instrument bulb

[weaselnoze]

ok first dont flame please. i searched and couldnt get a consistant answer.  just to verify the number is 158?

[John Bates]

Yup.

more info on bulb

However, high beam indicator is 161.

[weaselnoze]

thanks, just curious why is the highbeam indicator different?  is it brighter/dimmer?

[gsJack]

thanks, just curious why is the highbeam indicator different?  is it brighter/dimmer?

The 158 is 3.4 watt bulb and the dimmer high beam bulb is only 1.7 watt.  

I just changed my speedo and tach bulbs and they didn't have the 158 at AutoZone so I used the more common 3.78 watt 194 bulb.  A tad brighter than the 158, but looked same to me.


http://www.donsbulbs.com/cgi-bin/r/b.pl/194.html

[John Bates]

The 161 is half as bright as the 158.
My guess is because of it's intended use at night it doesen't have to be as bright.

[weaselnoze]

ok last question.  so i went to the store and they didnt have the 158.  will it cause problems if i use a brighter/dimmer bulb?  i dont wanna short anything

[John Bates]

The 158, a 500 hour bulb, is the closest to the Suzuki spec of 3.4 watts that I can find.  

Don't go a lot higher in watts because the wattage is an indication of how hot the bulb gets.  

The 194 and 124 are slightly hotter at 3.78 watts but longer lasting at 1500 hrs and 5000 hrs respectively.

The 124 at 18.9 lumens is not quite as bright as the 158/194 at 25.1 lumens.

Bulb info from Don's Bulbs

[weaselnoze]

well i got some 194's and i'll just throw them in.  we'll see what happens.  oh btw great site for bulb finding mr. bates! thanks