H4 Conversion... Ipf, Hella, Cibie?

[Automan2164]

Been looking for a light upgrade for my '97 XJ, but I figured it would spill into the same paths as MJ lighting, so I figured I would ask here. I've upgraded the headlight harness with the relay driven one, as well as ran everything direct to battery. Also installed the factory fogs on their own relay, but I'm not here asking about those. With the harness done, the next step is to pick up some H4 conversion housings to get rid of the sealed beam.

 

Seems everyone in the forum community has an opinion on who is best and why. I can't nail down one consensus. I'm considering the Hella e-codes, the IPF (Believed to be e-code), and last in line (Because of price) is the Cibie's. It seems that much is lost with the US DOT approved beam pattern. I have seen a couple pics of the euro code lights, and the sharp cutoff and flooding under is brilliant. Maybe some help from some trusted sources would help sway me to one way.

 

Hella ECE :

http://www.quadratec.com/products/97009_6011.htm

 

IPF:

http://www.quadratec.com/products/97017_1600.htm

 

Cibie:

http://danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html

 

Does anyone here have experience with these or any insight? Maybe even a pic of the beam pattern?

 

Thanks,

Rob

[Jeep Driver]

I have the Hella on the XJ.

 

Check ebay, I got my pair for about $40.....$52 shipped IIRC

 

Got an older set of AutoPal on the MJ.

The Hella have a definite cutoff above the horizon, otherwise, the two are comparable. The  Hella is much better quality though.

 

Edit:

 

Regardless of what you choose the improvement over sealed beams will be 110%....promise you that.

[Dedaw]

I have researched this quite a bit, but have yet to get the funds to make the upgrade. So, take my opinion with a very large grain of salt. :)

From what I've found, e-code is absolutely the way to go. Granted, it's not DOT-approved, but neither are HID swaps, and e-codes are MUCH safer for other drivers if done right. The cut-off, light pattern, and clarity appear to be bar-none. As far as housings, Hellas seem to be the go-to for everybody. After researching Cibie, they seem to be THE top of the line, that hides behind the scenes for true lighting enthusiasts to pick up. So, I would go with: e-codes, Cibie or Hella (that order), and HIGH wattage (80wL/100wH) bulbs. 

[Jeep Driver]

Just checked ebay........seller no longer listing.

 

 

 

If the Hellas are $87 for the PAIR??? that is a pretty good deal and you can't go wrong.

I'd buy Hella again. In fact we have three pair of Hella on the XJ, two spots and two driving, along with the headlights.

[Jeep Driver]

I have researched this quite a bit, but have yet to get the funds to make the upgrade. So, take my opinion with a very large grain of salt. :)

From what I've found, e-code is absolutely the way to go. Granted, it's not DOT-approved, but neither are HID swaps, and e-codes are MUCH safer for other drivers if done right. The cut-off, light pattern, and clarity appear to be bar-none. As far as housings, Hellas seem to be the go-to for everybody. After researching Cibie, they seem to be THE top of the line, that hides behind the scenes for true lighting enthusiasts to pick up. So, I would go with: e-codes, Cibie or Hella (that order), and HIGH wattage (80wL/100wH) bulbs. 

 

 

 

Post a good high watt bulb........I've blown out a couple sets already. 55/65 blues work well.....but then I have other lights too that fill in the shadows.........so........

[Automan2164]

Looks like according to the quadratec site the hella's, contrary to the picture and title, only includes one lamp.

 

One Hella E-code Headlight Housing.

 

Rob

[ride172]

I have the autopals from eBay... they have a great light pattern and cutoff on dim and are very bright... the bulbs that came with are great and still working after several years .. I have them on my xj and mj. I also have the e-autoworks light harness on both as well.

 

I whole heartedly endorse the autopals. Glass housings and great pattern.

[Jeep Driver]

Looks like according to the quadratec site the hella's, contrary to the picture and title, only includes one lamp.

 

One Hella E-code Headlight Housing.

 

Rob

I would go with Cibie then.

 

BTW, I've read quite a few of Stern's write-ups in the past.....if you order from him, let us know how it went.

