Brighter lows?

AlanS · Post by **AlanS** » 18 Aug 2019, 22:05

One of my low beams just burned out. So, now is an opportunity to maybe put some better bulbs in. Any recommendations, or am I just wasting money trying to get a brighter bulb

Post by **Rattnalle** » 19 Aug 2019, 00:22

Premium bulbs are slightly better but don't expect a night and day difference. I was happy with the upgrade on the S80 with halogen I had.

Post by **volvolugnut** » 19 Aug 2019, 14:21

In the USA you can get premium, brighter headlight bulbs at most auto parts stores. They cost more, they are brighter, but they do not last as long. Pick what you want most.

volvolugnut

Post by **MoVolvos** » 19 Aug 2019, 21:03

AlanS wrote: ↑18 Aug 2019, 22:05 One of my low beams just burned out. So, now is an opportunity to maybe put some better bulbs in. Any recommendations, or am I just wasting money trying to get a brighter bulb

I've been running LED's from Amazon and eBay on two cars and have a set ready for the 03 S80. Just choose something in your price range and check out the low ratings to see if the vendor is responsive. I've found recently eBay is very proactive in helping with warranty claims.

cbpitt01 · Post by **cbpitt01** » 19 Aug 2019, 21:44

Not sure what year/model you’ve got, but in my 2006 V70, it calls for H11 (55W) low beam and H9 (65W) high beam. But I run the 65W H9 in all four positions. To make the H9 fit the H11 low-beam harness receptacle, you have to trim one tab off inside the bulb plug area. There are several videos on YouTube of how to do this; the plastic is fairly brittle and I just shave it off with the tip of a fresh blade in a utility knife. I did this over one year ago with a pair of Phillips Vision bulbs and they’ve been going strong since. That extra 10 watts makes a big difference, at least to me, with no additional cost over what you’d normally pay for new halogen bulbs.
Here’s a link to one of the videos:

MRScott · Post by **MRScott** » 19 Aug 2019, 22:30

A couple of thoughts, the lenses need to be clear for starters. Also some of the fancy bulbs provide, for a lack of a better term, diffent colors. These can inhance what your seeing and appear better.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 20 Aug 2019, 06:08

MRScott wrote: ↑19 Aug 2019, 22:30 A couple of thoughts, the lenses need to be clear for starters. Also some of the fancy bulbs provide, for a lack of a better term, diffent colors. These can inhance what your seeing and appear better.

5K White or 6K Diamond White would be the best. Anything above 6K starts to turn blue.

Post by **BlackBart** » 20 Aug 2019, 14:17

cbpitt01 wrote: ↑19 Aug 2019, 21:44... it calls for H11 (55W) low beam and H9 (65W) high beam. But I run the 65W H9 in all four positions.

If you're running additional wattage in the lows, and they're on all the time as daytime running lights, is there concern for the wire size and harness and overheating?

Also, are you causing glare to oncoming traffic with brighter lows? We often ran 4 Hella's or Cibie's in old school 4-round light cars, and they are bright, but they have very accurate cut-offs in the beam pattern.

IslandV70 · Post by **IslandV70** » 20 Aug 2019, 14:23

55W vs 65W is not enough to worry about.

Post by **abscate** » 22 Aug 2019, 04:21

In the winter climates, you need the heat of the bulb to keep the lens clear of snow, leds won’t provide this.

If you have headlight washers those will perform that function