Zermatt944

I'm considering adding the H-4 headlights to my car. I would use a bulb that doesn't require any wiring modifications (i.e. 55/60W). Anybody have these lights and can give their opinion on how good they are?

Dal Heger

Hello!


Do it. The H4's are far better than the US DOT approved halogen lights. The light pattern is better, more focused and wider. Make sure that you align your headlights properly! They are very easy to align and there are web sites out there that can give you step by step directions. Basically you need a flat road, a wall and some time. Due to the sharp focus of the lights, they are almost a no brainer to align.

Good Luck!

Dal.

Dave in Chicago

It's the first thing I did to my car. Very happy with the upgrade (replaced winky Sylvania halogens). The lense quality is a big improvement. Aimed right, you won't overdrive them unless your willing to go straight to jail.

Keep the shiny side up,

JGriff

Which ones did you buy? Where did you buy them? Pelican Parts or Performance Products? Are they "plug and play" or does the swap involve a modified wiring harness and relay?

Thanks.

Jim

John..

The H4s are an excellent conversion, although I was not impressed with the standard 55/60 watt bulbs in them. I upgraded to 100/130 watt bulbs and installed 4 power relays. I used the original wires to signal the relays on and off. This has worked flawlessly for the last 7 years on my 944. My recommendation is to go with the H4s and put in something around 80 or 100 watts on the high beam end, you can do this with the standard wiring. 8 amps is the limit, so if you figure 100 watts, you can easily afford 80 watts, and maybe even 100 watts.......equates to a little over 8 amps.

You will get 55/60s with the lights, try them out and see what you think. The lenses are worth far more light than that.

Zermatt944

Thanks for the input. I will get them. I figure I will try the stock bulb, and move to the higher power bulbs if needed. I also just replaced my driving lights, but have yet to use them (still working on oil seal repair) so I want to see how much those add.

Tom Pultz

They are plug and play. No wiring changes are necessary. I run 90/100 bulbs with no problem at all... been in there four years... with the stock 7.5A fuses. Power ratings on bulbs are based on a voltage of 13.5 V, not 12, so the actual current drawn is less than you might think.

Be sure you buy the true European versions that are marked for "off-road use only." Do not buy any DOT type H4 sealed beam or you will get crap.

I have a site bookmarked at home that sells the Hella units for about $80/pair. I can post the info later.

Tom Pultz

Hella 7" H4 Euro lights for $44.00 each from Susquehanna Motorsports

JGriff

Thanks. I appreciate the info.

Jim

2coupes

Put the units referred to as the european H4's in my 85.5 from PELICAN then changed the bulbs to the blue/white halogens 55/60 available aftermarket. Looks great, much brighter and better pattern.Took almost 15-20 mins to install,no problem. Jim

944pilot

For whait it is worth, I put this conversion in my 87NA and I am very happy. not bad price, either.
Brian
<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=601161918&r=0&t=0" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=601161918&r=0&t=0</a>

2coupes

By the way, ICESHARK covered this subject not to long ago with way more information than you could even consider. Check the search files on headlights. I'm surprised he isn't all over this,he really knows what he's talking about,Jim

Hans

You may want to have a look here:
<a href="http://forums.rennlist.com/scripts/rennforums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=15&t=003238" target="_blank">http://forums.rennlist.com/scripts/rennforums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=15&t=003238</a>

IceShark has some conversion kits but will no doubt be able to help you with standard 55/60 W units.
I used overwatted H4's on my daily driver for years and (still) have std H4 in the 951.
I have the E-lenzes as mandatory part, Sealed beam is illegel here...
Take Care

IceShark

Zermatt944, Hans told me about this thread so here is my 2 cents.

By H-4, I assume you mean ECE (E-Code) lenses. As people have noted, these are far superior to DOT lenses. If you want to go Hella you have to be careful what you get in North America. They have a Vision Plus lens which is DOT and crap. Frequently referred to as "Vision Minus". They also have an older standard E-Code lens which takes an H-4 which is inferior for 2 primary reasons. Can't properly aim both dipped/low and high beam at the same time. And throws too much of the light at the stars. What you want is the Hella Super, which is sort of new and not widely available in the USA. These are about as good as any on the World market.

As far as the bulbs, if you are not going to rewire, you really have to stick with a good quality (no blue/super white bulbs or really any others made in Asia) in 55/60 watt. Two reasons. First, the headlight system uses NO relays and is very light weight/crummy. You run a reasonable risk of melting components or worse case, starting the car on fire if you run bulbs up in the 100 watt area. But if your wiring is in half way good shape, this probably won't happen. What will happen is the second reason: the voltage drop will be so substantial on stock wiring that light output will fall down into the range of stock 55/60 watt bulbs and you will be back where you started but have added the risk of fire. You see light output will fall at about the 3.4 th *power* of the voltage drop from design voltage.

A couple other posters have said you don't need to rewire to run overwatted bulbs, but they are flat out 100% wrong. And it is easy to prove, just measure delivered voltage at the headlights under load. If you are only getting 11.5 volts you are down to 53% of typical design output. All the rest of that voltage is going to heat up your wiring and switches.

I am puting together a kit for H-4 retrofit which will be at least as cheap as any other on the market for the same quality, but haven't gotten enough takers yet to make it worthwhile. If you are interested, let me know.

As far as bulbs, DO NOT GET ANY COLORED "superwhite" bulbs. They don't improve the light output and actually put out a fair to sizable amount less light than a clear envelope. And the color temperature is a bunch of Bull$hit, also. It is just a marketing scam that started with the Rice Boyz. I'm so tired of saying this, so if anyone disagrees, I don't want to argue about it - do what you want.

Country of origin, as well as manufacturer, also matters as far as true light output, filament tolerances (which directly affect the actual beam pattern), and bulb life. You need to be careful on country of origin even for big manufacturers like Hella since they are sourcing many of their branded bulbs to Asia. My wholesaler will sell Asian source country bulbs for about 1/3rd the price of German, and there is a good reason.

My final sales pitch is I have some Phillips/Narva, 90/100 watt, H-4, clear bulbs made in Germany. First rate. I will sell these for $10 a copy plus actual shipping. Also have 100 watt Phillips H-3s for sale at $5 a copy. If anyone wants some let me know.

Tom Pultz

[quote]Originally posted by IceShark:
<strong>My final sales pitch is I have some Phillips/Narva, 90/100 watt, H-4, clear bulbs made in Germany. First rate. I will sell these for $10 a copy plus actual shipping. Also have 100 watt Phillips H-3s for sale at $5 a copy. If anyone wants some let me know.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I sent you a direct email note to wraydan@msn.com last week and you never responded...