I just ordered a set of 7" rectangular Hella H4 conversions (part# 003427811) for the Fairmont. Right after hanging up the phone, I noticed that they are ECE compliant, not SAE/DOT. Have I screwed the pooch on this? Would I be able to see better with the DOTs?
Ooh, I see you're in PA. PA used to have one of the more stringent safety inspections where the inspectors would actually read the headlight markings to make sure the lights had SAE/DOT markings. I don't know if that's still the case.
The ECE lights are actually better, but is it worth the hassle to change back to the sealed beams come inspection time? No.
EvanR wrote: Ooh, I see you're in PA. PA *used* to have one of the more stringent safety inspections where the inspectors would actually read the headlight markings to make sure the lights had SAE/DOT markings. I don't know if that's still the case. The ECE lights are actually better, but is it worth the hassle to change back to the sealed beams come inspection time? No.
Quoted for truth, My wife's cousin just had her car inspected in pa and they missed that one of the low beams was out .....
Typically the H4 conversion lights are going to be E codes (ECE compliant rather than SAE) in my experience, which is limited to the round variety. You bought the right thing if you're after a lighting upgrade.
the only issue I see with SAE/DOT versus E-code lights. The E-codes will throw less light upwards. This means you will see down the road and the road itself a lot better at some expense to overhead signs and street signs
Curious how these work out for you, I've been thinking about something similar for the D350 and the Bravada.
Car E-codes also have more pronounced kick up on the right hand side than DOT spec ones. Helps with visibility down the side of the road.
As long as there's no cutoff when they're on high beam, I should be okay. I like my high beams to illuminate everything. Hella makes the same thing in a SAE/DOT, so I can probably swap them if they suck. I'll keep you posted.
As long as you didn't accidentally get right hand drive euro lights (kick up on the wrong side) you're good.
Chadeux wrote: Curious how these work out for you, I've been thinking about something similar for the D350 and the Bravada.
I'm pretty happy with them so far. They do have a very sharp cutoff on low beam, with a kick up on the right. There is a lot of light out to the sides on low beam, so I have high hopes for them in the fog. My wife tells me that they "get very bright" when she's in front of me on right-hand highway sweepers, probably because of the right-side kickup. I got flashed one time, by a fella on a backroad that was coming the other way while I was going around a right hander.
The high beams are pretty phenomenal. At first, you're like, "where did all the side-spill go?" because now there are just two very bright Vs in front of the car with a little bit of shadow in them. Then you look up a little, and you see this massive bar of light. I was worried about what they would be like on the back roads, especially when going down one side of a small valley. They're pretty good at that.
Overall, I'd probably buy them again, although I might get the DOT version, which would probably piss off more oncoming traffic.
I got a set from Flying Miata several years back and used them on my Porsche. Even with the standard bulb the were a huge improvement over the stock lights.
Personally I'd get one US spec on for the driver's side and leave the euro spec one in the passengers side. All the brightness of both of them in the areas where both are focused to illuminate, which should be the parts you need to be brightly lit, but you would get at least half brightness in the parts each bulb illuminates singly.
I ran eurospec lamps on my old 318ti. They had the kickup to the right, I never got flashed for them. Getting ready to get eurospec lights for the disco soon. The stock US spec ones are almost as bad as Dodge items
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