YES i got my new headlights gonna wait abit to get the HID kit but atm they have angel eyes and a low beam projection but i have a quick question. after messing with the wiring and i came up on one problem the low beams to high beam connection. For some reason the low beam projection is not staying on when i turn the high beams on is this something i should really stress or just not worry about it? Also i only have 1 set in atm the other set i am doing after work later today ran out of day light this afternoon
very good article but i got the second set in and i love the no need for the HID kit but thx for the extra info all it did was erase the slim thought i had.
The lowbeams are supposed to turn off when you turn on the highs and then turn back on when you turn off the highs.
I think depending on the year and model of lights, the lows stayed on with the highs. I know before I swapped my projectors for my sealed beams all four lights stayed on when I hit my highs. Of course, I could have had something wrong with the system, too.
it could be just sealed beams that the highs and lows stay on, b/c on my current car and my last car, they both had sealed beams and the highs and lows would stay on.
Here is my take on it, with what experience I have. On US BMWs from the 80s the car's outer headlamps have dual filament bulbs. So they are high and low beams. This is true for the seal beams and the ellipsoids. The inner headlamps are single filament bulbs and are just high beams. You can verify this by seeing that 3 wires go to the outer headlamps and only 2 wires go to the inner headlamps. So once you switch over to euro headlamps a change occurs. In Europe the E30 had single filament bulbs in the outer and inner headlamps (H1s) When driving a euro E30 and you switch on the high beams it actually leaves the low beams on, so all four headlights are still illuminated. So if you put these euro headlamps in a US E30 you loose the function of having all four headlight lit when the high beams are on. UNLESS you do some fancy rewiring. Now to confuse matters. Hella sells "Euro" H4/H1 headlamps for US cars. The are truly Euro headlamps BUT there is one major difference. The outer headlamps are an H4 unit (two filaments in the bulb) and not an H1 unit (one filament in the bulb) like they use in Europe. The reason for this is so that you don't loose your outer headlamps when your high beams are on. For this reason among others is why I feel the H4/H1 upgrade is the superior option when upgrading lighting on E30s. It might not look "Cool" or modern, but it gives you fantastic light output, probably better than ellipsoids and it is far cheaper and there is no extra wiring that needs to be done, not to mention it looks period correct. Hope this sheds some light on the subject, pun intended! GR
granthr, Exactly correct. You would need to redo the way the relays work to make all 4 light up with the highs on if you are not using US or Hella lighting. I like the Hellas myself. Direct bolt in, decent price and great illumination of the road.
Thanks Paul. I do love the H4/H1 Hella headlamps. I have them in both my E30s. Another benefit of buying new Hella H4/H1 Headlights is just that, they are NEW. If you buy used ellipsoids from Europe there is a good chance they will be sand blasted from years of driving and won't be as bright. This a bigger factor then most realize. GR
i am content with the low beams cutting off just the old setup had all the bulbs on thx for all the info guys but the real question is................ what do u think of the lights???
Regarding the Hella Euro H4 replacements/upgrades, has anyone run into any problems upon vehicle inspection? If the tech is attentive enough, I know they say "E1" instead of "DOT"...slap on the wrist, maybe?...I'm pretty sure that's my next upgrade, considering my right sealed beam is exhibiting a lovely orange hue.
I have never had a problem anywhere in VA. A particularly picky station may balk, but you can always swap them out once a year, it is not very hard.
You've had your lights inspected in California?? You've had your lights inspected in California?? Every inspection I've ever had (SF Bay Area) has been for emissions stuff only. I did the H1/H4 conversion (Hellas) in my car several smog checks ago and love them. Its a pretty stealth upgrade. H1/H4 lights are not DOT approved (although no brighter than modern-car DOT approved lighting systems). If you do do the conversion, spend time aligning them correctly.
Really? Don't many new cars come with H1's from the factory? I have H1's in fact, but you got me scared. I don't feel like buying new headlights because the DOT doesn't like 'em; they work fine...
Haha, don't let my signature line throw you off...I actually live in Pennsylvania...the car is from San Diego, for what it's worth...lol
I have never heard of any state inspection giving anyone grief over the headlights on the car as long as they appeared to work properly. Most states simply require two white lights on the front of the car, so you might get some flak for odd colored bulbs (Duh - don't use those!). The sealed beam requirement is a federal standard that few, if any, states bother to enforce. Even then, there are 'envelope' lamps that get around this problem and still use an H4 bulb.
I live in PA and have never had a problem with the H4/H1 upgrade on my two E30s in terms of inspection. Once a tech did comment on my nice aftermarket headlights, but clearly he did like them. So I would be surprised if you would have any issues. As stated above, do take the time to align them properly. The Bentley manual gives you a nice diagram how to do so. GR
