Thread: Crystal Clear Headlights

I Like the idea of the free form reflector. I wonder how good they would be in the Defender?

they wouldn't be any worse

I always thought clear lenses were illegal,,,,

I have been wrong before though---

G'day Folks

They must be available here as I have seen them on toyo cruisers and Street Customs and Bling mobiles they would fit any 7" light unit

cheers

There is no inherent advantage in forming the beam with the lens or with the reflector - results depend largely on the quality of the headlight and bulb to start with. I have seen Defenders with the plain lens, and some may even come from the factory like that. The lights are a standard size one that is/has been used in many different brands and models of car and truck, so there are lots to choose from.

Defenders generally have the problem that the headlights do not use a relay, and this means there is invariably some voltage loss for the headlights, and any attempt to increase the light by fitting higher wattage bulbs inevitably results in a greater voltage drop (the greater voltage drop often means little or no improvement - QH bulb light output is very sensitive to voltage), and in addition runs a very real risk, almost a certainty of failure of the main light switch and/or the multifunction switch - both of which are ridiculously expensive for what they are. So the FIRST step in any headlight upgrade for a 90/110/Defender is to fit headlight relays (not advertising, but Drivesafe sells kits if you are not confident of your ability to do it without a kit). Simply fitting the relay is likely improve the light enough that you may decide more is not needed. But if you want further improvement I suggest new lights before higher wattage bulbs. I fitted new lights after one of the plugs that fit on the bulb melted (with standard bulbs!) and the fumes wrecked the reflector on that light. The ones I fitted are Cibie, and I am satisfied with them, but there will be quite a few others as good.

John

I can remember buying sealed beams for my 1600
that were 150 watts and clear,,
and marked
"Not for Road Use"




4 across the front did quite well

I am currently using those in my Rangie. I bought a pair from ebay because no-one bid on them and they were really cheap. I have since had a stone break on of my Hella inserts so I swapped to those because I had them.
My suggestion is to buy Hella, Cibie, IPF or possibly Narva. The light pattern from the clear lens inserts is not anywhere near as good as the others I mentioned and seems to have quite a bit of light "scatter" shining in places it should not be. These lights light up the top of my bullbar which I am sure is not good meaning there is quite alot of light traveling nearly vertically from the lens instead of straight out towards the road. The light on the road is also patchy compared to the even spread from the Cibie and Hella inserts I have used.

Ian

I ahd something similar in my HJ ute. Had the premier front end with the seperate high and low beam.They were Aircraft landing lights, 130 watts, never needed spotties.

I run the Hella units, they give a much improved beam and at $50 each over here are cheap to replace if hit by a stone.
I will be doing the relay upgrade for the lights soon.