Author |
Message |
TromBug Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2010 Posts: 179 Location: Southern Alberta, Canada
|
Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2021 3:54 pm Post subject: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
Hi all, my dad recently bought me a pair of halogen replacement bulbs for my ‘78 SB as a gift to improve the brightness over my stock sealed beams. He wanted to make sure I was safe on dark country roads, especially as the weather gets cold!
Here are the ones on CIP1:
https://www.cip1.ca/acc-c10-7590/
They fit in the stock location just fine:
However, the aiming on them feels WAY off now. For reference, I felt like my aiming was pretty much perfect previously, both low beams and high beams.
It feels like the low beams are in other drivers’ faces. The high beams have been hard to test, but feel like they’re somehow lower (in height) than the low beams…
I tried some adjustment on the driver’s side, but after many turns, it seems to have barely lowered the beam half as far as I would expect.
Is this a common occurrence going from traditional sealed beam headlights to halogens, that the aiming is significantly off? Or, is it possible I’m just not used to halogens and should leave them how they are? I really don’t want to be the person blinding everyone else on the road… _________________ 1978 Super Beetle Convertible - 1776cc L-Jet injection |
|
Back to top |
|
|
TK-CS Samba Member
Joined: April 15, 2019 Posts: 279 Location: D - Deutschland
|
Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2021 4:43 pm Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
Which manufacturer are the actual H4 lamps from? Are these branded or Chinese rubbish?
How do the low beams look on a white wall? There should be a hard line where above is no light. _________________ AC:
'71 1600LE (Type 3 Notchback FI/AT) Sunroof
'75 1303 (Super Beetle) 1600DP, Sunroof
WC:
'77 Audi NSU Ro80
'88 GTI 16V
'91 Corrado G60
Daily:
'04 Passat Wagon 2.0TDI
'13 Passat Wagon 2.0TSI |
|
Back to top |
|
|
busdaddy Samba Member
Joined: February 12, 2004 Posts: 51057 Location: Surrey B.C. Canada, but thinking of Ukraine
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Cusser Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2006 Posts: 31268 Location: Hot Arizona
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
busdaddy Samba Member
Joined: February 12, 2004 Posts: 51057 Location: Surrey B.C. Canada, but thinking of Ukraine
|
Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:18 pm Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
How would you aim this?, it's all over the place.
_________________ Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.
Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
Слава Україні! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Lingwendil Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2009 Posts: 3987 Location: Antioch, California, a block from the hood
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
TromBug Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2010 Posts: 179 Location: Southern Alberta, Canada
|
Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 8:58 am Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
Thanks all, that’s basically what I wanted to confirm. I might throw the stock sealed beams back in for now and reset the aim since I was happy with it before, and the car’s about to be stored for winter anyway. _________________ 1978 Super Beetle Convertible - 1776cc L-Jet injection |
|
Back to top |
|
|
68IHscout Samba Member
Joined: March 10, 2010 Posts: 3122 Location: santa ana ca
|
Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 9:39 am Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
Philips crystal vision sealed beam ,thats what i replaced my empi h4 with ,very happy with them and affordable! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Dan the workingstiff Samba Member
Joined: July 03, 2006 Posts: 824 Location: Downriver, MI
|
Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 12:52 pm Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
Good optics costs big bucks. There's more to it than a bright bulb..... _________________ '69 Beetle
'66 FG buggy
My other air-cooled's
'76 IH 1200
'75 IH 1200 |
|
Back to top |
|
|
bnam Samba Member
Joined: July 02, 2006 Posts: 2931 Location: El Dorado Hills CA/ Bangalore, India
|
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2021 8:28 am Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
Dan the workingstiff wrote: |
Good optics costs big bucks. There's more to it than a bright bulb..... |
A bit of a myth. They don’t have to be. Good Hella lamps with Austrian lenses are priced at about $6 for a pair here. Autopal is pretty good and not too expensive. Wonder why the pricing skyrockets when the same part in the US. _________________ 1971 1302LS Convertible (RHD) owned since '74
Click to view image
1965 Karmann Ghia Coupe - under restoration
1966 Fiat 1500 Cabrio (with 1600 Twin cam)
1952 Citroen TA 11BL |
|
Back to top |
|
|
74 Thing Samba Member
Joined: September 02, 2004 Posts: 7369
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
FlyAU98 Samba Member
Joined: September 12, 2020 Posts: 67 Location: Milton, FL
|
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 7:16 pm Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
My https://vintagecarleds.com remain the best purchase I've made for my Beetle. _________________ ======================
1972 Super Beetle |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Glenn Mr. 010
Joined: December 25, 2001 Posts: 76760 Location: Sneaking up behind you
|
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 7:29 pm Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
Cibie Z beams... 1980s.
