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Old 10-25-2000, 11:57 AM   #1
[freeman]
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Member#: 476
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Vancouver
Vehicle:
2003 GPW s2000
Former WRX owner

Question Hella bulbs

H4, 12v, 60/55w
H4, 12v, 100/80w
I know there's a difference in brightness between them...but will the 100/80w work fine without burning out since they are a higher wattage bulb? or will 60/55w be better?

Thanks
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Old 10-25-2000, 08:03 PM   #2
jImp
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Rally Blue (Sold)

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With a higher wattage bulb you will probably have to redo the wiring harnesses to be safe. The little reflectors in your headlights will suffer from discoloration as well. A nice shade of golden-brown.
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Old 10-25-2000, 11:44 PM   #3
[freeman]
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Question

so the higher wattage bulb won't work fine then?
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Old 10-26-2000, 07:36 AM   #4
Subie Gal
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Post

if we can still search in the "old" technical forum - do it!

search for 100W lights... there's like 1000 warnings... "DONT do this without a relay... you'll fry your wiring..."

i just got the Hella Xenon's (65W) they are plenty bright... but until i get a relay, no 100W for my car...

j.
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Old 10-26-2000, 08:14 AM   #5
DuneHopper
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White

Question

J,

Are those Xenons the "Xenon Replacement Bulbs" (as per Susquehanna MotorSports)or the Optilux Xenons, which cost a bit more but are warrantied? I had a pair of the first type, which were nice, but they burnt out after only 3 months (yes, I kept them clean on install). Been debating on the warrantied ones...
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Old 10-26-2000, 08:28 AM   #6
Subie Gal
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02 WRX/01 RS

Wink

these...
HELLA OPTILUX XENON WHITE REPLACEMENT BULBS
from Susquehanna... http://catalog.com/susq/hella/bulbs.htm

I really like them so far and would have loved to get the 100W... but too scared of damaging my wiring.... so they will have to wait...



j.
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Old 10-26-2000, 09:29 AM   #7
[freeman]
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Exclamation

Well I was reading through the old threads and I believe rajah said that the 100W were ok...hrmm lemme see...heres the url about that.... http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/Foru...ML/001742.html

???
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Old 10-27-2000, 07:02 AM   #8
gumball
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I've also run the Optilux 80/100 w/ no problem, but I have the older non-reflector lighting pattern. I don't think the stock wiring will have a problem, as the wiring diagram I saw showed 2 15 Amp fuses, one for each light and 2 separate relays. 15 Amps will handle 15/12= 125 Watts I believe. So that 125 Watts a piece and if the wiring can't handle it, why isn't the fuse set to trip lower???
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Old 10-27-2000, 07:09 AM   #9
gumball
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my god, I think there are 3 parallel threads running on overwattage bulbs today!
I've run Hella 80Low/100High bulbs w/o problems. a 100 watt bulb will draw 8.3 amps (100 watts/12 volts), and the wiring diagram on my Legacy shows subaru used 2 separate 15 Amp fuses w/ 2 independent relays, one for each light. So I think that's enough of a safety margin, the fuse should blow before the wiring does (um, in principle, that is).
As for the stock fogs, there is a single 15Amp fuse and well, that's not good for a whole lot.
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Old 10-27-2000, 08:37 PM   #10
[freeman]
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Talking

thanks for your input guys...I ended up getting HELLA OPTILUX XENON WHITE REPLACEMENT BULBS H4 60/55W ones
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Old 10-27-2000, 09:16 PM   #11
P.K. Motorsports
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Fuses are really just there for damage control in the case of a dead short. The steady-state capacity of the circuit should not be infered from the fuse rating.

It's not as much a problem with the stock headlamp fuses as it is the gauge of the wire and the heat generated by the bulb. 100 watt bulbs, by the way, are usually designed to draw about 8 amps at 13 volts, which is to say that the resistance across the bulb is about 1.56 ohms. If your wiring can only supply 7 amps at 13 volts, then the output wattage decreases to only 1.56*49 = 76 watts. This is one reason you don't want to run high wattage bulbs on marginal wiring. Of course, the wires could get hot enough to burn the insulation off too, and the plugs are likely to melt. Is the $50 it costs for a good wiring harness really too much?
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Old 10-28-2000, 10:06 AM   #12
SuBaRu-ImPrEzA_RS
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i have hella 100w bulbs in my car with no problems plus for an extra bonus there a kick ass yellow color, not like that ricey blue look most cars have no offense
~~PeAcE~~ John
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