Headlights

[Guest]

Hi all,

Hopefully a simple question. Without going to the solution of HID's which I think means changing relays / rewiring, what is the simplest way to get a decent improvement over the standard set-up as I find that the MM's full beam is about on a par with the dipped beams on my day to day driver?

[iani]

Wards 4 headlight conversion is great, I'm very pleased with the performance of my lights. If you do go down this route you should drill a hole at the rear of the headlight bowl for the wiring as it's only just long enough through the existing hole.

Ian

[Guest]

What's it involve doing Ian?

[StokeyStag]

As a personal recommendation, KOY 23 is the man to ask about improving headlights.

Mark

[Andy Rundell]

I swapped to Osram Nightbreaker bulbs a couple of years ago, relatively cheap (£25ish I think, may have changed) easy switch with an improvement over the original cibie bulbs I had previously. If you want a proper big improvement John (koy23) is, indeed, your man, and I think Peter at LD also supplies Johns wares.

........Andy

[iani]

What's it involve doing Ian?

Reasonably straightforward, the kit comes with the necessary relays etc and you plug it into your existing wiring. I fitted mine without drilling new holes in the bowls but I would absolutely do that next time as the wiring is tight otherwise.

[Denise]

MK3 Capri Hella units are an excellent upgrade and although expensive new can be had for little money on Ebay second hand, they give a superior beam pattern and with HID kits (4300K near to natural daylight, using less amps) a modern car lighting experience. We have fitted these to our Interceptor and they are just as good if not better than our everyday cars.
Will be fitting to the Stag in the coming weeks once out of bodyshop.
Denise.

[Guest]

MK3 Capri Hella units are an excellent upgrade

Hello Denise,

Is it these and, if so, do they require changes to the wiring do you think? (electrics are one of many things I don't know about)

[jleyton]

Ian, you don't need brighter headlamps.

With your car's colour, everybody will see you coming LOL. Sorry, only kidding, honest

Cheers

Julian

[Gresley]

I fitted HIDs to mine and find them brilliant. The existing wiring simply plugged into the HID transformers but I think I did enlarge the holes in the headlight bowls. As Mark says, it is worth speaking to KOY 23.

Brian.

[davidf]

Ruins the genuine experience if you can actually see where you are going!!!

[Guest]

Ruins the genuine experience if you can actually see where you are going!!!

It's the genuine experience of coming off the road at night due to not seeing a bend, that I am trying to avoid!

[DJT]

I have the Wards 4-light conversion, but as supplied you end up with all 8 filaments lit on full beam. That can't be good for bulb longevity. Further relays are required to switch off the dipped filaments on main beam.

By far the simplest upgrade is to use better bulbs, assuming that the existing headlamps still have good silvering to the reflectors. They can deteriorate over time.

Next up would be to fit relays to your existing setup. Use the existing feeds to activate relays that bring in a more direct supply to the lamps. This cuts out power loss in the old wires and switches.

I think you would be pleasantly surprised at the improvement the above would bring at minimal cost.

[V Mad]

I have the Wards 4-light conversion, but as supplied you end up with all 8 filaments lit on full beam. That can't be good for bulb longevity.
.

Thats quite disappointing, I am surprised at that. Waste of energy too. I used 4xH4 lamps with relays driven by the main beam feeds, and a fused wire direct from battery for power. That gives me 4 dips and 4 mains with plenty of illumination.

[new to this]

ian

i think you can buy from ebay, zenon type bulbs that are an replacement for the stag h1 bulb,no mods needed

dave