# what's the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor



## BillRoberts (Sep 10, 2004)

*what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

What's the brightest H4 type bulb for the Thor?


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## 3rd_shift (Sep 10, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

Some of the Piaa bulbs are a good place to start. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/str.gif
Sylvania "silver" at Walmart may also be a great place to start locally in your neighborhood. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
You may want to keep the wattage where it is in favor of just simply using more efficient shorter lived high performance halogens for the bigger WOW factor.


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## BillRoberts (Sep 10, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

Is the stock bulb a 95 watt or 55 watt?

I was under the impression that automative bulbs are only 55 watts.


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## 3rd_shift (Sep 10, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

My bad. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif 
Your stock thor bulb is likely a 100 watt.
Most Thors reportedly came with those.
There are many aftermarket super performance H4 bulbs that are "for off road use ony" that people still buy and put in thier cars anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon8.gif
It's these off road super performance 100 - 130 watt bulbs you want in order to really light up off road areas with your handheld car. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Be sure to use a bit of bulb grease too to keep the contacts from holding back performance and getting warm. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif


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## Sway (Sep 10, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

Bill,

Have you thought of modding your Thor to HID this will be brighter than any off the shelf automotive replacement lamp you can find and will extend your run time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Later
Sway


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## NewBie (Sep 10, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

The stock 10MCP Thor bulb is a high end halogen bulb, much better than you will find in the majority of automotive stores. 

The datasheet for the bulb used says 2900 lumens. There is drop in the wiring/switches/connectors, and in the battery output voltage under load.

In any case, the Thor doesn't even operate the bulb close to it's 13.2V specification.

I have a copy of the datasheet here:
http://www.molalla.net/~leeper/12569p~1.pdf

Think you need at least a 35W HID to basically match the Thor's lumens, most 35W HIDs are 3200 lumens to the eye.

The higher K temp of the HID does make it look brighter, or at least until you mod the Thor....


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## BillRoberts (Sep 11, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

Which would be brighter







Brand New in Protective Boxes 
GP Thunder
8500K
Plasma-White
Quartz Glass Bulbs
Ion Coating
Brighter! Whiter! Sharper! and Safer!


Unbelievable 8500K Plasma White
High Wattage
H4 100W/90W
Plasma Xenon Headlight Low/High Beam Bulbs/Fog Light/Running Light
The Best Plasma Xenon Bulbs on the Market 
Guarantee the Best bulbs you will ever get! 
Produces only white light with a light Blue Tint!!
Supreme Quality



OR a Silverstar. 
Description 
Brand new Sylvania SilverStar H4 Bulb still factory sealed in original retail packaging.


it looks like the silverstar is onlt 55 Watts


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## bwaites (Sep 11, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

Neither is brighter than the stock.

To get a brighter H4, you'll have to get one of the overdrive models from Daniel Stern lighting.

The bulb with the Thor is a pretty good bulb!

Bill


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## NewBie (Sep 11, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

I've tried several of the "high-performance" bulbs from various places, and have yet to find anything that comes close to the stock Thor bulb.

Yes, the bulb in the Thor is a very special bulb in it's own right. It really is *alot* better than how they implemented it. In the Thor, the stock bulb is underdriven by 24 Watts, of it's 100 Watt rating. Under driven halogens loose alot of lumens fast. So I built a boost to bring up the voltage to the proper point, then got to thinking...here is the result:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=683149


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## BillRoberts (Sep 11, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

My stock bulb seems to only use the lower half of the reflector when used on low, (I pretty much get a half moon shape beam, with the flat side to the horizon) is this normal?


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## thevirusunknown (Sep 11, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

Yes, thats perfectly normal.


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## chmsam (Sep 11, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

There are H4 bulbs that run well over 100 watts. Hella has 130/90 watt bulbs, both white and yellow star, used for rally cars.


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## iddibhai (Sep 11, 2004)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

jar, i'd love to hear what you think of the 130/100 when you get a chance.


