[kimlangley7]

Requesting opinions ref the upgrade of headlight for a 80 911 [Euro spec] to H4 lights.

Pelican has two systems one for $150 - that replaces the lens, trim piece, H4 bulb.

the other option is roughly $55 > replaces the lamp/lens assembly and has the H4 bulb. this option retains the origional look

pros- cons?

Currenly - I use halogen [55 watt I think] lamps... not blinding by any stretch - but they light the road.

[Trak Ratt]

H4 & H1 lenses & buckets are a lot more expensive to replace that 7.5” Halogen sealed beams. Not a big issue on the street, but a lot more stones & trash on track. I’m switching the H1s to US on the track SC before next year. Mostly because I want to open the fender bucket underneath the light fixture to let more air in for the cooler & brakes.

I like the look of the H1s & H4s. The H1s are hard to adjust, not water prove, have odd bulbs & expensive lenses. H4s look almost as good, less $$ for lenses, good selection in bulbs. Don’t know that much about the H4 conversions using the standard 7.5” lens but the bulbs do require a different socket than the sealed beams. So some rewiring is almost a certainty. Halogen 7.5s sealed beams are about $45 each, less on sale.

[cmartin]

I think you can still get a pair of h4's for ~$220. The new assemblies come with lenses, trim rings and so on, some sellers even include bulbs. There is no wiring change, at least for me SC, plug and play.

[Jazzbass]

One of my favorite topics... headlights. Here's what I know:

US sealed beam headlights suck. This is not debatable. To upgrade, you have many options, but IMO only two are really feasable: Bosch Euro-style H4s and Hella sealed-beam style H4s. Forget H1s for all the reasons Dave lists - they're too expensive and not even period correct for your car. The only reason I've heard of for running H1s in a later car is so you can run HID lights on the low beams and keep stock high beams.

Anyway, Bosch H4s vs. Hella H4s.

Bosch H4s replace the whole headlight assemble and give your car the Euro style headlight look, which looks much better than US headlight look IMO. Also, the lens gives better light dispersion than the Hella H4. The downside of this conversion is cost. Retail, you're looking at $120 per light, another $50 per trim ring, plus $5 per light seal. Plus cost of painting the trim rings. All in all, its about a $350 conversion cost. Unless you run chrome trim rings (which works on older cars but not so much on later cars with black/body color trim), in which case you can do the whole deal for around $250. One nice thing about Bosch H4s is that the lens itself is replacable for about $25, so if you get a rock chip, you're not out $200 for a whole new assembly.

Hella H4s are sealed beam replacements - they replace the US sealed beam headlight and keep the stock trim ring and light assembly. These were in my car when I bought it, and are a very nice improvement over stock US lights. The great thing about these is cost and ease - $100 for the lights and about a 15 minute install. No trim rings to paint, no PITA assemblies to install, etc. Drawbacks include being more expensive to replace if they get cracked (you have to buy a whole new $50 assembly), slightly less effecient dispersal pattern of light (although WAY better that sealed beam lights). It keeps the original US headlight look, which is a plus if you like that and a minus if you prefer the Euro look (as I do).

Stock bulb size if 55W/60W. In both cases, the stock pre-87* wiring harness will simply plug right into the H4 bulb. It is recommended, though, to install relays on the headlight circuit to save you turn signal switch from burning out. Plus, if you do, you could run higher wattage high beams like 55W/100W - which are great if you do a lot of night driving out in the sticks like I do.

At the very least, go for the Hella option. At $100, its cheap and makes such a difference. I took Charlie's car for a drive one night and couldn't believe how bad the US lights sucked. I replaced his with my old Hella H4s (I switched to the Euro style lights) and the difference was incredible.

* 87-up US Spec Carreras have a different harness for the H5 lights, so you have to replace the plug to switch to H4s. Not hard, but not plug-and-play like pre 87 cars.

[Edited because I type like an idiot]

[Jazzbass]

BTW, here is a pic of my car with the old Hella H4 headlights:



I can post a pic with the new Bosch H4s when I get home later tonght for comparison.

[Lucky]

Kim,

Here is what the H1 & H4 units look like. Mine are actually H1s, but from a distance H1 & H4 look pretty much the same. Up close you can tell that the H1 has two bulbs and separate low/high reflectors & that the H4s have a "pebbled" pattern inside the glass lense at the top of the lense.

Personally, I much prefer the looks of the H1/H4 lights over the US "hooded" sealed beam units.

I think you would be very happy with the H4 upgrade.



If you look closely you can see that I have plastic covers on my H1s (see the two black dots and 9am & 3pm?). These are there to protect my $$$ investment in these over-priced and antiquated lights.

[BW911]

Chris M., that's the best and most thorough explanation of the Bosch - Hella distinction I've ever seen. Fortunately for me I didn't know about the Hellas when I wanted to do the upgrade to H4s, so I just sprung for the Bosch version, swapped the entire thing and avoided any agonizing. When I later heard about the Hellas I wondered if I'd been had.

I also paid to have Karosserie paint the trim rings. Now Smackpipes I believe painted his black Carrera's trim rings with Krylon rattle-can black after the upgrade. You'd never know it though. It looks good on his formerly concours car.

And you are right: the H4s make for much improved night vision. I highly recommend an upgrade from the stock US lights.

Bill