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H4 Headlight Brand recommendations???

Redsnake

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Tulsa, OK
OK, so I've had my H4 Headlights w/ Autopal housings for about a yr... the wiring harness upgrade and all has been going well.

This AM I noticed one of my headlight bulbs had burned out... and now I need to buy some more. I'm running 90/100W bulbs... but can't recall which brand or where I bought them. There are SO many brands on eBay and other places... so what brands do you recommend or suggest I steer clear of?

Thanks all...
 
I'm running hella xenon 80/100 only because I couldn't get the 80/100 halogens locally on short notice (gotta love the last minute desert trip preparations :confused1) I'm not sure they're worth the extra $20 over regular halogen but they are bright...now I just need some legit relays, since the vatozone junk can't handle half its rated load, I smoked the 30A high beam relay in two nights and the low beams stick on occasionally :gonnablow
 
i got a similar lifetime outta my h4 halogens, but i upgraded to HID and have never looked back (or have bulbs go out on MY jeep, friends have had trouble, but i didnt install their stuff)
 
I get my H4s from Susquehanna Motor Sports (www.rallylights.com) when I need new ones. And I don't work there.

QFT. I got my bowls from him (Hella VP for hers, Hella E-codes for mine) and bulbs (50/80W for hers, 90/130W for mine.) Why the extra for me? I spend a lot more time in the mountains and on backroads and such than she does, so I wanted the extra sight.
 
I've found some of the Osram brand light and noticed they're quite a bit pricier than say Hellas or other decent brands. Are they really worth the extra price and will I actually notice a difference between say the

Osram 85/80W and Hella 100/80W bulbs? I'm thinking about ordering a Set of Hella E-Code H6054 200mm buckets to replace the Autopals I'm currently running. I've had the Hella Buckets (but were NOT the E-codes) and although they are very good quality, they do NOT have the nice sharp cut-off like the Autopals do. I wonder if it'd be worth the money to just replace them all.
 
I just put Autopal HL109 light bodies in my '96. I was running Wagner BrightLites, and while they were bright, the pattern was all over the place, making them, IMO, less effective than normal halogen H6054 bulbs. The Autopals have a much sharper cut-off on the top, but they seem to disperse the light in a more useable pattern. I still have some more tweaking to get them focused better, but so far, so good. Ultimately, I'm heading toward 90w bulbs, but I have to update the harness first.
 
I've found some of the Osram brand light and noticed they're quite a bit pricier than say Hellas or other decent brands. Are they really worth the extra price and will I actually notice a difference between say the

Osram 85/80W and Hella 100/80W bulbs? I'm thinking about ordering a Set of Hella E-Code H6054 200mm buckets to replace the Autopals I'm currently running. I've had the Hella Buckets (but were NOT the E-codes) and although they are very good quality, they do NOT have the nice sharp cut-off like the Autopals do. I wonder if it'd be worth the money to just replace them all.

a lot of the non - HID type REALLY, REALLY like the osram's. so yeah.

im sure you could re-sell your housings real quick if you wanted to.
.
ALSO, an upgraded harness should be your first mod, it alone will give you quite a bit of extra light.
 
a lot of the non - HID type REALLY, REALLY like the osram's. so yeah.

im sure you could re-sell your housings real quick if you wanted to.
.
ALSO, an upgraded harness should be your first mod, it alone will give you quite a bit of extra light.

Thanks for the info. Forgot to mention or be clear... I have upgraded my wiring harness... along w/all my battery and ground cables.

I sent an email to Susquehanna Motor Sports about the Hella E-Codes so hopefully I'll hear something back soon. I'd like to get this fixed up before my other single headlight goes out and I'm lightless driving around at night. :(
 
Just heard back f/ SMS and they are currently out of stock on the lamps and won't get any in until next week. I've got a couple spare bulbs that I pulled (55/65W) so that may have to suffice until I can get the replacements.

Plus it'll give me an opportunity to double check all my wiring and the Autopal housings to make sure they're still in good shape before ordering another replacement unit.
 
I replaced my Autopals with Hella E-codes and I didn't notice any difference in light. I didn't compare them directly though, so I can't say that they really are the same. The Hellas do look higher quality, and the rubber boot is much better.
 
Found the box my current Bulbs came in... they're Hella H4 100/80W bulbs... so I'm not real impressed that they lasted less than a year. I think I'll order and try some of the Osram bulbs this time... just have to find them and place my order.
 
I'm running hella xenon 80/100 only because I couldn't get the 80/100 halogens locally on short notice (gotta love the last minute desert trip preparations :confused1) I'm not sure they're worth the extra $20 over regular halogen but they are bright...now I just need some legit relays, since the vatozone junk can't handle half its rated load, I smoked the 30A high beam relay in two nights and the low beams stick on occasionally :gonnablow

Purchased the Hella Xenon 80/100 bulbs and I was rather disappointed that they only lasted a year...
I took care when I installed them (used latex gloves and paid special attention not to touch the bulbs) and the bulbs only lasted a year.
While they are good quality bulbs and quite bright; the problem appears that they do not tolerate the offroading that I do....
The one bulb failed while in Moab this year and I had to make a trip to the local Checker AP to purchase a set of bulbs...

Side story... about the bulbs....
On the way back from doing a trail on the south side of Moab; I discovered that one of my front headlights were burned out....
Coming into town I stopped at a local Checker and purchased a set of bulbs.
As I was leaving the AP store and turning onto the main road going into Moab I was pulled over by the Utah Police.
When the officer approached the drivers window; I asked him IF he had pulled me over for my burned out headlight. He said, "YES.... I did...."
I pointed to the bag on the seat with the new bulbs and said, "Just purchased a new set for the AP store.... and will install them tonight"
Officer said, "Have a good night".
 
yeah thats the problem with hot rod halogens, I was planning on running the 90/130s but the hella site has those rated at a 40h lifespan, the 80/100s are rated at 100h
 
yeah thats the problem with hot rod halogens, I was planning on running the 90/130s but the hella site has those rated at a 40h lifespan, the 80/100s are rated at 100h

The previous set were PIAA 55/100W which lasted over 7 years... even after water found its way into the housing driving thru a river...; the bulbs lasted another 5 years...
 
Thanks for all the input and suggestions.

I pulled the burnt out Hello 100/90W bulb and replaced it w/one of my 'old' bulbs... turns out when I looked at the old bulbs they are Osram 55/50W bulbs. I think I'm going to try some Osram 85/80W bulbs if/when I can find them.

The Autopal Housings were in perfect shape so I don't see a need to spend the extra $$ for Hella E housings yet... especially given the verbal 'non' difference and such.

When looking at the Hella 100/90W next to the Osram 55/50W bulbs the Hella is quite a bit brighter (obviously) but I hate to have to replace these bulbs annually... and worse would be if they both went out at the same time while driving in a critical location. I'll take a bit less light w/a lot more durability. Now to find and order those Osram 85/80W bulbs...

Thanks for the stories and keep them coming.
 
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