Upgrading Maruti Swift Headlamps

[ameyam]

Hi,

when my Swift was new 4 months back, I had replaced the stock head light bulbs with a 90/100w bulb with relay. It produced sufficient illumination and I never used high beams. But in the last few days, the illumination level and throw at higher speeds has reduces. Even with the car in bumper to bumper traffic, the illumination is lower. I knew about the issue of blackening of the reflectors with higher wattages and also knew that the housings were getting quite warm, so I used to switch off and go to fog lights in traffic jams. But still the illumination is nor less. The bulbs are Phillips and the relay etc is a no name brand. Thing is, high beam illumination is just fine. Should I try replacing the bulbs to see if that helps? Or should I look for alternative low wattage bulbs, such as LEDs which don't heat up as much? Please suggest

Ameyam

 

[goldenfox7]

Re: Swift headlight issue

The most likely culprit would be the relay. Check with a competent electrician if the relay is providing sufficient power to drive the bulb. Or you could DIY with a multimeter. The output provided should match with the range provided on your bulb.

 

[K!NkY]

Re: Swift headlight issue

Might be your eyes,are used to that light intensity and youf expecting more fof a confident driving. I felt the same so fixed a wotk lamp fof trial. Check the low beam in the photo.

 

[ameyam]

Re: Swift headlight issue

Kinky,
The objective of the exercise is to be able to see the road. Not blind oncomers.

Should i replace the no-name relay kit with something branded? If so, which one? Also, what do i do to reduce blackening, if any, of the plastic housing & reflectors?

Ameyam

 

[K!NkY]

Work lamps are not meant for blinding others. focus it the right way to the road and use them only when your blinded. Higher watts produce more heat and blackening csnnot be avoided.

 

[ameyam]

Ok, I presume you know what you are doing. That doesnt help me though. Should I just replace the 90/100 kit?

Also, I am intrigued by the claims by Phillips and others that their 40W H4 / Xtremevision bulbs produce a good amount of illumination. Whats the comparison to the 90/100W? Should I get those or LEDs instead?

Ameyam

 

[ameyam]

The MASS suggests to go to Phillips 55W bulbs in the xtremevision series. Will this reduce illumination even further?

Ameyam

 

[bhvm]

bro,
once you're habitual to 100/90w, nothing can satisfy you. not even extreme vision or something.

1. in city use I'd suggest you install factory fogs (oem ) and use them rather than headlights. even in low beam mode, 100w Bulbs can be quite blinding.

2. lower illumination can be due to 2 things. either your eyes have adjusted to the intensity or certain areas of reflectors has gone dull.

3. if you have budget, get morimoto projectors retrofit with 35w 4300k hid.

4.. leds are not a legal option yet and they don't provide low beam so it's out of question. check my thunderbolt xuv thread and blue boy i10 review for led Info.

 

[ameyam]

Hi bhvm
what I do currently is
1) Use fog lights once the traffic comes to a complete stop.
2) Low beams, usually set to "1" on the headlight adjustment when I need people to note that I am present and not squeeze me out. Not oncoming drivers, if they flash their beam, I switch off the low beam as well. I dont use fog lights with the low beams
3) I never ever use high beams, only flash if the oncoming car has his high beams ON or when I need to show urgency. Otherwise I just wait for pedestrians / drivers to do what they want
In my daily commute, I drive through the most hopeless areas in Mumbai traffic-wise where pedestrians think they have the right of way even when a car is on-coming. They cause long jams where I sit with my fogs ON. Once I start moving out from the jam and I dont want these people to keep walking across as if they are walking in a garden, thats when I put my low beams ON
I almost never seem to use high beams. Never seem to require them at all.

The real issue is, on the highway at 40+ kmpl, if there is no car if front of me, I sometimes get the feeling that the headlights are not ON at all. I have seen this with other cars as well when overtaking them- as I am about to pass them, I feel this is driving without his lights on. Then when I am past and in their lane, I realise he had his headlights ON in low beam all the time. Thats the feeling I am trying to figure out. Is this very normal? Otherwise, I feel the low beams are more than adequate

Alos, I do find the housings getting quite warm. Am concerned that this will spoil my reflector. I dont mind going down to the 55W bulbs if it helps the housing longevity but doesnt affect low speed illumination too much. It just means I have to go to the highbeams on the highway

Ameyam

 

[bhvm]

1. do you have factory fogs with 27w or 35w incan bulbs? if so you can safely keep em ON all the time. they have inbuilt glare shields and won't cause blinding. I suggest you drive a few days with fogs + low beams on. the fogs fill in immidiate area upfront and greatly Help visibility.

of course, hella and other external Fogs are out of question.