_________________ Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"
Member #1009
#BlueSquare |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Lingwendil Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2009 Posts: 3987 Location: Antioch, California, a block from the hood
|
Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2021 7:33 am Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
They sell rebranded LEDs like everyone else, but have good housings from what I can tell. Beamtech brand on Amazon are the same thing at less than half the cost if you want to go that way. They are good, but not as good as Osram or Hella bulbs in a good E-code H4 housing in my experience. I ran a set from vintagecarleds in my 96 Honda Civic for a time, only because something in that car kept killing bulbs. not as bright as traditional bulds and not as good spread, but they were reliable. I found them inadequate in my beetle, but acceptable in the honda.
I've personally yet to find a drop-in LED that is adequate compared to real name brand traditional bulbs for the typical H4 housings available. LEDs function differently and have different needs when it comes to optics. If they were in a housing that used a proper lens to focuse the beam (like a projector style housing) rather than a reflector they can be made to work well. I work with LEDs a lot for aquarium and horticultural settings, and you rarely see reflectors there on their own. They usually are used in conjunction with a specific focusing lens, or with the lens alone.
Glenn wrote: |
Cibie Z beams... 1980s.
|
These are the single best reflector design of all time, I miss mine
Still keeping an eye out for another set. _________________ 73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!
Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884
Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
vintagecarleds Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2015 Posts: 176 Location: Houston, TX
|
Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2021 11:24 am Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
Lingwendil wrote: |
Still keeping an eye out for another set. |
I've got a NOS pair of Cibie lenses sitting on my shelf... PM me. _________________ www.vintagecarleds.com
[email protected]
713-853-9644 |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Simon4679 Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2022 Posts: 13 Location: Ontario, Canada
|
Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2022 8:16 pm Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
Hello!
I recently purchased a set of the same headlights as TromBug (original post)
I also purchase these buckets...https://www.cip1.ca/vwc-141-941-041-in/
I've managed to aim the low beams pretty decently but now the high beams are almost useless. A few feet in front of car is illuminated very brightly but that's about it.
Is there anything to be done or is it just the reproduction parts?
Thanks |
|
Back to top |
|
|
johnnyvw164 Samba Member
Joined: July 27, 2020 Posts: 570 Location: South of Raleigh
|
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2022 5:52 am Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
Looking at the photos of the beam patterns....they look God-awful and damn near useless except for blinding oncoming drivers. I got a cheap set from THe Bus Depot that were made in India, and are TONS better than that. At some point I'll upgrade to Hellas (cibies if I can find them), but they have a decent beam pattern, especially on low beam as they have a good sharp cut-off with very little scatter.
It's almost as if the optics are upside down... |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Simon4679 Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2022 Posts: 13 Location: Ontario, Canada
|
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2022 2:15 pm Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
I actually seriously considered installing them upside down - maybe I'll try it. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
KTPhil Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2006 Posts: 33875 Location: Conejo Valley, CA
|
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2022 2:37 pm Post subject: Re: H4 halogen bulbs - aiming off? |
|
|
I would try it... might be usable.
LED "Bulbs" I bought a couple of years ago from Vintage Car LEDs are not the same design as what they are selling now. I "re-ordered" what I bought (VC5000) but they are different; I don't think they can be clocked.
The old ones rotated and clicked in place at distinct clock positions, and I had to rotate them to get a good pattern with my Hella H4 lamp assemblies... a great pattern, actually.
I haven't tried the new bulbs yet. Same Hella H4 lamps, just different bulbs.
Old bulbs (but with clear lenses):
New bulbs:
VERY different, as you can see, though they are carrying the same part number on their website. I'll report on how they work maybe this weekend. I expect they will be good... these seem to be the most "bulb-like" pattern of any I've seen. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
bruehoyt Samba Member
Joined: April 08, 2008 Posts: 180 Location: Columbus, OH
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
|