Sealed Beam Conversion

[twitchy]

Anyone ever get a set of those housings that let you use your own H3 bulb instead of the sealed beam??

for nighttime driving, do you notice a difference??

can anyone reccommend a company that makes a decent set as far as quality and fit?

thanks

twitchy

[kandyflip445]

PDM has some nice Bosch ones that are glass and come with boots and bulbs and all the other stuff needed.

[DRFT]

i believe pdm sells h4 housings, not h3

[kuruptR]

euro lites dont fit, there a little to big for the bezel that holds it...
the hella ones i good, but a little pricey for crap.

Iv done HID retrofits into both of them, the eurolights are better for HID swap.

[kandyflip445]

Oh yeah. LOL. Sorry, I thought it didn't matter if he wanted H3 as opposed to H4 becuase the only difference would be the bulb. It would still be a good upgrade for light though. Also, Mike posted awhile back about Sylvania haveing a HID kit that will fit in the sealed beams location.

[rancid240]

I have Cibie eurospec ones. They are awesome. I would try to get european spec though they are not DOT approved I think.

[THX1138]

I've got the Bosch kit that PDM sells. It isn't quite as nice as a well-designed HID setup, but it's way better than sealed beams. It's got a nicely defined beam pattern that puts light where you need it and minimizes scatter. I can actually see stuff in front of me at night now. I dunno what it costs now, but when I got mine, about a year ago, it was $60.

[nightwalker]

If you live in Sac, you're invited to take a look at how much better my H4 conversions are than stock. I would estimate over a 100% lighting improvement. No joke. I bought the TYC lights, and am using regular H4s from Kragen. Look at my SIG. notice how the light reflects off the bumper. It's hard to see in a picture, and doesn't do it justice.

[twitchy]

well what kind of wattage are we all using?! as well does anyone know if you can buy a replacement for that...(thinking of what its called) retainer ring thinghy that holds the bulbs in, like a square bracket cause one of mine is bent badly, or did your kits come with replacements?

so should i avoid the ebay ones that are $21.99?? and who is PDM

[uiuc240]

well what kind of wattage are we all using?! as well does anyone know if you can buy a replacement for that...(thinking of what its called) retainer ring thinghy that holds the bulbs in, like a square bracket cause one of mine is bent badly, or did your kits come with replacements?

so should i avoid the ebay ones that are $21.99?? and who is PDM

I personally would avoid the eBay ones...but that's your call.

www.pdm-racing.com

The bezel should be replaceable. Call your dealer and get a BRAND NEW one...not one from a junkyard car. Oh, and I have the Bosch conversion with Hella 55w bulbs. That's really all you need. I can't remember, but I think the high beams are 85w?

Eric

[black s13]

theres also these: http://store.yahoo.com/classicgarage/20h4recheadc.html

then pick up some 95w/100w bulbs, and youll be set.

really, likr 55/60 bulbs should be fine.

[typhoonslippery]

I have had the sealed beam conversion kits on a few of my cars and they are great ... alot better than the halogen lamp and alot brighter at night and bring up things other lights dont

[THX1138]

The trim ring around the headlight is a universal part, you can probably find it at any decent auto parts store.

[uiuc240]

The trim ring around the headlight is a universal part, you can probably find it at any decent auto parts store.

No shit?! :hyper: :bigok:

Awesome. I'm going to get some ASAP and some new stainless screws to hold it on...mine's all rusty.

Eric

[s13conv]

If you live in Sac, you're invited to take a look at how much better my H4 conversions are than stock. I would estimate over a 100% lighting improvement. No joke. I bought the TYC lights, and am using regular H4s from Kragen. Look at my SIG. notice how the light reflects off the bumper. It's hard to see in a picture, and doesn't do it justice.


How do like the pattern of the TYC lights? Did they come with a new harness and water boots?

I'm trying to decide between the TYC and the NeoLite's.

[phrozen]

i have hella h4's ecode and piaa spark 8000k 60/55w and there very bright

[twitchy]

definitely going to go with the PDM ones...my sealed beam bulbs are good dont get me wrong but I dont mind spending some money on an upgrade, cause i do a lot of nighttime higway driving.

