OSRAM 65w Rallye AND Upping Voltage?

Jetta_Pilot

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When I got my car at the end of May I was disappointed in the headlights, in fact I thought that they suck !!!

I replaced the low beam with Sylvania H7 SilverStar zXe bulbs.
A difference like day and night.
I also changed the high beam to Sylvania Ultra bulbs. Also a great improvement over stock!

Now having read this thread I think I'll get a set of those
Osram Rallye H7+. Found some on eBay for a very good price.
So now I have to decide whether I just want to switch out the low only or go for all 4 bulbs.

I can always keep the others for spares in the wheel well in case a bulb burns out.
 

sohccammer427

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2015 Passat SE TDi 6 Speed Manual
OSRAM h7 Rallye 65w

I just installed four of these this past weekend. Very simple to install. Just remember not to touch the glass part of the bulb. I wore some blue nitrite gloves.
.
The factory 55w H7 bulbs were Osram also. Actually they were different part numbers for the low and high beam? One had a "L" in the part number.
.
The factory voltage for the head lamps was 12.8 volts. I raised it to 13.0 volts. Not had a chance to test them at night yet.
.
btw... What exactly is the bulb life extension feature? I did not mess with that setting at all. Just went to 13 volts.
 

Jetta_Pilot

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I just installed four of these this past weekend. Very simple to install. Just remember not to touch the glass part of the bulb. I wore some blue nitrite gloves.
.
The factory 55w H7 bulbs were Osram also. Actually they were different part numbers for the low and high beam? One had a "L" in the part number.
.
The factory voltage for the head lamps was 12.8 volts. I raised it to 13.0 volts. Not had a chance to test them at night yet.
.
btw... What exactly is the bulb life extension feature? I did not mess with that setting at all. Just went to 13 volts.
Interesting, the " L " on the bulb. I'll have to check the original bulbs I removed to see if they have that marking.

As for the bulb life extension, it is my understanding that the tail and headlights are getting a reduced voltage. The rest of the car gets alternator/voltage regulator output voltage.
 

740GLE

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with all original bulbs in the jetta and the passat, I'm too impressed with their length of service to be sacrificing the coin for shorter life just to throw more light down the road.

Anyone want to chime in how many hours the have on their upgraded set and at what voltage?
 

sohccammer427

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2015 Passat SE TDi 6 Speed Manual
Anyone want to chime in how many hours the have on their upgraded set and at what voltage?
.
Standard OEM H7 : 55w, 1400 lumen, 3200K, 300 - 450 hours
.
Osram Rallye H7+ : 65w, 2100 lumen, 3200K, 300 - 400 hours
.
So to me lamp life is not an issue.
.
At the factory voltage setting on my Passat, 12.8v the 55 watt bulbs pulled 4.3 amps. The 65w lamps at 13v pulls 5.0 amps. Increasing the voltage will reduce the amp draw, so I may bump them up to 13.2 That would be 4.9 amps. A negligible difference.
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I believe the low beam circuits are are protected by a 15 amp fuse each side and the high beams are 10 amp each side? Someone can verify? And if the purpose of the fuse is to protect the wiring, a 5 amp draw, each bulb, (13v @ 65w) will in no way come close to overloading the circuit. I wondered about the wiring myself at first and then thought about the circuit breakers (fuses).
 

VeeDubTDI

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I got really happy, then really freaked out for a second there...

I saw Vw Norm's postings and I thought this was a recent thread and thought the news of him passing was a hoax or maybe just a coincidence.
What?? I totally missed that Norm passed away. That's unfortunate, as he was a great asset to the community. RIP.

His last login date was November 27, 2014. I must have been living under a rock. :(
 

740GLE

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.
Standard OEM H7 : 55w, 1400 lumen, 3200K, 300 - 450 hours
.
Osram Rallye H7+ : 65w, 2100 lumen, 3200K, 300 - 400 hours
.
Thanks for the book values of the bulbs, anyone have real world experience with long life?

By those numbers, I've crushed the stock OEM bulb life on the jetta at 127K miles, 30% night driving even at 55mph avg, that's over 700 hours on the bulbs.

Say "Installed them back in 2013 and put on over +50K on the bulbs, with prob 30% night driving?"
 

Jetta_Pilot

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Just for whatever it's worth, I did replace the original bulbs on the low beam with Sylvania Silverstar zXe and there is no rating of life other than warrantied for 12 months.

The high beams replaced with Sylvania Silverstar Ultra. Life expectancy is rated as 85 hours. Warrantied for 12 months.

I figured I use low beam more than high beam so I installed the slightly better bulbs on low beam. But I can honestly say that the difference is like night and day compared to stock. Much brighter/whiter light and longer distance after setting the lights properly. I'm guessing as to the bulbs being between 5000 k and 6000 k color.

They claim on the Ultra package that the average driver uses low beam for about 100 hours per year.
 

rustycat

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seattle
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2015 passat sel
Having discovered, sob, that my beloved Osram 65W Rallye H7s that I had on our 13 Passat are now discontinued I am wondering what bulb is of the same characteristic. Please, no projection bulbs, just a drop-in replacement is all I want.

