27 replies to this topic

[Nial]

I've searched and can't find a definitive answer.

 

I'm getting my '93 Rio back on the road after an 8 year break. I'm thinking of binning the aftermarket spots on the front to keep it looking

as original as possible, but would rather have decent headlights as with any modern car.

 

So, what are the best UK legal headlights I can fit?

 

 

Thanks for any pointers,

 

Nial.

[Alex_B]

A good set of H4 Halogen units with quality bulbs should suit nicely, I have run those in the past and are up to the job. I would personally run a couple of individual relays and heavy duty wiring to the lamps just so you don't run the risk of the existing wiring or switch burning up as that can happen as the loom ages and resistance builds up in the connections. 

You can also get LED units which run a projector style dip beam, and led ring as a side light. These are certainly bright but are a bit of an acquired taste and not very period correct looking. They also come in two flavours with one being "E" Marked and road legal and one that isn't so you have to be a bit wary of which you're buying. I have run a set of these in the past and they are very bright, but may not be the style you're after.

[Cooperman]

I have always liked Cibie headlights, but I'm not sure they ae still available.

You can get up-rated bulbs as ell, but make sure the wiring is up to it. As above, if up-rating the bulb power improve the wiring and use a relay for each circuit.

[Spider]

You may not get a clear consensus !

I have been running H4's for many years, currently 100 / 160 Watt. Certainly good enough with 90 / 100 for suburban driving.

Relays of course, are a must.

[MacGyver]

You may not get a clear consensus !

I have been running H4's for many years, currently 100 / 160 Watt. Certainly good enough with 90 / 100 for suburban driving.

Relays of course, are a must.

Not legal in lots of countries, here it's 55/60w... But then you get dazzled by legal full-leds with 8'600'000w... Go figure. 🤔

[Cooperman]

I have used 130/90 in my headlights on the 'S'. It has Hella units and with these bulbs it was fantastic. I did have to completely up-grade the wiring and I fitted 4 relays, one for each individual main beam and one for each dipped beam.

Don't worry about the legality. It is virtually impossible to inspect the bulbs and to do so requires a complete strip out of the headlight unit. They don't look too bright when compared to the modern bulbs in my BMW, for example.

I fited thise bulbs when I did a rally which did not allow additional lights. Normally I run a pair of Super-Oscar driving lights with 100 w halogen bulbs, and with 130 main beams it was a bit much for my alternator, so I have reverted to 100 w head bulbs now. Still very good though.

[Spider]

 

You may not get a clear consensus !

I have been running H4's for many years, currently 100 / 160 Watt. Certainly good enough with 90 / 100 for suburban driving.

Relays of course, are a must.

Not legal in lots of countries, here it's 55/60w... But then you get dazzled by legal full-leds with 8'600'000w... Go figure.

 

 

Truth be told, not legal here, but then, I've never had anyone 'flash' me in 10 years for the lights being too bright and yes, them LED, the factory fitted ones I find bad and the silly after market conversions people do are worse. I believe in a few countries including the UK and here, these are being examined and re-assessed.

[Red Riley]

I put a set of the WIPAC Quadoptic H4 headlights (Left Hand Drive for US) on my Elf many years ago when I first got it. I've upgraded the bulbs a couple of times, as better stuff has come out, but I've never had any complaints about the brightness, the light pattern, or ever felt the need for additional spotlights or driving lights. Just make sure that whatever you get has the proper dip pattern in the lens and make sure you spend the time to get them properly aimed. 

And run them through a relay to make sure they are always getting the right voltage.

Edited by Red Riley, 31 March 2022 - 02:42 PM.

[Tommyboy12]

I think the fact that you should run relays is probably more the vital piece of information vs. the power of the bulbs. It was literally like night and day for me switching from crusty old loom wiring to a set of relayed thick gauge wires.

[Spider]

I think the fact that you should run relays is probably more the vital piece of information vs. the power of the bulbs. It was literally like night and day for me switching from crusty old loom wiring to a set of relayed thick gauge wires.

 

Actually, this is a very good point and one I think that gets overlooked all to easily. Here's a small table that Hella published many years ago

 

 

With the light gauge wiring and long length of the runs used in the Mini + the tiny button contacts in the switches, the voltage drop adds up fast. Long ago I did a check with some 55 / 60 W seal beam lamps, on High Beam (from memory) it was only 9.8 Volts at the lamp terminals. Fitting larger wattage lamps makes this worse. Also, don't overlook the Earth Wire, the size fitted in our local production was quite small, about 75% of that used in the rest of the headlight wiring.

[Carlos W]

A very good point Spider, the other thing to remember is the risk of fire if you don't upgrade the wiring, and the circuit is unfused.

[coopertaz]

no definitive answer but run cibie quadoptic with h4 (55/60) and fine even without spots on, also avoids the white/ blue glare you can get with uprated lamps. got a new car with led that is sh### in comparison. you look at the lagal bit then pay your money and make your choice.

[PoolGuy]

This is useful if you want to make sure that you're buying the correct cable https://www.12voltpl...calculator.html

[Aria Aradhea]

I am now experimenting running an LED bulb with the Wipac Quadoptic lenses. I use Osram 6000K LED bulbs and you can adjust the position of the LED chip so they give the best cut off so as not to blind other road users. The bulbs is bluish-white in temperature, just like modern cars, and can make visibility difficult especially during rain. Some, like Classic Car LEDs, also stock a 3000K bulb which is yellowish-white and are closer to stock H4 halogen bulb in color.

 

However, just changing the headlamp from stock sealed beam units to H4 Halogens will make a lot of difference before you start wondering about fitting higher wattage bulbs/HIDs/LEDs...

[Minigman]

I run CIBIE H180 headlights with Osram Nightbreaker lamps. It’s not just wattage that counts, the beam pattern with the H180s are superior to anything else I’ve tried. Just very difficult to find the CIBIEs now though.