Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2015 08:22:57 -0600
Reply-To: Ralph Meyermann <ralphmeyermann@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ralph Meyermann <ralphmeyermann@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Headlight upgrade?
In-Reply-To: <CAE_mVa3y4pkMow0yoz4F2os1D_4d070qG_s+ZcqVLOOnAO+=5A@mail.gmail.com>
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Do they come with wiring instructions for relays?
Velma 82 1.9L AAZ TD Westy
On Jan 28, 2015 7:56 AM, "Michael McSwain" <michaelmcswain@gmail.com> wrote:
> Wow! That's a lot of great information! I was imagining myself getting an
> inspection from my local guy who doesn't seem to care about much of
> anything. It's hard to imagine getting called out for the wrong kind of
> lights. Sounds like e-code is the way to go.
> On Jan 28, 2015 8:46 AM, "The Bus Depot" <vanagon@busdepot.com> wrote:
>
> > > Got an '84. Are the Hella lenses that Gowesty sells the only option
> for a
> > light
> > > upgrade? Saw a suggestion for an E-Code housing but it seemed to be
> only
> > slightly
> > > cheaper than the full gowesty setup and it comes with the risk of not
> > being
> > > completely legal.
> > >
> > > Seems like there would be something else out there for a little less
> > money. Any
> > > thoughts? Is this upgrade worth $200?
> >
> >
> > The Hella Vision Plus headlights that GoWesty offers are "quasi" H4
> > headlights that cost more than actual H4 headlights and perform
> > significantly worse. However, because they are not technically H4
> > headlights
> > they have a DOT approval stamp on them, which no H4 headlight (E-code or
> > not) can have. This makes them "street legal" whereas conventional H4
> > headlights must be sold "for offroad use only" due to a hole in the
> > regulations that made true H4's street-legal pretty much everywhere else
> in
> > the world except for the U.S. (and here in the U.S., street legal on
> > motorcycles but not on cars). How important is this? I will say that in
> > twenty years I have never heard of anyone actually failing inspection or
> > getting a ticket for using a quality set of H4's, but theoretically it
> > could
> > happen. If you want to eliminate any risk, you have two choices. One is
> the
> > Hella VisionPlus (which we sell for less than GoWesty does, incidentally
> -
> > http://www.busdepot.com/70477 ), and the other is the generic knockoffs
> of
> > the VisionPlus (also DOT stamped) that we offer for $39/pair -
> > http://www.busdepot.com/nl911dot . They are not quite as good as the
> > Hellas
> > but come surprisingly close for half the price.
> >
> > If you're not concerned about the DOT labeling, you can get far better
> > headlights for less money buying a good pair of actual H4 headlights.
> > There
> > are some really crappy H4's out there, but you can largely weed those out
> > by
> > insisting on E-code ones. Those meet strict European standards for
> > performance, making them street-legal pretty much everywhere but the U.S.
> > (where the aforementioned hole in the regulations resulted in them never
> > getting approved). Even among E-code headlights there are still
> variations
> > in quality, but the overall standard is higher to begin with. We offer
> > three
> > versions of E-code headlights. The German Hellas are considered one of
> the
> > best you can get at any price, and we currently have them on factory
> buyout
> > for only $69 a pair: http://www.busdepot.com/0301600118 . This is by
> > far
> > the best $69 you will ever spend on your Vanagon. For those on a tighter
> > budget we offer generic E-codes for $34/pair -
> > http://www.busdepot.com/nl910ch4/ . While not quite up to Hella's
> > standards, they are still a significant step above your stock headlights
> > (or
> > the Vision Plus for that matter). A third alternative is that we offer a
> > version of the generic E-codes that adds European city-light bulbs as
> well
> > as normal headlight bulbs, for $44/pair - http://www.busdepot.com/hq6014
> .
> > This additional lighting gives your Vanagon a very cool European look as
> > well as increasing visibility. As an aside, both of the generic E-codes
> > have
> > a rounded profile like your sealed-beams do, whereas the Hellas (all of
> > them) have a flatter profile.
> >
> > Your next decision is bulbs. 55/60 watt H4 bulbs will be noticeably
> > brighter
> > than your original headlights, without drawing any additional current, so
> > they don't require any special wiring. Therefore, replacing your
> > sealed-beam
> > headlights with a pair of E-codes and these bulbs is a five minute
> > plug-and-play upgrade, just like changing a light bulb. We have good
> > German
> > 55/60w bulbs for just $3.95 each - http://www.busdepot.com/78155 . If
> you
> > want an even more marked improvement, the next level up would be 90/100
> > watt
> > bulbs and the requisite relays to make them work (as they do draw
> > additional
> > current). We have them bundled in a kit with the Hella E-codes -
> > http://www.busdepot.com/visionkit1 - or you can buy the generic E-codes
> > and
> > the high-output bulbs and relay kit separately. (In that case you'd want
> > http://www.busdepot.com/725543 bulbs and a http://www.busdepot.com/HRK1
> > relay kit.) That combination will also work with the "fake" H4's
> mentioned
> > in the first paragraph, by the way, but while it will improve them it
> will
> > not make them perform like actual E-codes. In all cases this is
> reversible
> > if you ever needed to do so; you can swap the original sealed-beam
> > headlights back in about five minutes.
> >
> > All of this pertains to round-headlight Vanagons. '86-91 Vanagons can
> > benefit from our VisionKit 2 ( http://www.busdepot.com/visionkit2 ) or
> our
> > South African grill kit ( http://www.busdepot.com/1495 ).
> >
> > Hope this is not too confusing! Let me know if any questions.
> >
> > Ron Salmon
> > The Bus Depot, Inc.
> > www.busdepot.com
> >
> >
> >
>
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