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Recently bought a 1998 NB and delighted with the car but when driving at night I thought the headlights were pretty abysmal at lighting up the road. I dont mind slowing down at night to suit conditions but I really dont know if all NBs have such poor lights or just mine. They are sort of unfocused and have poor depth penetration, reminds of of cars from the 60s or early 70s rather than a quality Japanese car of the 90s. Do I need to fix it or just get used to it?

Lots of people seem to complain about the NB8A headlights but mine seem fine.

Quicksilver wrote:Recently bought a 1998 NB and delighted with the car but when driving at night I thought the headlights were pretty abysmal at lighting up the road. I dont mind slowing down at night to suit conditions but I really dont know if all NBs have such poor lights or just mine. They are sort of unfocused and have poor depth penetration, reminds of of cars from the 60s or early 70s rather than a quality Japanese car of the 90s. Do I need to fix it or just get used to it?

First check their alignment. Its amazing how much brigher they can be if they're aligned properly.

Second, check the wattage of the globe on your car now. They should be 55/65w (lo/hi). If you're considering getting higher wattage globes, be very careful. As some higher wattage globes, can damage your lights (soften/melt bulb mount, discolour the lens and reflector, and burn out your light wiring) due to exceesive heat. Maybe its time to replace the globes.

Third, try cleaning the lens with a purpose built lens/polycarbonate cleaners. Maguiars have one or check your local auto accessories resellers on what's available etc.

Apart from that, the standard MX5 lights will never be as bright as lights on locally built cars. I find the locally made cars (Falcon, Commodore, Camry/Aurion, and until recently Magna/380 etc), have the best lights, in both depth and spread. Fair enough considering they're born and bred here.

Quicksilver- the comments from Hammer are spot on.
Halogen bulbs lose efficiency over their life- I was recently told by a lighting expert that you would expect to see a decline after 60% of the average life time ( as an example only an H4 lamp- is rated at life around 1650hrs)
When you buy replacement bulbs try and buy quality products eg Osram Philips -and as Hammer suggested stay with std wattage- you might be able to get +% bulbs which are still the std wattage but I have not checked if available.
Correct aiming is a must- a beam setter local garage/ auto elec or diy with wall and trial.
Interested to see how you get on and see if you are satisfied with results.

Thanks for your tips guys. I pulled out one globe and appears to be the right one. I'll get a proper aiming check next time I send the car in for service. It did recently pass a safety certificate check but that doesn't mean much (\"oh righto it has lights, what's for lunch?\")

I was surprised at Hammer's comment that Falcodores have the best lights because they are made here. Doesn't it get dark at night in Japan??? On the other hand that tells me it might be all NBs, not just my car.

SM wrote:Lots of people seem to complain about the NB8A headlights but mine seem fine.

mine too

Mine are OK, but that's because I got new lights after a fender prang. The new headlights work better than the old ones. I always figured it was just the reflective material within the headlight unit itself that had gotten dirty/oxidised over the years. Don't know how easy it would be to clean that out though.

Quicksilver the Falcon have Aust designed and manufactured headlamps. Commodore have for many years been made in Korea though size decided in Aust. The Falcon uses separate pockets for low high and high beam with large optically designed dmc reflectors. The performance of these large lamps is sensational and has been for many years. Falcon did have some poor performers soon after the old XD but Ford asked the supplier to design a better lamp which ended up as a bigger unit.
The MX5 is hampered by size and recent cars have projector lamps for low beam and a small pocket for high. The projectors are a terrific lamp for their size and offer a very sharp cut off which some folks feel uncomfortable with ( very little light bleed) PS hid's are good performers but for the family sedan the existing designs using halogen light light sources are far less expensive for OEM's and customers.
Yr comment about rwc's check is often right- my lights were way out when I bought the car and after a quick adjustment on the beam setter the performance increased dramatically.

Thanks for explaining the difference with the local cars lights Mr Morlock. I currently have a VY Commie and had a Camry Altise before that. Both have excellent lights. Following your explanation, I again wonder if my MX has okay lights by MX standards and I have higher expectations from my other cars.

I was surprised at your info regarding globes fading so badly with age. I would have expected their performance to decrease only marginally before they just stopped ltogether. I take your advise as genuine though and will replace the globes sometime soon.

Actually, I very rarely need to drive at night and we generally use the Commie as the daily driver it so the matter is not urgent, but I will continue to chip away at it and go through the motions all of you have recommeded.

Muchas gracias seniors

Quicksilver wrote:... I was surprised at Hammer's comment that Falcodores have the best lights because they are made here. Doesn't it get dark at night in Japan??? On the other hand that tells me it might be all NBs, not just my car.

Its to do with each country's most needed requirements. For instance, Commodores & Camrys going to the Middle-East have bigger cooling systems and more powerful air conditioners than the same cars sold here. We just don't need it as badly as they do.

As for the headlights, I'm think it's got to do with each countries road infrastructure. Powerful headlights are not as essential in Japan, Europe or US as they are here. Must have something to do with their lack of dark unlit secondary or outback style roads.

A good example through personal experience is the Yank built Camry against an Aussie built one. The Aussie version has bigger headlights and uses a higher reflective material. It's also got to do with how Toyota Aust design the reflectors. They give better spread. I've also never seen better OEM hi-beams outside a locally designed car.

That's why I ended up getting these special globes (called HIR - Halogen Infrared Reflecting) for the hi-beam of my NB8B from the US.





They're a good alternative to HID especially if it's a reflective type headlamps. Great buy while we have a strong Aussie $$$.

Have you considered a set of \"Morette\" Aftermarket projector beam headlamps for your Car?
I fitted a set to my NB8A over a year ago and just love driving at night now, they are so good that I rarely use the High Beam.

Just chiming in with a 'no probs with my headlights either'.

I also think my lights are a bit dim (NB8B)

I need to clean my lenses every 3-4 months, they kinda go yellow and hazy in colour.

Im interested in the HIR any pics of HIR vs OEM globe (switched on in the car)?

Quicksilver wrote:Muchas gracias seniors

Who are you calling a senior?



Also interested in the difference to stock Hammer; where could I get some?

Boags'MX5 wrote:

Quicksilver wrote:Muchas gracias seniors

Who are you calling a senior?

Mrs Boags isn't going to thank you for that picture Boagsy