Your Car’s Headlights are Probably Terrible: IIHS
By Steph Willems on March 30, 2016

2012 Volkswagen Passat SEL 2.5, Exterior, headlights, Picture courtesy of Alex L Dykes

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has started rating headlights, and just released a report that takes a dim view on the performance of most midsize cars.

Only one vehicle out of 31 testers earned a rating of “good” from the road safety nonprofit, with the bulk of midsize vehicles earning a rating of “marginal” or “poor.”

The results are even less dazzling when you take into account optional lighting packages, which pushed the number tested to 82. Even then, it was only the LED-equipped advanced technology package on the Toyota Prius V that earned the IIHS’s acclaim.“If you’re having trouble seeing behind the wheel at night, it could very well be your headlights and not your eyes that are to blame,” said David Zuby, IIHS vice president and chief research officer, in a statement.

The headlight test, performed at the Vehicle Research Centre in Ruckersville, Virginia, recorded the illumination of nighttime road obstacles by regular low beam settings from five different approach angles. It also measured glare for oncoming vehicles.

When the results were in, researchers found the results didn’t discriminate along class lines, or nationality. The headlight performance of many luxury vehicles were outclassed by cheaper models.

The bottom of the headlight barrel are the halogen eyes on a BMW 3 Series. It was only optional equipment that allowed BMW to climb up into the “marginal” category.

“A driver with those headlights would have to be going 35 mph or slower to stop in time for an obstacle in the travel lane,” the IIHS said of the standard halogen setup.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class and CLA earned a solid “poor rating,” as did the Cadillac ATS. Among lesser price tags, the Chevrolet Malibu scored poorly, but so did the Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Nissan Altima and Volkswagen Passat.

The Subaru Legacy, Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry made it into the “marginal” category, where they share space with the aforementioned Bimmer (plus the 2 Series), Audi A4, Acura TLX, and Lincoln MKZ.

Earning an “acceptable” rating were the Mazda6, Infiniti Q50, Nissan Maxima, Honda Accord, Lexus ES and IS, Volkswagen Jetta and CC, Subaru Outback, and Volvo S60.

Despite advances in road illumination — high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, LEDs and curve-adaptive headlights — the poor results mean technology still hasn’t caught up to real world driving scenarios.

With the IIHS now breathing down their necks over headlights, expect automakers to frantically upgrade their badly performing models before next year to avoid embarrassment
 

740GLE

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but does IIHS also rate trucks with HID, no levelers and 500Lbs in the bed, blinding people 2 counties away?

Toss on glazed 9 year old lenses that deflect the light everywhere but the road, its amazing how more people don't get in accidents from these POS lights.

I'm all for making things better but so many times its at a sacrifice for other drivers.
 

turbobrick240

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Silverstar Ultras are brighter, longer lived, and cheaper than the ZXE H7's. The ZXE is for those who want whiter looking light rather than more effective lighting.
 

Jetta_Pilot

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A year ago after trying Silverstar bulbs and paying big bucks for them I found H7 "OSRAM" 80 watt bulbs on eBay. I lucked out and a seller had a pack of 10 for $39.00 shipped to me.
Have a set of 4 going since a year ago July. None burned out yet and I have the voltage to the bulbs and tail lights maxed out by VCDS. Lots of light for night time use.


eBay link
 

turbobrick240

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A year ago after trying Silverstar bulbs and paying big bucks for them I found H7 "OSRAM" 80 watt bulbs on eBay. I lucked out and a seller had a pack of 10 for $39.00 shipped to me.
Have a set of 4 going since a year ago July. None burned out yet and I have the voltage to the bulbs and tail lights maxed out by VCDS. Lots of light for night time use.


eBay link
I wouldn't use any 80 watt h7 without upgrading the wiring first.
 

rustycat

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Location
seattle
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2015 passat sel
A year ago after trying Silverstar bulbs and paying big bucks for them I found H7 "OSRAM" 80 watt bulbs on eBay. I lucked out and a seller had a pack of 10 for $39.00 shipped to me.
Have a set of 4 going since a year ago July. None burned out yet and I have the voltage to the bulbs and tail lights maxed out by VCDS. Lots of light for night time use.


eBay link
Thanks, did a quick search and couldn't find any of those bulbs currently on Ebay.
I did find the following info on lights, and if anyone wants to comment on their experience with any of the bulb listed it would be appreciated:
http://bestheadlightbulbs.com/best-halogen-headlight-bulbs-2017/
 

Jetta_Pilot

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rustycat

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2015 passat sel
A year ago after trying Silverstar bulbs and paying big bucks for them I found H7 "OSRAM" 80 watt bulbs on eBay. I lucked out and a seller had a pack of 10 for $39.00 shipped to me.
Have a set of 4 going since a year ago July. None burned out yet and I have the voltage to the bulbs and tail lights maxed out by VCDS. Lots of light for night time use.


eBay link
Thanks for the info, don't know what the heck I was looking for. BTW, is this the same bulb and used 4 of the same?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Osram-Super...ash=item1a21cd0da6:g:AykAAOSw44BYTysa&vxp=mtr
 

turbobrick240

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Using 80 watt bulbs with the factory wiring is a very bad idea. Even 65 watts is borderline imo.
 

thundershorts

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Rustycat, Osram night breakers laser are great, far superior to the sylvanias about 4300k very white. they are filled with pure xeon gas rather than a mix. I've been using night breakers for years. The lasers only come h4 and h7. cost about 32/pair and well worth it.
 

thundershorts

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Raising voltage with night breakers probably isn't necessary or desirable as it may/will shorten bulb life. Its a challenge for manuf to build a brighter/better bulb within the 55w legal constraints. I think 60w is stll the legal limit for high beams.
 

