The Triumph 2000/2500/2.5 Register Forum

torque2me wrote:I have always been led to believe it to be legal to sell them but not legal for use on the highways?

Uprated in terms of light output, not electrical power, so still the same wattage so OK. I suspect they get more light due to running the bulbs at a higher temperature to get it. That probably means a slightly shorter life!

Cheers,
Mike.

torque2me wrote:

Mike Stevens wrote:
snip

A halogen convertion will give an appreciable increase in light output, but if you also add relays, this can improve it by another 30% or so! Then of course, you can fit uprated bulbs (still legal) which helps even more. I've got night breaker plus types in mine.

Cheers,
Mike.

I have always been led to believe it to be legal to sell them but not legal for use on the highways?

Kev

Halogen light units are quite legal to retrofit, are you confusing them with xenon HID kits which technically need self levelling range adjustment and headlamp washers to be legal for road use in the UK ?

Dave B wrote:

torque2me wrote:

Mike Stevens wrote:
snip

A halogen convertion will give an appreciable increase in light output, but if you also add relays, this can improve it by another 30% or so! Then of course, you can fit uprated bulbs (still legal) which helps even more. I've got night breaker plus types in mine.

Cheers,
Mike.

I have always been led to believe it to be legal to sell them but not legal for use on the highways?

Kev

Halogen light units are quite legal to retrofit, are you confusing them with xenon HID kits which technically need self levelling range adjustment and headlamp washers to be legal for road use in the UK ?

I'm not confusing anything. The legal wattage for a light - whether it be tungston, halogen or whatever is 55 (might now be 65 but certainly not 100). Outlets can sell 100w bulbs but it is not legal to use them. As I say, recent changes in legislation might have changed things but if not then the legal limit is 55/65.

My ZT-260 uses self levelling Xeon lights as that is, I think, a legal requirement. The length of light onto the highway is no better than any of my 1977 Triumph stock. However, the whiteness of light and spread is much better.

Kev

Looks like I've started something!

Generally speaking, xenon headlamp bulbs are rated at 35w but as you say give off a much more intense white light, as do LED bulbs which also draw less current than 'standard' bulbs.

The 'uprated' bulbs I was talking about are still 55W so OK. Not the 100W types.

A lot of Stag owners have converted to HiDs with no legal or MoT problems. There's a chap on their forum who sells kits and they do seem popular.

Cheers,
Mike.

Mike Stevens wrote:The 'uprated' bulbs I was talking about are still 55W so OK. Not the 100W types.

I once bought a pair of 100w H7 bulbs for my Vectra............couldn't tell any difference, apart from the fact they didn't last very long

Mike Stevens wrote:The 'uprated' bulbs I was talking about are still 55W so OK. Not the 100W types.

A lot of Stag owners have converted to HiDs with no legal or MoT problems. There's a chap on their forum who sells kits and they do seem popular.

Cheers,
Mike.

Mike,

Being an SOC member I, of course, have seen/read some threads on this. Uprated seems to be a bit of a grey area. 45W is marked on some of the failed units I have used (37.5/45W) as is 55W on the later ones. I'm unsure if the late Stag or Mk.2 saloon were ever fitted with 55W but obviously when they became available, say, due to Ford specifying that particular spec, say, in 1979 then owners of 5 3/4" units could retro fit. Same with Halogen, a 55W bulb but different light spread/intensity giving a better lighting experience. Distance should still be set the same, otherwise one will dazzle oncoming traffic even better than before the upgrade.

As I say, my units are advertised as HiD bulb type but Xeon is a gas and thus one would need an ignitor to light the gas. The HiD are better than any of the halogen retro fit ones I have come across but that is due to choice of whiteness (I think the range is 5400k to 9600k). The upper spectrum will start to give blue. The kit came with ballast units and not relays. I'll have to do some ferreting to see if technology has advanced to provide a Xeon bulb without the need for an ignitor unit or is just simply that there is confusion of HiD and Xeon?

Should be enough info in this thread for a person to decide or give pointers to further research!

Kev

Hi Kev,

As you know, John (Koy) on the SoC forum sells the complete HiD kits and he is adamant that they are legal on an early car.

My Stag originally had 4 off 55W H1s but I have converted it to 2 off H1s, 2 off H4s (like the PI) as this gives a better main beam. All at 55W but Osram night breaker plus types. They give a better light output, running hotter I think, but their life seems much shorter. The Boss's Volvo has these in and they last about 1-2 years. However, being a Volvo, they are on all the time!

Interestingly, the PI originally came out with 75W sealed beam units. No, I didn't believe it either until I looked at those I'd taken from mine - yup, they are 75W types!

Cheers,
Mike.

I thought the 75w sealed beam units wee only fitted to the Rover P6! I had some in my S estate!!