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Hella H4 Bulbs

John A. Shows

John A. Shows

I shouldna sold my 69 CJ5...
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Several years ago, I added the relays to my headlight wiring, and also changed to Hella H4 bulbs, and I seem to recall that there was some kind of European version of those bulbs that were brighter than the standard. I've got a high beam not working on one headlight. Is what I'm saying making sense? Does anyone here know where I can get a replacement bulb that's the European version?
 
PeteL said:
In the US anything over 60/55 watt is not "legal" on highway, but higher ratings can be easily found.

Have you checked Ebay or Amazon?



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Thanks Pete...honestly I wasn't even sure what a Hella bulb was. I remember buying them from a link someone posted but really didn't do any research at all. Just clicked on the link and bought them. Sounds like maybe the only difference between a standard jeep bulb and these is the wattage with Hella simply being the name brand. Thanks for those links though.
 
Hella is a very good brand in my experience going back decades.

Be aware that the extra heat of high wattage can impact on nearby plastic parts.
 
The European lights are referred to as e-code and mostly related to the beam patterns (determined mostly but the headlight housing reflectors themselves). Sorry, but I don't have a source to recommend. Not sure if the bulbs themselves are different. Did you change to e-code headlight housings?
 
Zoomer said:
The European lights are referred to as e-code and mostly related to the beam patterns (determined mostly but the headlight housing reflectors themselves). Sorry, but I don't have a source to recommend. Not sure if the bulbs themselves are different. Did you change to e-code headlight housings?
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I don't think I did...I think all I did was change the bulbs out.
 
John A. Shows said:
I don't think I did...I think all I did was change the bulbs out.
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Well...now that I think about it...my headlights are not the one piece sealed beam...I can twist and remove my bulb from the back of my headlight so...either I swapped them out, or someone else did 20 years ago before I bought the jeep. I'm thinking I probably did and just can't remember.
 
Yes, H4s are removable/replaceable.
Reuse the reflector and replace the bulb.
Don't touch the bulb glass with your fingers.

e-code refers to the reflector design.
European, not legal in the USA.
Only DOT approved is allowed.

Hella is a brand, H4 is the bulb type.
One H4 bulb with legal wattage for the USA should be the same as the next, aside from brand characteristics.
Same spec, different makers.
 
The bulbs in my Hellas are listed for a Harley road king. Bikes are allowed brighter lights I was told.
 
timgr said:
One H4 bulb with legal wattage for the USA should be the same as the next, aside from brand characteristics.
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The difference in wattage between N.A. lights & other places is how the wattage is calculated, U.S./canada spec the wattage @ 14.5(?) volts, Eurospec bulbs are measured at 12 volts. You take a bulb rated for for 60 watts @ 12 volts & run it at 14.5 it's going to be over 60 watts? How much over? IMHO not enough to make a measurable difference, especially as how far & what you can see is mostly a function of the lens.
 
No kidding about not touching the glass with your fingers. We ran the 100 watt H4's on all chase rigs in Baja many years back. If you do touch the glass, clean with alcohol and let it dry. Don't remember how many dozen light covers I melted with those bulbs by forgetting to pull them off. Great lights though. Through our sponsors, we often got Hella lights for all the chase rigs.
 
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