CitronC230K_03

I need to get a new light bulb for my foglight, one apparently busted a filament in the accident. long/short of it is i have been looking at the PIAA ION YELLOW bulbs. i was reading the ratings for the bulbs and it shows 55w=110w.

i realize the light is 55w, but how do you get a 55w bulb to burn as bright as a 110w bulb?

thanks!

DACHIGGA

The light output is equal to 110W, I asumme that they are more efficient.

CitronC230K_03

i kinda assumed that, i was unsure how it works though. i would think a 55w bulb would be a 55w bulb, and a 110w would be 110w. i guess it has the same light output of a 110w, with the same heat output of a 55w?

Moviela

It is their comparison of how much white light you would need (I have seen claims of 85 to 100W of white light) in a white lamp to "equal" the visibility of these very yellow bulbs.

The French for years have mandated yellow fog lamps because they do have better visibility in fog, snow, rain, and other foul weather.

I have not seen the actual lamps, but it is probably a standard lamp that has been radiated by laser beams to turn the glass envelope yellow. Now I always thought a lamp that turned dark, brown, yellow, or other color was because of a defect, but now that GE has a patent, its a feature!

CitronC230K_03

thanks Ric, duty electrician!

i like the look of the yellow fogs, remind me of the mercedes of yesteryear. i not only like hte way they look, but they are supposed to be better in inclimate weather. not that i have to deal with that much in san diego.
the Polarg Yellow Fogs i had were rated at an even 55w. my only complaint with them is that they didnt seem bright enough. i dont want xenon style intensity, i want the yellow, but bright like they were on my '83 300CD and '87 300D.

those were very bright foglights and worked extremely well! that's what im shooting for, and i dont know if they dont work as well because the lights are lower on the car, or what?

Moviela

For fog, shooting the lamps low is the right ticket. You get much better penetration with yellow lamps mounted as low as practical. The C class lamp holders are pretty low now.

Now I just wish I could get Californians to turn their fog lights OFF when it is not foggy! You know the folks in the SUV who insist that everyone else on the road be dazzled with their illumination system. It is just rudeness.

CitronC230K_03

not as annoying as having the rear fog on with out it being neccessary. the "hey look at my car, one light is brighter than the other and i have no use for it on a clear starry night!"

amdeutsch

Doug,

Actually it has nothing to do with the color. Carl had a pretty good write up on that marketing claim. If I remember correct it had something to do with the actual filament/reflector interaction. Creating a slightly more focused output by the design and placement of the filament within the bulb. A far fetched analogy would be the visual difference between a hi and a low beam.

CitronC230K_03

thanks andy! i am going to get the yellow lights because i like the look of them anyhow. ll search for that write up carl did.

drexappeal

Doug, the PIAA's are kinda hard to find (although we've got a pretty common foglight bulb #). FYI, There is a set on ebay right now that is being sold by a store.

If you want to save a little money, my cousin ran on NOKYA Arctic Yellow's for over 1 year and they looked great (in a Mitsubishi EVO)! Only thing is, NOKYA's have a reputation for having shorter life than PIAA's.

CitronC230K_03

my brother found some for me.

drexappeal

Where at? Locally or online?

CitronC230K_03

online. ill get the info for you

drexappeal

Thank You, sir! I'll probably order them now, so that by the time I get whichever front bumper I end up getting, I'll just swap them into the new fogs.

CitronC230K_03

ebay is where he got them online they were $99 for the pair. eBay was $55, w/shipping brought it up to $66.

drexappeal

Probably the same shop on ebay that I saw them. Thanks.

CitronC230K_03

i dont remember the same it was like vision something.

Blake P

Unless you get the Expression DTM front, which uses H7 fog light bulbs.

drexappeal

Damnit!...I totally forgot about that Blake! Thanks for the heads up. I'm still kinda hedging between the Expression and the MH Dezent. Not sure which way I'll go or if I'll go with a completely different front end all together or even a customized one.

We'll see when it comes to that time (probably by next summer). For now, my main focus is still Rims and comand by January.

Moviela

Vision Technology Trading Co
Mong Kok,
Hong Kong, SAR

They sell a lot of PIAA lamps on Ebay.
I could not find a listing in the phone book or a HK business registration, so it is probably a guy operating out of his apartment.

CitronC230K_03

that would be the one.

Jkw

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i realize the light is 55w, but how do you get a 55w bulb to burn as bright as a 110w bulb? 


Don't confuse energy usage (Watts) with light out put (Lumen’s). In general when you have higher Watts you get more Lumen’s but that not always the case, most bulb makers don’t provide you with the actual Lumen rating that would be useful, Good Luck.
Jkw

Moviela

What you say is true. I use different gases in lamps to increase their lumens at a given wattage, or other tricks to kick up the brightness like integrated lens ends, or internal reflectors.

It is true that many lamp sellers don't give you a lumen rating, but lamp makers do. Almost all registered lamps have a published MSCP ( mean spherical candlepower). You can convert MSCP to lumens using:

Lumens = MSCP x 4pi.

Kev04C320

My friend ordered a set of the LEDs and they were shipped from Singapore though. It is strange operation.