Headlight preferences?

[matt1415]

I've recently upgraded my headlights from the factory Sylvania's to Philips crystal vision ultra (H6024CV). I love the new light colour but they just don't seem a lot brighter than the ones I pulled out. The other options I have been contemplating are the Wagner Britelite (H6024BL), or the GE nighthawk (H6024NH). I just don't know enough about these bulbs so I'm wondering if anyone could guide me in the right direction. Thanks

[IdahoDoug]

What lamp assembly are you using? Are you using original style sealed beams, or a different non sealed lamp assembly that allows you to install the bulb of your choice?

Some people refer to the entire lamp assembly of a sealed beam as a "bulb", which is technically correct. However, many have installed new lamp assemblies that use a separate replaceable bulb.

If you are looking for sealed beams, I have had surprisingly good luck with the GE NightHawk sealed beams on another vehicle (quad square sealed beam NightHawks), as well as their replaceable bulbs on still another vehicle. They impressed. While not an actual recommendation on the sealed beams that fit our 944s, just some input on the this line and I'm a lighting fanatic...

I'm using a set of H4 Koitos. Very hard to find and pricey. I'm not a candidate for LEDs - I don't like the frequency, or the light blowback from fog, dust, snow or rain. Unusually worth it for me, as we drive mostly on secondary roads full of Elk, Deer, Moose and other hazards. I also bought a relay wiring upgrade kit to get maximum voltage to the bulbs, but have not taken the time to install them yet. HTH

[matt1415]

Originally Posted by IdahoDoug

What lamp assembly are you using? Are you using original style sealed beams, or a different non sealed lamp assembly that allows you to install the bulb of your choice?

Some people refer to the entire lamp assembly of a sealed beam as a "bulb", which is technically correct. However, many have installed new lamp assemblies that use a separate replaceable bulb.

If you are looking for sealed beams, I have had surprisingly good luck with the GE NightHawk sealed beams on another vehicle (quad square sealed beam NightHawks), as well as their replaceable bulbs on still another vehicle. They impressed. While not an actual recommendation on the sealed beams that fit our 944s, just some input on the this line and I'm a lighting fanatic...

I'm using a set of H4 Koitos. Very hard to find and pricey. I'm not a candidate for LEDs - I don't like the frequency, or the light blowback from fog, dust, snow or rain. Unusually worth it for me, as we drive mostly on secondary roads full of Elk, Deer, Moose and other hazards. I also bought a relay wiring upgrade kit to get maximum voltage to the bulbs, but have not taken the time to install them yet. HTH

The bulbs I'm fooling around with are the original sealed beams. How is the life span on the Nighthawk's? On the specs I read it listed only 350 hours max life. That seems really short but I'm wondering how that number is taken into account. I was really sold on the Nighthawk's until I read that.


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[thomasryan]

personally, not a fan of LEDs either. if your adventurous, I would pick up a pair of vintage glass and metal headlights off the samba or any VW forum classifieds and relay in some flosser 55/100 watt bulbs. some old 7" Cibies or Hellas have asymmetrical lens so your not blinded from the reflection off street signs.

probably cheaper than the led things.

[DannoXYZ]

Once upon a time, I sold headlight upgrade kit made by IceShark (god of lights) after buying some of his prototype/development kits. It consisted of the following:

• 2x Cibié ecode headlamps
• 2x Narva H4 bulbs 90/100w
• Transpo # IB372A adjustable VRM for alternator, set for 14.5v output
• "full boat" heavy-duty wiring kit (new battery cables, supplemental grounds, headlight-harness with relays)

Before (Sylvania) & after results looks like this:




Light spread on road is function of reflector design, doesn't matter what bulb you put in, it will be focused properly or it will not. LEDs do not have the pinpoint 360-degree source that best headlamps were designed for and won't focus properly. Doesn't matter if you have top-of-the-line Cibié, Bosch or Hella, light-spread will be poor. Best with high-efficiency halogen uncoated H4 bulbs, such as Narva, Flosser.

You can also build your own heavy-duty harness taking power directly from alternator output for maximum voltage at the bulbs.. Use thick pre-tinned 4-gauge cable minimum and split into 4x 8-gauge wires with relays for each bulb. Also make additional supplemental grounds from engine to ground-points for lights on inner-fender behind headlights. Crimp, solder AND shrink-wrap. That's how it's done for top motorsports (F1), aerospace and military applications for performance, durability and longevity. If it can be made better for maximum performance, do it, so you'll have to only do it once.




IceShark (Dan Wray) has long passed, but I recall Robby in Knoxville was carrying on with making his "full-boat" incredible heavy-duty harnesses. . You can also assemble your own wiring-harness using pre-made cable from here.

Some very good tech info from Daniel Stern.

[IdahoDoug]

Thanks for the tribute to Dan Wray. I've never met or heard from him before this post, but I feel a kinship to people who are exacting and demanding in their motor vehicles and their operation. I got my heavy duty harness parts, the bulbs, and the lights from Daniel Stern, whom you referenced in your post. Great guy, quick responses and I've used him for some 15 years for my auto lighting needs. He got these amazing Koitos for me.