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## Spypro (Dec 16, 2007)

*Re: what\'s the brightest replacement bulb for the Thor*

I know that it is an old thread but I found myself playing with my Thor (15m / 130w bulb) yesterday and I was thinking about changing the stock bulb for a brighter one.
I have two questions:
1. What bulbs would make a good difference in brightness ?
2. If changing the stock bulb do not make a big difference, what are the possible mods I can apply to this big Cyclop guy ?

Thanks!


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## Patriot (Dec 16, 2007)

The brightness of these lights is primarily dependent on bulb wattage. If you search the internet for H4 bulbs I believe they go up to 150W. The one I have is a 90W/135W. The only problem is that anything beyond a 130W-135W would really cause enormous sag to the SLA battery and probably wouldn't be any brighter. As far as moding goes, the battery is the weak point and would be the starting place for improving the light in any dramatic way.


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## Ra (Dec 17, 2007)

If you don't want to mod it to HID, among others, two options are mentionable:

Pull out the SLA-battery, and overdrive the stockbulb with high power NiMh's or Li-Ion's and high gauge wireing.. These are relatively long life bulbs, so can be overdriven quite much.. However, I don't know how much.. Maybe one of the hotwire guyzz can help you with this (or you can use the hotrater program).

You also can mod the bulb-mount and use the 3600 lumens Osram HLX 64625 bi pin (GY 6.35) 100watt projection bulb. (with the option to replace the SLA for NiMh or Li-Ion as well, and slightly overdrive the bulb)

This last mod has the disadvantage of a smaller filament: Throw may decrease due to imperfections in the shape of the stock-reflector! The bigger the filament, the more of these imperfections are overcome by the filament-size.. 
However, this throw decrease is not compared to the stock bulb situation: The throw you gain with the HLX is much more than you ever would lose due to imperfections in the reflector-shape.
In other words: This throw decrease is compared to the best throw you would be able to get with the HLX and a perfectly shaped reflector..

Lumens-output is not affected by imperfections in the reflector-shape !


Regards,

Ra.


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## scott.cr (Dec 17, 2007)

I will have to agree with Ra about using the "HLX" projection lamps... they are very efficient, high-output lamps. However, their rated lifetime is short, around 50 hours for most, including the 64625 Ra mentioned. But at around $2.25 each, you can have 10 spares on hand.

The stock lamp in the Thor is a Sylvania Halopower made specifically for spotlights. It is rated at 65W low beam, 130W high beam, that is at 13.8V. The Thor's battery voltage will sag much below 12V, so the bulb is underdriven at all times, as it would with the HLX projection lamp.

If you want to boost your Thor's output, best way IMHO is to upgrade the battery first, the lamp second.


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## roopeseta (Dec 17, 2007)

Go to ebay and find some chinese 50w hid sets for under 100 dollars. Then installl that and there you go. I have the thor 10mcp and i was thinking of doing that mod but im still considering between that and if i buy an empty car light and install the hid in that and use that as a flashlight, hehe.


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## carlo2305 (Dec 19, 2007)

Based on my experience on halo bulbs, one of the best is the 100/90W Philips. When turning it off, the inside becomes blueish for a few secs. In terms of output the highest I found is the IPF 170/100W, but it doesn't supply more light than the Philips and it's over the battery capacity. I even found a strange H4-base bulb with one filament only (horizontal, like in the H3) rated at 210W. It was used on a US "**** Cepek" off-road huge rectangular lamp. It's for sure the most powerful I've tried but: a) re-wiring cables is a must, after few secs they're too hot, b) suspect its life is veeery short.
Remember, best light output is from clear bulbs, avoid blue, yellow or similar tinted bulbs, they absorb brightness.


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## Spypro (Dec 26, 2007)

Well... I already have a [email protected] and it is freaking bright... but I like a lot my Cyclop for its throw capacity. So I think I'll try a new bulb but I don't know what to use. I think I'll change the battery for a pack of nimh.... or I'll buy an HID in the end.


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## Patriot (Dec 26, 2007)

By the time you start exchanging battery types, bulbs and modifying wiring, you might want to just consider purchasing a Costo/Harbor Freight, Power on Board, or N30 Batteryjunction HID. It might save you time and money in the end.


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