2. try using high beams when road is empty. they're meant for that. also constant low beam is more damaging to reflector than switching along. it heats up one area of the bulb and reflector. I'm afraid you're reflectors have already been dulled due to the above.

3. NEVER turn off your headlights the way you describe. it's a death sentence.

4. ask someone to operate low- high beams while you walk towards your car from 100mtr away. is something wrong? needs alignment? one headlights dimmer than other? this will tell you.

5. try replacing the bulbs. the low beam. portion filament might have degraded even though it lights up.

6. what you're talking about not noticing other cars is serious matter and not normal at all. do you use specs? better visit an optician.

7..install LED drls to make your car more noticeable. my all cars have them. DIY in respective threads.

 

[ameyam]

BHVM,

Firstly, I turn off my headlight AFTER I come to a standstill. Not if I am rolling. And once I start rolling I switch them on again. Unless, I know that traffic is going to be bumper to bumper for some distance on the highway. Once my headlights go off, my fog lights come ON. So lets get that out of the way.

And I have factory fitted fog lights.

When I say that I cant see the car in front at higher speeds, I mean the light from the headlight doesnt fall on the car in front when I am at speed. Like all of us, I start looking further down the road once the speeds increase. I also leave several car lengths (about 5 or 6) in front of me once the speed goes past 40-50. This just gives more time for me to react. Remember, I am driving on low beams, so I think this is expected. Its that the road doesnt seem as illuminated at higher speeds. Hopefully I havent made the impression that I need medical attention

Partly what I myself wrote above also answers my question now- if there is no car infront for some distance, the headlight illuminates a greater area and the resulting illumination is lower. Once the car comes a bit closer, the headlight reflects off it and hence feels more brighter

Installing LEDs is not going to help. I dont know where you are from but anyone who has driven down from Bandra to Sion or through Sakinaka in the peak hours will agree with me.

I will, however, "downgrade" to the H4 55W bulbs that have a higher intensity. I would just like someone to tell me what model etc is required

Ameyam

 

[ameyam]

Hi,

these pictures may put some "light" on the issue. Pardon the fogging, its raining in Mumbai today. Will try to get some running pics when there is no car in front of me an a day or two when I have someone with me to take the pic

Ameyam

 

[bhvm]

1. Keep your Fogs always on, Just switch off Headlights if the need be.

2. The low beams end somewhere at 50 Feet. maintaining 6 car distance means your low beams have almost ended and what you're illuminating could be hardly the tyres and lower bumper of leading car. This is normal. Employ high beams at highway speeds.

3. There's no way to CHEAT into a 50w bulb thats brighter than 100W. No sir, The Rules of Physics RULE. At a modest 20 LM/W, a 100W Bulb is 2000 Lumens, whereas a 60/55w is at max 1200 Lumens. A loss of 800 lumens will sure be felt. Just add back those lumens by turning your factory fogs.

 

[ameyam]

2. The low beams end somewhere at 50 Feet. maintaining 6 car distance means your low beams have almost ended and what you're illuminating could be hardly the tyres and lower bumper of leading car. This is normal. Employ high beams at highway speeds.
[/QUOTE]

Thats what I was asking. Thanks for answering my question

3. There's no way to CHEAT into a 50w bulb thats brighter than 100W. No sir, The Rules of Physics RULE. At a modest 20 LM/W, a 100W Bulb is 2000 Lumens, whereas a 60/55w is at max 1200 Lumens. A loss of 800 lumens will sure be felt. Just add back those lumens by turning your factory fogs.

Again I hear you now. Since I find the low beams more than sufficient for city driving, even with the lower 55W lumens, I should be able to manage. And on the highway, where I currently just use the low beams, I can manage with the high beams. Either way, I dont think it will do more harm than the 90/100W bulbs I am currently using

Ameyam

 

[ameyam]

See this pic (I couldnt find a road where I could drive fast enough and take the photo at the same time, so I took the pic in my lane itself)

If you see the first crop, you dont see the headlight have effect

But when you see the whole pic, you will notice that the vehicles on the sides reflect the headlight and show the real illumination.

I was standing still when I took this pic. its worse at higher speeds

Ameyam