H4 light bulbs worth it?
 

I have a chance to get my hands on some h4 light bulbs and the enclosure that looks like a stock headlight, for a very reasonable price(almost the same as stock replacements). Has anyone used these? are they brighter - or bright enough? Think they'll melt my wiring harness?
Do they draw to much power?
Should I just spend the big bucks and get a real HID kit? I kind of like the idea of the H4, but I'm not to sure.

well..
 

I think this subject was covered somewhere before. HOWEVER, I do remember that the H4 lights will draw too much current thru the puny wires we have for headlights and will indeed melt the harness and possibly catch fire. However, there are wiring harness upgrade kits (beefier wires, relay etc.) available from racing beat i think and a few other places that would allow you to use the H4 bulbs.

Myself personally I am holding out on that mod for a custom HID setup that I want and will have to upgrade the harness for the additional current draw.

Check this thread out...
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ighlight=bulbs

and this one:
https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...ight=HEADLIGHT

hope that helps!

Enjoy!

And this tidbit I forgot.
 

If you happen to be so inclined, you can upgrade the system yourself.

Nifty electric diagram here for a generic relay setup.

enjoy.

Standard 55wt H4s won't cook a healthy electrical system. I have run Halogen Cibie H4 optics for years. That said the wiring load DOES pass thru the switch wires at the steering column and these are dinky = heat (tho not fire, or likely even melting). usually you get into trouble when you swap out the 55wt bulbs for 100wt plus - THEN you are asking for trouble. A relay system is just smart in an old car and blackdragonauto makes a plug-and-play RX7 relay harness set up for $30, so you really can't go wrong.
I think where you can really improve the actual lighting performance ON THE ROAD is to spend some coin on decent quality optics: ie the _lenses_!! Cibie and Hell a are about the best out there. All the gee-whiz uber-bulbs and wattage are squat if the optics and glass doesn't put the photons where you need them.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/
this is a great site with lots of info (disclaimer, he sells Cibie brand lighting) that might give you some direction.

IMHO I would avoid the HID bandwagon. proper HID systems still cost HUGE $ because the tech to make them work correctly (and not just spew light all over and piss off police and other drivers) is not cheap. beware the cheap kits and so-called HID kits as many are poorly designed and built - and STILL more than a pair of Cibie headlamps.

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

COOK! I mean they won't _cook_ a healthy system....
;)

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

7aull
 

Yeppers,
A proper HID setup is indeed expensive ;) Why I'm holding out for mine. I have the lenses and the casings, bezel, etc. I salvaged them from my friends totaled 06 Bmw (was rear ended). He bought the car back for the motor, and some misc. parts he wanted to swap into an E28 he had.

Anyhow, yes I did forget to be clear on that. Bumping the wattage up etc, will start to cause trouble. However, depending on the state of his wiring, load centers, switch, etc... he may be asking for trouble dropping in H4's. But, I tend to stay on the safe side :)

to the OP: Do what ya feel is best for you bro. :bluesuit::bluesuit:

I was mostly curious about the headlight plugs melting, I didn't think about 55w being to much for the rest of the wiring, hmm. my headlight wiring has had some work done to it previously by who knows, there's a fairly nice aftermarket setup under the hood having two fuses with one for the lights and one for the buckets, and something close to around 8 gauge wire. those then go to another big ass fuse which goes directly to the battery.

I went with cheap H4 round lens assembly with projector and installed a HID setup. I can say you get what you pay for. The lens does not spread light evenly. It spreads it like an asterick (*).....which is the best way to explain it. Light output with the standard bulb was good, if not better than stock, and the HID is amazingly bright. I can not remember what brand I bought - but it was a an e-bay special....sounded good - glass lens and projector.

I utilized a relay and wiring harness, so I can't say how the stock wiring would hold up, but I think you'd be a fool not to use a relay.

Depending on the situation - ask to see the setup running (if your buying it used) or read reviews if your buying it new....

I used the BD setup as noted in the 2nd link in post #2. Its worked great now for
3 years.

Definitely implement the relay modification if nothing else, even with the
stock sealed beams it helps a lot. See the pics in my thread for the comparisons.

I've done this on other cars and its really worth it. Its also a pretty straight forward
task electrically and good way to cut your teeth on doing electric related mods.

I'm running the BD kit as well with the wiring harness... it was a NIGHT and DAY difference... pun intended.. ;)

I got them - They are awesome. Just Like HID - without the hassles.

Maybe its just me, but I got the BD kit and upgraded the wires on my 85, and it burned up my 245 dollar headlight switch. Im told that this is impossible, given relays in the system, but my headlight switch died a few hours after install, first low beams, and when that went I started using high beams; then those died too. I bought a new switch and changed to the sealed beam "HID" look bulbs and havent had a problem since.

Hmmm, sounds like a wiring error may have caused this. The BD setup wired
correctly should cause less amperage thru the switch, not more.

I have access to this kit for less than that price, friend has a brand new set he doesn't want to use. I probly' would not ever be caught with the halo's turned on. they look....silly. I'd still hook them up, though. Thoughts?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DOT-7...Q5fAccessories

i have H4 kit also i love how easy it was to install a HID kit to it and the color range is nice also for city and country depending on were you live can help decide the color. I wont go back to stock now.

maybe I'll give it a shot.i'll go the safe route and get a larger wiring harness or make my own to help with the melting plastic issue.

i did a full harness with upgraded wires and extra resisters and some fusable link it was simple sence the HID kit i used only need a signal from the headlight swith it made the install of the new harness much easier
The HID ballaist was heavy wired to a battery source then had 4 light signal detectors from the switch High beam Low beams Dual and off, it was great!

Fortunately my headlight wiring already has an aftermarket fuse in it, i should trace it and double check to make sure it doesn't already have a relay too, that would be sweet.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...epede/derp.jpg

apparently the PO decided the headlights and the buckets needed their own fuses, which go to a MUCH larger fuse, which goes directly to the battery.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...epede/hurp.jpg