Deggers Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 (edited) Evening folks, A few members have been asking recently about the Valeo / Cibie headlamps from Euro Car Parts. Having just fitted a pair on my 3A, I thought I'd offer a few pics of the new beam patterns, compared to the previously fitted lamps. It may not be the most scientific of comparisons (my camera-phone doesn't much like the dark!), but hopefully they're clear enough to give you a rough idea. Before and after pictures were taken at the same location, at about the same time just after sunset. Also, I haven't added anything else to these Cibies yet: no upgraded wires, feeds or relays. It's just a straight swap from previous lamps to new. NB: Both sets of headlamps were fitted with the same Osram Night Breaker bulbs. Dipped : Original lamps Dipped : Cibie / Valeo Main beam : Original lamps Main beam : Cibie / Valeo Really liking the much wider distribution pattern from the Cibies, especially on full beam. Will likely upgrade feed and relays in due course. Then . . . off to the Le Mans 24 hour!! Cheers, Deggers Edited October 14, 2017 by Deggers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don H. Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 Nice photos -- beam patterns aren't easy to capture. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dpb Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 Hi They look really good. So they just go in the existing lamp holes? I might get some for my 4A. Like you I'm planning to fit relays and fuse box (but not till the winter). Want to drive it this summer. Dave == Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don H. Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 Exactly what were your original lamps, Deggers? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
iain Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 Great photos Deggers. Really useful comparison. Will be interesting to see the impact of relays....should theoretically improve even more. Iain Quote Link to post Share on other sites
McMuttley Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 i changed mine at the weekend - 3 to 5 minutes per side Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deggers Posted May 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 (edited) So they just go in the existing lamp holes? Dave Hi Dave, yep, it's just a straight swap. As McMuttley says above, less than five minutes each side. Exactly what were your original lamps, Deggers? Glad you liked them Don, many thanks! The previous lamps were Wipac Halogen E11 series 286 20R/02 7370 (no sidelight). Hope that helps. Great photos Deggers. Really useful comparison. Will be interesting to see the impact of relays ... Iain Cheers, Iain, much appreciated! I'm looking forward to seeing the difference too. Bang for your buck, it's certainly a worthwhile purchase - especially at the price EuroCarParts are letting them go for! As and when I get the relays in, I'll be sure to update this thread. Cheers, Deggers Edited October 14, 2017 by Deggers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TorontoTim Posted May 5, 2016 Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 Really informative photos, Deggers! This would make a great contribution to TR Action - send them to Wayne!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 (edited) Did you use the same bulbs in both types of lamps shewn in the test photos? Peter W PS I too have too the Valeo/Cibie Z beam lamps, they replaced Lucas Brighteyes halogen sealed beams, which still work fine - anyone one out there with a concourse V12 E Type wanting an orig pair of headlamps please PM for price. EDIT - These Lucas headlamps are now sold to a TR6 owner. Peter W - Aug 2016 Edited August 27, 2016 by BlueTR3A-5EKT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Larnder Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Hi Deggers I fitted relays into my car and the headlights now are as bright as a modern car. Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
McMuttley Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Hi dave, do yo have a sketch or description of the wiring pattern for installing relays. Cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 (edited) Austin - the easist way is to break into the bullet connections on the drivers side behind the horn. The Blue/white is high beam and Blue/red is low beam. The connection to pin 85 on each relay is the existing feed from the light switch and the connection to pins 87 is the existing feed to the lamps. The 12v connection to pins 30 should be made using heavy gauge wire and connected somewhere near the battery via a 20A fuse. On my car I hid the relays up under the front shroud above the horn, using one of the bolt holes on the reinforcing beam to fix the brackets. Edited May 6, 2016 by RobH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 I have fitted the above lamps with the night breaker bulbs, & am very happy with them using standard wiring. However, if I was to bother to go the relay route, my approach would be a little different: I would route heavy gauge wires from fuse box (ie close to battery / alternator O/P area) to each side of the car - stopping near the horns. These would have permanent 12V on them. They would be connected (near the horns) to two relays per side on pin 30. Headlamp bulb wires would then connect to (say) full beam (blue white) to 87 of one relay, & dipped beam (blue red) to 87 of the other. Same on the other side of the car. Pins 86 on all 4 relays to go to earth. Finally the blue white wires from the dip switch would go to pin 85 of the full beam relays, & the blue red wires to 87 of the dipped beam relays. This allows very low currents to flow through the light switch & the dip switch, & associated wires. The only wires carrying high currents are the new 12V wire, & the wires from relays to bulbs, which are relatively short. Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 (edited) Here are the diagrams I did for Moss some years ago Sidescreen Car I did my car by attaching the relays to the plate that blanks the back of the master cyls. Ran new main power cable via a fuse through the CRT wiper rack blanking hole in the plate. Broke into the cabling at the foot dip switch to trigger the relays and fed back into the loom at the dip switch, using existing vehicle headlamp wires to feed the headlamps. Edited May 6, 2016 by BlueTR3A-5EKT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deggers Posted May 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 This would make a great contribution to TR Action - send them to Wayne!! Cheers Tim! Hadn't thought of that ... I'll see what he thinks! Speaking of contributions to TRAction, I was wondering what lights you decided to put on the 4A for your epic journey along the Alcan? Really enjoyed that article by the way. What an awesome trip! Did you use the same bulbs in both types of lamps shewn in the test photos? Peter W Hi Peter, indeed, they were the same bulbs in both lamps (mainly because they were the only ones I had to hand at the time!). Osram Night Breakers. Cheers, Deggers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 (edited) Peter. Your 4 relay schematic is equivalent to my option above, only by placing the pairs of relays near the lamps (or horns) there is already a junction of wires there, so the only extra wires to run are two brown wires from 12V to the pairs of relays, & black wires to provide an earth for the relay coils. Added advantage is the shortest possible run of high current wires. Bob. Just been thinking about it, & you don't even need to run the new brown wires, because there are already thick brown wires going to the horns, so a simple bit of re-terminating, and the only new wires are the black earth ones. Current drawn by lamps will be in the order of 10A, so the fuse rating will have to be able to support that plus horns. I would be surprised if a standard 35A fuse was not good enough, especially as we are not in the habit of "leaning" on the horn are we ? I think I have just talked myself into doing it ! 4 relays from RS ordered - £10.20 already got the spade terms, should be done Monday afternoon ! will report back Edited May 7, 2016 by Lebro Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 (edited) Only trouble with above is that headlamp current will not show on the ammeter (on Peters schematics, & my text description.) To allow ammeter to show correctly all current flowing to / from the battery the "Brown" wire should connect to the load side of the ammeter, and to comply with the TR wire colour code this wire should be brown with a blue stripe. As I stated above I intend using the +12v wires already going to the horns as my 12V feed to the relays, but I will now slightly alter the wiring on the fuse box so that these wires come from the other side of the ammeter. Bob. P.S. Just re-read the above posts, & have realised that RobH's description is pretty much what I am saying, Must have miss read first time round ! Anyway only real difference is the "current through ammeter" bit. Edited May 7, 2016 by Lebro Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TorontoTim Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 Speaking of contributions to TRAction, I was wondering what lights you decided to put on the 4A for your epic journey along the Alcan? Really enjoyed that article by the way. What an awesome trip! Hi Deggers, The good thing was that we went to the far north in August, so there was a lot of daylight and very little need for exceptional lighting. However, several very early starts on the drive back from Anchorage to Toronto made good lights very helpful in case there were any large animals on the side of the road in the morning dusk - a moose or an elk is VERY big when you're in a TR!! Having said all that, I try to keep everything as close to period, or at least to period appearance, as possible. This means that I don't necessarily have the best because modern rally lamps are much better, but that's the choice I make. My set-up is: Cibie headlamps and Nightbreakers, as in thisthread 2 x Lucas 700 spot lamps with 55W halogen bulbs 2 x Lucas 576 fog lamps with 55W halogen bulbs - these are aimed outwards to light verges and peek around corners! On the recent Winter Alcan, when I was in an old Quattro, the best lighting I saw were big LED bars. Unbelievably bright and clear. But that would look **** on a TR (in my