Sealed Beam to H4 Conversion Wiring

Geoff-R

Club Member
Just an update I went for a set of LED lights on my car in the end, probably a bit over exposed in the picture but my god they were bright! Only moved the car about as not yet registered but they certainly do the job and if driving in the night they should provide good visibility.
 

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toopy

Club Member
Just an update I went for a set of LED lights on my car in the end, probably a bit over exposed in the picture but my god they were bright! Only moved the car about as not yet registered but they certainly do the job and if driving in the night they should provide good visibility.

Don't throw your old bulbs away tho, a pernickety MOT inspector may fail the car if you cant prove the lights are CE marked, which most of the cheaper ebay from china stuff isnt!

Unlikely to happen but possible :unsure:
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Great to see this on a Z and much needed!!

I was considering the same but two things are stopping me: 1. Will they be too bright for oncoming traffic? (Some HiDs on stock motors are already too bright sometimes) and 2. I haven't found any that say they are road legal on the packet!

Which did you buy?

I would love to have them not just from the brightness perspective but also from reducing load on the alternator etc.
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Interesting Rob, thanks. Wouldn't they look a bit odd on a Z? Or were you showing me the type approvals?
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Interesting Rob, thanks. Wouldn't they look a bit odd on a Z? Or were you showing me the type approvals?

They would look odd on a Z but perhaps hide them behind covers.

Anyway just showing that they reckon these are legal?
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Something a google search just turned up - it would be interesting to see how rigorously it's enforced or if there are insurance ramifications

Long read ...

http://greyhead.co.uk/are-aftermarket-hid-lights-legal-in-the-uk

Shorter read ...

What does the law say?
In a nutshell:

EU law says that HID headlights which emit more than 2,000 lumens of light, and all LED headlights, must be fitted with washers and self-levelling,
But it’s not possible to accurately measure total light output either at the roadside, or in an MOT station,
So if it can’t be proven that your lights emit more than 2,000 lumens of light, this regulation almost certainly doesn’t apply to you,
But, your lights must be aimed correctly and have the right beam pattern on dip and main,
If you have a manual headlight adjuster, the highest angle the headlights can be set to must not be higher than the rules allow,
Lastly, HID dipped beams must stay on while your main beam is on.
Read a detailed explanation of these points here.

What are the MOT test rules?
In a nutshell:

You don’t need headlight washers or self-levelling, but if your car has them fitted, they must work - there are a small number of cars in the UK, including older Renault Meganes and at least one Mitsubishi Evo, which were fitted with HIDs but no washers or self-levelling. These cars are legal in the UK, but see the note about Northern Ireland’s DVA below,
Your headlights must work immediately when turned on, so you need high quality ballasts and bulbs which ignite straight away, even when hot - i.e. you must be able to flick the lights off and back on again straight away,
The light must be mainly white or yellow - in practice, this means kits up to 5,000K colour temperature should be fine (as HID bulbs get older, they get more blue, so high-mileage standard lamps can be around 5,000K). Kits over 5,000K are more likely to attract attention from the police, or be a cause for an MOT failure,
Your dip and main beam pattern must conform to the regulations, which means a good cut-off and no upwards glare on dip, and a focused high beam,
Your dip beam pattern must be aimed downwards at the correct angle.
You can read a detailed explanation of these points here.
 
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toopy

Club Member
I have these

IMG_1552.JPG
IMG_1553.JPG

A conventional bulb, but the side light is an LED halo ring, not CE marked, but has passed 2 MOT's ;)
and the lights are considerably brighter because I re-wired it all with relays and new cable
 

Geoff-R

Club Member
Great to see this on a Z and much needed!!

I was considering the same but two things are stopping me: 1. Will they be too bright for oncoming traffic? (Some HiDs on stock motors are already too bright sometimes) and 2. I haven't found any that say they are road legal on the packet!

Which did you buy?

I would love to have them not just from the brightness perspective but also from reducing load on the alternator etc.

These are the ones I went for


NOVSIGHT H4 LED Headlight Bulbs 50W(25Wx2) 8000LM(4000LMx2) 6500K Cool White Hi/Lo Beam - 3 Year Warranty https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071RBGQ6G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lzgSzbPW2S5ED
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Toopy - having seen yours in the flesh, they do look superb.

Regardless of LED or not I would still do the rewiring; while the LEDs halve the current it's still a significant load through the stalk switch.

Geoff - thanks buddy, that's super helpful!!
 

moggy240

Insurance Valuations Officer
Staff member
Club Member
My mate fitted some led bulbs in his mx5 and they have a bit more room at the back and the night vision was greatly improved.

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk
 
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