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Hella H4 E-code conversion (pics inside)

4.3K views 37 replies 18 participants last post by  neko  
#1 ·
So I order all the parts from www.rallylights.com. I was pleased with the phone support I received when I was trying to determine which bulbs to go with.

Here's what I bought...

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and the result...

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The difference in light dispersment on low beam is like night and day. So far I'm pleased with it, but I haven't had a chance to drive somewhere that is almost pitch dark.

Oh, and if you can't see it in the picture, I went with Hella Premium 100/80watt bulbs.

-Nathan
 
#4 ·
The wattage is higher than stock, yes, but too high? That depends on the condition of your wiring. Are they whiter than Silverstars? Do you mean the sealed beam Sylvania units, or the real H4 silverstars from overseas? If you mean the sealed beam units, then yes, they are "whiter". I used to run Sylvania "cool blue" lights, which though less expensive run a slightly higher wattage, and appear whiter than silverstars. Anyway, these look whiter than that, so I'd say yes.

But I didn't really get this set-up to have "whiter" light, I got it to have better light dispersion, and more lumens.

It took my order 5 business days to get here, and that includes the day I ordered it.

-Nathan
 
#6 ·
GoBlueTwo said:
were you running sealed beam units before? any before pics?
Yes, I was running Sylvania "Cool Blue" sealed beam units. I forgot to take a picture of the before with lowbeams on. I did take a picture of both with the high beams on though, but I think those are a little more difficult to see a difference. Here they are though...

High beams before...

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High beams after...

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-Nathan
 
#9 · (Edited)
could you put down the exact part numbers for this stuff?

off the raylights website i have 4 diff options matching your description:
H5006N H5006N Two Lamps with Hella Premium 100/80w Xenon +100% H4 Bulbs $117.21
H6054N H6054N Kit with Hella Premium 100/80w Xenon +100% H4 Bulbs $110.87
H6545N H6545N Two Lamps with Hella Premium 100/80w Xenon +100% H4 Bulbs. $114.39

thanks
 
#10 ·
shiz said:
could you put down the exact part numbers for this stuff?

off the raylights website i have 4 diff options matching your description:
H5006N H5006N Two Lamps with Hella Premium 100/80w Xenon +100% H4 Bulbs $117.21
H6054N H6054N Kit with Hella Premium 100/80w Xenon +100% H4 Bulbs $110.87
H6545N H6545N Two Lamps with Hella Premium 100/80w Xenon +100% H4 Bulbs. $114.39

thanks
You want the H6054N, which is the 200mm housing, the size headlight the MR2 uses. The other two are smaller sizes (150mm and 165mm).

-Nathan
 
#13 ·
mki uses the same headlamps as the mkii. you can get the exact same setup as nathan.

edit: thanks for the before/after pics. it's obvious that the e-code lamps have a MUCH more useful beam pattern than the sealed beams (and probably any crappy ebay housings). makes me want to get a set.
 
#17 ·
What brand are those though? They look like the eBay "diamond cut" specials, which won't do much if anything for light dispersion. I'd be concerned that some of them actually make it worse than a stock seal beam unit. Really the only two units that increase dispersion performance are Hella E-codes, and Cibie. Cibies are a good bit more expensive though. Some people say Raybrigs are good as well, but I think those throw a standard DOT approved light pattern which is not optimal (unless seeing overhead signs is optimal for you).

You're running 140 watt bulbs?!!!! Or is that PIAAs marketing scheme of saying that it "performs like 140 watt"?

-Nathan
 
#18 ·
They are not ebay stuff, got them at a local tuner shop. The piaa's are 140's or something like that. These were the most expensive they had. The light is cristal clear, when i put the high beams, i can almost flag down a plane. :rolleyes:

These piaa's lasted 2 years so far, all the other stuff i seen dies of fast and costs more money in the end to get the same life out of it.


