Replacement H7 bulbs with brighter but legal ones

[mohawkman]

Have a 2016 Fiat 55 watt headlights but would like a brighter head / dip lamp but what have members changed to and stay legal ????

 

[Mikeco]

I replaced mine with the brighter halogen ones to stay legal, struggling to remember which ones at the moment.

 

[pappajohn]

60watt is the legal limit so not worth the trouble.
I changed to LED in both dip and main.
Far superior and passed last two MOTs.

 

[Lenny HB]

If you want to stay legal, Osram Night Breakers.

I fitted LED's to the last van it passed 3 MOT's with them.

 

[Mikeco]

If you want to stay legal, Osram Night Breakers.

I fitted LED's to the last van it passed 3 MOT's with them.

That’s the one, made a big difference.

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[pappajohn]

If you want to stay legal, Osram Night Breakers.

I fitted LED's to the last van it passed 3 MOT's with them.

Thought night breakers were 100watt so not legal.

Just seen they are just 55watts...dont understand how they can be more than twice as bright.

 

[Graydo]

OSRAM NIGHT BREAKER 220, H7, 220% more brightness, halogen headlight lamp, 64210NB220-2HB, Folding Box (2 lamps), white https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D4QSM4CL?tag=mhf04-21

 

[68c]

So what is legal nowadays? I no longer understand vehicle lighting regs. They used to be in a simple booklet, I bought a copy years ago to make sure my sidecar lighting was legal. As far as I recall, for all vehicles the maximum power was 55watt dipped, 65watt high beam. Most modern vehicles put out far higher than that in sheer light power but, no longer being filament bulbs, probably fit within the old wattage requirements. Just googled the 1989 lighting regs, now far more complicated. Like most EU documents it consists of loads of headlines quoting various schedules and appendices, they lead to lists with only reference numbers and no titles so you have to tunnel even deeper to find lists of exemptions etc. Gave up at that point.

 

[Driventemple]

Thought night breakers were 100watt so not legal.

Just seen they are just 55watts...dont understand how they can be more than twice as bright.

They are brighter by running at a higher temperature. This means the fillament is easily damaged and so tend to have a short life.

 

[treblid]

Another alternative are the Philips Racing Vision bulbs: Philips Racing Vision GT200 H7 Headlight Bulb +200%, Double Set, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08KHJHZVQ?tag=mhf04-21

I have used these and the Osram on previous vehicles.

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[Grummyb]

I think we've moved on since the days of candles 68c

 

[68c]

I think we've moved on since the days of candles 68c

 

[pappajohn]

They are brighter by running at a higher temperature. This means the fillament is easily damaged and so tend to have a short life.

Just how do they burn at a higher temperature.
They are a 55watts filament and use halogen gas.
The only difference I can think is the filament material

 

[Guigsy]

Osram Nite Breakers are what I always used. Never had any reliability issues. They run hotter and give a significantly better light than OEM. I think that just from a better quality filament and design. I think they're still approved. I never had any issues with fuses or the MOT.

 

[autorouter]

Just how do they burn at a higher temperature.
They are a 55watts filament and use halogen gas.
The only difference I can think is the filament material

Tungsten metal used for the filament has a melting point of 3422°C, the highest melting point of any metal. When it is very hot, but before it melts, it slowly evaporates. In a non-halogen bulb, the tungsten metal deposits on the inside of the glass envelope. You may have noticed the glass of old sidelight bulbs looking shiny and metallic.

Tungsten halogen bulbs have a glass envelope filled with a halogen gas. When the tungsten atom evaporates from the filament, it reacts with the halogen gas to form a tungsten halide compound. This circulates round as a gas instead of depositing on the inside of the envelope. When a tungsten halide molecule hits the hot filament, it splits apart, and the tungsten metal deposits back on the filament again. The halogen gas is free to roam around and capture another tungsten atom. This effectively stops the tungsten filament from evaporating.

The upshot of all this is, the filament can run at a hotter temperature than a filament without halogen gas. That means it is brighter, giving out more light for the same wattage. There is a trade-off between the temperature and the lifetime of the filament.

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