electrical and ignition I Can See! ( H4 Headlights)

[bento]

I know this comes as no surprise to most of you, but wow! What a difference.

I just installed the H4 e-code headlights with standard 55/65 bulbs and drove the back way on the darkest roads I could think of to pick up dinner.

I have a 74 (already has relays in the headlight circuit), so just plugged them in and was on the road in 30 minutes.

I have a harness I bought on eBay with relays and a direct connection to the battery. I'll add this over the weekend but it's probably unnecessary.

I hated driving the 2002 at night with the regular sealed beam headlights but now lighting is almost as good as the xenon lights in my A3.

Anyone thinking about doing this should go for it.

I'll take a few pictures of the harness install and add them here but it looks like another 30 minute job.

[lilcphoto]

I went with cheap eBay h4 conversions that never compelled confidence in night time driving. Bought a set of driving lights and used them for awhile. After I caught a deal for the hella h4's I jumped on them.

If you do the conversion, pony up the extra and get good quality ones. Cheap Chinese made concersion h4's don't have the beam pattern that better quality ones do.

Looks great!

[M3M3]

yup!  quality H4's make a huge difference.  add some hella500 driving lights that are wired to come on and off with the high beams and you will be even more impressed.  that combo was way better than the xenon lights on our E46 on a dark road.

[zinz]

+1

The vintage Hella driving lights aren't as bright as the new stuff, but they look good. H4 Hellas in the buckets, though

[bento]

I went with cheap eBay h4 conversions that never compelled confidence in night time driving. Bought a set of driving lights and used them for awhile. After I caught a deal for the hella h4's I jumped on them.

If you do the conversion, pony up the extra and get good quality ones. Cheap Chinese made concersion h4's don't have the beam pattern that better quality ones do.

Looks great!

Yeah, these are genuine Hella lamps and bulbs. I ordered the Chinese ones off eBay first, started to install them and realized what garbage they were when I noticed the "TOP" script on the lens was at a 30 degree angle when the three lamp tabs were in the proper slots in the bucket. Back in the box they went. I didn't even fire them up so can't comment on the light output/pattern.

Lesson learned.

[bento]

yup!  quality H4's make a huge difference.  add some hella500 driving lights that are wired to come on and off with the high beams and you will be even more impressed.  that combo was way better than the xenon lights on our E46 on a dark road.

Hella 500's are definitely coming soon. The 74 appears to have the terminals on either side of the radiator for driving lights/fogs. Need to figure out which is which and it should be an easy thing to hook up through a relay.

I have blubeem's bumper brackets and an early bumper in the garage waiting to go on. The brackets are predrilled for lights so they'll be next on the list after the bumper goes on.

[M3M3]

yes, one of those taps is the trigger for a relay from the high beam, the other is a trigger for a relay off the low beam.  swap out the dummy switch on the top left of the inst cluster for a spare rear defrost switch and wire that up to turn the driving lights on when high beams are on.

 

here is link to thread on wiring them up.

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/110839-driving-light-install-question/

Edited March 7, 2015 by mlytle

[Rocan]

On dark roads they're fantastic. In traffic with modern cars, I can't help but feel a bit dark still. I'll eventually upgrade to brighter bulbs... So long as you have the relays in place and ceramic headlight socket, you should be fine with high wattage bulbs.

[bento]

yes, one of those taps is the trigger for a relay from the high beam, the other is a trigger for a relay off the low beam.  swap out the dummy switch on the top left of the inst cluster for a spare rear defrost switch and wire that up to turn the driving lights on when high beams are on.

 

here is link to thread on wiring them up.

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/110839-driving-light-install-question/

 

I didn't find that thread but I found another one with a great diagram that I saved for reference.

(Lost track of where I found this or I'd give credit for it)

Very simple wiring. I already have the defroster switch. I'm torn on vintage chrome body lights for aesthetics and the new plastic body 500's for function though.

I was also trying to decide between fogs and driving lights. I found another post where you said you never found fogs to be of much use and I tend to agree. I just leave them off all the time on my last few DD cars since all they seem to enhance is the lighting immediately in front of the bumper, but that's been with xenon headlights. Sounds like its the same with halogens too.

I'm also a little worried about where all these relays will go. There's probably enough room behind the headlight bucket on the core support but I haven't put much thought into it yet.

On dark roads they're fantastic. In traffic with modern cars, I can't help but feel a bit dark still. I'll eventually upgrade to brighter bulbs... So long as you have the relays in place and ceramic headlight socket, you should be fine with high wattage bulbs.

Good to know. The harness I mentioned above has ceramic sockets and 20amp relays, so maybe it won't be overkill since it will support up to 120 watt (120w/12v=10amps) bulbs. Don't want to go too crazy and get cited for them though. I'll give it some time and see what I think of the 55/65.

[2002cool2]

Got my '70 setup with HID as well. I'm not so worry about night driving as much now.

[Paulo]

I'm a complete novice when it comes to auto electrics.  Can someone explain what's involved in upgrading my sealed beam headlights?  What parts do I need?

 

Thanks!

[ray_]

I'm a complete novice when it comes to auto electrics.  Can someone explain what's involved in upgrading my sealed beam headlights?  What parts do I need?

 

Thanks!

 

http://www.rallylights.com/h6024-7-round-e-code-hi-lo-conversion-headlamp-kit.html

 

and

 

HL28200 here, if you have a '73 or earlier (newer cars have the relays, I understand)

 

http://www.rallylights.com/hl282-upgraded-headlamp-wiring-harness-for-conventionally-switched-systems.html

 

2002cool2, HID's are not easy to do right. They usually tend to flood the area directly in front of the car but provide little real benefit.

 

http://danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/HID.html

 

Cheers,

[Paulo]

Thank you, Ray.  I have a 1976 2002, so the Hella replacements should work easily.  

 

Thanks for the information!

[lilcphoto]

I was also trying to decide between fogs and driving lights. I found another post where you said you never found fogs to be of much use and I tend to agree. I just leave them off all the time on my last few DD cars since all they seem to enhance is the lighting immediately in front of the bumper, but that's been with xenon headlights. Sounds like its the same with halogens too.

 

 

 

the Hella 500 lights come in both spot light beam and fog. I chose the spot lights for my setup as I didn't feel as comfortable at first with the eBay setup. These lights are smaller than the headlights and only have one bulb, but shine bright enough to illuminate exactly whats in front of me. I did realize that my ability to reflect signs is diminished with the spot lights.

 

I wired the 500's up to a switch with my accessories so I can turn them on without the headlights, however the Dynaview's are setup to run off of the right side tap which allows you to turn the lights on with the parking lights. They do not turn off when you have the brights on.

 

I also purchased a set of Hella Dynaview driving lights. This beam pattern is much wider but not fog light short. I adjusted them to be a slice higher than my headlights and on a trip back from the beach they illuminated the roadways beautifully.  sadly, the aiming meant every 4th car flashed their brights at me. whoops.

 

 

[ray_]

No prob Paulo. Look around on Daniel Stern's site also. He's the expert in lighting, and likely has useful suggestions (and also sells quality items). I'm running 70/65 bulbs...

 

Cheers,