Will I blow these bulbs?

[COdsm]

So I just got white front side markers, went to get amber 168 bulbs, but it turns out they don't come in amber, but 194s do, which are the same bulb, just 3.8W instead of 4.9W but the same voltage.

So will these bulbs blow because they would receive too much power? I've done some research but I can't seem to find the answer I'm looking for... I'm not any sort of electrical genius, so if the answer is obvious, please forgive me

Thanks in advance for help.

 

[GSLENK]

short answer no.

watts is a measure of power. it is equal to voltage multiplied by amps. Without getting too technical, as long as you are at appropriate voltage levels, they will not blow for a while. being an incandescent filament light bulb, they will eventually wear out. lifespan is determined by number of on/off cycles, and elapsed time being on.

In this case, that bulb has a designed voltage drop across it. this is because of its internal resistance. this gives rise to a difference in potential and thus a current through it. V=IR (for ohmic resistors) roughly describes the relationship.

They will not blow easier from normal use. They may be a tad dimmer.

 

[COdsm]

short answer no.

watts is a measure of power. it is equal to voltage multiplied by amps. Without getting too technical, as long as you are at appropriate voltage levels, they will not blow for a while. being an incandescent filament light bulb, they will eventually wear out. lifespan is determined by number of on/off cycles, and elapsed time being on.

In this case, that bulb has a designed voltage drop across it. this is because of its internal resistance. this gives rise to a difference in potential and thus a current through it. V=IR (for ohmic resistors) roughly describes the relationship.

They will not blow easier from normal use. They may be a tad dimmer.

Thanks, I can mark this as resolved I should know most of this, as I was supposed to have learned this in Physics I think the clear/white lens should allow more light through so it will probably offset the dimness (is that a word? ) of the new bulb.

Again many thanks for the beyond adequate answer.

 

[GSLENK]

yes, a bulb with a higher wattage rating, and without any light blocking filter (amber paint) on it will be brighter because of both of the 2 previously stated reasons.

Following your logic directly:
Need signal bulbs.
Go to store
find 168, do not exist in amber
Lower watt 194s exist in both amber, and white-ish color.

if you bought 194 whites, then I do not follow, they are white and "dimmer" than comparable 168's

If you bought 168 whites, then they are brighter, and white, and thus even a little brighter than a comparable amber which does not exist.

 

[COdsm]

yes, a bulb with a higher wattage rating, and without any light blocking filter (amber paint) on it will be brighter because of both of the 2 previously stated reasons.

Following your logic directly:
Need signal bulbs.
Go to store
find 168, do not exist in amber
Lower watt 194s exist in both amber, and white-ish color.

Correct, I bought amber 194s. To illuminate the clear side marker, amber.

 

[GSLENK]

You may be able to notice the difference b/t amber bulbs of 3.8w and 4.9w on a work bench with constant lighting, however, I doubt you will or others looking at your car will ever tell the difference at all. day or night. good choice.

 

[COdsm]

You may be able to notice the difference b/t amber bulbs of 3.8w and 4.9w on a work bench with constant lighting, however, I doubt you will or others looking at your car will ever tell the difference at all. day or night. good choice.

Cool, again, many thanks.

 

[isantop]

So I just got white front side markers, went to get amber 168 bulbs, but it turns out they don't come in amber, but 194s do, which are the same bulb, just 3.8W instead of 4.9W but the same voltage.

So will these bulbs blow because they would receive too much power? I've done some research but I can't seem to find the answer I'm looking for... I'm not any sort of electrical genius, so if the answer is obvious, please forgive me

Thanks in advance for help.

There's a lot of confusion out there regarding Voltage, Amperage, and Wattage.

WARNING! TECHNICAL (but useful) INFO BELOW:

To get the Watts of a circuit, you take the Volts from the power supply times the Amps from the devices. This gives you the total Wattage of a circuit.

Power sources (batteries, alternators, generators, transformers, etc.) put out voltage at a certain level. Some stuff is designed to operate at different voltages, but pretty much everything for cars will work at between 12 and 15 Volts.

Power sources don't push out Amps. Amps are drawn by devices on the circuit. So, it's not really possible to blow a lamp (or any other electrical component) by going with a lower Wattage version; the lower Wattage one will simply draw less power on the circuit. Lamps manifest this by being dimmer at lower Wattages.

Following the above formula for Wattage, you can reverse-engineer it and get a formula for either Voltage or Amperage. In your case, the stock lamps operate at 4.9W:

4.9 Watts/13 Volts = ~375 Milliamps.

The important thing with cars and Amperage is not to go higher than the amperage of the stock components (without upgrading the wiring) since more power generates more heat and leads to a higher chance of melting insulation and starting fires. So with your new lamps:

3.8 Watts/13 Volts = ~300 Milliamps.

Since this is lower, you'll be drawing less power and aren't in danger of melting any wires.