They say that the lights are for off-road competition, yet I have not had any issue over the past 4 years running the Hellas.
The Hellas are fairly flat compared to the domed sealed beams. They look great.
The end is near....SCOTTeVEST's Baby
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They say that the lights are for off-road competition, yet I have not had any issue over the past 4 years running the Hellas.
The Hellas are fairly flat compared to the domed sealed beams. They look great.
I will ask Daniel how these compared to what he recommended. I gather the fact that lights are flat would not stick out like a sore thumb on my vehicle if yours are also flat. I don’t want to agonized over this decision
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Yep, those are the same lights I have. I feel that I'm in good company with VSR and Athena.
Scott,
“think it might look completely out of place”
Fwiw, back in the day (1970’s) many of us early Bmwcca folk upgraded to euro type halogens and swapped in DOT’s just to pass a Annual vehicle inspections. Those old Hellas were flat front and I’ve always liked that look on older bmws. In those days, the flat face Hellas were the norm everywhere but the USA because they simply worked better. I’m sure the DOT rule which required round faced, sealed beams was only partly influenced by USA light companies who couldn’t compete with the superior technology and performance of companies like Hella, Cibe, sev Marchal, Lucas etc. the arguments put forth by DOT at that time were technically false but made sense if you knew nothing about automotive technology (eg members of congress, who generally know nothing about anything).
“think it might look completely out of place”
Fwiw, back in the day (1970’s) many of us early Bmwcca folk upgraded to euro type halogens and swapped in DOT’s just to pass a Annual vehicle inspections. Those old Hellas were flat front and I’ve always liked that look on older bmws. In those days, the flat face Hellas were the norm everywhere but the USA because they simply worked better. I’m sure the DOT rule which required round faced, sealed beams was only partly influenced by USA light companies who couldn’t compete with the superior technology and performance of companies like Hella, Cibe, sev Marchal, Lucas etc. the arguments put forth by DOT at that time were technically false but made sense if you knew nothing about automotive technology (eg members of congress, who generally know nothing about anything).
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Just sent this to Daniel:
I consulted with my BMW group. The consensus among several is that below is a good choice:
------
Scott, checked my invoices from VSR who did the headlamp conversion in 2014. Mine are Hella H4 Low with City Light and H1 High. Unfortunately there are no part numbers.
Believe mine were purchased at rallylights.com
City Light Low: http://www.rallylights.com/hella-5-3-4-round-h4-e-code-headlamp-with-city-light-hl66021.html
H1 High: http://www.rallylights.com/hella-5-3-4-round-h1-high-beam-headlamp-ece-each-hl71157.html
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Would the lights you are recommending be better and look substantially similar to these. Perhaps I am over thinking all this. I don't want some BMW snob to look at my vehicle and notice that the car looks period correct, etc. in all respects except that the lights look out of place.
If the lights you recommended would be a better choice and not stick out like a sore thumb, then I'm all in.
Sorry for all the back and forth here.
At the risk of going in a completely different direction, I do LOVE the look of this http://singervehicledesign.com/works/ which seems oddly period correct in a way while looking much cooler. From Singer's page:
Thoughts?
I consulted with my BMW group. The consensus among several is that below is a good choice:
------
Scott, checked my invoices from VSR who did the headlamp conversion in 2014. Mine are Hella H4 Low with City Light and H1 High. Unfortunately there are no part numbers.
Believe mine were purchased at rallylights.com
City Light Low: http://www.rallylights.com/hella-5-3-4-round-h4-e-code-headlamp-with-city-light-hl66021.html
H1 High: http://www.rallylights.com/hella-5-3-4-round-h1-high-beam-headlamp-ece-each-hl71157.html
--------
Would the lights you are recommending be better and look substantially similar to these. Perhaps I am over thinking all this. I don't want some BMW snob to look at my vehicle and notice that the car looks period correct, etc. in all respects except that the lights look out of place.
If the lights you recommended would be a better choice and not stick out like a sore thumb, then I'm all in.
Sorry for all the back and forth here.
At the risk of going in a completely different direction, I do LOVE the look of this http://singervehicledesign.com/works/ which seems oddly period correct in a way while looking much cooler. From Singer's page:
- The primary lighting is radically updated using state of the art Hella Bi-Xenon headlight units developed for the P1 Prototype race cars, these have been incorporated into newly developed headlight housings.
- Lightweight polycarbonate clear headlight lenses replace the original glass items.
Thoughts?
i have flat hellas on my coupe ... and they look fine. i am intrigued by the h1 bi-focal low beams and am curious if they are also flat. i don't want to have a mix
Love
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Oh no you didn’t just send HID retrofits to THE Daniel Stern. Never mind that they are oem on a $600K carbon fiber Porsche. Daniel knows best.
If you really like that look, perhaps go with OEM ellipsiod lenses. A few members have converted, or considered it anyway. I believe that @nosmonkey was working on a set.
Belgiumbarry
Well-Known Member
yeah, when budget isn't a problem.....
Not sure if this is the right size, etc. but I think this would look really cool. I know it is not original looking at all, but seems close to the Singer look and clean
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/universal-70mm-morimoto-xb-led.html
https://www.theretrofitsource.com/universal-70mm-morimoto-xb-led.html
Scott, the Hellas look exactly like this.
My Euro E30 ellipsoids. Quite a bit of modding to fit and i'm still trying to iron out the kinks on getting the adjustments to work, but with some very minor modification of the standard light bucket they do fit.
