Re: Driving/Fog Lights

[raf40@oes.amdahl.com (Richard Funnell)]

Scott,

>I added some individual relays to improve the voltage reaching the
>headlamps on my 1986
>5000CS Turbo when I added some high wattage 9004 bulbs.  My nice new high
>wattage bulbs
>started burning out only after 3 -6 months of use so I went back to the
>standard bulbs wattage
>55/65W. Even with the stock bulbs I still was replacing the bulbs every
>12-18 months.
>
>
>Scott M.

The lifetime of normal incandescent bulbs is very sensitive to the
operating voltage.  If you check out so called long-life bulbs, they are
simply designed to operate at a somewhat lower voltage for the size of
their filament.  A relatively small change in voltage can have a
substantial effect.

I would expect that this is what you are seeing now.  If you increased the
voltage at your light sockets by 1 1/2 volts, which is what others have
claimed, that is more than a 10% increase in voltage.  That would be enough
to cause what you are seeing.  It would also cause a significantly greater
light output and perhaps a noticeably whiter light, so it's not a bad
trade-off.

Now I'll put away the electronic slide rule.

Richard Funnell,
San Jose, California
'83 urQ