bs

hey ice, any update on the availability of those headlights?

IceShark

Ben, yes, I should be able to get them in "some" way as there is an inventory pipeline in the US. As far as what the Feds are up to and what the impact will be, we don't know yet. The Fed's law says E-Code can only be used off-road. But there are 4 States (Oregon, Washington, Alaska & Massachussets) that allow E-code for auto use and others for motorcycles. All of Canada they are legal.

The bulbs (H-4 overwatted) would be more of a direct problem in this, but I have plenty of them in my hands. At the moment our best guess is that it is the HID conversion kits that go into filament designed reflectors as well as the blue/colored bulbs that are the root cause of the problem. DOT is mad about glare and issuing a blanket order.

Tom Pultz

I'll throw my two cents into this discussion. I'm running the Hella E-code type lens with 90/100W bulbs in my S2. They've been in there for four years. These lights work great and compared to the USA POS headlights in most cars and trucks they don't throw any glare up at the oncoming driver. I highly recommend them.

I run stock wiring, stock 7.5 A fuses, etc. and it's not any problem. Jim Pasha wrote an article on lighting upgrades in Excellence once and he said the stock wiring is fine for up to 100W bulbs. He did recommend 10A fuses to give an extra measure of safety since 100/13.5=7.4, or close to the 7.5A limit.

I often wonder why people go to the extra trouble to add relays. Do they really make a difference? My 90/100 bulbs seem very bright. I guess I should put a VOM on them and see how much voltage they really are getting.

As for HIDs, I'm going to forget them for now. They are just not cost effective. I would like to see the light output and pattern of the new Sylvania 7" HID kits... but for $800 I'll stick with 90/100s. You can buy cheaper kits from Autolamps-online but they don't include a high beam and the HID bulb does not include a shield to prevent glare using an H4 reflector. They are probably just fine for true off-road use, which is what they were designed for.

Exotic HorsePower

We are about to release our Stage 1 and Stage 2 HID kits. Both kits have a shield around the bulb to reduce glare. Neither have high beams, but we are working on a Stage three kit that will have both low and high beams. The Stage 3 kit will be able to adjust both high and low beams independently. If aligned properly the glare will be no greater than a standed 6024 headlight bulb. We will have photos of the kits up soon along with our new e-catalog.Exotic HorsePower

Matt O.

I'd like to revive this thread...

Shark, how much is your kit going to be. I scanned thru that post, but I didn't see (sorry if I missed it).

I'd rather see that kid running out in front of me from a mile away then worry about a possible ticket for too bright lights...

Thanks,
Matt

Robby

Matt,

I spoke w/Jaws the other night, and I believe the total was going to be under the $250 mark which included wiring, grounds, relays, lenses, bulbs, etc... Let's try to keep this thread going a little, until the price is SET. At that time, I guess we can start a thread to see who's up for it or not... I'm in... It sounds like it should be worth it to me- top quality bulbs and lenses, w/wiring etc, could add up. I've thought about throwing in some stronger non-sealed beam bulbs in my car, but even if I did, the wiring wouldn't be able to handle it, which I assume is the way everyone else's 944/951 would be(?). My lights flicker a lot when going over bumps, and do it much less when I give it gas during those moments- could be bad connections, corrosion, etc- at any rate, the newest of the 944 series would be over 10 years old already, so it's definately time for new wiring IMO- especially if using stronger bulbs...

Anyone else game for the set-up? Iceshark- I did quote the right price didn't I?

IceShark

Matt, I need a few more to sign up and hear back from the others that already expressed an interest ( I sent out e-mails a couple days ago regarding if they are in or not.) If everyone would send me $100 deposits for at least the lenses then I will put in the purchase orders and get things going. The whole kit will be something under $250, depending on what volume ends up being.

So, if you want in let me know. Due to final price being a bit up in the air, you can get in for just the headlights and reserve the decision on the plug and play wiring if you want.

Robby, yes you have the figures correct. Final ones will depend on the prices the wholesalers give me which will of course be driven to a large extent by the size of the order. For decision purposes you may as well think $250 for the whole kit and them be happy if it comes in a bit less.