Date:         Tue, 16 Oct 2007 23:02:00 +1300
Reply-To:     Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:      Re: Cibie H4 rectangular in a Vanagon?
In-Reply-To:  <A71F549E-F181-442B-9461-5CD35AE81352@newclear.us>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed

>I too would like to know this also... I have cibies from my old saab
>upgrade. I will say however... they don't really live up to the hype.
>They are better, but not earthshatteringly better than the DOT lamps
>they replaced.

That will depend on the lights themselves as well as the health of
the wiring etc. Good H4s will make a huge improvement. Lens design
and reflector quality is everything. Poor design renders a short beam
with brightspots and holes. There must be websites which have tests
of various H4 units.

I would imagine that, like generic round headlights, the VW and Cibie
lights will have the same fittings.

I remember from my motorcycling days, on my Honda CBX with a Stanley
H4 (the bike shop sold me a LHD unit and I didn't notice until too
late... stored it for over a year before looking closely at it) at
night... my friend behind me on his s**theap GS1000, going around a
bend with a bank on the outside... his H4 cast my shadow in my own
headlight beam!

I put H4s in my single-round-light 74 Passat, and they were brilliant
(one Hella, the other I can't remember). The standard generic 5x7"
H4s in my 89 Corolla are good enough without being great; the lights
in my 88 Skyline diesel were the best I've ever driven with.

Whenever I have to drive something with old-fashioned headlights (eg
82 Cruiser wagon, 89 Corona), I wonder at the dimness and yellowness
of the lights.
--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin
New Zealand
Fossil preparator
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut
‚ Opinions stated are mine, not of the University of Otago
"There is water at the bottom of the ocean"  - Talking Heads