opinion). Cheers, Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dpb Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 Hi Bob. Can you tell me which relays you ordered? regards Dave === Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 (edited) Only trouble with above is that headlamp current will not show on the ammeter (on Peters schematics, & my text description.) To allow ammeter to show correctly all current flowing to / from the battery the "Brown" wire should connect to the load side of the ammeter, and to comply with the TR wire colour code this wire should be brown with a blue stripe. As I stated above I intend using the +12v wires already going to the horns as my 12V feed to the relays, but I will now slightly alter the wiring on the fuse box so that these wires come from the other side of the ammeter. Bob. P.S. Just re-read the above posts, & have realised that RobH's description is pretty much what I am saying, Must have miss read first time round ! Anyway only real difference is the "current through ammeter" bit. My power pick up does not go through the ammeter, so I have no idea what the consumption is. I do have one of these plugged into the cigar/accessory socket to keep a view on the battery voltage http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIGITAL-LED-12V-24V-PLUG-IN-VOLTMETER-for-CAR-TRUCK-MOTORHOME-UK-STOCK-/141982912030?clk_rvr_id=1026568897885&rmvSB=true NB Cheaper ones are available. Peter W PS I have a Racetorations small alternator fitted. Edited May 7, 2016 by BlueTR3A-5EKT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted May 7, 2016 Report Share Posted May 7, 2016 Hi Bob. Can you tell me which relays you ordered? regards Dave === I went for these, as they were fairly cheap, had a mounting tab, & are intended to this type of application. . http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/non-latching-relays/7826953/?searchTerm=7826953&relevancy-data=636F3D3126696E3D4931384E525353746F636B4E756D6265724D504E266C753D656E266D6D3D6D61746368616C6C26706D3D5E5C647B367D247C5E5C647B377D247C5E5C647B31307D2426706F3D313426736E3D592673743D52535F53544F434B5F4E554D4245522677633D4E4F4E45267573743D37383236393533267374613D3738323639353326 Mine will arrive Monday, I have now made up some short extensions to my blue-white, & blue-red wires from dip switch, with spade terms on the end ready for the relays, & have re-wired the horn wires so that they show on the ammeter. I intend to do one side first, then take a photo of the two beams as they show on my white garage door - that should demonstrate whether the extra brightness is apparent. Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rogerguzzi Posted May 8, 2016 Report Share Posted May 8, 2016 I went for these, as they were fairly cheap, had a mounting tab, & are intended to this type of application. . http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/non-latching-relays/7826953/?searchTerm=7826953&relevancy-data=636F3D3126696E3D4931384E525353746F636B4E756D6265724D504E266C753D656E266D6D3D6D61746368616C6C26706D3D5E5C647B367D247C5E5C647B377D247C5E5C647B31307D2426706F3D313426736E3D592673743D52535F53544F434B5F4E554D4245522677633D4E4F4E45267573743D37383236393533267374613D3738323639353326 Mine will arrive Monday, I have now made up some short extensions to my blue-white, & blue-red wires from dip switch, with spade terms on the end ready for the relays, & have re-wired the horn wires so that they show on the ammeter. I intend to do one side first, then take a photo of the two beams as they show on my white garage door - that should demonstrate whether the extra brightness is apparent. Bob. Hello all Or this type and saves wiring a seperate fuse http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111581062672?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted May 8, 2016 Report Share Posted May 8, 2016 Yep, very good did not occur to check out ebay ! Still mine will all go through the standard 35A fuse normally used only for the horns. Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 All 4 relays fitted, But have only wired in the nearside 2 for now. If the rain stops, I will take it out tonight & try to get some photos to compare with & without relay assistance. Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deggers Posted May 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2016 If the rain stops, I will take it out tonight & try to get some photos . . . Looking forward to seeing those Bob - keep us posted! On the recent Winter Alcan, when I was in an old Quattro, the best lighting I saw were big LED bars. Unbelievably bright and clear. But that would look **** on a TR (in my opinion). Many thanks for all the info on the TR4 lights Tim, excellent! Funnily enough, I've been keeping an interested eye on the LED bars from Rigid Industries over the past couple of years ... they've become the leaders of the LED pack by far, and their product list is incredible. The distance range on some of those largest lights is frankly staggering! I agree, they'd look totally **** mounted on the front of a TR . . . But, hmmm, they're SO good! Maybe - just maybe - I could sneak a 10" bar behind the grill on the 3A without anyone noticing??!! Cheers, Deggers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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