Guys when you install these, do you have to cut into your existing wiring and splice / solder or does the harness plug right in?

[uiuc240]

definitely going to go with the PDM ones...my sealed beam bulbs are good dont get me wrong but I dont mind spending some money on an upgrade, cause i do a lot of nighttime higway driving.

Guys when you install these, do you have to cut into your existing wiring and splice / solder or does the harness plug right in?

Plugs right in. Takes about 15 minutes total (including aiming).

Eric

[rancid240]

Plugs right in. Takes about 15 minutes total (including aiming).

Eric
I never aimed mine...isnt that suppose to be done professionally? or is there a DIY way?

[uiuc240]

I never aimed mine...isnt that suppose to be done professionally? or is there a DIY way?

you can probably find out about it on google. all you need is a phillips screwdriver, a flat road and a flat wall to park in front of.

basically, you don't want the lights angling up. you want them down a bit and to the right. there are specifics on the internet...

Eric

[THX1138]

The Bosch kit includes detailed aiming instructions with it. The hardest part is finding a spot with a dead level patch of asphalt against a wall with no curb. Park X feet back from the wall, and adjust until the cutoff of the light is Y inches off the ground and the centers of the two beams are Z inches apart.

[andrave]

I used some glass ones I found cheap, they work pretty well, and I used some 110 watt bulbs. The factory harnesses are adequate for that wattage but eventually you will melt off the plastic connectors where they plug in to the headlights and have to replace them with terminals. No big deal.

[old_s13]

Ive never heard worst lighting advice in my life, ever.

andrave> I used some glass ones I found cheap, they work pretty well, and I used some 110 watt bulbs. The factory harnesses are adequate for that wattage but eventually you will melt off the plastic connectors where they plug in to the headlights and have to replace them with terminals. No big deal.

Hmm.. sounds safe. Its a great idea to run 110W through your combination switch inside the cabin without a relay on stock wiring. Dont mind melted connectors, thats normal.


phrozen> have hella h4's ecode and piaa spark 8000k 60/55w and there very bright

8000k halogen bulbs huh? Those bulbs sound expensive (and useless).


s13conv> How do like the pattern of the TYC lights?

Does TYC *ever* make anything of quality?


nightwalker> If you live in Sac, you're invited to take a look at how much better my H4 conversions are than stock. I would estimate over a 100% lighting improvement. No joke. I bought the TYC lights, and am using regular H4s from Kragen. Look at my SIG. notice how the light reflects off the bumper. It's hard to see in a picture, and doesn't do it justice.

Awesome! Thats great, judge your lighting pattern and headlight performance by taking a pic of your bumper and saying "look how bright it is."


kandyflip> Oh yeah. LOL. Sorry, I thought it didn't matter if he wanted H3 as opposed to H4 becuase the only difference would be the bulb.

The bulb indicates the difference between a fog/driving lamp versus a low/high beam lamp. Of course, many aftermarket companies who sell headlights for civics sell projectors with H3 and think its okay for street use.. this is because their engineers (if you want to call them that) have their heads up their culos.


thx> I've got the Bosch kit that PDM sells. It isn't quite as nice as a well-designed HID setup, but it's way better than sealed beams.

Those headlights are designed for halogen, so they should be used for HALOGEN. Going with an HID retrofit kit may give you more light in front of the car, but that does not mean there will be inconsistencies with your lighting. Basically, retrofitted lights typically no longer have a *useable* lighting pattern.


kurrupt> euro lites dont fit, there a little to big for the bezel that holds it...
the hella ones i good, but a little pricey for crap.

What makes the Hella product crap? Have you done comparison tests with that headlamp versus another brand? And, how do you judge this? Or do you just like calling things that are expensive, crap?

