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posted May 28, 2002 12:07 PM
Hmm...Someone had a part number for the 135/100 watt bulb, but I don't recall what the number was. I personally prefer the PIAA Extreme White series. 60/60w bulb, but as bright as a 135/110
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82 Gpz750, 84 Ninja 900, 2000 ZX12R (Muzzy Big Bore Kit), *another* 2000 ZX12R (Muzzy custom stroke crank 1341cc motor), 2004 ZZR1200, 2005 ZX10R, 2007 ZX14, 2008 Concours 14, 2014 Versys 650, 2014 Yamaha WR450F, 2015 Ninja H2
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posted May 28, 2002 03:55 PM
PIAA Bulbs I use the Super White Platinum (55/60w = 100/110w, 3800K) since that's all my dealer carries. I would be interested in trying their Xtreme White (60/55w = 135/125w, 4200K low beam, 3950K high beam) and might have them order me a pair.
In the past, I used LP's Daytona 90/100w bulbs. Not only did they suck up more juice, but they were not even close when it came to the PIAA's brightness. I also like the "bleach" white light of the PIAA. When I tried those "no name, wannabe HID" bulbs, their blueish light did not give enough contrast on dark back highways. The were even as bright as the OEM bulbs.
The only complaint I have about them is that the low beam filiments broke on both of mine after about 12~15K miles (about 5~7 months). A small price to pay for one of the whitest and brightest bulbs I have ever used.
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
posted May 28, 2002 10:35 PM
uh oh, here goes the "super white" argument again
naw, i'm not gonna get into it. been done to death. i havent tried the extreme whites. liked the platinum super whites, but fish measured them with his lighting equipment and did not get the performance the bulbs claimed. got less than 50% improvement over the stockers, despite the fact that i had the 80/80W bulds which were supposed to put out 130W equivalent. but i still liked the bulbs. they _seemed_ brighter than they were. but i suspect thats an illusion as much as anything.
anyhow, right now i got regular 80/80W bulbs. only cost about $8CDN a piece, rather than $100 for the pair. nad yes, my piaa's didnt last long either. lows burned out in no more than 2 years. now before u go saying thats not bad, thats 2 years of very little use. no more than 15000kms i'd say. thats WAY less than i get from regular bulbs. the bulbs i got in there now: one is "worldlight", some cheap generic brand i think. other is a hella, which actually looks a tab brighter. a little more than the cheap one, but still less than double a cheap 55/60W bulb. part # is....shit cant find it. anyhow, all u need too know is it's an H4 bulb. u can ask any parts store for h4 bulbs and just choose whichever one u want.
posted May 29, 2002 03:30 AM
The bulbs are sold at Napa by Wagner (Made in Germany) 100/130 and are as good/bright as ANY top brand bulb sold. Use dielectric compound on the connectors. They cost approx. $12 each, I've had them in since/before Gap-1. Best Bang for the Buck!
posted May 29, 2002 04:34 AM
Good reading You might want to read this before dropping big bux on lamps. http://lighting.mbz.org/
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posted May 29, 2002 03:18 PM
I've had Light Tech's site bookmarked ... for quite some time. I consider it to be the "Bible of Lighting".
I agree that the wattage claims of PIAA are pure BS. Their measurement comes from finding the hottest spot of the beam (which is insignificantly small) and combining it with some "voodoo math" in comparing color temps of standard H4 bulbs.
I also agree that the price is nothing short of outrageous. I have forgotten what MSRP is, but even with my discount, they are still almost 3 times what I'd pay for the LP 90/100w.
The durability issue will soon be answered since I did an online warranty registration. Supposedly, they are guaranteed for life. It will be interesting on who's or what's life they are referring to when I claim my two bulbs.
Now... having said that, it comes down to my (and cagers around me) perception of the bulbs.
1. To me, do they appear brighter then the LP 90/100w or OEM bulbs? Yes, by quite a bit. This is probably more due to white color of the beam instead of it's true brightness.
2. Do those around me perceive them to be brighter? Yes. Especially while using the high beams during daylight hours (which I ALWAYS do). Cagers seem to realize that I'm there much earlier. On the other hand, the low beam doesn't seem as annoying to oncoming traffic at night (compared to the 90/100w)
3. Do I feel that they are better for unlit back highways? Yes. Again, the white color seems provide excellent contrast making it easier to determine if that is a deer or someone's garbage can up ahead.
4. Are they worth it? Hmmmm, that's a tough one. Being one who is "vision impared" (poor depth perception even with glasses), I would say yes. The PIAA bulbs don't make it where I can necessarily go faster, just safer. For someone who doesn't suffer from the same malady, I'd say no. They are NOT worth it. Especially if I don't get a reply to my warranty claim.
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
posted May 29, 2002 03:33 PM
where i'm most conflicted is the "better contrast" point u make. certainly the site linked above would disagree, saying that there is less light scattering and more colour definition under normal light. However, it seemed to me that i could see better with the piaa superwhites too. i imagine it has to do with the fact that pupils contract less under the whiter light, which the site mentions but only uses against makers of blue (and presumably white) lights. in any case, i couldnt justify the cost of the piaas when i bought my last bulb, and after reading the articles on the light tech site, i dont think i'll ever use superwhites again, even if i have the money. i'll stick to the clear 80/80w bulbs i have now. hell, that site even got me thinking i dont much like the idea of true HID anymore!
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posted May 29, 2002 06:11 PM
From Light Tech's site... The reason why many people find many US-specification headlamps in need of upgrading is because many US-spec headlamps have insufficient foreground light, which creates a "black hole" on the road in front of the car. There's often insufficient lateral light (left and right) to see critters or people before they run into the road.