Jetta_Pilot

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Pick what you like in my link.
As I've said I've been using these bulbs since last July with the voltage upped to limit. Great night vision.

There was a discussion about this a year ago and someone pointed out the actual amperage drawn is very little more than the factory bulbs, maybe about 0.75 more amps so no wiring issue!

Regardless what someone does there are always "nay sayers"!
 

turbobrick240

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The difference between 55w and 80w bulbs is a little over 2 amps per bulb. That may sound trivial, but that wiring is a very small gauge size. I bet if you touched the wires (with 80w bulbs)after a long night drive they would be nice and toasty.
 

New Mickey

The user formerly known as mickey
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The 65w bulbs are no longer being manufactured, and there are a lot of cheap ripoffs out there. Buyer beware. Daniel Stern is trying to develop a source for quality 65w bulbs but doesn't have anything yet.

The gold standard for bulbs right now is the Philips X-Treme Vision, or the Osram equivalent. Noticeably brighter. Bear in mind that they are not only very expensive but actually have a SHORTER lifespan than other quality bulbs with less light output. They have to burn hotter to make more light for the same legal 55w.

I had no idea the voltage was adjustable. That's done with VAG-COM, I assume? (Or whatever Uwe calls it these days?)

-mickey
 

Jetta_Pilot

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Copied from the TUAREG forum website:

Do you want brighter headlights?
One of the complaints about T1/T2 headlights from some owners is how poor they are, notably the low beam [or dipped beam for other parts of the world]. I've said in the past that they are nigh-on dangerous on dark, wet roads which is why I have aftermarket HIDs.

Cruising the www tonight whilst thinking about putting some driving lights on the car, I found some threads on the use of 65 watt H7s and 65W/70W H4s which were interesting as I have cars that could use both. I see the H7s, for example, give 2,100 lumens versus the standard 1,400 [and, yes, I know they're for "off road use" only!]. For an extra 10 watts, that's a big increase if the wiring really will take it as suggested.

But following one of the links to see what the chat was about these bulbs I stumbled across the thread below wherein it appears that by using VCDS you can increase the voltage to the headlights to improve the light output which, if this is correct, makes me wonder just what voltage Touaregs draw as standard and whether low voltage, or even lower than factory setting voltage, is the cause of the complaints.

http://forums.tdiclu...ad.php?t=357812

Can anyone with VCDS and a T1/T2 have a look at this? I've lifted one post wherein the guy can increase the voltage on the rear lights too. Standard voltage appears to 12.6V and the suggestion is to sacrifice some bulb life and go for 13.6V rather than the 13.0V below.

QUOTE:

Since folks have been asking me the VCDS path to do the 13 volts, here you go:

09- Central Elect.
Long Coding Helper
Byte 19
Bit 0-3 (Pull Down Choice 08 for 13.0 volts)

While there, suggest:
Byte 19
Bit 4-7 (Pull Down Choice 80 for tail lights 13.0 volts)

Edit JP: I have my voltage set to NO bulb saver instead of 13 volts and have been using my Osram bulbs for a year now. Of course the high beams get much less use than the low beams.
 

jrm

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I ran Philips X-Treme Vision in my other rigs and had poor bulb life- under a year- my home is located at the end of a long gravel road so I figured the vibration is what did them in so early. Great bulb light though :D
 

New Mickey

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I ran Philips X-Treme Vision in my other rigs and had poor bulb life- under a year- my home is located at the end of a long gravel road so I figured the vibration is what did them in so early. Great bulb light though :D
All other things being equal a brighter bulb will have a shorter life. The Philips/Osram bulbs are very high quality, which helps get as much life out of them as possible, but the reason they're brighter is that the filaments are thinner. Vibration doesn't help, but I think you can safely assume that if you get a year out of a set you're doing well.

I run cheap low beams so they'll lost longer, and expensive high beams because that's when I really need the extra light.

-mickey
 

rustycat

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seattle
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All other things being equal a brighter bulb will have a shorter life. The Philips/Osram bulbs are very high quality, which helps get as much life out of them as possible, but the reason they're brighter is that the filaments are thinner. Vibration doesn't help, but I think you can safely assume that if you get a year out of a set you're doing well.
I run cheap low beams so they'll lost longer, and expensive high beams because that's when I really need the extra light.
-mickey
I suspect my eyes are in worst shape than yours, as I really need better visibility on the low beams when I'm facing coming traffic, rainy roads and cataracts that cause some glare issues.
 
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