some queries...

I thought the whole idea of fog lights was that they are mounted low down so as to get "under" the fog as it were. Headlamp beams just bounce back from the fog and dazzle you, stronger ones even more so.

Mogweed.

standard bulbs are 60/55 anything higher could be deemed as illegal. you can buy 130/90 bulbs, but you should up the wiring size

mrcheerful

ya - its not so much driving in the fog is the problem...just general nite time driving i find difficult due to the poor illumination off my current lights and i suffer from night blindness a bit

mrcheerful. ( snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

"Could be"?

Non e-marked bulbs *are* illegal on a car of that age. And e-marked bulbs are 60/55, not 100/80, 130/90 or anything similar - hence the "Not For Road Use" disclaimers all over the packets...

For the OP - measure the voltage you're getting at the bulb, and the voltage drop to earth. Betcha that'll be your "biggest win" - cleaning up contacts, relaying (if not already relayed), upgrading the wire.

So does every other poor sod, who can see, travelling towards you. If the lights are working correctly then you're not fit to drive at night. My eyes are sensitive to light so i'm just a little biased on the subject. Fog lampers ought to be....

The message from Adrian contains these words:

However - I've been happily using a set of 100/55 bulbs for years which seem a good compromise. When anyone's about they're nothing unusualy and don't upset other drivers - when there's nobody in sight they're smashing!

THere is a technical limit. A more powerful beam requires a higher wattage bulb. That in turn produces more heat which has been known to melt the reflectors in the past.

So you want to blind everyone else?

Buy some 100/80 watt bulbs. As for uprating the wiring, I've had 100/80's in my SD1 for over 10 years. In my Celica for 3 years, and 100 watt mains in my BM for over a year. None have given any problems from using the original wiring. Mike.

yes that's almost correct but a higher light output can be achieved using Xenon/halogen bulbs which are rated the same wattage as conventional halogen units the difference is quiet marked I thought I was going blind until I changed the bulbs on my old Rangie to +60s Derek "Lucas Prince of sudden unexplained darkness"

And making sure the lamps themselves actually have any silver reflective material left in them too.

Depends on the car. Some manufacturers fit decent wiring and relays from the start, other go for a direct switched feed. Not so common now on more modern cars because of the better lighting demanded, but still possible on budget cars. My old Skoda 120L was fitted with seperate relays and decent beefy wiring for each headlamp, and handled 80/90 bulbs easily. The Same in my Saab 900 (still decent wiring (ish) but only a single headlight relay) and while they were handled OK and gave decent light, there was enough heat build up on the drivers side one to deform but not melt the plastic covering the bulb connector.