Martin

nbvolks said:
What brand are those though? They look like the eBay "diamond cut" specials, which won't do much if anything for light dispersion. I'd be concerned that some of them actually make it worse than a stock seal beam unit. Really the only two units that increase dispersion performance are Hella E-codes, and Cibie. Cibies are a good bit more expensive though. Some people say Raybrigs are good as well, but I think those throw a standard DOT approved light pattern which is not optimal (unless seeing overhead signs is optimal for you).

You're running 140 watt bulbs?!!!! Or is that PIAAs marketing scheme of saying that it "performs like 140 watt"?

-Nathan
 
#20 ·
I run the Hella H4 e-code housings as well, on my 93T. I have tried (and seen many) other H4 housings, that just didn't cut it. I'm sure the Cibie' ones are quite nice tho too, but also more expensive than the Hella's. You can get them both form Susquehanna (rallylights.com) and they are great to deal with, i'll 2nd that.

I used to run Piaa's in my lights, but they just are not anything super-special. Yes they are above-average bulbs for brightnes, but they do not compare (IMHO) to a real good +50 bulb from europe. Plus PIAA (who i would normally think of as respectable), rates all their bulbs at ridiculous ratings like 135 watts or some such. This is impossible. They are standard 55-60W bulbs.
I use Osram Silverstars (not to be confused with Sylvania silverstars) in both my MR2 and my WRX. They are not sold in the US, but are easily avail from many distributors, like Daniel Stern, and on Ebay these days too. They require no extra special wiring or anything, nor do they put any extra strain on the existing stuff. Great for oem-like upgrades. Other +50's like Narva Rangepower and Phillips VisionPlus (all from europe) are similar in quality, and just as easily avail.
 
#21 ·
neko said:
I run the Hella H4 e-code housings as well, on my 93T. I have tried (and seen many) other H4 housings, that just didn't cut it. I'm sure the Cibie' ones are quite nice tho too, but also more expensive than the Hella's. You can get them both form Susquehanna (rallylights.com) and they are great to deal with, i'll 2nd that.

I used to run Piaa's in my lights, but they just are not anything super-special. Yes they are above-average bulbs for brightnes, but they do not compare (IMHO) to a real good +50 bulb from europe. Plus PIAA (who i would normally think of as respectable), rates all their bulbs at ridiculous ratings like 135 watts or some such. This is impossible. They are standard 55-60W bulbs.
I use Osram Silverstars (not to be confused with Sylvania silverstars) in both my MR2 and my WRX. They are not sold in the US, but are easily avail from many distributors, like Daniel Stern, and on Ebay these days too. They require no extra special wiring or anything, nor do they put any extra strain on the existing stuff. Great for oem-like upgrades. Other +50's like Narva Rangepower and Phillips VisionPlus (all from europe) are similar in quality, and just as easily avail.
Yeah, that's why I stayed away from PIAA. It's mostly a marketing gimmick, with no real performance gains over other credible manufacturers. I've heard good things about the Osram Silverstars, and when these Hella bulbs go, those will probably be the replacements. I just went with the Hella bulbs because they're a respectable brand, and I could get everything as a kit for a decent price. The Hella Premiums are Xenon +100 (which apparently really means 37% of the gas volume is Xenon), plus they have glass as close to clear as I could find. They have a very, very slight blue tinge to the glass, which is apparently in the quartz of the bulb rather thn others *cough*PIAA*cough* which have a thin color coating on the outside to change the appearance of the color of the light, but actually lower the amount of lumens emitted.

-Nathan
 
#26 ·
The standard bulb that comes w/ the Hella H4 conversion kit is 55w low beam/60w high beam. When I had these on one of my cars years ago, I bumped up the wattage to 55/100. With this wattage on high beams, you will light reflectors and cast shadows to an unbelievable level, but not attract much attention on low beam. If you run the 80/100's, your almost certain for a ticket. You can get the cheaper H4 light conversion kits, but I would stick w/ either Hella or Cibie. I'd stay away from the cheapies.
Mystic363 (Neil)