----

Here is what I have to say on the matter, geniuses. If you want something inexpensive and good, go with the Bosch that PDM sells. Of course, shipping from Canada isnt always cheap.. but if you're local he's selling those at a great price.. so I'de consider it. The difference between the Hella and Bosch are debatable, I personally think it all comes down to preference in lighting pattern. Since I work with a lot of Hella products, I really like the Hella ECE headlamps and think they have a very nice spread out lighting pattern. Yes they are more expensive, yes they are very high quality.

As for bulbs, if you want to spent big money on bulbs you are just wasting your cash.. so enjoy knowing that you paid over 50 dollars for crap. As for wattages, regardless of WHAT wattage you run.. I would ALWAYS suggest going with a relay harness. If you upgrade the wattage without upgrading the wiring, you are reducing the longevity of your car's wiring and combination switch which will eventually lead to failure. Going with 100W+ bulbs is just asking for serious problems. Also, all those HID-looking 80000000000k bulbs are crap.. they do nothing to improve the performance of your lighting, just looks (if you like looking like a UFO, cool y0.. its phat y0).

Just some food for thought...
- Mike / ClearCorners.Com

[crioten]

lol, i was waiting for some response like this mike...

so one of the "cheapest" and bang for the buck upgrades is the pdm bosch ones?

-glen

[G240sx]

Ive never heard worst lighting advice in my life, ever.

andrave> I used some glass ones I found cheap, they work pretty well, and I used some 110 watt bulbs. The factory harnesses are adequate for that wattage but eventually you will melt off the plastic connectors where they plug in to the headlights and have to replace them with terminals. No big deal.

Hmm.. sounds safe. Its a great idea to run 110W through your combination switch inside the cabin without a relay on stock wiring. Dont mind melted connectors, thats normal.


phrozen> have hella h4's ecode and piaa spark 8000k 60/55w and there very bright

8000k halogen bulbs huh? Those bulbs sound expensive (and useless).


s13conv> How do like the pattern of the TYC lights?

Does TYC *ever* make anything of quality?


nightwalker> If you live in Sac, you're invited to take a look at how much better my H4 conversions are than stock. I would estimate over a 100% lighting improvement. No joke. I bought the TYC lights, and am using regular H4s from Kragen. Look at my SIG. notice how the light reflects off the bumper. It's hard to see in a picture, and doesn't do it justice.

Awesome! Thats great, judge your lighting pattern and headlight performance by taking a pic of your bumper and saying "look how bright it is."


kandyflip> Oh yeah. LOL. Sorry, I thought it didn't matter if he wanted H3 as opposed to H4 becuase the only difference would be the bulb.

The bulb indicates the difference between a fog/driving lamp versus a low/high beam lamp. Of course, many aftermarket companies who sell headlights for civics sell projectors with H3 and think its okay for street use.. this is because their engineers (if you want to call them that) have their heads up their culos.


thx> I've got the Bosch kit that PDM sells. It isn't quite as nice as a well-designed HID setup, but it's way better than sealed beams.

Those headlights are designed for halogen, so they should be used for HALOGEN. Going with an HID retrofit kit may give you more light in front of the car, but that does not mean there will be inconsistencies with your lighting. Basically, retrofitted lights typically no longer have a *useable* lighting pattern.


kurrupt> euro lites dont fit, there a little to big for the bezel that holds it...
the hella ones i good, but a little pricey for crap.

What makes the Hella product crap? Have you done comparison tests with that headlamp versus another brand? And, how do you judge this? Or do you just like calling things that are expensive, crap?

----

Here is what I have to say on the matter, geniuses. If you want something inexpensive and good, go with the Bosch that PDM sells. Of course, shipping from Canada isnt always cheap.. but if you're local he's selling those at a great price.. so I'de consider it. The difference between the Hella and Bosch are debatable, I personally think it all comes down to preference in lighting pattern. Since I work with a lot of Hella products, I really like the Hella ECE headlamps and think they have a very nice spread out lighting pattern. Yes they are more expensive, yes they are very high quality.