New harness that uses the E30 connectors with original fuse holders.
New harness that uses the E30 connectors with original fuse holders.
Thx
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Scott,
i have started a conversation with retrofitsource as they are in atlanta ... only a few miles from my office. i started a thread in 'general discussions' earlier today.
https://www.e9coupe.com/forum/threads/lighting.28140/
Daniel's reply:
Hi, Scott.
> I consulted with my BMW group. The consensus among several
> is that below is a good choice:
>
> ------
> Scott, checked my invoices from VSR who did the headlamp
> conversion in 2014. Mine are Hella H4
We have wrapped around back to the start of our discussion.
These don't really meet the criteria you described to me.
They are _not_ an adequate headlamp on low beam, they were
not available when your car was new, and they're very
common/everyone has 'em, so they're not really eye-catching.
> Would the lights you are recommending be better
Very much.
> and look
> substantially similar
Yes. Different enough to stand out to the discerning
observer as not quite the same as everyone else's -- a
conversation piece, in that regard -- but they will not look
eye-jarringly out of place.
> Perhaps I am over thinking
> all this.
You might be, a little, but I totally get it -- as I
mentioned, I'm a fellow sufferer of "mad car disease", and I
know exactly what it feels like to agonize over decisions
like this. It sounds to me like you're having some
uncertainty deciding which of your various preferences
should take priority: era-correctness, good headlight
performance, something different than everyone else has
without looking "HEY, those don't belong there", etc.
> If the lights you recommended would be a better choice and
> not stick out like a sore thumb, then I'm all in.
I think the lights I recommended will strike a very nice
balance among all your conflicting desires on this. They'll
make your night driving a great deal easier and safer than
what you have now, a great deal easier and safer than if you
went with the Hella H4 setup, they'll look "at home" on the
car, etc.
> Sorry for all the back and forth here.
Not at all!
> At the risk of going in a completely different direction, I
> do LOVE the look of this
That's a much larger diameter setup that will not come close
to fitting on your car. It's also got some fairly serious
technical problems not worth going into detail on unless
you're curious, because this setup only fits certain
Porsches. There are similar, properly-engineered lamps that
fit applications requiring a 7" round lamp (such as a BMW
2002) but not for the smaller 5-3/4" round size your car takes.
Hi, Scott.
> I consulted with my BMW group. The consensus among several
> is that below is a good choice:
>
> ------
> Scott, checked my invoices from VSR who did the headlamp
> conversion in 2014. Mine are Hella H4
We have wrapped around back to the start of our discussion.
These don't really meet the criteria you described to me.
They are _not_ an adequate headlamp on low beam, they were
not available when your car was new, and they're very
common/everyone has 'em, so they're not really eye-catching.
> Would the lights you are recommending be better
Very much.
> and look
> substantially similar
Yes. Different enough to stand out to the discerning
observer as not quite the same as everyone else's -- a
conversation piece, in that regard -- but they will not look
eye-jarringly out of place.
> Perhaps I am over thinking
> all this.
You might be, a little, but I totally get it -- as I
mentioned, I'm a fellow sufferer of "mad car disease", and I
know exactly what it feels like to agonize over decisions
like this. It sounds to me like you're having some
uncertainty deciding which of your various preferences
should take priority: era-correctness, good headlight
performance, something different than everyone else has
without looking "HEY, those don't belong there", etc.
> If the lights you recommended would be a better choice and
> not stick out like a sore thumb, then I'm all in.
I think the lights I recommended will strike a very nice
balance among all your conflicting desires on this. They'll
make your night driving a great deal easier and safer than
what you have now, a great deal easier and safer than if you
went with the Hella H4 setup, they'll look "at home" on the
car, etc.
> Sorry for all the back and forth here.
Not at all!
> At the risk of going in a completely different direction, I
> do LOVE the look of this
That's a much larger diameter setup that will not come close
to fitting on your car. It's also got some fairly serious
technical problems not worth going into detail on unless
you're curious, because this setup only fits certain
Porsches. There are similar, properly-engineered lamps that
fit applications requiring a 7" round lamp (such as a BMW
2002) but not for the smaller 5-3/4" round size your car takes.
I am chuckling because several posts ago, Scott, you said you didn't want to agonize over this decision. Two days later...
Sounds like you have two confirmed options. A German made solution that is around $50 to $100, used by a number of forum members, and a $300+ solution recommended by an expert that probably offers slightly better optics. For me, that is a big delta. I mean, they are all still headlights. They come on when you pull the switch, light up the road... It's not like a part that adds 30 horsepower or increases the life of your engine - they are headlights. My two cents...
LOLI am chuckling because several posts ago, Scott, you said you didn't want to agonize over this decision. Two days later...
Sounds like you have two confirmed options. A German made solution that is around $50 to $100, used by a number of forum members, and a $300+ solution recommended by an expert that probably offers slightly better optics. For me, that is a big delta. I mean, they are all still headlights. They come on when you pull the switch, light up the road... It's not like a part that adds 30 horsepower or increases the life of your engine - they are headlights. My two cents...
you are so right
btw, you would not believe the book he just wrote me when I asked him about what lights to replace my 90 Porsche 964. OMG...
I will figure this out. I am inclined to follow the expert for ~$200 more.
I look forward to one day seeing how bright those extra dollars buys you. Maybe at a drive-in event some day...
Belgiumbarry
Well-Known Member
it stays interesting to follow ... as i already also wrote that the OEM low beams are very weak....so i got the relay , makes it better but far not comparable with a modern car....
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