On the NightHawk life. Thanks for reminding me of that as it is a downside. I have had the bulbs last about what they said on the boxes. However, the NightHawk sealed beam lamps I'm using don't seem to have a shorter life. They have been in the Van my son has been driving and he flogs the living crap out of the vehicle. Sad to say but he and his buddies all kinda offroad as we live in a beautiful area where that's the norm - forest roads, gravel roads, etc and it's really beat up that tough little Mitsubishi Van Wagon. However, the GE's have not missed a beat in many many years now despite all the vibration. I don't recall the box for these having a short life like the GE NightHawlk bulbs.

So in short - I don't like the bulb short life but the sealed beams experience for me is actually very good.

[Peter Graham]

After spending too much money on my 912 coupe, aftermarket HID and LED bulb systems should not be used in headlights where the reflector is designed for an incandescent bulb. There are major problems with low-beam dispersion (causing approaching traffic 'blindness') and more intense light cast closer to the subject vehicle (subject vehicle down-road blindness). When using higher wattage incandescent bulbs in incandescent reflectors, care must be taken not to exceed the capacity of the wiring.

I've recently equipped our 951 with Cibie Z-beams (purchased late 1970's - at the time, DOT-legal for motorcycle on-road use only) with a more modern 'whiter' 55/60W incandescent bulb: low beam lighting is distinct and adequate (after all, properly-aimed low-beams are 'out-run' at 35-40 mph); high beams are more than adequate.

... just my 2 ¢
Peter

[v2rocket_aka944]

The best upgrade regardless of bulb or lens type is the headlight power harness.
It will double the output of even ancient Sealed beams...H4 or Euro H4 just makes it mo bettah.

[DannoXYZ]

Yes, DO NOT put LED or HID bulbs into headlamps designed for incandescent bulbs. Results will look like these:




Notice how much stray light there is above horizontal. That's glare that will blind oncoming drivers and create hazardous conditions. I'm sure you've been blinded by fuzzy blue headlights that looks like they're on high-beams, but that's just unfocused glare spraying light everywhere. Compare that to sharp and focused-on-road H4 ecode lights (left). At least original sealed-beam lights (right) won't blind oncoming traffic.

[djnolan]

Originally Posted by v2rocket_aka944

The best upgrade regardless of bulb or lens type is the headlight power harness.
It will double the output of even ancient Sealed beams...H4 or Euro H4 just makes it mo bettah.

No way?

[v2rocket_aka944]

yes, with stock 944 wiring you might get 10V at the bulbs.
the power harness uses the original wiring to trigger a new relay, and power goes directly from the alternator + post to the bulbs, giving 13 or more volts and all the amps through a big fat wire.

makes a big difference.

[DannoXYZ]

Yep, take a look at the "lumens" output vs. input voltage of halogen bulbs on this chart. It's non-linear in output response.



Factory thin wiring takes long path from fusebox back to light switch. Then forwards again to headlights. Back-probe the light socket when lights are on and see where your headlight voltage compares to that chart. Bulbs are rated at 13.5v 100%.

If you measure 10v, that's 74% and you end up with only 32% light output possible. On the other side, with alternator putting out 14.5v and all of it making it to the bulbs with heavy-duty relay harness, you get 130% output or 4x as much light as at 10v. Above comparison photos shows more than 4x output due to upgraded headlamps and bulbs as well as harness.

[onZedge]

I made my own headlight relay harness using 12ga wire, and sourced power and ground directly from the alternator.

Before I installed the harness, the voltage drop, with Sylvania Silverstar Ultra 55/60W H4 bulbs, was 13.2% (10.31 VDC at the headlight).

After harness installation, the voltage drop, with Hella YellowStar dichroic 80/100W H4 bulbs, was 2.7% (11.56 VDC at the headlight).

Measurements made with Key-On/Engine Off/Lights On, and made at the battery terminal and back-probing the headlight terminal.

With a 14.5V voltage regulator and Hella e-code lamp housings, I have NO problem seeing at night in any weather, and no one has ever "flashed in anger", so it doesn't appear that I'm blinding oncoming drivers.

(still have yet to try my Hella dichroic 100/130W bulbs)

[bumflick]

+++ on the lighting harness. Did that (rennbay kit) euro lenses (hellas or cibbie, i forget) and 100/130 bulbs. Yellow on low beam, white on high.


Also shamlessly copied design of wiring harness to wire in the euro driving lights, and tied them to a second foglight switch. Very bright, but I need to aim them

On full a-hole mode, i can have fogs, driving lights and low beams on. High beams will disable the fogs, but i can keep the driving lights on.

[irish44j]

The 944 guys that run stage rally with us use these: Headlights | Truck-Lite

I know they're bright as hell on stage in the dark, not sure how they are on the street (but they are DOT lights, so should have decent cutoff).

[ceptanko]

Yes, DO NOT put LED or HID bulbs into headlamps designed for incandescent bulbs. Results will look like these:




Notice how much stray light there is above horizontal. That's glare that will blind oncoming drivers and create hazardous conditions. I'm sure you've been blinded by fuzzy blue headlights that looks like they're on high-beams, but that's just unfocused glare spraying light everywhere. Compare that to sharp and focused-on-road H4 ecode lights (left). At least original sealed-beam lights (right) won't blind oncoming traffic.

I did a similar mistake. However, now problems are solved. Even for safety purpose, I keep an edc flashlight with me https://tacticalflashlightguide.com/best-edc-flashlight-buying-advice/.

[mocha07]

Follow this guy's install;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU3K-29pR6U