As for bulbs, if you want to spent big money on bulbs you are just wasting your cash.. so enjoy knowing that you paid over 50 dollars for crap. As for wattages, regardless of WHAT wattage you run.. I would ALWAYS suggest going with a relay harness. If you upgrade the wattage without upgrading the wiring, you are reducing the longevity of your car's wiring and combination switch which will eventually lead to failure. Going with 100W+ bulbs is just asking for serious problems. Also, all those HID-looking 80000000000k bulbs are crap.. they do nothing to improve the performance of your lighting, just looks (if you like looking like a UFO, cool y0.. its phat y0).

Just some food for thought...
- Mike / ClearCorners.Com

do you sell the hella ones? how much are they and they do improve headlight visability right?. I am interested in a set.

[old_s13]

Guys you dont need to quote that entire post.. its very very long and just wastes space! :)

Like I said above, from what I've heard the Bosch are good units and very cost effective. I have Hella ECE's in stock, I think I have 1 or 2 pairs left with bulbs.

I sell Hella ECE's for 90/pair with bulbs, they come with silicon boots and instructions as well. Do they improve visibility? Well, I wouldnt sell something if it just "looked" cool. The Hella's are a great upgrade. I just gave Glenn Sato a set for his birthday for his Miata (7" round ECEs) and he seems to love them. I dont give shitty birthday gifts. :)

- Mike

[black s13]

Am I the only person that you didnt bash on?? nice... If you still have any Hellas in stock in a month or so I'll most likely pick them up. No point is going half-assed on headlights.

[nightwalker]

ok, I told you guys that the pic did not do the lights justice. I have seen the PDM kits, I have seen silverstars, and I have seen a generic h4 conversion.

I bought the TYC H4 conversions off ebay. It was a "take a chance" move, but I don't regret it at all. The TYC housings do come with a water boot, but your factory one works and fits better. I am using the 55w regular H4 bulbs found at any old pepboys/Kragen. I have to adjust my lights lower than what it was with my factory lights because of how much brighter the lights are now. HID, who needs HID. That's all I have to say about that. If you live in Sac, you can come and see what I mean. These lights kick @$$. For a total price of $55 dollars for everything, you really can't beat it.

[kandyflip445]

I really don't think he was bashing anyone. He knows lighting, so he's correcting any misinformation or telling ppl why what they said isn't exactly right.

[nightwalker]

yes, and he's always right? right? It think he's just old and angry.

[uiuc240]

Mamos didn't bash me! Booyah! I spread the knowledge too :)

He's right though. I had PIAA Xtreme whites for a while. They burned out. I put the Hella's in...more light...better pattern...

Eric

[old_s13]

nightwalker> yes, and he's always right? right? It think he's just old and angry.

I am not saying I am always right, I am saying that I deal with this stuff more than most people do.. and so in this industry, experience is what people go by.

How am I old? Angry, always.. but old? Hmmm....

[nightwalker]

well, you are "old" S13!?!? btw, I like your tailights.

[old_s13]

andrave> yeah everytime someone posts about lighting he bitches about my combination switch and all that...
never even asks if I have relays...
I LOVE it.

Because you are a goof ball and last time you specifically said you DIDNT. Werent you the guy who said his father is an electrician and said the OEM wiring is thick enough to run higher wattage bulbs on? Right? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight...


nightwalker> well, you are "old" S13!?!? btw, I like your tailights.

Yes, because my car is old.. but, I am not. btw, thanks for the compliment.

- Mike

[old_s13]

Yes you are right. Dont mind those melted harnesses, oh wise one.

You posted your side of the story, I post mine. I am telling people to avoid making mistakes, you are telling them not to worry about melted connectors.

You truly are a brilliant person. You are so brilliant, that you should go be an engineer for FORD.

- Mike

[old_s13]

andrave> Im not brilliant but it doesn't take much to outshine your bs.

Then how come your headlights are not brighter than mine? ;)

Are you sure about what you are writing? You're starting a pissing content and your garden hose of a halogen headlight definately cannot compete with my fire hose of a projector HID setup. Besides that, I bet it wont even compare with any HALOGEN setup I suggest people use.

You make it seem as if I am saying these things for MY own benefit. I am not telling people "hey buy my kit" and am in no way advertising, I am just speaking truth. On the other hand, what YOU are doing is the equivelent of selling a turbo kit for the KA and telling people "sure run 30psi with no fuel upgrades." Are you SURE about that?

