliBaba). Then get the lamps. You are correct in that the ballasts are bulb colour independent. In fact the bulb emission is mostly in Ultraviolet and it is the coating which fluoresces and gives out the actual visible light. I am not sure about 5000K, what you will certainly get is 4300K. Anything higher goes Blue. If you get the ballasts and bulbs then replacing is an afternoon (DIY) job. I got the loom but did not use it in my Fog replacement. You may be able to use the same ballast for both high and low beams.

If you go for 55W ballasts, then I think you need 55W bulbs as well. If you use 35W bulbs, then the color of the light might appear washed out and the lifespan also could get reduced. Since you have a choice, get 55W bulbs along with a few extra bulbs.

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/hid...l#.VLN-UyuUeSo

I am using 35W Hylux ballasts along with CN light bulbs for 2 years. My usage is minimal, but the light output is nothing great.

I can point you to an installer in Pune, in case you don't want to do this yourself.

@S_U_N; In fact some gurus recommend 55W ballasts even with 35W bulbs Many of the cheaper 35W ballasts may not be able to handle 35W bulbs, and you get a hideous greenish light.

That's quite possible if the ballasts are not doing a good job.
The Hylux ballasts are really good and reliable. So, if Ecobeast is going for 55W ballasts from a good company, then he has an option to choose 55W bulbs.

I would be interested to know the state of the projectors, considering he is using 100W halogen bulbs behind them currently. Have the projectors been able to take up this much heat?

I have retro-fitted HID projectors on my Fusion. Work was done by Genome of Pimpri. I used 35W bulbs with 55W ballasts. This is ok by me as my night time driving is minimal. Life of the bulbs will definitely reduce.

I am using 4300K temp. bulbs. Gives good color which is more sunlight shade with a tinge of white. But there is a difference between L & R. Possibly the ballast is the culprit. But my usage is so low I really don't bother.

Best bet will be for you to import from The Retrofit Source. They have a dealer in Mumbai whoes prices seem ok.

Otherwise all are suspect in terms of reliability. I carry a spare ballast & bulb on my long drives.

Had a minor shunt during my last drive & had to go to a local mechanic in Hosur to repair the damage. Found out that the denting chap could sort out the HID lamps not lighting up. He traced it to a cut wire. Illumination was a problem as the main headlight mountings had snapped. Tied it up with wire & got passable illumination of the road. I had cheap fog lamps (got from Nana Peth for 800 a pair) as aux. so could manage to go ahead to Coimabtore & return to Pune. So not to worry re repairability of HIDs in the field provided u have spares.