what is the best coversion to a bone stock 73 2.0L to get my head lights to light up the road better with out melting something and that is reliable ?

have the halogen fog lights from camp been known to melt or fry things ? .. maybe I can just keep the stock head lights and mount up some bad ass fog lights and be ok?

opinions?

I have has 100watt low/150 watt hi bulbs in the H4 headlamps. So far no issues. Lights up the road smartly. Bought them from off road dealer, they are not DOT approved. Doesn't seem much of a problem for other cars as the 914 is so low.

was the swap a PITA ? I assume same as the PP h4 ... what is the differance in the DOT approved swap and the non dot approved ones at PP ?

The main differnce being the wattage. Pelican sells 55/60, 80/100. They are not the 100/150's. I've run these for over a year with no melt downs. Seems fine.
No PITA, just a headlght swap.

Do as "Speedster Chapman" recommends.

A "Good" H4 kit is the way to go. You can select any bulb array you'd like but he's spot on with the Porsche being lower and not really affecting anyones vision.

My 911 has H1's (not applicable) and I have the higher wattage bulbs. No issues.

Aaron has good feedback on lights and he can tell you which H4's "NOT" to buy. I have some Carello's that are "very" nice.

As far as the swap goes, it's no more of a PITA than installing a new bulb IMO. Same thing, just better.

What are some good sources for these conversion kits?
The usual suppliers?
Anyone else?

Here's a great price on eBay:

Item #250048123643

Nudder...

150085721709

When installing high wattage H4 bulbs in Porsche 911's it is recommended to also install a relay to save the headlight stalk from frying, is this needed/recommended for the 914? Trying to learn from the experts. Thanks

I would agree with that if you plan to use anything other than the stock 55/60 configuration. Here's a great resource:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html

I bought these for my car and they are a vast improvement over sealed beams. I see no need for anything better unless I plan on driving over 100 all the time.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MiiG-HID-He...1QQcmdZViewItem


The Hella H$4's are the ticket if you want to rewire.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-911...VQQcmdZViewItem

are the ones at PP different than the ones listed on ebay? ....

and why do you need to rewire with the hella ones? would you need to rewire with all H4 upgrades? I thought from the privous posts it was a plaug and play type thing...

They ebay ones Eric posted just slip right in?

Ive read install instructions recommending running a heavier wire and relay for the Hi watt H4's.
Thats all I know, again I have been real happy with the Ebay Kryptons, they look nice and the city light option is nice while using the parking lights. Never felt they were ricey looking on the car or they would of come off.

For a street legal application, you simply plug those in using the same 3-prong plug the current sealed beam bulbs have. They go in the same location and use the same bezel and surround etc.

When I say street legal, again, I mean the 55/60 configuration.

Most people get these because they want to run 100w or even higher. It would probably be best to get the relay at that point.

chappy, how was your experence with that ebay seller?
Also, I assume that is for a pair?

Thanks

you could locate some non-dot approved euro lenses... the light pattern is different, and imho much better. "sombody i know" got a pair from across the northern border.

i'll see if i can find a link.

edit: here ya go... http://gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=...ight&start=

~a

For those of us who are more mechanically minded, are there instructions floating around for hooking up a relay?

It was over a year since I ordered mine, I think the seller was selling under other names also. When I bought mine they did have some negative feedback when buyers had damaged merchandise during shipping and they had some problems getting things resolved, but my transaction went smooth.
They claim a lifetime warranty if its worth anything.....

Sylvania makes a Silverstar in the round sealed beam that fits our cars.

I added a cost effective alternative to H4s, H3s. The H3s made a huge difference. You can also get uprated bulbs for them as well, but don't forget to add relays if you go with hotter bulbs.

are there any differances between the Hella at PP and the hella that erik posted from ebay?

I just bought the Hella H4 package from Auto Atlanta ($98). They installed very easy.

I'm using the DOT approved lamps (55/60W) and they are a big improvement over the sealed beams.

I also bought the (80/100W) lamps which I will eventualy install.

I do not plan to add a relay or heavier wire. They will be close to capacity but should work fine.

My concern is my stock alternator which may not be up to the task. I plan to upgrade that when I go to the higher wattage lamps.

Just remember that all that current flows through the headlight switch, which was sized for 90W less loading on the low beams, and 180W less loading with your high beams. A power relay sure makes sense here.

Also, adding 90W for the low beams to a system that can barely supply enough current at idle with the normal loads is also an issue.

I'm not sure I would take "any" electrical advice from a guy with that avatar!!

Joking of course... I agree with the alternator issue. In my GT clone I think we came to the conclusion that, with all my lights, I would need the 90a version from an 89 911.

55w bulbs in a good H4 fixture are really completely adequate, If you go to anything bigger it is really causing the system to heat up (literally- that what the resistace does), and failure becomes pretty likely. Putting in a relay is the best solution, because then you can use a large guage wire to get all the juice to the lights.

I put a set of H4's in the 924 I used to drive....vast improvement. I then put them in my 944 and installed a set of the " white" bulbs (80/100) Even better. I have since put the white bulbs in ALL of my cars, Volvo, Jeep, Suburban. They aren't just a gimmick and IMO are werth the $$, especially living in the "country" where the deer dart out of the trees regularly BTW I have not had any wiring issues with the H4's

I am going to do the stock wattage in H4 and put some of those pilot fogs like the camp sells in the foglight holes. Saw a nice Black 1.7 with really bright lights. Felt warm when you stand in front of them, but it was at Cal Neva, so the air was pretty thin.

I was also thinking those little brackets that replace the bumper tits with a nice big driving lights would be good. Would be higher so it would throw better light and less likely to catch a rock up higher too. How much juice would a stock foglight switch handle?

i have the expensive CIBIE h4 housings, and i bought them from daniel stern lighting. I tried the EBAY crap ones, and they were indeed piles of crap. they rattles in their housing, had a really poor seal, a weak beam shape, and were rusty in a few months.

the cibie ones as seen in my blog have an amazing beam shape. they light way out sideways, and far ahead. im running 55/80's. i am not sure how chapman hasnt cooked his wiring by runing 100/150 bulbs, as you typically need a relay and a direct wire from the battery....

all this coming from the guy with 330 watts of lighting on the front of his car LOL

I there are a few different cheap ones out there which differ in quality, I have been happy with the ones I have. If i can dig up my reciept I will post which ones they are.

mine were "OMEGA" brand from ebay. POS junk

I have a set of Hella H4 lights, stock wattage. I had these in my old squareback, and kept them when it died (I am too cheap to throw out something that works). They really light up the road. Easy to install, didn't have to mess with relays and wiring. They have a very nice pattern. If you drive at night it is worth the very minimal effort.

Agree with Aaron: CIBIE E-codes are a great way to go--and probably the best option of what lights are still available. SEV Marchal "flat faces" were supposed to be even better, but when CIBIE/Valeo bought Marchal some years back, they discontinued most of the Marchal line.