H7 light bulb recommendation

[PeteC]

I have to replace one of the head light bulbs.
Can someone recommend me a good quality head light bulb (H7), which has a "xenon like" colour?

I had this one in previously, but it stopped working after 5 months.
H7 White Head Light Bulbs ALL VW Tiguan HID Xenon | eBay

[kamold]

Re: H7 light bulb recommendation

Nothing will give hid colour or output except hid.
However the Philips xtreme and crystal vision or osram nightbreakers are the best you can get in terms of filament globes.
Check powerbulbs.com

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[PeteC]

Nothing will give hid colour or output except hid.
However the Philips xtreme and crystal vision or osram nightbreakers are the best you can get in terms of filament globes.
Check powerbulbs.com

Thanks mate. I checked powerbulbs.com, but if I select Australia - Volkswagen on the front page, there is no Tiguan in the list.

[PeteC]

Never mind. Found it. Just bought an Osram Nightbreaker from them. It's on sale. Cheers.

[team_v]

Osram Rally's work a treat.

[PeteC]

Osram Rally's work a treat.

I have read that it is not legal??

[team_v]

I have read that it is not legal??

I have run them since i got the car and have never had a problem.
Not sure where the illigality comes from?

[kamold]

Re: H7 light bulb recommendation

They are not approved for road use due to their output in reflector housings. You could be detected for using them.
Plus need to be careful as they can get hot may melt some housings.

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[Diesel_vert]

I have to replace one of the head light bulbs.
Can someone recommend me a good quality head light bulb (H7), which has a "xenon like" colour?

I had this one in previously, but it stopped working after 5 months.
H7 White Head Light Bulbs ALL VW Tiguan HID Xenon | eBay

Bulbs with any sort of tint or coating that covers the entire glass will usually reduce the overall light output, which is normal.

Depending on the darkness of the tint, such bulbs will need to increase the filament temperature and light output in order to compensate, but this usually has negative impacts on the bulb's lifespan.

That, coupled with question marks over the quality of the bulb itself, may explain the short lifespan.

Osram Rally's work a treat.

I have read that it is not legal??

It is certainly not illegal to fit high-wattage bulbs onto your car.

However, in regards to roadworthy requirements, there is a provision in the European (UN ECE Regulation No. 48 ) and Australian (ADR 13/00) regulations which states that, dipped-beam (i.e. low beam) headlamps with a light source exceeding 2000 lumen must only be installed in conjunction with a headlamp cleaning device and an automatic headlamp levelling device.

The bulb itself must also comply with the mechanical and technical specifications as laid out in UN ECE Regulation No. 37 (ADR 51/00) for filament lamps, and UN ECE Regulation No. 99 (ADR 78/00) for gas-discharge lamps.

The Osram H7 65W halogen bulb has an output of 2100 lumen, so if they were to be used as dipped beams, then the car would have to be fitted with headlamp washers and auto levellers. The other issue is they are not ECE-approved (and hence, not ADR approved), which is why they are designated for off-road usage only (i.e. not for use on public roads).

For comparison, an ECE-approved (and hence, ADR-approved) H7 55W halogen bulb has a nominal output of 1500 lumen, with an allowable tolerance of +/- 10%.



On a more pragmatic level, it is highly unlikely the authorities would suspect anything, provided that the light beam is properly aimed. This is because Osram H7 65W bulbs do not have a blue coating or tint, so they have a similar colour temperature to that of regular halogen bulbs and hence, you are unlikely to attract attention to yourself.

I'd also imagine it would be difficult to discern a bulb's luminous output (1500 lm vs. 2100 lm) without using some sort of electronic measuring device, which I doubt a police officer would have on hand. In addition, most European cars allow a manual adjustment of the headlamp beam (to compensate for passenger and/or cargo loads), so you can adjust them quick smart from the driver's seat.

Also note that 2100 lm is only 5% above the 2000 lm limit, which is still a breach of the roadworthy regulations, but not to the extent than if you were to install gas-discharge lamps - a typical D1S bulb has a nominal output of 3200 lm.

They are not approved for road use due to their output in reflector housings.

The specific rules relating to dipped-beams in UNECE R48 or ADR 13 do not differentiate between headlamp housing types. The 2000 lumen limit would apply whether it's a reflector or projector headlamp.

You could be detected for using them.

I'm of the opinion that the likelihood of such an outcome is remote, though not impossible.

Plus need to be careful as they can get hot may melt some housings.

I don't think the Osram H7 65W bulbs would get hot enough to start melting stuff, but I would agree in a more general sense, mainly in regards to the quality of a car's wiring, which will depend from make-to-make and model-to-model. Some may be more marginal than others.

[nat225]

That's a very thorough and sophisticated explanation.

In the past I had Phillips Rally H4 bulbs 90/110w with relay cable set in my Rav4. Had them (a few sets of course) on for more than 8 years. I did not get any trouble or even complain from oncoming cars, because: the beam was aimed correctly + being halogen bulbs in halogen housing. I did test whether it was glary or not by driving a Yaris in front of the Rav4 at night.

These days, it's so common to see cars with halogen headlights retr0-fitted with hid bulbs. They glare and blind everyone on the road. The worst ones are 4wd cars who think it's safe to have them off road, but care nothing about on road.

[kamold]

Got autocorrected...you are not likely to be DETECTED using globes that are not approved for road use, but you could be DEFECTED if your car were being inspected for some other reason. Its not hard to DETECT HIDs that were installed aftermarket into inappropriate housings, see them every day. They are annoying as has been pointed out, particularly when mounted high in SUVs....hence the need for appropriate beam forming and leveling that can only be effectively achieved with a projector housing.
ADR46 also states that the beam formed be no higher than 1m at 25m distance from the car. This sort of cutoff is very difficult to achieve without a projector housing, so its pretty much implied by the rule, not stated. I think the early WRX had HIDs in a reflector housing but I don't know of any others.

I have seen 'rally' globes cause some damage to a stock plastic reflector housing. All depends on the shape, size, proximity to the globe, ability to dissipate heat etc.