Is one brighter headlight illegal?

murphydavid

Can't find it on the net. I have a set of replacement bulbs for my car to carry around just in case. I notice on the box that it says "H7 replacement + 30% = 55w". This could mean that if I use it to replace a broken main beam bulb one will temporarily be 30% brighter than the other. I was wondering if you know weather this is illegal?
Thanks

By the way a bit of advice. The reason I bought it was because I had one headlight bulb break when I was away from home and got caught with a £16.00 bill. I think I bought this set of bulbs in Lidl's for about £3. So just cause I left them at home one bulb cost me £16 when I already had 2 headlight bulbs and a selection of others at home. So take them with you.

Yolina

Don't know about the legality of it, but it would probably annoy the heck out of me if I were to drive a car with one headlight brighter than the other, or with a different colour temperature so I'd just change both and be done with it

GlynD

As far as I know it isn't illegal as long as the headlamp alignment is correct.

steve-L

So far as I know its the actual wattage that is set. However given the use of LED bulbs in newer cars I'm not sure how this might have altered legislation but I guess if its usual type it will not be retrospective but for 'new cars'.

The "H7 replacement + 30% = 55w" means it is a 40W H7 but because its Xenon gives the light output equivalent to 55W.
(I personally have Osram +90%'s )

I doubt it will be as annoying as Yolina predicts (if the colour temp is the same) as the headlights start off masked differently for NS/FS anyway and 30% isn't that much.

murphydavid

steve-L wrote: »

So far as I know its the actual wattage that is set. However given the use of LED bulbs in newer cars I'm not sure how this might have altered legislation but I guess if its usual type it will not be retrospective but for 'new cars'.

The "H7 replacement + 30% = 55w" means it is a 40W H7 but because its Xenon gives the light output equivalent to 55W.
(I personally have Osram +90%'s )

I doubt it will be as annoying as Yolina predicts (if the colour temp is the same) as the headlights start off masked differently for NS/FS anyway and 30% isn't that much.

Thanks. I don't know about colour temperature both the existing and new ones are clear (not blue) glass. I will see if ever I have to try it. Just don't want to be Illegal. As for new / old car mine is 2009

GlynD

murphydavid wrote: »

Thanks. I don't know about colour temperature both the existing and new ones are clear (not blue) glass. I will see if ever I have to try it. Just don't want to be Illegal. As for new / old car mine is 2009

As long as the headlamp alignment is set within legal parameters you will be legal.

w211

As you said you're using it to replace a main beam headlight, you would dip your lights when approaching another road user, so it's unlikely you would annoy anyone.

Hintza

If one bulb goes replace both with the new ones and keep the old one as a spare?

steve-L

murphydavid wrote: »

Thanks. I don't know about colour temperature both the existing and new ones are clear (not blue) glass. I will see if ever I have to try it. Just don't want to be Illegal. As for new / old car mine is 2009

If you can't tell the difference then no problem!

If it didn't come with LED's (that use a fraction of the power) then I doubt legislation applies to you.

Basically, the limits were set a long time ago at 45W
Since then bulb technology has come on and a 45W bulb can deliver a lot more light than whenever it was set. In the case of my Osram's they claim 90% MORE.... However a 45W LED would be like a 500W spotlight in brightness. (In theory) hence they must have some different limits for LED bulbs to conventional or conventional +

tbourner

I think the law takes the type approval specs which use lumen output. Like anything above 2000 lumens must have washers and self levelling - don't think it says anything about them being the same output though.

GolfBravo

murphydavid wrote: »

Can't find it on the net. I have a set of replacement bulbs for my car to carry around just in case. I notice on the box that it says "H7 replacement + 30% = 55w". This could mean that if I use it to replace a broken main beam bulb one will temporarily be 30% brighter than the other. I was wondering if you know weather this is illegal?
Thanks

Just to clarify light bulb marketing blurb: Plus 30% aftermarket light bulbs (or 50%, or 90%, or whatever) don't produce 30% more light. The 55W+30% light bulb doesn't suddenly produce 71.5W - it it still 55W.

What is different is the colour temperature. They produce more light with wavelength more suited to human eye - this is achieved by coloured glass coating and higher burn temperature (and significantly shorter lifespan) - they just look "more white".

Take a look at OEM Osram Original Line H7 light bulb and aftermarket Osram Nighbreaker Plus 90% H7 lightbulb. They are both 55W. Original produces light colour of 3200K, Nightbreaker is 3500K. But the luminous flux (the total amount of light energy radiated from the bulb) is 1500lm for both - so the light output is identical, and only the light colour is slightly different. However Nightbreaker Plus expected lifespan is only 150 hours, where the OEM is 330 hours.

The biggest difference between the two from the manufacturer's point of view is the profit margin.

So the answer the original question: yes, 55W "Plus 30%" replacement light bulb is perfectly legal.