my brother just got a pair of "legal" 100W headlight bulbs and we are considering adjusting his lighting system to fit them. they fit via the standard mounts but we are worried about frying the cables/switches, so i propose to re-wire the lights straight from the battery via a relay switched by the original controls. this covers the cables/switches frying but we are unsure about the actual headlight unit, are we gonna melt the actual unit???

I only think 45W of the lamps are illegal IIFC

Also he will normally be driving (rather than stopped)with full beam so the cooling will stop cable fry ... probably.

If my experience of putting 100W bulbs into 60W household light fittings is any indication, you should expect expect to see some colouration change of the fittings and a detect burning smell if you stick your head under the bonnet. :(

For interest, the main wiring harness for the Octavia is

my brother just got a pair of "legal" 100W headlight bulbs and we are considering adjusting his lighting system to fit them. they fit via the standard mounts but we are worried about frying the cables/switches, so i propose to re-wire the lights straight from the battery via a relay switched by the original controls. this covers the cables/switches frying but we are unsure about the actual headlight unit, are we gonna melt the actual unit???

First of all, they are not legal, full stop. I'm not here to pass judgment, I just want your money....er, I just want to advise you.

Second, he probably won't have any problems with the wiring - several people here (who probably want to remain anonymous) have fitted 100W bulbs with no adverse effects, but YMMV.

If my experience of putting 100W bulbs into 60W household light fittings is any indication, you should expect expect to see some colouration change of the fittings and detect a burning smell when the lights are on. :(

:nono:

You should know better Denis !!

However, with a car, when moving there is obviously a cooling effect, so the effects should be reduced.

Putting bigger lamps (bulbs are what tulips grow from) into fittings & wiring not necessarily designed for them is done entirely at your own risk.

I'd be tempted to just go for one of the many upgraded lamps that have been recommended countless times on Briskoda

If my experience of putting 100W bulbs into 60W household light fittings is any indication, you should expect expect to see some colouration change of the fittings and detect a burning smell when the lights are on. :(

'You should try Low Voltage ones they are brighter and cost less to run ' quote from ancient B+Q assistant who clearly didn't know his volts from his amps What eye squared? arrgh ( physics joke allegedly)

'You should try Low Voltage ones they are brighter and cost less to run ' quote from ancient B+Q assistant who clearly didn't know his volts from his amps What eye squared? arrgh ( physics joke allegedly)

Haha...when you've changed as many LV lamps & transformers as i have, you soon realise they're a hell of a lot more expensive in the long run.

I had some 120/90s in my van! Got them from halfords.Only used them on my private road I have exclusive use of mind

They do some other bulbs as well,giving out 100w of light for only 60w of drain or something.Check out the bulb section at halfords.

Could always get those luvvverly imitation gas discharge lights though,to give your car that total tosspot look Match them up with the 'please rozzer stop me I'm a turnip' blue washer jets and the 'yes you can see the rusty underside of my cavalier clearer now' neons too! C.J.

i know all about LV lights. DON'T DO IT!!!!! so not worth it in the long run, cheaper to run my ass, only an extra thing to get hot, mark wall/ceiling and break. i'm a sparky btw, i have seen the effects of over powered bulbs in many places but didn't know what sorta heat the casing could take.

and on the lamp/bulb arguement that i have had too many times it really don't matter and if you look on the box for these BULBS it actually says BULBS, and not lamps

and if i remember right i think a filament type is a bulb and other types(such as neon, flourescent etc) are lamps

:nono:

You should know better Denis !!

Putting bigger lamps (bulbs are what tulips grow from) into fittings & wiring not necessarily designed for them is done entirely at your own risk.

But I do, Geoff! Skoda fits things called bulbs in the various lights on their cars, and at home I fit (light) bulbs in things called lamps. Of course it may all be different up Norf.....if that is where you come from :confused:

Hmm, I ran 130/100s in mine for 8 months and 32000 miles, no wiring melt, no burning smells and no discolouration.

Currently ( ) running 100w main beams in mine. Checked for heat after using them for 1/2 hour continuous on a run. Marginally warmer than the xenon side of the lamp, which itself was cool.

Do it at your own risk.

Oh and btw, they ain't legal unless they have an E mark on them. Mine don't but unless someone fancies taking the headlamp unit out of the car, carefully avoiding the 24000 volt discharge unit, I don't really care as the markings are not visible.

oh and btw we have normal type bulbs and not hid's or anything

No worries, my 130/100s were H4 normal ones in the RS. Now I have the SDI with xenons and have only got 100w main beam. Just put it in for comparative / discriptive purposes.

A silver Fabia owner "just down the road" runs 100W bulbs kindly donated to him, as his main beam. He tells me the lighting is excellent, and provides excellent lighting at night for safe rural lane driving. He says he also ran them for 20 minutes straight and suffered no ill-effects. He also said that the chances of being caught are so slight, the benefits of good lighting outweigh it easily. He also made the point he had securely checked the headlight covers had been replaced securely. I think he mentioned powerbulbs was the place to go?

Very helpful of him to be so forthcoming with that information Jason

Very helpful of him to be so forthcoming with that information Jason

Thats OK. I think it was you who gave the bulbs to him wasn't it? :confused:

You remember him, no? 6 foot gangly chap, dodgy beard! Ya know! He must have told you his infamous stories of being unable to keep his car on it's wheels?!

...but did he tell the story about jamming up his geabox with the headlamp cover he didn't put back properly?

He's starting to sound very similar to someone else :confused: ,

wait a minute let me think

Tick, tick, tick

No, still can't think who :(

...but did he tell the story about jamming up his geabox with the headlamp cover he didn't put back properly?

No? :confused: haha! Ammo for down the pub tomorra night! Thanks!

he already has them, and yes they came from powerbulbs as it happens.

we actually thought bugger it and put them in earlier and ran them for about 20 mins with the engine running but not moving and they seemed fine, infact only a little hotter than those on my octavia. what fitment are the fogs btw?? just wondering if i need to replace them

A few years back I uprated my headlamps to 100W with no problems.

I used the equation Power/Voltage=Current thus:-

100/12=8.33A

If the fuse for your main beams is above this value then the cables should be ok.

15 amp fuse IIRC

Fog fitment in the Octy is H3 IIRC

15 amp fuse IIRC

Hmm. Is that a single 15 amp fuse for the pair of headlights or one for the left and one for the right?

If it's a single 16 amp shared, then @ 200W total / 12V = 16.67A

I think it won't just be the headlights that might get a little warmer than usual

So, the question is, is it worth salvaging at least one of the 25A fuses from the fuse box out my wreck, and putting it in my car?

(ps: this is a kind of serious Q - if the overall amp rating is Xavier says I'd sooner swap my fuse... although not had any probs yet... )