Hey guys, I found a good price on Nokya Arctic White H4 bulbs for my acura 1.6EL but I'm a bit worried about the higher wattage, 100/90 W. The people selling them say that "it's not a problem" but that's what i would expect them to say. Has anyone out there put a bulb of equal or higher wattage to this in their 1.6 or 1.7? If so, how long have you been running them and what car and bulb do you have? I heard that i may be necessary to upgrade the wiring harness. Have you done this? Thanks guys, Dave.

Hi Dave, As far as I know, using the higher wattage bulbs that are not rated to the factory specs may cause damage to your wiring, and also may end up melting the reflector lens inside your headlight. Some end up losing their daytime running lights and blowing some fuses as well. The only solution would be installing a light harness upgrade to handle the increased power. But I don't know if the reflectors can take the added heat. vicman

thanks guys, I think everyone has convinced me. As much as i would like to have that luxury headlamp look, i think i'll stay away from the higher wattage. So long as there is the slightest chance of damage to my headlamps and wiring, i'll steer clear. As usual this group has very helpful. :)

If you're looking to improve the brightness of your headlights, just replace the bulbs and get the H4s rated at the same power ( 55/60w). I would not advise going for cheap "blue" tinted bulbs simply because they actually decrease the amount of light, and don't last long, in foggy days you can't even see, hence the safety factor. Brand name bulbs especially European made ones (Philips. OSRAM, Sylvania) would probably give you a better beam of light, because they have different specs. I've also seen some PIAAs that give decent light but are pretty pricey. Just my 2 cents. vicman

i hear that piaa claims stock wattage but they actually are higher wattage with the same problems of burning out early, heat, and wire melting. anybody with piaa's or other higher wattage bulbs want to comment?

I have Piaa's Plasma white had them installed last year OCT and no problems they have NOT burned out the light is very good and bright white They are stock wattage but dot approved. I got them from an Acura dealer and are warranted also Alidina

Are you sure that they are 100/90W, because that seems unlikely. Usually H4 bulbs are the standard 60/65W or 80/85W. Sometimes manufacturers will market their bulbs as 60/65W but giving the light output equivalent of 100/90W or something like that. Check for the true wattage of the bulbs. If they are 60/65W then you are fine. If they are overwattage bulbs (higher than standard) you may fry your harness, or even the heat build up can melt and distort your headlight housing. If you do use higher wattage bulbs, be sure to upgrade your electrical harness to one that can handle the higher wattage.

I'm not sure why anyone would need to put "high" wattage bulbs in our ELs except for looks. The original H4's are quit good (look at poor Mazda stock bulbs) and I replaced them with PIAA Super whites as an experiment. They stayed because I like the whiter light, more even beam dispersal and actually projected a bit farther down the road. Only time will tell if the cost was really worth it. But they were stock wattage replacements. I'd never go higher wattage than stock without modification... and I don't see the need. Northern Bob

Overwattage bulbs are also illegal I believe. Yeah, I believe in just getting a good premium standard watt bulb. I got Philips Vision Plus and the light is appreciably whiter and the beam it casts is fuller with little or no hot spots. I found the stock bulbs were clearly more yellow and were inconsistent.