I mean the level of stupidity here is just amazing. How much work is it to run heavier gauge wiring? I never said monster cable, I am not telling people to spent big bucks. I am simply telling people to get some fucking lamp wire and use that with your relay setup.

After writing all of the above, I just have to call you out: you are an idiot. You dont have a relay setup because if you DID, you wont be stupid enough to run that with OEM wiring.. because you'de have to unloom the entire harness and remove the factory wiring to run it with your relay. You need to be tied to a tree and shot. Just end it now and give your S13 to someone more knowledgeable.

Sorry for being a dick, I just cant stand to listen to stupidity.

ps: Instead of saying "My shitty car deserves a bitchy motor." in your sig, change it to say "My car is shitty because its owned by a dolt." haha

[twitchy]

wow

:hammer:

hey old s13

do you guys sell the wiring and relays and stuff i might need?

[s13conv]

From what I have read, the TYC are the LHD version of the Raybrig. They have been said to have a good cut off. I'm not an "expert" that's why I ask the question. Also, I wasn't asking about TYC in general, I'm asking about the TYC H4's for our cars.

[old_s13]

TYC is such a poopy company...

[nightwalker]

In general, TYC is a poopy company. I won't deny that. Like I stated before, I took a chance with them. Someone who has had good experience with the H4 conversion for sealed beam headlights recommended them, or I would have never thought to try them. (I was actually looking at the $180 Raybrigs I saw in Japantown) But 180 bucks for headlight housings that don't come with headlights is a bit insane. So I took a chance with the TYC headlights. My friend also picked up some for his "86" Corolla. He had silverstars before on the Corolla, and these are a lot brighter. Plus I am using regular voltage bulbs, so there is no need to ugrade the harness.

Believe what you will, it's your money, just take into consideration the arguments. Doesn't matter to me.

btw, my car is old too. manufacter date 4/89. ?So I could be nightwalker w/ a old s13? :whip:

[old_s13]

1) No one is older.. I am the only old_s13 -- period.
2) You dont need to spend $180 on headlights, you need to spend 50-100 for a pair.
3) I dunno what I was gonna say.. its late

The point isnt money, its value.. both Bosch and Hella are *reputable* headlight manufacturers for OEM applications, they are excellent in terms of build quality, performance, and lighting pattern. The Hella's I sell come with bulbs, dust boot, etc.. all ready to go. Relay harness? Low buck and makes all the difference..

- Mike

ps: I saw an AE86 driving tonight behind me with his diamond-cut headlights which have been retrofitted to 1,000,000k HID.. I wanted to attach a bomb onto his car and blow it fucking up. It sucks being a lighting guy, I want to destroy so many things I see on the road.

[andrave]

nightwalker- my car was actually made in 88. According to a nissan vin decoder it was one of the first 60 imported into the US.
I'm so cool!

[jookybanana]

Guys you dont need to quote that entire post.. its very very long and just wastes space! :)

Like I said above, from what I've heard the Bosch are good units and very cost effective. I have Hella ECE's in stock, I think I have 1 or 2 pairs left with bulbs.

I sell Hella ECE's for 90/pair with bulbs, they come with silicon boots and instructions as well. Do they improve visibility? Well, I wouldnt sell something if it just "looked" cool. The Hella's are a great upgrade. I just gave Glenn Sato a set for his birthday for his Miata (7" round ECEs) and he seems to love them. I dont give shitty birthday gifts. :)

- Mike

you have DOT US-version and the ECE-european version on your website, are they not the same but one is for right hand drive and one is for left hand drive? i was thinking of getting the Hella conversion as well, and just wondering what the difference was

[kandyflip445]

IIRC the ECE has a more controlled light pattern/cleaner cutoff.

[old_s13]

One has a DOT compliant lighting pattern which is more advantageous when driving on longer roads with less turns (typical US highway) -- the other has an ECE lighting pattern which is more useful in canyons and also has a sharper cutoff.