[Stock323iSaloon]

Hi all, I drive a stock UK E46 323i Saloon 1999 and I am thinking about replacing my headlight bulbs with 100w 'HID look' ones as I have been told that they are much brighter than the direct replacement 55w 'Xenon-gas halogens' cheapos you can get on eBay. If I was to replace the bulbs (both low&dip), would I just need to replace fuses with a 10amp ones (100w/12v= 8.33) in the glove compartment? Or is there anything else I need to do? Will the wires be ok, or are they likely to melt or something? Before anyone asks, I can't afford the Xenon upgrade kit Any help will be much appreciated!

 

[Ajay213]

I'd say it's going to be a huge gamble to put 100W bulbs in there, you are effectively doubling the power requirements, and I doubt if BMW designed a 100% safety margin in the wiring. Now you could go direct to the battery through a relay or two, but if you don't have any experience with wiring up such circuits you'll probably fry something.

Also keep in mind that you are going to increase the amount of heat the bulbs put off and you will likely melt the housing's of your headlights.

Check out - http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/good/good.html
Here's a good upgrade path for you;
For those who want the best possible performance from their headlamps and are more concerned with their ability to see rather than the appearance of their headlamps, the major bulb companies offer optimized bulbs WITHOUT the light-stealing blue coloration. Sylvania Xtravision (in the pink-and-black package), Osram Super and SilverStar(outside North America only!); Philips High Visibility (North America), Premium and Vision Plus (outside North America); Narva RangePower are the ones to look for.

 

[bradleyg]

Wow...100W bulbs? I've heard of someone burning up some wires with 75W bulbs. Too risky if you ask me. The car's wiring was not designed for those. Sorry, but if you want the HID look, then get some HIDs....that's my advice. You can still get some nice looking bulbs like the SPP superwhites that are very high quality and won't ruin your wiring.

 

[acitydweller]

you will produce so much heat in the lamp casing that the clear plastic will start to crack over time.

 

[Stock323iSaloon]

you will produce so much heat in the lamp casing that the clear plastic will start to crack over time.

Thanks for all the advice. I think I will save up for a HID kit (can get them for about 180 GBP for 6000K, 200GBP for 8000K) Thanks!