Kindly help recommend car light bulbs

ih · 19 Dec 2017

Hi car is kia soul 8 year old with original bulbs and i think they are (dimming) less light there is very little
Night driving i think they are h4 need help to identify replacement which are legal so no modifications etc
Are led bulbs ok? Are they legal? Or do i stick with halogen ? Make with detail will be appreciated thanking in advance

Burnerman · 19 Dec 2017

Having exactly the same groan as yourself, I fitted some Ring Xenon H4's, claimed to give an extra 150% more light.
They are better but still not as good as I'd hoped. A few years back I experimented with LED bulb replacements but these were even worse.
Any valuable comments I'd be pleased to hear!
John

Astra99 · 19 Dec 2017

I have a 2015 Cee'd which uses H7s. I have replaced my bulbs with Osram Nightbreakers (also available in H4). Other manufacturers also make high-output bulbs.

DaveHerns · 19 Dec 2017

Uprated bulbs are OK but they don't last long. Not sure how they calculate their % brightness increase. I was thinking today if it's my eyes that don't work as well in the dark, now I'm 64.

JohnD · 19 Dec 2017

I've found that putting in new bulbs to replace old ones makes an improvement. Also cleaning the "glass." If it's plastic and has gone dull you can polish it up with toothpaste or metal polish (acrylic polishes are also made).

Nige F · 20 Dec 2017

Have you tried also switching on the front "driving" /fog. lights ? (if fitted ) that's what I do on our Vaux. Corsa

freddiemercurystwin · 20 Dec 2017

Nige F said:
Have you tried also switching on the front "driving" /fog. lights ? (if fitted ) that's what I do on our Vaux. Corsa

Lights have come a long way since the gas lights of your youth Nige.

Nige F · 20 Dec 2017

Acetelyne, freddie. Joe Lucas, King of the road

JohnD · 20 Dec 2017

...and Prince of Darkness

ih · 20 Dec 2017

Nigel F good idea when i am driving but regreat not so for her! Agree new bulbs will light better but
I need to get a fix on which ones!

DaveHerns · 20 Dec 2017

Auto Express did a test of uprated bulbs , you may find it on their website. Philips, Osram or Ring will do the job at a fair price. Keep the old bulbs for spares

freddiemercurystwin · 20 Dec 2017

If you replace both your bulbs with non standard then presumably you'll then have to replace with like for like or they'll not match any more?

Mottie · 21 Dec 2017

Back in 2009 we bought a new Golf with bog standard halogen lights. Before delivery I joined a Golf forum and some were talking about bulb changes to improve lighting. I bought a selection of bulbs from our supplier and tried them out on a car using our MOT headlamp tester which measured the light output. You’d be surprised at the results. Things may have moved on since then but here’s a post I did on it at the time. http://www.turbosport.co.uk/showthread.php?t=151363

You could try these at £175 a pair but they’re currently not road legal! https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/philips-x-treme-ultinon-led-headlamp-h7

motorbiking · 21 Dec 2017

Osram night breaker and philips blue, racing, extreme vision are good. About £20 a pair here: https://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/h4-60-55w-headlight-bulb/

I've got the Osram's in my motorhome and the philips in my old merc. They are definitely better than OEM, but they do burn out quicker.

DaveHerns · 21 Dec 2017

freddiemercurystwin said:
If you replace both your bulbs with non standard then presumably you'll then have to replace with like for like or they'll not match any more?

Yes, but in an emergency non-matching bulbs are better than driving with one headlight until you can get new bulbs

Kindly help recommend car light bulbs

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