kmascotto

I read several threads about the difference between H4 and H5 8 inch lights. I need some opinions. Are these H4's or H5's??

thanks in advance
k

Alan

They are H5s - you can see from the aiming nubs on the front face - H4s do not have this. H4s also have a clearly defined horizontally aligned wedge cast into the lens on one side - they are an asymmetrical pattern - they also have an easy to read "H4" cast into the middle of the lens.

H5 also says DOT on the lens while H4 does not.

Alan

kmascotto

Shoot, I was hoping they were H4's. Thanks for the Clarity Alan.

Randy V

Aren't those tile floors cold in your bare feet, Kent?

I know most of Ontario got socked with that storm this week.

DougM

Whats up with the paper in the upper left and what is written on it?
"red circles"
"kill woody"
"slicing a dog"

SMTCapeCod

glad the belly was pushing out the t-shirt.

Hope it was the belly.


^^^^REDRUM REDRUM REDRUMm

Well, hey she drives a lexus whatcanyado.

Landseer

Those H5s are a little less broadbeamed, but its not such a difference that you should take it out on the dog like that. Kent, it'll be ok. Really.

Alan

Ahh - but it's not so much about the broadness of the beam - it's all about the sharp cutoff

Alan

linderpat

Alan, if you mean those nubs on the top edge of the lense, H4s do have them. I have H4s, and they have those nubs.

BIMMERMIKE

I have H4's installed and no "nubs"

uraniummetallurgist

My 8"H4s don't have the nub on top and are WAY better than the original 8" H5s

Much safer driving now!!

vanster

I am in the process of changing over from H5's to H4's. My car came with the US spec 7" sealed beams. I changed them to 7"H4's. The advantage of the H4 is you can upgrade the bulb. Standard legal bulbs are 55/60w. Easy to buy 55/100w bulbs that through out a long beam for highway driving at speed. You cannot outrun them. However I wanted a set of 8" lights . I bought a set of 8" H5's. No matter what bulb up put them they are adequate at best.

Fogey1

Hello U,

Where did you source the H-4's?

I ask because, though I could be wrong (btdt), the "optic wedge" seems to be on the right rather than the left of the lens, which would indicate they came from a drive-on-the-wrong-side country like Britain or Japan.

The purpose of the wedge is to make a very sharp horizontal cutoff of the light thrown at the other side of the road to avoid blinding oncoming traffic.

Alan

The dot aiming nubs stick out of the front face - there are 3 of them on H5 lenses, H4 lens fronts are flat (no nubs). It is very hard to wash the H5 lens faces with a soft sponge without these catching up.

The tell tale indicators (nipples?) on top are sometimes but not always present on H4 lamps - its not clear to me if there is a specific code for this - but both flavors exist. My Bosch H4s for example DO have them while many others do not. These are used so you can see the light status from the drivers seat - except in a brightly lit town environment I think the headlamp status is quite obvious from the pattern on the road anyway...

I seem to recall that all H5s have these tell tales. (?)

The wedge on the right side looking at the face is correct for LHD H4 lamps.

Lets not get our 'nubs' & 'nipples' mixed up here..

Alan

linderpat

thanks for the clarification Alan. My H4s do not have nubs, just nipples
Here's a pic of my spare broken one. Also note that it does not have an interchangeable bulb. Is that normal? It is a Bosch.