Osram Rallye 65w Ultra High Output H7 Special-Service Bulb

[billschusteriv]

I created this thread to help us capture insights on this halogen bulb (recommended by other automotive and lighting enthusiasts) for your stock setup.

Here is the standard industry line on this bulb:

This bulb, for racing and special-service usage, is the highest-output, most efficient H7 available from anyone! This is a 65-watt bulb (10 more than an ordinary H7) that produces 2100 lumen (700 more than an ordinary H7). Same 500-hour rated lifespan as a good quality standard H7 bulb. Perfect upgrade for motorcycles, racing headlamps, diving lights, agricultural and industrial work lamps.

Note: This product has clear glass and is a direct import from Europe. Beware of Ebay product pictured with blue-coated glass as they are not genuine.

The specifications quote a 500-hour lifespan - which could be roughly translated to the bulb lasting you 500 days... if you drive 1 hour a day with your lights on.

Of course... not all of the bulbs manufacturered will last 500 hours.

[danewilson77]

3 out of 5 stars.....

Droid + Tapatalk = FTW!

[billschusteriv]

There were some preliminary concerns with us burning up or "toasting" our stock wiring harnesses. One of the posts I found on Passatworld.com outlines communications from Daniel Stern (lighting guy) supporting the use of these lights in our stock halogen housings.

The main reason for my Email to you is that I've been discussing my new found illumination on a forum dedicated to VW's and Passats in particular (a little free publicity from a happy customer) and I've run into a couple warnings about the increased wattage:

take them out NOW.
the oem headlights are made for 55 watt, not 65 watt.
you're going to slow-burn your wires like mine have been.

What can you tell me about this well intentioned concern?

I can tell you that it would be a valid concern if you were trying to run any non-spec H7 _other_ than the ones you're running. The only other reputably-made higher-wattage H7 is the Philips 80w item, which has an actual power draw closer to 85w, which is 30w (or 55%) higher than spec and is definitely not compatible with stock wiring. And there are _lots_ of disreputable overwattage H7 bulbs from the Far East, labelled everything from 70w to 100w, all with actual power consumption in the 75w to 110w range. These, too, are not compatible with stock wiring. The Osram 65w H7s you installed, however, tend to be very faithful to the rating in actual power consumption. 10w is less than the actual power consumption of a pair of standard parking lamp bulbs, and is a mere 18% higher than the stock wattage -- well within the tolerances of the car's factory-installed circuitry without trouble.

I've been selling (and using) these in VW/Audi products, including Passats like yours, for about four years now. Never a problem -- not even once. I have had a few people come looking for better H7 sockets after melting the stock ones using other high-power bulbs, thinking they could bull their way past the problem by using a socket tolerant of higher heat; obviously that's along the lines of shoving a cork up the tailpipe to "solve" a smoking engine.

You're running into two things here: 1) There is way too much dangerous junk being sold by way too many vendors promising the earth and not advising of technical problems and incompatibilities 2) There is a wide range of quality and veracity to the advice you get on internet forums. Even assuming every poster has the best of intentions,it's easy for someone who has heard of (or experienced) a wiringfailure due to the use of _some_ kind of overwattage bulb, to generalise that _any_ non-spec bulb will damage the wiring. And then there are the less-pure motives of those who genuinely don't know what they're talking about, but like to feel authoritative. A lot of that on the forums.

You may want to check some of the other threads on the topic on the Vortex:http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothrea...ead?id=3584120

And another Vortex thread:http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3687878

I try to stay off the forums, myself -- too many self-appointed experts, not enough hard facts. Best DS

As stated above, the power consumption will be about ~18% higher with higher wattage bulbs. You can prove this through the use of some electrical theory equations....

P=IV

where:

P=Power (in watts)
I=Current (in amperes)
V=Voltage (in volts)

For the stock 55w bulbs, assuming voltage is constant and rated power consumption on the bulb is as advertised:

P=IV => I=P/V=55w/12v=4.58 amps

For the OSRAM Rallye 65w bulbs, assuming voltage is constant and rated power consumption on the bulb is as advertised:

P=IV => I=P/V=65w/12v=5.42 amps

Then apply a simple ratio... 5.42/4.58 = 1.183 = 118.3% or ~18% higher.

Considering most headlamps are rated at 5 amperes, use of these other bulbs should be fine as Mr. Stern suggests. However, I would suggest that any such failures be recorded here for our fellow family members to use to make an informed and educated decision on their future lighting purchases.

[billschusteriv]

3 out of 5 stars.....

Droid + Tapatalk = FTW!

My fault DW. I pulled your post from the other thread.. I saw OSRAM and I thought it meant the Rallyes... not the Silverstars...

I can't find reviews for these bulbs yet.. still looking...

[shadowpuck]

the candlepower forums should have some writeups on these.
i've been absolutely happy with mine so far; can't comment yet on longevity.....

[billschusteriv]

the candlepower forums should have some writeups on these.
i've been absolutely happy with mine so far; can't comment yet on longevity.....

I did a brief search on those forums and generally found positive reviews and comments on the light ouput, but not a whole lot of data on longevity. So that was my primary motivation in creating this thread - to record install and removal data (mm/dd, miles, estimated hours of use, etc)

BlackBerry. Tapatalk. Fixed.

[shadowpuck]

sounds like a plan - as i have data on mine, i'll update.

[shadowpuck]

thought i'd provide some real world feedback on the rallye's so far.

drove the zhp up to Road America and back last week. The lights were absolutely amazing - especially on the back roads of Wisconsin. I was able to spot deer by the side of the road with plenty of time to react if needed.

[billschusteriv]

My other Silverstar just went out. So I installed both driver and passenger side Osram Rallye H7s last week.

I'll provide mileage and estimated hours of use as I go. Right now I'm driving 4 hours a day, 5 days a week - lights on all the time.

I've got new ZKW lenses and the halogens seem a bit brighter. Looks like my headlights would benefit from being aimed properly.

[shadowpuck]

mine really benefitted from the lenses and bulbs; my alignment looked fine so i didn't mess with it.....
will be interested to see your results. i don't run my lights all the time, only when needed. i have the mileage and date information when i installed the bulbs at home, so i'll track and report as well.