Hi,
I’ve read several car magazine articles on upgrading from the standard OEM headlight bulbs and thought I’d ask fellow members whether they are worth the money an actually improve visibility?
Thinking of fitting Osram nightbreaker unlimited (£22) to the dipped beam (fish eye). Has anyone fitted them (or similar) and had any issues with overheating, damage to the lense or unexpected problems - bulb life etc.??
Many thanks
…
no, they’re fine…do it
Done just that and it’s well worth while
Worst problem is replacing wire retaining clip, sometimes requires finger crippling brute force!
Would these be ok for a mk1 eunos?
Is the import mk1 (91) just h4 bulbs?
Sorry to piggyback on this topic
I have fitted Nightbreakers to several bikes, and there is a noticeable improvement in brightness. They work by burning hotter, rather than by drawing more current, so no need to upgrade the wiring, but the downside is that they are (in theory) likely to have a shorter lifespan. I always carried a spare if I had them fitted.
Of course, brighter bulbs can’t correct a poor beam pattern, and if the pattern is the problem then they won’t help. But they will throw a good pattern further down the road. Personally, I find my Mk 2’s lights pretty good*, and I won’t be fitting uprated bulbs. But, in answer to the original questions, yes they are noticeably brighter, in theory they won’t last as long**, and I had no issues with overheating the light units.
** The longest I think lasted 2 years on a very vibratory single before I sold the bike, so in a car it may not be an issue for many years. Generally, I sell bikes on too quickly to notice things like the lifetime of bulbs.
Hi - did you ever fit the Nightbreakers to your MX5 and if so did you have any issues with bulb life?
I have Ring Ultimate fitted in my car. Excellent bulbs and they have been in a while now.
Gra
Yes I agree, upgraded bulbs do give a brighter, wider spectrum of light which adds to safer night driving. The only down side is the running life of these bulbs which is approximately 1 year. I think Philips make an upgraded version that lasts for 2 years. That’s why, these days, we see far too many vehicles on the road with only one headlamp shining! so that’s 1 year of clear vision and safer road awareness followed by 2 months + of poor visibility and hazardous driving. Its good practice to purchase a few sets and be prepared.
good point - the awkwardness and expense of changing the bulbs should also be taken into account as well. I was more than a little surprised at the need to jack the MX5 up, remove the front wheel then remove the plastic covers just to get at the bulbs. For such a safety critical item these should be easier to replace to minimise the amount of cars being driven around with failed bulbs. Not everyone has the inclination, tools or skills to go to these lengths just to change a bulb and I will be more than a little annoyed if the headlight bulbs on my MX5 fail frequently.
I have standard bulbs in my Mk3 and Mk2. I’ve only needed to replace one H4 in 6 years.
I’ve swapped the headlight bulb over on my bike though. Started with regular bulbs, then put in some cheap ebay ‘extra bright’ bulbs, and then moved on to the Philips ones. They’re good, but not that much better. The Philips have now been replaced with some LED bulbs*.
When I get chance (and the weather is warmer), I plan to swap one of the MX5 headlight bulbs over to LED, and take a video of how much brighter it is.
The headlight bulbs have now been changed out to H7 Osram nightbreakers. Let’s see how long they last! Had the job done at a local MX5 garage to see how it’s done. Nice and easy on a ramp in a well lit workshop, but I wouldn’t fancy trying to do it laying on my back on a gravel covered drive especially in January.
Which bulbs are you looking at? The Online stores list H7’s as being good for the NC Mk3 but people on here say they should be H9s. Do you have a link please?
I’ve got some H4s, which aren’t the right type for the Mk3 
I’m not sure what the correct spec is for the Mk3.
The handbook for mk3.5 says H7 for dipped and HB3 for main.
Yes. Correct
…and Mk 3.75
Yep, well spotted Ned. 50% off all NightBreaker Bulbs at Europarts