Headlights

[45FMJoe]

Not trying to put a damper on things but the max legal wattage is 60 bright & 55 dim in order to meet DOT specs and pass inspection.
I know that H4 lights are nice and I have also been using them for 10+ years in my M1009 but they are 12 volt units of course and are 60 / 55 which keeps the wattage within guidelines and I've never had a problem with too bright & being pulled over.
Does anyone have the 24 volt 60 / 55 watt H4's in use and if so where did you get them?

jimm1009

What's this inspection you speak of?

 

[jollyroger]

A DOT repersentative or Law Enforcement Officer, LEO, can inspect your vehicle for saftey reasons. If they feel your lights are too bright they can cite you for a violation.........

I have not seen 60/55W 24 volt bulbs. I have never looked for them too hard because frankly the 75/70W bulbs are right on. I have never been pulled over for too bright of headlights on any of my trucks..........While the letter of the law may say 60/55W for a maximum wattage.........I don't think many LEO's or DOT representatives are going to make you pull your headlights out and look for the wattage rating. I'm figuring most of the time they are merely concerned with the fuctionality, working.......not working, aspect of your lights.

Also, if one is found to have lights that are 15 watts brighter than the standard, what are the penalties? Is the penalty a warning, a ticket, a red tag, confiscation of your vehicle or revocation of your drivers license? My point is while running a slightly superior headlight bulb may be a violation of a DOT standard, I don't think anyone is going to write you up for it.

 

[45FMJoe]

A DOT repersentative or Law Enforcement Officer, LEO, can inspect your vehicle for saftey reasons. If they feel your lights are too bright they can cite you for a violation.........

I have not seen 60/55W 24 volt bulbs. I have never looked for them too hard because frankly the 75/70W bulbs are right on. I have never been pulled over for too bright of headlights on any of my trucks..........While the letter of the law may say 60/55W for a maximum wattage.........I don't think many LEO's or DOT representatives are going to make you pull your headlights out and look for the wattage rating. I'm figuring most of the time they are merely concerned with the fuctionality, working.......not working, aspect of your lights.

Also, if one is found to have lights that are 15 watts brighter than the standard, what are the penalties? Is the penalty a warning, a ticket, a red tag, confiscation of your vehicle or revocation of your drivers license? My point is while running a slightly superior headlight bulb may be a violation of a DOT standard, I don't think anyone is going to write you up for it.

All of the above is wholly dependent on your state laws. As far as I know the state of Florida does not have such laws governing the wattage of headlight bulbs. I will have to look.

 

[CGarbee]

The "stock" 24v version of the H4 burners are the 75/70w versions... I get mine from Susquehanna Motorsports (but I can also get them at the local Pep Boys and O'Rielly's....).

 

[cornrichard]

Subscribed, and Thanks!

 

[Heavysteven]

May be a stupid question, how do you which wire goes where? There three high, low, bright? Can some one educate me?

 

[CGarbee]

May be a stupid question, how do you which wire goes where? There three high, low, bright? Can some one educate me?

The wires on the truck's harness all have number tags that tell you what circuit they are (low, high, ground). The wiring diagram that comes with your lights (if you are changing to H4's or HID, etc., will tell you what is what. If you are going back with a stock bulb, it will have the circuit number tags on it. In either case, it isn't hard to match stuff up.

I may have already posted it in this thread or in some similar one, but I have a page on my website that shows how I installed H4 lights that has the photos, wiring connection info, etc.

See:
Headlights

Enjoy.

 

[jerseyjeep2003]

I've done this conversion using the Hella E-code European lights to everything that I drive, from the '51M37 to the '90 944S2... Part numbers and such are on my website at:
Headlights

I've been ordering from Susquehanna Motorsports for a while now as they have better prices then my local parts store, but the PepBoys does cary the full line of Hella stuff and will order anything that they don't have on the shelf...

Its amazing how much better the light is with the E-Code lamps than with the US standard pattern in the Hella Vision Series (pictured in the first post in the thread) although even they are a vast improvement over the stock sealed beams.

I just ordered up a set of the Hella E Code lenses and the 75/70 double filament H-4's from Susquehanna Motorsports. I got everything for $106, I went to my local Advance Auto and got the H-4 plugs to splice into my existing harness (I will be rewiring my complete lighting system later). Looking forward to being able to se where I am going at night. Hopefully I will have them installed over the upcoming weekend. Thanx for the great write up Garb.

 

[srodocker]

let me know about htose hella lenses. are they glass? mine are plastic and i've gone through 1 set already. from the truck vibrating so much it breaks the little piece that covers the bulb

 

[jerseyjeep2003]

The description says they are quartz lenses, but I guess I will see when they get here. Hella puts out a great product, and I would be disappointed if they were plastic for what they cost me. Will post up later in the week.

