What headlights are these?

[mcaden]

What headlights are these? They don't look like the originals and they say "halogen" on the front. I think these are intended to be an improvement over the originals, but how do they compare to something like the H4s?

Thanks,

Marc

[SteveJ]

Down at the very bottom it looks like it says General Electric with the meatball.

It may have a very similar halogen element, but this is still a sealed beam unit- meaning the lamp is not replacable. When new, they are fine. As they age, the light out put drops dramatically. The whole unit gets replaced in one shot. Luckily, they are not that expensive.

Some of the advantages of the H4 is that the lens may have a sharper design, and the lamp (element) is replaceable or changeable to a different wattage.

Susquehanna has a good write up about the E-code lights American vs Euro. Rallylights.com

[1972fritz]

those are direct replacement bulbs nothing real special about them.

[jgerock]

Marc -

You've got the standard "upgrade" to halogen 7" diameter sealed beam lamps (just like on my car).

To upgrade further to the higher output Hella H4 unit, you will need to install a relay to prevent the wiring (and/or headlight switch) from burning to a crisp due to the higher wattage removable bulbs that most modern cars now use.

There is a good FAQ article on adding relays to your car for these and auxiliary lights.

[tjones02]

To upgrade further to the higher output Hella H4 unit, you will need to install a relay to prevent the wiring (and/or headlight switch) from burning to a crisp due to the higher wattage removable bulbs that most modern cars now use.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but merely upgrading to a normal 55/60 watt H4 headlight is NOT going to fry anyone's headlight wiring/switch or harness. European market '02s came with H4 headlights and the wiring is the same for both.

Only when one upgrades to higher than normal wattage bulbs like 55/100W, 80/100W, 90/130W or other "flamethrower" bulbs does the wiring need to be upgraded with heavier duty wire, additional fuses and relays.

Google search for 7" Hella H4 headlights. Hella has both a European beam pattern light and a DOT approved headlight. Both use H4/9003 bulbs

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=hella+7%22+h4+headlight&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

Another high end brand is Cibié. I prefer Cibiés convex lens to the flat lens of Hellas on round light '02s.

http://www.cibieusa.com/

There are also cheaper brands made outside of Europe like Autopal and Delta. Autopal also has a DOT approved H4 headlight.

In my '67 1600 which has been converted to 12 volt, I have 55/100 H4 headlights. The 6 volt cars had heavier wiring and a headlight relay unlike later 12 volt '02s.

[JohnP]

"Another high end brand is Cibié. I prefer Cibiés convex lens to the flat lens of Hellas on round light '02s."

http://www.cibieusa.com/

Have used Cibie on 02s since 1973. Prefer their beam pattern to others. Wiring will handle 55/60w H4 bulbs fine.

[jgerock]

Tom - no bubbles bursted here. While I don't have any personal experiences with inadequate wiring in 2002's, I did own a 6V VW that had thick wiring and lots of resistance in it due to its age (I later converted it to 12V). Regardless of the headlight bulb selected, I believe installing relays would help reduce the "load" on the original wiring harness and headlight switch - just my humble opinion.

[quote name="tjones02

Sorry to burst your bubble' date=' but merely upgrading to a normal 55/60 watt H4 headlight is NOT going to fry anyone's headlight wiring/switch or harness. European market '02s came with H4 headlights and the wiring is the same for both.

Only when one upgrades to higher than normal wattage bulbs like 55/100W, 80/100W, 90/130W or other "flamethrower" bulbs does the wiring need to be upgraded with heavier duty wire, additional fuses and relays.

In my '67 1600 which has been converted to 12 volt, I have 55/100 H4 headlights. The 6 volt cars had heavier wiring and a headlight relay unlike later 12 volt '02s.[/quote]