H1 Bulb Question BRIGHTEST Wattage and Color Range

Hello, I have read so many articles on headlamps that now I am confused. Some post say the Wattage of the bulb is not that important, others say focus on the K value and still others say the LM is the best way to tell which is the brightest.

I have a off road unit that uses H1 High Beams. 55W OSRAM and were quite bright. OSRAM also makes a 100 Watt Off Road bulb but I cant find how much light it produces. Can anyone tell me simply what is the Brightest Whitest or blue tint bulb available either street legal or off road use only.?

Thank you in advance.

Larry 75 said:

Hello, I have read so many articles on headlamps that now I am confused.

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It's easy to get confused; there is a lot of bad advice on the subject.

Some post say the Wattage of the bulb is not that important

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The wattage is important, but there's no direct relation between wattage (power consumption) and the amount of light a bulb puts out.

others say focus on the K value

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This is never correct.

and still others say the LM is the best way to tell which is the brightest.

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Lm is short for "lumens", which -- yes -- is the measure of how much light a bulb puts out.

I have a off road unit that uses H1 High Beams. 55W OSRAM and were quite bright. OSRAM also makes a 100 Watt Off Road bulb but I cant find how much light it produces.

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A 100-watt H1 bulb from any of the reputable makers produces about 2,600 lumens. Compare to a standard 55-watt H1 producing about 1,550 lumens, or a high-luminance 55-watt H1 producing about 1,780 lumens (with improved beam focus -- this is usually the smartest choice for best performance, and a good example is this bulb).

A 100-watt bulb draws just about 100% more current and throws off a whole lot more heat. Wiring and switches rated for 55-watt bulbs cannot safely or efficiently handle 100-watt bulbs, and many lamps cannot tolerate the extra heat. Plus, the larger 100-watt filament degrades the beam focus. There's a detailed, technical thread about this effect here.

Can anyone tell me simply what is the Brightest Whitest or blue tint bulb available

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Bulbs that claim to be "whiter" are fraudulent. Bulbs with blue tint covering the portion of the glass that surrounds the filament are fraudulent and a really dumb idea (the blue tint severely reduces the amount of light leaving the lamp). See here (which deals specifically with Sylvania's blue "whiter" bulbs, but the same is true no matter what brand).

Wattage and color temperature are not a great way to compare headlamp bulbs, The wattage shouldn't vary too much, 55W is pretty standard. As you increase wattage, the light output and heat increase pretty much linearly. If your lamp housings, wires, relays, switches etc. are designed for 55w, they may overheat running 100W bulbs. You'll want to figure for about 10A draw per light.

I think tinted bulbs are to be avoided, whether they're blue or yellow tint. It reduces the output, makes the quartz hotter, and will eventually wear out or flake off. Halogen bulbs are just going to run 2700-3000K, can't get much hotter or the filament will melt.

I would just get some good quality brand-name bulbs in the wattage your lamps are designed for. Philips or OSRAM are generally safe choices. If you need more output you should look at HID or LED.

electromage said:

Wattage and color temperature are not a great way to compare headlamp bulbs

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True.

The wattage shouldn't vary too much

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H1 bulbs are easily available with 55w, 100w, and 130w, with other wattages harder to find but also available.

As you increase wattage, the light output and heat increase pretty much linearly.

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I don't agree completely. Efficacy and luminance are both usually lower/poorer in 100w versions of automotive halogen bulbs.

If your lamp housings, wires, relays, switches etc. are designed for 55w, they may overheat running 100W bulbs.

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There is no "may" about it. They're going to heat up and burn, baby, burn.

I think tinted bulbs are to be avoided, whether they're blue or yellow tint.

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The two colors aren't equal; you lose significant amounts of light with blue tint, but not with yellow tint. There's detailed discussion of that matter here.

makes the quartz hotter

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Most automotive halogen bulbs are made of hard glass, not of quartz, and this has been the case for quite a long time.

and will eventually wear out or flake off.

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You're thinking of amber turn signal bulbs, some of which do have a hard time with color coating durability.

Halogen bulbs are just going to run 2700-3000K, can't get much hotter or the filament will melt.

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Halogen headlight bulbs with non-tinted, clear glass tend to run at 3050K to 3450K depending on the bulb type and variant.

I would just get some good quality brand-name bulbs in the wattage your lamps are designed for.

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They are not all the same. See the link I posted in my first reply in this thread.

If you need more output you should look at HID or LED.

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I can't tell what you're recommending here: different lamp assemblies, or putting HID/LED bulbs in place of the halogen H1s.

electromage said:

Wattage and color temperature are not a great way to compare headlamp bulbs, The wattage shouldn't vary too much, 55W is pretty standard. As you increase wattage, the light output and heat increase pretty much linearly. If your lamp housings, wires, relays, switches etc. are designed for 55w, they may overheat running 100W bulbs. You'll want to figure for about 10A draw per light.

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WILL overheat with 100W bulbs.

I think tinted bulbs are to be avoided, whether they're blue or yellow tint. It reduces the output, makes the quartz hotter, and will eventually wear out or flake off. Halogen bulbs are just going to run 2700-3000K, can't get much hotter or the filament will melt.

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Yellow-tinted bulbs pass more of the visible spectrum than blue-tinted bulbs, meaning the envelopes (no matter the material) don't get as hot. And the light is much easier for us to see by since we're using the red and green cones instead of the blue ones so we get more usable light, and the red and green cones are concentrated in the fovea centralis.

2700K would be a grossly-underfed halogen bulb. You got a voltage problem if your headlamp bulbs are only at 2700K. I LOVE it for lighting a room, but if my headlamps are putting that out I'd be breaking out the VOM and finding the electrical problem. Even 3000K is too low, and it's not unusual to find 3450K bulbs (and that's the filament, not tinted output).

If you need more output you should look at HID or LED.

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If you can find complete OEM lamp assemblies for your vehicle that are HID or LED. If you're talking about those "kits", NO.