Another headlight post

[Jbird2200]

K, so i'm lookin for new headlight bulbs, i know everyone tends to like sylvania silverstars from what i've read. I have a set of silverstars in my tacoma, i thought they were ok, but weren't anything compared to the piaa off road lights i had, so i looked for h4 bulbs that piaa made and found a set that is 8000k, crazy! My question is that the description of the bulb says 55W/60W = 100W/110W. You can see em here ; http://www.autothing.com/Products/Au...-head-PIAA.htm

I don't want to overload anything, and i've read all about stickin to the 55/60, i just want to know what that =100/110 means?

[mystahagy]

maybe it has an equivalent output of lumens for a conventional 100/110 halogen? I think that's right, someone here will know for sure.

[konradpol]

What they mean by that when they write 110 is simply 55 watts each bulb multiplied by 2 bulbs which is for a total of 110 watts... thats it... they bulb isn't actually 110...
These guys are telling you that the color intensity they are running makes the bulb look as if it was running at 110watts but its only running on 55 watts.... and 55watts is the standard wattage for headlights/foglights you cannot have anything higher as then it is illegal on the road and offroad use only. Hope that helps

[Jbird2200]

Cool, so i should be ok to run somethin like that on the kat without fryin anything? I don't see a problem with it, besides the fact that the run $150.

[konradpol]

Cool, so i should be ok to run somethin like that on the kat without fryin anything? I don't see a problem with it, besides the fact that the run $150.

Should not have problems.... what i am running on my kat is the toucan eurolight... they are $22 for the pair canadian... which really is a joke so i thought... when i put them on wow.... amazing... i am running the same lights on my car and guess what i installed them 2.5 years ago... still havent burnt out
PIAA tend to burn out faster since they need to glow hotter to get the look of a 80 watt bulb using only 55 watts... so yea bang for the buck is probably bad for the PIAA... if interested in the toucans... part number is
T67H4LXC or just simply H4LXC i dont know if you guys have Keystone performance in the states... but i ordered mine from there.

[bobs]

Here are some useful and educational vehicle electrical references and vendors:

http://www.motorcycleanchor.com/motorcycle/how_to/mc_light_tech.html

http://www.easternbeaver.com

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/headlight-relay/motorcycle-headlight-relay.htm

http://danielsternlighting.com

http://www.rallylights.com

[md86]

Cool, so i should be ok to run somethin like that on the kat without fryin anything? I don't see a problem with it, besides the fact that the run $150.

Should not have problems.... what i am running on my kat is the toucan eurolight... they are $22 for the pair canadian... which really is a joke so i thought... when i put them on wow.... amazing... i am running the same lights on my car and guess what i installed them 2.5 years ago... still havent burnt out
PIAA tend to burn out faster since they need to glow hotter to get the look of a 80 watt bulb using only 55 watts... so yea bang for the buck is probably bad for the PIAA... if interested in the toucans... part number is
T67H4LXC or just simply H4LXC i dont know if you guys have Keystone performance in the states... but i ordered mine from there.

Huh , wonder how those would compare to the Sylvania Superstar dealies ....

[The CyberPoet]

Re: Another headlight post

I don't want to overload anything, and i've read all about stickin to the 55/60, i just want to know what that =100/110 means?

All the details are here:
CyberPoet's Motorcycle Lighting Upgrades and Tech page.

Stock bulbs are rated in wattage draw. 55/60 means 55 watt draw on low beam, 60 watt draw on highbeam.

For xenon-halogen bulbs, some of the gases in the quartz bulb are swapped out for more xenon or a higher halogen content, to permit the bulb to burn brighter on the same wattage. This is commonly written as 55/60 = 80/110, meaning it still draws 55 and 60 watts respectively, but puts out the equivilent light of a 80 and 110 watt standard bulb. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation in the bulb retail market, and you really need to physically check the metal ring around the base of the bulb to ensure that it is in fact rated at 55/60 draw; higher draws will overheat the wiring and can lead to an electric fire (as at least one of our members [sinfulkat?] found out recently and many have found out over the years).
You can use true higher rated bulbs, such as rally-rated bulbs (which draw 110/130 and crank out massive light), but to do so, you need to rewire the bike's lighting circuit with thicker/heavier wire and relays to prevent electrical fires and future problems.

PS - before shelling out $$ for these or any other bulbs, go to the original manufacturer's website and read the actual specs. Generally, the hotter a bulb runs, the shorter the expected lifespan of the filament. PIAA has some newish bulbs they introduced about four or five months ago that are quite bright and are specifically rated for the kind of heavy vibes a motorcycle produces (extra support built into the filament, etc).

Oh, and the reason we tend to recommend the Sylvania's -- they won't overload your wiring, are brighter than stock by quite a bit, and are readily available for a reasonable price virtually everywhere (including WallyWorld, aka WalMart) for about $19 a bulb.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet