328 Headlights

what I did in my TR is incorporate my fogs into fulltime daytime driving lights.
( $25 in parts. ) I then adjusted them to aim aslightly more upward for 2 reasons:
1. People can see me in their side mirrors - esp at night
2 the upward angle allows people far away to see the main part of the beam from futher away ( imagine appraching a T intersection with the guy on your right seeing your lights first then the car as you approach )

the main selaed beams are then easily ajusted to illuminate the ground closer to the car
( basically the illumination patterns are reversed )
Because the TR is so low, no flashes me

I also replaced my main sealed beams with the ones from rallylights.com and put siverstar bulbs in all lights

My visiblility at night is now exceptional
No more dim candle in the galss light up for me

 

I have the H4 Halogens and they are bright as HELL.

 

Did you have to make any wiring / fuse changes on your '87 to get the H4's to work?

 

I don't think so. I think it was "plug in and go".

And as I look at the recpeipts it only states a 7" Hella lamp ($59 each) and then the H4 bulbs for $5 each. Doesn't say anything about the connectors or wiring.

You obviously want to check more into it, but I think that was it.

Bill

 

If you stay with standard wattage, you don't need to do anything other than change the headlight glass housing and put in the H4 bulbs. If you go to higher wattage bulbs, for safety sake you should put in a fused dual relay harness.

 

as long as the lights are aimed well then high watts aren't really needed .Plus the light bulb technology has improved since the glory days of 1987

This is just my experience

 

There are some options to get HID (what you are referring to as Xenon). Sylvania used to sell a (now-discontinued) 7" round kit that a couple of 308 owners here installed. In my discussions with Dan Stern, these kits were known to be sub-par. You can go the "retrofit" route, putting in hid-bulbs into regular 7" lenses, but these are all hacks. In my research, about the only way you can make things work nicely is to try to put in a bi-xenon projector unit in there. I made a model of the Xe7 projector units and found they would (almost for sure) not fit inside the 328 headlight buckets. The buckets form the body panel on one side, so obviously you cannot cut this. That said, I saw that there is a (pricey!) new projector setup from Philips that might have different dimensions and so might fit (I doubt it, though).

So as you can see, it's not for lack of trying. If a reasonable HID solution existed that worked, I would have done it. I suppose my price point was $500, but bi-xenons are more than that (and don't fit). In the end, HID is not the end-all be all, though, as I would come to find out.

Here's the problem. Your 328 foglight lenses are custom for your car, and are curved and rounded just so. Also, they are foglight lenses and their beam pattern has nothing to do with driving lights. Finally, they're way to low to be useful as driving lights. Also note although the lens is glass, the bulb housing/reflector is plastic so forget higher heat / higher wattage bulbs plugging in down there. As you can see, driving lights in place of the 328's fog lights are not really an option. Upgrade your regular lights and you'll forget all about the need for driving lights.

You should be able to get them aimed correctly. Something is wrong (are you sure you're using the correct vertical axis adjustment screw [it sounds like you are])? Your highbeams should definitely annoy people!

 

I used Hellas with stock wattage H4 bulbs in my 78 308 GTS and later, did the same in a 1987 328 GTS. They worked awesome, and were 200% better than the stock sealed beam headlights.

JUST DO IT!

 

Ahhhhhhhhhh,

Another satisfied customer...


I am telling you man, the H4s are AWESOME. Probably the brightest headlights I have owned on a car. When I am in the garage, and they are on, it is REALLY bright shining up against the wall.

Just cut the "analysis paralysis" and get them. You won't be disappointed.

And you will save a few bucks along the way. Not to mention you won't be risking screwing something up on your car by monkeying around with things. THAT is worth a LOT.

Bill

 

Cibie or Hellas, either will do. I am very impressed with the beam pattern on my Cibies, but many other folks are pleased with their Hella lenses. Both are improvements over the DOT OEM lenses that came with the car. The Hellas and Cibies both take H4 lenses. If you stick with stock wattage, no other work is necessary. I personally recommend doing a wiring harness, but many folks get by just fine without one. By all means, echoing comments here, just do the upgrade--if you have effort/time/knowledge available, do the wiring harness, otherwise, just get new lenses and H4 bulbs. Either will make night driving "possible" again.

--Mike

 

Rachane,

I think it's a good idea too. I've switched my headlights to either Carello, Hella or Cibie E-codes on all the cars I've owned. You'll be very pleased with either Hella or Cibie as they both have similar beam patterns; a sharp cut-off on low beams for oncoming traffic and full, far and bright illumination on high beam. You'll pick out the tapetum lucidum in a deer's eye a half mile away!

My 1976 GTB came with Westinghouse sealed beams. I had a pair of Carello E-codes from the mid-70s I stored away years ago. I installed the Carellos with standard 55/60W H-4 bulbs with no wiring modification. These old Carellos are every bit as good as the current Hellas and Cibies.

Barry

 

I also replaced the headlights on my 328 for H4s (I think Cibie), plug & play, and the improvement in lighting is dramatic.

 

No, do NOT buy those.

You want "Euro code" or Euro compliant lights, not USA or DOT spec lights. The European lights are not sealed beam, and have a better lens with a more even light pattern and sharper cut off (to prevent blinding on coming drivers).

Hella makes both, but get the Euro version. Most others only make the Euro versions. Technically the Euro code are not legal for use in the USA, but who is checking? No one. Don't worry about it.

 

Rachane,

I'm happy to see you're considering E-code Hellas. You won't be disappointed.

You'll find Daniel Stern Lighting Consultancy and Supply at:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/

both an excellent source for information about headlights and a nice place to do some online shopping.

Barry

 

I can get you the Hellas if you want to buy them off me. I have a pair here that are IDENTICAL to the ones in my car. They are brand new and in the box and were being saved for a rainy day (I have become a parts hording fool since I got the 328).

Let me know.

I'll sell them BOTH for $75 for the Hellas (my receipt was $59/each like I had said before). I don't have the H4 bulbs though (not that I remember at least but I will check). Since I haven't driven but maybe ONCE in the dark since I have owned the car, I don;t foresee myself breaking a lens like I thought I might.

Or if you don't want mine and want to get them yourself, I can direct you to the place where mine are from. I can get you the info off my receipt which will include parts numbers and everything......

 

H4 bulbs are never "built in"...they are user replaceable. Just don't get the sealed beam variants...but even with those, the H4 bulb is replaceable. I don't think Cibie makes a sealed beam or DOT compliant headlight, only Hella does with their "Vision Plus" headlight (which you do not want).

Stern will tell you and have charts showing the Cibie is superior. I have used the older Cibie (there is a new model out that he carries now). I could not see a huge difference between the older Cibie and the Hella. May be different with the latest Cibie lens. Choice is yours.

I would recommend the purchase of the "+50%" standard wattage bulbs. They have a slightly higher color temperature (whiter) without being blue.

Stern is a very helpful and honest guy, for that reason alone, I would recommend purchasing from him (he only carries the Cibie to my knowledge). Here are some other sources...

For Cibie: http://www.cibieusa.com/index.htm



For Hella: http://www.rallylights.com/hella/7in.asp
Remember, if you go with Hella, get the ECE (euro code) not DOT versions.

Since you only want to do this once, and leave nothing to chance, get the latest Cibie variant from Stern. That would be my recommendation.

 

I bought 6.5" X 4" Stanley (Japanese) E-Code lamps from Dan Stern for my Chevy S-10. These were a great improvement over the DOT sealed beam garbage. Over the years Dan has provided real "tech" to enthusiasts on forums like this and the usenet. I like to purchase from those that give good info instead of the marketing B.S. My 2 cents.

 

Hi guys.. I am new to the NW and bought my first Ferrari, a '89 328 ... I live in Sequim, WA and look forward to participating in the local events.