7.5 to 10 amp fuse upgrade?

[pinoy325i]

should i upgrade my fuses 13 and 14 from 7.5 amps to 10 amps when i install my DDM HID kit?

[thereisnoyun]

should i upgrade my fuses 13 and 14 from 7.5 amps to 10 amps when i install my DDM HID kit?

you have to, or else one side wont turn on .

[mikeedler]

i never changed any fuses and have had no problems in the last 6 months.

[thereisnoyun]

i never changed any fuses and have had no problems in the last 6 months.

lets go back to what light and what year car so this cna be less distorted.

Cars: 325i sedan 90, 325i cabrio 90
OEM Lighting: Buckets
Lights for HID: Euro Smiley

both require me to up the fuse or else the passenger side bulb would not turn on.

[MR 325]

I didn't upgrade the fuses in either of my cars either... ;)

[M-technik-3]

Neither have I in 3 different model years.

[StereoInstaller1]

I did 200 amp circuit breakers and 0 gauge wire to my HIDs.

They are really bright.

[george graves]

both require me to up the fuse or else the passenger side bulb would not turn on.

That makes no sense what-so-ever. You must have had a fuse with a bad joint in it, and the electrons were slacking off or something.

That's my technical explanation of it anyways.

[thereisnoyun]

That makes no sense what-so-ever. You must have had a fuse with a bad joint in it, and the electrons were slacking off or something.

That's my technical explanation of it anyways.

on both cars? unlikely. inpropable. Though I would like to learn more about it, if you think I'm completely wrong and what I should diagnose or check to see why my light wouldtn turn on with 7.5 amp fuse.

[36brua]

I did 200 amp circuit breakers and 0 gauge wire to my HIDs.

They are really bright.

what? have you started smoking something again ? :roll:
from a reformed smoker

[DJB]

should i upgrade my fuses 13 and 14 from 7.5 amps to 10 amps when i install my DDM HID kit?

How can you call this an "upgrade"?

Re-wiring with a higher cross-section wire would be an upgrade. Changing the fuses to higher amperage ones is just creating a fire hazard.

It's not as BMW decided to save money using a 7.5A fuse when they could have used 10A. Fuses cost the same. They are selected based on the current the wires and components can handle without being a safety hazard.

People that do this usually compound the stupidity by using cheap fuses with thinner blades. The thin blades make poor contact, resulting in heat that makes the contact even worse. The end result is a melt-down in the fuse box.

You should check that you have original-style 7.5A fuses in the fuse box, and that the area doesn't show signs of overheating. If you are burning out 7.5A fuses, use heavier gauge wire.

To wire for more current most people just use an external relay, but you can do a cleaner job by wiring from the fusebox. The load end of the fuse is actually a push-on terminal crimped directly to the headlight wire. You can unscrew the fusebox halves, release the contact with the small screwdriver, and wire directly from there. With thicker wire you can safely run 15A fuses using the original relay and fuse position.

[5KWattson]

I did 200 amp circuit breakers and 0 gauge wire to my HIDs.

They are really bright.

direct? i like to wire in a 220V dryer plug for shits and giggles :P

[Mo Brighta]

Dryer outlet on what?

direct? i like to wire in a 220V dryer plug for shits and giggles :P

Hey, you mean I'm not the only one? Seriously, ... I actually did wire in a 220V Dryer outlet on my BMW K100 (2-wheeler), right above the left footpeg, near the battery.

Used a 50A breaker for circuit protection. Then I made up a 9 foot long cord with the mating plug on one end from an old dryer cordset, and two battery clips on the other end, soldered to color coded 8 gauge wire (red and black, naturally). I used it for jumper cables; when I came across a friend in a car with a dead battery, I gave them a jump and got them started. Very classy, just like a BMW part! The bike came with a 900 watt alternator, put out like 75 amps!

Also worked in reverse, if I got bone-headed and somehow killed the battery on the cycle, I could charge up my battery from another car, then jump start myself with the combination of the new charge in my battery and aided by a boost from their car battery. You may or may not know, the K100 did not come with a kick starter.

Ingenuity, and I am a Yankee to boot!

Andy

[Adrian_Visser]

How can you call this an "upgrade"?

Re-wiring with a higher cross-section wire would be an upgrade. Changing the fuses to higher amperage ones is just creating a fire hazard.

It's not as BMW decided to save money using a 7.5A fuse when they could have used 10A. Fuses cost the same. They are selected based on the current the wires and components can handle without being a safety hazard.

People that do this usually compound the stupidity by using cheap fuses with thinner blades. The thin blades make poor contact, resulting in heat that makes the contact even worse. The end result is a melt-down in the fuse box.

You should check that you have original-style 7.5A fuses in the fuse box, and that the area doesn't show signs of overheating. If you are burning out 7.5A fuses, use heavier gauge wire.

To wire for more current most people just use an external relay, but you can do a cleaner job by wiring from the fusebox. The load end of the fuse is actually a push-on terminal crimped directly to the headlight wire. You can unscrew the fusebox halves, release the contact with the small screwdriver, and wire directly from there. With thicker wire you can safely run 15A fuses using the original relay and fuse position.

Thank you! I am so sick of hearing about people "upgrading" their fuses on HID installs, the fuse is to protect the wire! So it doesn't melt! If you up the fuse up the wire. Chances are going up 3.5 amps won't hurt anything but still...

[Mo Brighta]

Uprating versus Upgrading

Thank you! I am so sick of hearing about people "upgrading" their fuses on HID installs, the fuse is to protect the wire! So it doesn't melt! If you up the fuse up the wire. Chances are going up 3.5 amps won't hurt anything but still...

Amen to that, x2!

Going to a larger fuse is called Up-Rating, not upgrading.

Lots of good reasons to upgrade the wiring to a higher gauge (lower AWG number), none of them have drawbacks unless you get into hyperbole (the extreme, as in the above mentioned 0 gauge dryer outlet setup).

Headlights especially respond very well to thicker wire, since there is a clear relationship between light output, voltage, and wire gauge. Put simply, thicker wire gives brighter lights. And DON'T FORGET GROUND wires. They carry the same current that the power leads carry, and usually more. That's why it's called a circuit. All those electrons gotta get back to the battery somehow. Ground wires often carry return current from both lights on one side, and sometimes from all four lights! If you use brown wire, it will look stock.

Andy