Series 3 Elise bulb upgrade

[Shortfork]

  Hi has any one upgraded there headlight bulbs if so what brand and where to obtain I have tried Michiba Super White but there are worse than original it seems nothing fits. Cheers 

[Mike150]

I bought Osram nightbreaker laser in HB3 for the full beam in my 2019 Elise. You need bigger rubber boots to cover them as the plug comes in at 90deg rather than the straight originals, these can be bought on Ebay for a few pounds but....................

The main beam was a bit better, about 20% but the pattern was broken up so overall it wasn't much better, I was surprised, I expected about a 50% better beam and I wasn't expecting the beam to be scattered.

[Shortfork]

Cheers someone sourced me some Michiba super white bulbs but it was about 30 per cent worse than originals think I stick with them.

[milesofsmiles]

Hi, I've just added a bulb from Classic Car LED.  So far they seem great and well made.  My main beam matches the white of the DRL's now.  I bought these after finding good reviews from Classic car owners who had long term experience of the product.  So hopefully they proves to be great for a few years.  Importantly the throw is great, as they are made to work as if they were a bulb.  So no binding oncoming traffic or not lighting up the road.  

[Trebor_UK]

On 22/09/2021 at 15:43, milesofsmiles said:

Hi, I've just added a bulb from Classic Car LED.  So far they seem great and well made.  My main beam matches the white of the DRL's now.  I bought these after finding good reviews from Classic car owners who had long term experience of the product.  So hopefully they proves to be great for a few years.  Importantly the throw is great, as they are made to work as if they were a bulb.  So no binding oncoming traffic or not lighting up the road.  

What bulbs did you get, and are you still pleased with he results over the stock halogen candles?

[milesofsmiles]

Hi, From the few LED/HID additions to cars over the last few years, they seem well made.  When I phoned them to order they said that they only sell what will works for the long term.  What will keep its colour temp and output, etc.. when I was asking about a 100w equivalent instead of the standard wattage.  They said they didn't do it in this bulb as they haven't tested it.

I found them because of multiple satisfied customers in their original marketplace - old cars seriously needing an up grade.

My findings - they are white and match the DRL's which is nice.  They are brighter than what I had... but... they are not bright.  Not by a modern car standard.  However I do think they are making the best of the light units that Lotus use. The led is supposed to be made to a spec that allows the light pattern to match the bulb output, preventing the usual issue.

Summary - I'm happy they look modern, match the DLR's and my black car.  But I'm disappointed that the best I've tried so far is still down on my expectations and its ability to light up the road satisfactorily. In the driveway against the garage door, they are noticeably better, but on the road the brightness doesn't translate to much of a difference. I'd think that a more powerful bulb is prop baby what's required. How that would deal with heat generated is the then, unknown factor.  But its not a problem, as I've not found an uprated bulb in that model. 

I know I've given you a warm response to the led's.  They are better, just not by much.  Hope that helps

 

[IDEngineer]

Hello from the States! We've recently purchased a 2011 Elise SC (which is the only year we got the S3's here) and I'm going through this headlight saga right now.

As noted above, standard HB3 (the non-A suffix) bulbs do not work with the standard rubber boot. Over here those are known as 9005 (right angle) or 9005xs (straight connector). I have some HB3A's on order now.

My two goals are to improve the color temperature of the light (the factory bulbs are way too amber) and, more importantly, improve the light pattern. The pattern is awful from both the main beams and the dip beams. To make matters worse, the alignment between main and dip beams is fixed in these headlight assemblies and it's far, far from ideal.

Has anyone worked out a solution for these issues? I can't be the first Elise S3 owner to want to fix the headlights.

Thanks!

[LePringle]

I'm in the same situation now and winter is not just fast approaching, it's already here. My Elise's right-hand low beam is down and out, not sure whether to replace it with a new stock bulb or upgrade... Help, anyone?