Anyone running square H4's ?

[2PLY]

[2PLY]

Turns out that there is a lot more to correct lighting than I have ever read or heard.

My combination of Hella H4 Eurospec rectangular Vanagon headlights and HID bulbs appears to work for me but after reading the link below, I'll bet there are at least some problems with what I have.

In looking for better lighting, I first went with the Hella Factory H4 rectangle lenses.. they were expensive and are now unavailable as new. I then added the higher wattage H4 bulbs in the 55W-100W version and I added the 100W H3 to the square dedicated high beam. This required a by-pass relay system that by-passed my fuse panel and switches entirely and consumed a large portion of my alternator output while driving. These bulbs also rarely lasted a full year.

My switch to HID solved the power drain and could possibly make the full by-pass relay system unnecessary. However, before you rush out and do this switch, you should read this information that I have just discovered.. A little late for me...

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

There is a ton of good information that hits upon just about anything to do with automotive and other lighting.. I'm saving this for further reading.

I was lucky in buying my equipment from a guy that did a lot of research to find the best products that he could stand behind... however, it appears that the only REAL way to switch to HID is for a completely new lens assembly that was made specifically for a specific HID bulb. I have never seen any complete upgrade of that sort for a Vanagon.. All I have seen are bulb upgrades for Halogen lenses which might be a bad thing in my case and definitely a bad install in many that I've seen on the road.

There appears to be a lot of pitfalls to upgrading your lights... I would read the article in that link above before you make a move.

Let's hope that LED technology might hold the answer in the future..
_________________
Working on a Van, Down by the River..

87 Syncro Westy - 2007 Subaru 2.5L Dove Blue
91 Syncro Westy - Stock engine, Orly Blue
(Soon to receive the TDi from my wrecked 90 Syncro Westy)

[thatvwbusguy]

HID bulbs are designed to be used with a projector headlamp, as opposed to the reflector based headlamps that are stock to all Vanagons. The design of the HID bulb doesn't allow it to work properly with the reflector housing because it doesn't aim the light rearward onto the reflector like a halogen bulb does.

The photo below shows the obvious physical differences between an H4 HID bulb and a Halogen bulb:

The opaque covering at the tip of the halogen bulb is one of the key design elements that allows the bulb to function properly with the reflector lens. Unlike a flashlight bulb (or an HID bulb capsule), no light is emitted through the front of the bulb. Instead, it is bounced back to the rear of the headlight housing, where the beam shape (length, width and cutoff) is controlled by the parabolic reflector.

The precise positioning of the filament(s) is another important factor in how the lighting is managed by the reflector. Even tiny variances in filament position can have a major effect on the quality and quantity of light coming from the headlamp.

When you install an HID bulb into a headlight housing designed for a halogen bulb, the light can't be properly shaped by the reflector due to the fact that the HID bulb doesn't control the direction of light emerging from it. HID manufacturers often try to get around this by installing small mirrors (or moving shields for high/low beam applications) to mimic the basic design elements of the halogen bulb, but the end product still doesn't function well in the reflector housing.

The fact that the HID bulb uses a high voltage electrical arc to create the light also means that there is no way to approximate the filament position that is so important to standard halogen bulbs.

All this adds up to an incredibly bright, but not well controlled light source on the front of the van that produces unacceptable levels of glare for oncoming traffic and often results in unwanted police attention or failed safety inspections.

People have done full retrofits of projector based HIDs into the stock rectangular lenses found on 86-91 vans with varying degrees of success. There is a good post on the process here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=510732&highlight=

Using HID bulbs in the inner high beam lens is probably fine, since they are not meant to be used in traffic, but they really can't be forced to function properly in the main outer lens.

Unfortunately, most of these same design considerations apply to LED lighting as well. A simple replacement bulb system really can't be designed to work with the reflector lens, the lighting source and headlamp must be designed together.

Since the 86-91 Vanagon uses a proprietary headlamp, it is highly unlikely that a plug and play solution will ever be offered to safely incorporate HID or LED lighting. There are commercially available HID and LED headlamps for the 7" round headlamps found on 80-85 vans. So converting to the earlier round headlamp setup or the South African grill is probably the easiest solution for people looking to use HID or LED headlamps on their van.
_________________
Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.