[jeepdoggydogB]

Hello Rob,

I used the old Bigoffroad harness with the IPF lenses, and fatboy bulbs with marginal success. The IPF bulbs burned out within 18 months, and Bigoffroad harness needed dielectric grease constantly or it consistently blew expensive fuses. After six years with the above setup I am back to stock with an IPF harness, Hella lenses (DOT approved), and Hella bulbs ready to be installed. Keep in mind that the IPF lenses are not DOT approved which helped me make my decision here in over-regulated California. Don (Hornbrod) has extensive knowledge of the Hella setup.

[ride172]

I just want to vote again for the autopal set. They look like stock headlights only better ... Just the housings themselves are worth it, then buy any fancy bulb you want. I'm willing to email you a phone pic of the light pattern tonight...

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200mm-H6054-H4-EURO-CONVERSION-HEADLIGHTS-KIT-/330897426583?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item4d0b060897

[HOrnbrod]

Rob, I tried the Autopals first also. While the light output was 100% better than the stock sealed beams, the pattern was too splashy, especially on the vertical cutoff line. I'd had E-code Hellas before and these were definitely not the same. Again, better than stock and well worth the $$, but the Hellas give a much sharper cutoff line. I've never been flashed with the Hellas, but frequently was was with the Autopals.

[Dedaw]

 

I have researched this quite a bit, but have yet to get the funds to make the upgrade. So, take my opinion with a very large grain of salt. :)

From what I've found, e-code is absolutely the way to go. Granted, it's not DOT-approved, but neither are HID swaps, and e-codes are MUCH safer for other drivers if done right. The cut-off, light pattern, and clarity appear to be bar-none. As far as housings, Hellas seem to be the go-to for everybody. After researching Cibie, they seem to be THE top of the line, that hides behind the scenes for true lighting enthusiasts to pick up. So, I would go with: e-codes, Cibie or Hella (that order), and HIGH wattage (80wL/100wH) bulbs. 

 

 

 

Post a good high watt bulb........I've blown out a couple sets already. 55/65 blues work well.....but then I have other lights too that fill in the shadows.........so........

Sounds like Hella or PIAA high-wattage are the go-to.

[Alexia]

I am putting the Hella ECE kit in my MJ. I have the round version in my Wrangler and the light is amazing.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G72VIK/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Automan2164]

 

Looks like according to the quadratec site the hella's, contrary to the picture and title, only includes one lamp.

 

One Hella E-code Headlight Housing.

 

Rob

I would go with Cibie then.

 

BTW, I've read quite a few of Stern's write-ups in the past.....if you order from him, let us know how it went.

 

My bad... In the details on quadratec:

 

 

• Fitment
• Product Details

Parts Included

• Headlight Housing - Pair
• Bulbs - Pair
• Dust Boots - Pair

 

I want the IPF's for the name, but everyone seems to be leaning Hella. The autopals I have seen enough poor press and disappointment out there that I won't be traveling that road... Most say like Don did, that they are an improvement over stock, but not as good as either of the IPF's or Hellas.

 

Rob

[HOrnbrod]

Recommend go with the Hella E-code housings, relay harness, and IPF 60W/80W bulbs. A winning combination for me since 2004. Nothing has changed since then.

[Automan2164]

Sounds good. Hella's it is. Quadratec has them for the $86 with free shipping, so I will go that route.

 

Thanks for the input everyone! Pics to come once I have them in.

 

Rob   :group beer:

[skidoo_j]

I run the IPF housings with some $5 a set bulbs from ebay that claim to be 100 watt low beam.   I did a relay power upgrade for the light loom at the same time..  My brother has the Hella housings with some 55watt bulbs using stock harness. I do not have comparison photos between the two, but my lighting is better but that could be purely because of my wiring. The glass in the Hella housings does appear to be much thicker and just slightly better constructed.

 

Here are some comparison photos of my truck with stock bulbs and wiring vs upgraded harness and then the H4 conversion with IPF housings.   The photos are of a single bulb so that the light dispersion is easier to compare. I tired to aim the brightest point of light on the same point of the tree, so when the lows are installed of course the light would be more spread on the ground.   The camera was set in manual mode with a fixed aperture and shutter speed to keep all exposures equal to show difference in bulbs and all photos were taken with in 3 minutes.    

