I need help from all you lighting guru's....

Ok, I have a 91 LS and I just upgraded my 9004 headlights to Xenon bulbs, nothing crazy just 4200K, they look great. I bought some bulbs off ebay to upgrade the fog lights as well. I then realized that they say 100 watt and I think the stock ones are 55 watt. So by putting these new fog lights in are they going to melt the wires? Does this type of increase in watts stress the system? I just want to know before I take the time to take out the fogs, test, reinstall, blah blah it's getting cold in MN! I know a very small amount about lighting so I hope you guys can get me on the right track. Thanks

 

what fog bulbs are they? are you sure they say they RUN at 100w or they say they run at 60w but the output is close to 100w? if you run 100w in the fogs, you should smell something by now already

 

Good point Romini. If you are running twice as much current through the wires, they will likely run warmer...how much warmer depends on the gauge of the wire. I suspect that if it's not enough to kill the fuse, then it's not an immediate hazard, but over time it can cause your insulation to melt. Again, it depends on the thickness of your stock harness and the actual wattage of the bulbs.

Say you're running the stock 55w bulbs. Together, both lights are 110 watts. Given that POWER(110)=VOLTAGE(12)*CURRENT(?), the stock wiring must accomodate about 9amps total. With 100w fogs, the wires must be able to handle about 17amps total. I doubt that the stock fuses will have any problem with this, but again, you have to check the wiring to see if they can handle the sustained higher current(heat).

Hope I'm not too confusing.
Mike

 

Very accurate testing. That's what I would use.

 

I'd say in time, they will melt eventually....that all depends how often you utilize those bulbs. Go with Silverstars...they're bright and draws close to (if not same) stock bulb current.

 

They just say 100W H3. I'm glad I asked, it seems like the wires have a good chance of melting. I use my fogs all the time. I'm going to stick with the stock bulbs for now. Thanks for all the informative responses .

What are these Silverstar bulbs? Any links on where to buy them?

 

Sylvania SilverStar url:

http://www.sylvania.com/auto/silverstar.htm

I bought a pair at WalMart for $38. They're also available at AutoZone but I doubt they'll be cheaper. They really do look good.

Mike

 

All 100 watt bulbs! ( headlight stock wires, put fog socket into the cornering light ,and converted fog into
DLR at full voltage and stays on with headlights,running this setup for almost a year no problems.

https://www.clublexus.com/gallery/sh...cat=500&page=1

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Lexkost
[B]All 100 watt bulbs! ( headlight stock wires, put fog socket into the cornering light ,and converted fog into
DLR at full voltage and stays on with headlights,running this setup for almost a year no problems.

Lexkost, you have 100w bulbs in your corners?! And you're running them as DLR?! How do your corners not melt??

mike

 

Bummer, I don't see a H3 Silverstar bulb listed, that's what I need.