Hi All,

 

As we all know, the OEM 55W dip beam bulbs could have been manufactured by "Joe Lucas, Prince of Darkness " (old biker joke from old biker).

 

I got a pair of 85W H3C from the US and they seemed marginally better.

 

Has anyone got good things to say about the PIAA 55W H3Cs described as "Platinum Superwhite"? compared to the OEM?

 

(Yes I know I should have the HID but can't afford it! :D )

 

TIA - Gio

Originally posted by Gio

Has anyone got good things to say about the PIAA 55W H3Cs described as "Platinum Superwhite"? compared to the OEM?

 

(Yes I know I should have the HID but can't afford it! :D )

 

TIA - Gio

 

Yes,

 

I put them in and thought "... and let there be light!" and there was ... had standard ones with bacofoil conversion before and they were dimmer than David Beckham .. now they're as bright as good ole Albert himself ...

 

I think they're superb (if you hadn't guessed already)

 

CheerZ,

JB. :D

You could do a search on ligh bulbs!

I got PIAA H3 platnum whites part no HE271/ecb1 cost £30 for a pair, need to + p&p + VAT aprox total £40

Def worth it!

Arthur

sorry search light bulbs! a hard day!

Hi Gio

 

I use the PIAA platinum white H3 bulbs (uk car) and they are much better than standard. The only issue IMO is that the blueish coating combined with the opaque beam lense robs some of the light potential.

 

Osram bulbs performed best of all in Auto express tests, but their Silverstar option which won is not yet available in H3. Pity, as they are less than 1/2 price of PIAA jobbies.

 

Still you can get the Osram 30% brighter option in H3 for about £15 for the pair + p&p which are also very good. Don't touch the Halfords own brand eqivalent as they are crap;)

 

Look on Demon Tweeks website, they sell the lot.

 

HTH

 

Richard

In my exp the better the make, ie Philips etc the better the bulb, power is not everything, in this case.

my j spec fogs are rigged to be on when the dipped beam is on but they are dimmer than a not very bright dim thing -

 

any ideas about this one??

 

Regards,

 

Alex

I bought mine from Halfords, 30% extra bright in the dipped and the 50% extra bright in full beam (both 55w) and they were not crap at all!! big difference, and the base of the bulbs said phillips anyway!!

 

Paul N

Alex, read the write ups re fogs on andy's site, can be made very good indeed with work!

 

Paul

cheers paul - will do

 

regards,

 

alex

Hi Paul

 

You obviously got lucky with your Halfords bulbs. They change manufacturers according to costs etc, so yours, being Phillips, are among the best available.

 

Halfords often use Bosch or lucas bulbs, which are crap;)

 

Basically anything MADE by phillips or Osram regardless of packaging is going to be good:)

 

Richard

Ah!! must have been my lucky day then (for a change!)

 

Regards

 

Paul

You could do a search on ligh bulbs!

I got PIAA H3 platnum whites part no HE271/ecb1 cost £30 for a pair, need to + p&p + VAT aprox total £40

Def worth it!

Arthur

 

 

Will these fit the Jap Import or is that UK only? I fancy some of these for mine as they sound pretty good?

I've got the PIAA superwhite bulbs fitted. I can't say I noticed much difference, though I did take out a pair of 100W bulbs to do so. Much prefer not to overload my wiring!

Russ.

Will these fit the Jap Import or is that UK only? I fancy some of these for mine as they sound pretty good?

 

Yep, I had them in a J-Spec, just make sure you order the right code - H3C, I think from memory ... :D

What is the 'Bacofoil Conversion' . My dip lights are dreadful

I have the PIAA Superwhite H3C bulbs and couldn't believe the difference when I replaced the "darkovision" bulbs .. lol ...

 

very happy with them.

Where is everyone getting the PIAA bulbs? I just phoned them and they said they can't sell to the general public. Told me to go to http://www.priracing.com £23 each +vat for Superwhites, that sound about right? Time to do the conversion me thinks for my Jap spec. Almost £60 with vat and delivery. Or would you just as much for a UK "Superwhite" bulb? I mean, is it the bulb or the J spec thats expensive? I'll pay if its simply a superior bulb and Jap and UK are the same price, know what I mean? I'm rambling now...... cheque please!

OEM Bulb Driver side + 85W Bulb Passenger side

 

PIAA Bulb Driver side + 85W Bulb Passenger side

PIAA both sides

 

OEM bulb on the left, 85W bulb in the middle and PIAA on the right

 

(this exercise was subtitled "how to really p*** off the neighbours late at night" :rofl: )

Nice one Gio. You can really see the difference on your pics! So I guess it is worth the extra for PIAA's.

Nice one Gio. You can really see the difference on your pics! So I guess it is worth the extra for PIAA's.

 

defo worth it James .... makes a hell of a differance. I can actually see where I'm going at night now. :rofl: :rofl:

Yes - I found they were much better than the 85w. You can get the PIAA as H3C - which is what I did - at £23 + VAT last November. PIAA themselves recommend the Superwhite as the best H3C they do for all round better visibility. So you don't even have to do the conversion! (The conversion would, however, give you access to a wider range of bulbs from more sources.)

 

The only other thing (which I was too bone idle to do) is to get one of those long bottle-washer thingies and clean the inside of the lens with it. Maybe next year, eh? :D

Super Duper......getting credit card out now.........cheers very much ta.

Jap bulbs are H1 main beam - I use 100w philips +30% Ok as not on much

H3C dipped - use PIA supr white Ok

H3 fogs - use 55w + 30% Philips, you need to change Spade conn. to original bullit type.

makes a big diff.

 

Point to note the PIAs only last about a year or so. expensive at about £28 each,but easy to get.

 

I tried ordering Uprated H3c's from States, at about £8 each, but did not work for very long, about 1min. The supplier reckoned they were damaged in transit, not packed very well. so after several replacements that also did not work, they gave a full refund! and stuck to PIA's

Got my Superwhites today and have fitted them. VERY pleased.