 

Low Beam Sylvania Bulbs Stock wiring:

 

 

 

Low Beam Sylvania Bulbs New Harness with Relays(same bulb as above, I couldn't believe the difference ):

 

 

Low Beam IPF housing, $5 Bulb with Harness: 

 

 

 

High Beam Sylvania Bulb Stock Wiring :

 

 

High Beam Sylvania Bulb Harness 

 

 

High Beam IPF housing $5 bulb w/ harness: 

 

[Oyaji]

I am putting the Hella ECE kit in my MJ. I have the round version in my Wrangler and the light is amazing.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G72VIK/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

No experience with the square housings, but as Alex mentioned above about his experience with the Hella round housings in his Wrangler, I was shocked at the improvement using them in my 914. The cutoff is abrupt, so with proper aiming of the lights oncoming traffic has no problem being dazzled... and the light with 55W H4 bulbs is such a drastic improvement that "amazing" is a barely sufficient adjective to describe the difference from stock sealed beams. I never got around to adding the supplemental harness, but when I do I'll go with 100W H4s. I wouldn't be surprised to find the same level of improvement yet again, and I expect the night-and-day difference in the cutoff zone to make the double-power H4s quite acceptable to oncoming traffic.

[Oyaji]

One other potentially-useful item: back in the 90s, a colleague who worked in lighting design told me that adding a capacitor behind any regular headlight would yield about a 25% increase in brightness. He said it was because there is still some un-rectified residual AC from the alternator flowing through the 12V DC system, and that adding the capacitor would make it available to boost the power of the headlights.

 

I never got around to trying this, and I kick myself for not asking him what size capacitor to add. Maybe someone here with more experience in electrical systems could make a recommendation.

[krustyballer16]

I have had a set of delta housings with a putco harness and narva 130w/100w. They are BRIGHT! I never use my brights. They have a great pattern and cutoff. Everybody said the bulbs would only last a few months but ive had the same set in for 2 and a half years. No complaints! And I just bought my sister the same bulbs and harness but with hella housings. I hsvent seen them at night yet but she says they're bright! I'll have to check tonight.

[Rohls]

So what HARNESS if any do I need to buy if I want to swap my stock headlights for the E-CODE Hellas above and some 80 or 100W bulbs? Which bulbs are the best...? How involved is swapping the harness? Thanx.

[Jeep Driver]

You use the existing harness to trigger the relays in your new harness.......not a matter of swapping but adding to.

 

I create my own harness.

[Automan2164]

The harness itself wasn't bad at all. I could make one myself, but I do it all day on squad cars and I just didn't feel like it. I ended up picking up the Putco harness off of Amazon. It's not the best quality, but it gets the job done. I have heard there are many others out there, IPF, Daniel Stern, heck even JCWhitney from what I hear.

For the install, I just couldn't get away from being meticulous. I had to change out the header panel harness in my '97 Cherokee for a fog light equipped harness. While I do believe it is possible to put in the aftermarket harness with the header panel on, I just found it easier to pull it. Only a few screws/bolts and bam... Clean access for a job well done.

 

The yellow is the Putco harness.

 

 

One end plugs into the factory headlight harness for the 'Switch' side of the relay, to tell the relays to come on. Then it has two headlight plugs that plug into the headlights, taking clean battery power right from the battery and straight into the lights.

 

As for the bulbs and the rest of the lot, I can't speak about those yet, still waiting to start playing with them myself.

 

Rob

[HOrnbrod]

For the install, I just couldn't get away from being meticulous. I had to change out the header panel harness in my '97 Cherokee for a fog light equipped harness. While I do believe it is possible to put in the aftermarket harness with the header panel on, I just found it easier to pull it. Only a few screws/bolts and bam... Clean access for a job well done.

 

The yellow is the Putco harness. Rob

 

:yes:   I did the same to tiewrap and hide the yellow harness wrap so you couldn't see it through the grille.

[Rohls]

nice! Looks good and thanks for the info. Does the Putco linked above come with everything needed?