The "hot spot" creates a narrow tunnel of light that disappears "out there somewhere". By making the hot spot smaller, this narrow tunnel of light gets smaller. By taking away (already scarce) light from the foreground and sides, the situation is made worse.
These guys have FAR MORE knowledge about lights then I'll ever have. The only part I would "sheepishly" question is the factor of the headlight's reflective housing. They seem to come in all shapes and sizes.
When I had my 7R, it's beam just kinda faded out on the edges like a flashlight. The laterial areas did not seem to be that well lit due to the apprant reduction of the light's intensity. I never ran PIAA bulbs in my 7R.
IMHO, the 12R has a unique reflective parabolic shape that creates a beam that seems to reach out further and has a more pronounced edge on the laterial parts of the beam. Kinda like that "narrow tunnel" they are talking about. It might not be as wide as the one on my 7R, but it also does not have that "fade of to oblivion' edge either.
It is a mistaken notion that "whiter" and "yellower" qualities in the white light of a headlamp have any direct link to the amount or usability of the light. The "higher light color temperature" trumpeted by PIAA is created by a purplish-tinted glass bulb globe. It's not a dichroic coating like the "diamond blue" junk, but it is a tint, and as such physically must subtract from the available light.
Logically, yes this is correct. Still, how is this mathimatically proven or tested? Do the factors of mandrel size, filament diameter and the number of filament coils not have any bearing factor on this?
Color temperature is independent of the amount of light, and there is absolutely *zero* evidence that light of a higher color temperature is better than light of a lower color temperature for driver performance at night.
People seem to have the notion that the eye is more sensitive to light of higher color temperature. This is false. The eye is not more sensitive to the blue cast created by the subject bulbs.
There have been several studies done showing improved driver performance (due to improved vision at night) with headlamps of LOWER color temperature (less blue, more yellow). Color perception is much better under lower color temperatures (within the IEC "white" boundaries, of course), and the acuity of the human eye is really quite lousy under light colors that even begin to approach "blue".
But what about "white" instead of "blue"? Even more puzzling, what about "yellow"? Isn't yellow supposed to be great for creating a higher contrast with less "back-reflection"? Don't the halogen bulbs have a "whiter" light then the old sealed beam lights?
Color temperature of light and how humans perceive it would be better covered by fish and his television/movie experience. I do know that theater lighting is different from video lighting and both are different from film lighting. This would be a given because the human is is viewing the film or tape and not the actual event as in theater.
One could take it even a step further and think of the differences in incandesent verses floresent(and all of it's variations - i.e. daylight, cool white, etc.). I don't remember which company it is, but there is one advertising a incandesent household bulb that gives a "warmer" appearance. That's nice, but it's not what I'm looking for in a headlight.
I do beleive Mr. Stern has done his research, even though it is almost five years old. Most of it still is very applicable today. I just think that there are some aspects of his conclusions are from "cherry picking" data to support them.
Am I touting PIAA bulbs as the best out there? No way! It's more like I got a great deal on them and I personally have found them to be superior to what I had been using. The thing is, like tires and oil, when one finds something they like, it becomes more difficult to get them to experiment with other products.
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
posted May 29, 2002 08:15 PM
I run the PIAA's too, the 80/80's that claim to perform like a 135/115. I've compared them to the blue's the mock HID's and haven't seen a buld that puts out more useable light. But I guess that's my opinion and like Red says, like oil or tires there's strong opinions on any product. At least with this one I can actually SEE the difference.
posted May 29, 2002 08:52 PM
blue light/ no not the flashing type of the law hi,
kev here from over the pond, little ole north wales in the little ole uk. do you use blue light ? and do you ride with your lights on in the day time ? as we do over here to be seen by the plonkers in volvos ?
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posted May 30, 2002 04:29 AM
Yep, on all the time. We haven't been able to completly turn off our lights since the early 70's (I'm guessing).
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
posted May 30, 2002 05:23 AM
Edited By: Koz on 30 May 2002 07:21
I've compared the Napa 100/130 bulb next to several of the real expensive bulbs (PIAA, CATZ etc.) and the $12 Wagner looks brighter, at night it looks like a laser beam. In daylight the two bulbs looks like one very big/bright lamp. At Gap-1 several of the guys commented about the bulbs, OldKawboy was one of the guys who noticed. I have a picture, damn if could only post pictures.
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posted May 30, 2002 07:24 AM
My 72 triple and Z1 both have on/off switches for the headlight. It's cool!!! I leave them on though, need to make sure I can be seen.
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You haven't had any problems with the heat from the 100/130
bulbs? I have Napa 80/100 in mine but didn't know if the wiring etc would handle the additional heat, load from the 100/130.
posted May 30, 2002 05:03 PM
Remember this I hope that everyone realizes that regardless of what bulbs you are running, it doesn't take too much speed to be "over-driving" your headlights at night, especially on low beam.
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posted May 31, 2002 02:46 AM
Edited By: Koz on 31 May 2002 03:49
I put dielectric compound on the 100/130 bulb prongs/connector. The wiring and connectors are fine, its been over a year.
I even made a dyno run with and without the bulbs on and it had no effect on HP.
posted May 31, 2002 11:11 AM
i for one would be as or more concerned about the lense and reflector than the wiring. that thin plastic lense we got cant take much heat too well. this is why i have stuck to 80W. besides which, i'm amazed at how good the reflectors on our bikes are. i used to think my father's 98 explorer has some seriously bright lights (compared to my car), but the bike is definitely brighter.
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