H4 conversion - good deal? Options

[Cevan]

Bus Depot has the H4 bulbs and housings for about $53 total. These are the E-code housing which are approved for motorcycles. Any reason these won't work fine on our cars, apart from the "approved for motorcycle use" issue?

[busdepot]

Got mine on EBAY for about 25, DOT approved.

I thought I'd jump in here and clear up a couple of misconceptions/misinformation...

No H4 headlight is DOT approved for car use in the United States. The closest you can get is DOT approval for motorcycle use, and even that is rare. The U.S. DOT in its infinite wisdom decided not to approve H4's for cars but decided they were fine on motorcycles, meaning that the identical headlight can be DOT approved on a motorcycle and not on a car.

An exception is certain H4 lookalikes, such as the Hella Vision Plus. These actually use lower output HB2 bulbs, and are widely considered to be inferior to actual H4's despite their relatively high price. However, they are still markedly better than sealed-beams, and if you want 100% DOT approval they are your best/only bet.

ECE is the European equivalent of DOT approval, and ECE certified headlights (widely referred to as E-code) meet those stringent standards and are street-legal in most of Europe. (Also in Canada, which recognizes ECE standards.)

Most low end H4's are neither E-code nor DOT motorcycle approved, and as a result the performance varies tremendously. Higher end models are often E-code but typically not DOT approved for motorcycles (if only because the manufacturer didn't bother to get approval). The Bosch's are an exception that meets both standards, because Bosch has a U.S. customer (Harley-Davidson) who required DOT certification. (In fact that is the only reason why this deal on the Bosch's exists to begin with - Harley sales slumped, leaving Bosch with an excess of the DOT approved H4's, which we bought for way below cost.)

There can be HUGE quality differences between H4 headlights. At the low-end of the market are the $25 Ebay specials - Chinese or Indian made generics that are rarely E-code or DOT motorcycle approved (or if labeled as such may be counterfeit). Even these will tend to be better than the stock sealed-beams (which isn't saying much), but compared to better H4's you do get what you pay for. The fluting is of poor quality and design, so you may blind other drivers. (In some cases, they are made for Indian or British market right-hand-drive vehicles, so the fluting is completely backwards and you are illuminating pedestrians more than the road.) Also the quality control is often poor, resulting in leakage, loose fit, etc.

At the high end of the market are the well-regarded lighting specialists, notably Hella, Bosch, and Valeo (aka Cibie), who are actually OEM suppliers to the car companies. These are carefully engineered headlamps with excellent quality control, and are basically the standard by which the others are judged. Opinions may differ on which of these is best but it's hard to go wrong with any of them.

In between you have Chinese and Indian H4's, all from a few factories but marketed under a variety of brand names, that run the gamut. Those factories will build to spec, so one may be utter garbage while another from the same factory may be ECE certified and actually pretty decent (even if not quite up to German standards). The problem is knowing which you're getting. Price can be an indicator (if you're paying $25 or $30 for a pair of headlights you shouldn't expect much), but I have also seen some companies rebrand the same $30 cheapos and sell them for $50 or $60 in a nicer box.

You can find a very good write-up here that reviews the Bosch's in particular, but also has a lot of useful info about H4's.

- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com