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Sun Sep 28, 2014 6:20 am

Installed a set of Hella H4 E-Code headlights...wow, what a difference! I got them from busdepot.com; they're German made, with glass lenses and a metal housing. I thought my originals weren't too bad, but the difference is night and day (pun intended).

The lenses are of course flatter than regular sealed-beam lamps, so it gives a different look. Some of you I'm sure have already made the conversion, but for those who haven't, I think this is the best $78 you can spend on your Type 3, if you do a lot of night driving (which I do).

A front view:

Closeup:

Side views:

I did have to adjust them up per the Bentley chart, as they were shining too low after installation. These are a direct replacement when used with the 55/60W bulbs, but you can use stronger bulbs with a relay. Here's the product link:
http://www.busdepot.com/0301600118

And the 55/60W bulbs I used:
http://www.busdepot.com/78155

Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:19 am

Right on, I just did this conversion as well.

Sun Sep 28, 2014 10:42 am

I've run those since they were hard to find back the late '70s. Good grounds and tight contacts, and these things are far better than any sealed beam, but use common, fairly cheap bulbs.

Sun Sep 28, 2014 10:47 am

The flat Hella in the red '67 just say DOT on them, but I still want to install them on my '69.

Sun Sep 28, 2014 10:55 am

I went with a pair of Auto-Pal E-11 H4 head lights and they are great on High beam but the Low beams shine down too much! How are the Hella E code's that way? Can you see out in front of you well enough on low beam?

Sun Sep 28, 2014 12:21 pm

The low beams were too low when I installed the lights, so I had to raise the beams by turning in the upper adjusting screw (labeled "B" here):

I used tape to mark the wall for beam adjustment like in the diagram.

These beams have a very distinct upper edge, which I placed right at the "H" line in the diagram. Nobody's been flashing their lights at me, so all is well. :)

Sun Sep 28, 2014 5:47 pm

E-code lamps have a pattern more like this:

The sharp low beam cutoff means less glare to oncoming drivers, and light on the ground to guide you. Aim them carefully and you'll find they work better than the "foggy blob" sealed beam pattern.

The adjusting screws of the conversion H4 lamps at the top of the thread use the US adjuster locations, but the pattern should be like the European manual above.

Late model headlamps may have different measurements than the Euro diagram, but go by the text and find the lamp centers. Ride height will change this value anyway. Be sure your tires are inflated correctly first.

Sun Sep 28, 2014 6:44 pm

Correct. My lights needed no horizontal adjustment, but it's no problem to check once you've got your marks set.

Thu Oct 02, 2014 12:16 pm

ive heard and experienced the high and low being so far apart its annoying before. i got over it and just drive around with the high beams on in my westy :P jk...but it hasnt been a big enough issue for me to switch back...to useful!

Thu Oct 02, 2014 8:27 pm

Yeah mine are defiantly too far apart, I wound up just setting them so the high beams can stay on all the time but I still get an occasional flash and when I do I go to low beams but if going down a dark road in the rain I don't feel very safe at 55mph. Those lows have a pretty pretty sharp cut off about 200 feet out can't see a dear in the road with them until it's too late if going 55 mph.

Thu Oct 02, 2014 8:34 pm

Yeah? This is a very straight forward swap to a superior part. Thanks for sharing.

Thu Oct 02, 2014 8:40 pm

notchboy wrote: Yeah? This is a very straight forward swap to a superior part. Thanks for sharing.

having a hot flash there jason?
:lol:

Thu Oct 02, 2014 8:56 pm

Stuartzickefoose wrote: notchboy wrote: Yeah? This is a very straight forward swap to a superior part. Thanks for sharing.

having a hot flash there jason?
:lol:

That flash done happened back in 2001.

Thu Oct 02, 2014 9:04 pm

Thanks for the positive review, Donnie! The Hellas are one of my post popular items. I have to buy a shitload of them to get this price but it's worth it. Switching to E-codes is probably the single biggest improvement you can make to your VW for well under $100 and ten minutes work.

I'd like to make one point here, which is that not all H4's are the same. While all of them use H4 bulbs (which themselves can vary greatly in quality i.e. German vs. Chinese), the lens is what separates a good H4 headlight from a bad one. Hella (except for the VisionPlus, which is not really an H4), Bosch, and Cibie are all safe bets, no matter where you buy them. They are true E-Code headlights, meaning that they meet strict European Union standards for beam pattern and performance. Most generics, however, do not. I've compared many and they are a total crapshoot. Some are halfway decent, others blind oncoming traffic or shoot the beam too low. The worst of them are designed for the Japanese or Indian market and therefore intended for left-hand-drive vehicles, so they shoot the light to the wrong side of the road entirely (and do a crappy job of that). I do sell a $35 generic pair - http://www.busdepot.com/nl910ch4/ that is the best generic I've found (they're basically Cibie knockoffs and actually legitimate E-codes), but the $69 Hellas Donnie referenced in the first post still outperform them. My point here is "buyer beware." A good pair of E-codes is a huge improvement for almost no money. A crappy pair is no improvement at all.

Thu Oct 02, 2014 10:08 pm

Anyone bought quality right hand drive ones? Where?

Fri Oct 03, 2014 3:45 am

You're welcome Ron, and thank you for making them available to us at such a great price. With German lenses and German bulbs, I feel like you can't go wrong!

Sun Nov 29, 2020 8:43 am

Is there a date code on these Hella H4 7" conversion lamps?

The reason I'm asking is because I bought a set of used ones for my project, and they look vintage.

The backside of the headlights has a grey finish, not the typical dark copper color on current Hella's, & the dust boots are red (my other hella's are grey).

Hella part no is: 111 603. They do not have the "306" preceding as the above lamps do.

There is also some other minor differences. They do not have the string of #'s under the H4, and the "HCR" is in a box [HCR]

Thanks

Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:04 pm

tjet wrote: Is there a date code on these Hella H4 7" conversion lamps?

The reason I'm asking is because I bought a set of used ones for my project, and they look vintage.

The backside of the headlights has a grey finish, not the typical dark copper color on current Hella's, & the dust boots are red (my other hella's are grey).

Hella part no is: 111 603. They do not have the "306" preceding as the above lamps do.

There is also some other minor differences. They do not have the string of #'s under the H4, and the "HCR" is in a box [HCR]

Thanks

Do you have images?

Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:05 pm

Just did the conversation on a original set of euro headlights, but they are not ad bright as my SB12s..... am I using the wrong bulb for illumination?

Right side is SB12, left side is Euro H4.

Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:29 pm

I think you'd want to install an H4 bulb than that round one you have.