 

[CGarbee]

Mine have always been glass...heavy glass...
I have broken them when they experienced rapid deceleration after contacting a deer on the highway at speed (not in a MV...)... I have had one burner die when crossing a railroad track in the XM813.

I think that I might have burned out two or three burners since I started using them (in '89 or '90).

I really like the Hella's...

 

[jerseyjeep2003]

let me know about htose hella lenses. are they glass? mine are plastic and i've gone through 1 set already. from the truck vibrating so much it breaks the little piece that covers the bulb

Just got my package from Susquehanna Motorsports. The Hella lights look fantastic, They are all glass with a steel ring holding the front and back together. I can't wait to get them hooked up . I may even order up another set for my 1990 Mazda Miata as it also has the old style 7" non halogen bulbs, we'll see how well these ones light up the way first.

 

[srodocker]

Defiantly let me know how they work out!

 

[jasonjc]

How about some pic and part numbers.

 

[SCSG-G4]

jason,

Please refer to post #6 of this thread for all the info!

 

[jerseyjeep2003]

Thanx Mike, I was about to let Jason know that there is a link to an excellent write up on these lights in post #6. My part #'s are the same as listed in that post. My total cost for lenses, burners, and plug came to just shy of $130. Anyway here are some more pics. I had to fab up a new mount/bracket as one of my old lights, bucket and bracket were the older style and it had presented me with some installation issues, plus the lights were different heights from drivers side to passenger side.So I made up some mounting plates to make life easier and better looking than my "original" setup.

 

[Sevin7]

Thanks for the pics and description, I am totally doing that conversion! Have you gotten them adjusted and turned them on yet? Are they as bright as you were expecting? The $130 that you spent is about what you'd pay at NAPA for a new set of OEM bulbs, right?

 

[jerseyjeep2003]

Thanks for the pics and description, I am totally doing that conversion! Have you gotten them adjusted and turned them on yet? Are they as bright as you were expecting? The $130 that you spent is about what you'd pay at NAPA for a new set of OEM bulbs, right?

I'm hoping to get them in either today or tomorrow, work is keeping me jumping right now.I'll let ya know when I try them out.

 

[srodocker]

for some reason i cant find any links to the hella p/n 70476 except for this one which doesnt look like the complete housing MAF Hella European Style Halogen Headlights for Off-Road Use

and found a white bulb for 6$ a piece? different p/n though and of course cant find it now on bing...

 

[CGarbee]

for some reason i cant find any links to the hella p/n 70476 except for this one which doesnt look like the complete housing MAF Hella European Style Halogen Headlights for Off-Road Use

and found a white bulb for 6$ a piece? different p/n though and of course cant find it now on bing...

If you read down on my page with the parts numbers and the process description, you'll see that the H6024 conversion kit at Susquehanna has Two lamps, Two dust boots and two H4 bulbs of your choice. This is the easiest way to order what you need (you have to add the plug, but otherwise, it's what you need). The link to their page with this is:
Susquehanna MotorSports - Auto Performance Product

You will have to send them a note, or call them, because the order page is set up for 12 volt burners. You have to tell them to delete the 12v stuff from the kit and substitute 24 volt burners...

Or

Go with the HL79562 7" Round H4 E-Code Headlamp, Each. Includes: Dust Boot, No H4 Bulb. Keep in mind that you then need to order two, and then you need to order two burners (bulbs)... The link to thier page with this is:
Susquehanna MotorSports - Auto Performance Product


70476 is the "old" part number... Hella also has a HL95146 7" Round ECE Headlamp with city lamp (a H3 bulb in the housing along with the H4 driving light), but you don't want this as it is more expensive due to having the H3 bulb offset inside the housing for very low level (European city driving) lighting..aka, a parking light...

The 24 volt burners (bulbs) come in a couple of flavors, all described at:
Susquehanna MotorSports - Auto Performance Product

HL78160 - 75/70W 1800 Lumens, 150 Hr Avg Live
HL78143 - 75/70W Heavy Duty, 1800 Lumens, 225 Hr Avg Life
HL78146 - 100/90W 2390 Lumens, 100 Hr Avg Life

I use the HL78143. If you go with the "hotter" bulb, you need to consider if you will overload the wire (it's pretty small diameter) and you will need to add a relay so you don't overload the circuit breaker...

In case you ever want one in 6v (for the older rigs), they have that as well, just not in a Hella burner (bulb). It's described at:
Susquehanna MotorSports - Auto Performance Product


Hope that this helps...