using the 4th gen FAQ, I thought I'd try it out

2 Sylvania Xtravision 9007 bulbs @$9.99 EA
Wire tap $1.99

I only did one bulb at a time, to see a comparision. The beam pattern on the 9007 bulb is blotchy at best. With its vertical placement of the filament, its not ideal for the horizontal placement of the 9004 bulb. The pattern is taller and wider than the 9004 low+highbeam combined, which I thought was stellar. There is a very big and near vertical euro-cut off.

Onto the drive, the blochy beam pattern was not noticable on the road as the light was still dim. Why? Because even adjusted at the lower-most position, the light thrown is too far, enough to cause glare when light shines back at you from road signs. I also didn't enjoy being flashed at by every 5th car.

Thinking through idea's, I thought of something. To make the 9007 bulbs work, you must shave off the two lower nubs in the housing. The nubs for 9004 bulbs are at 12/4/8 o'clock while the nubs for 9007 bulbs are at 12/5/7 o'clock. With that in mind, I started to mess around by turning the bulb so that the filament was more horizontal. I turned the bulb so that the 5 o'clock position was mounted on top, This cleared things up more. The low-beam was now more in-line with the stock 9004 bulb, although there still is that sharp euro-cut off (slanted line in the hotspot). I took it for a spin this time, although the light was whiter, there was still that gap between the car and where the beam pattern started. This area should be filled with foglights, which I no longer have on my car since my dad wanted them so bad. The filament for the low-beam is below the high-beam, just like in the 9004 bulb, except that its slanted upwards to the drivers side. I did not get flashed with this set-up so you guys might want to try that set-up if you want a more powerful bulb without burning your harness or getting a colored bulb.

The next idea was the best and is where I am keeping it. I turned the bulb so that the 7 o-clock position is at the top. This did cause a slight problem, how the high-beam filament is below the low-beam filament. This in turn makes the high beam lower than the low beam on the road. The light is very crisp and white and I like this set-up alot. Its essentially 65watts. I decided to raise up the headlamp, adjusted it accordingly so that it doensn't blind oncoming traffic. It works, I haven't been flashed as of yet. The best part? The beam pattern starts right in front of the car, there is no dark gap inbetween so not only can you see farther, you can also see closer. The downside to this set-up is that there is a noticable hot-spot when your at a slow speed, but your eyes will blend that in once your on the highway. Also, now that I have to constantly have my highbeams on, I re-wired the high and low beam wires so I wouldn't see the high-beam indicator. My 'low-beam' is now 65watts, while my 'high beam' is now 55watts which is fine by me.

This is what I did:


The 'top' part of the harness is now pointed towards the drivers side because of how I placed it. Don't worry, the light is still held in place by that twist ****.

I like it, if you guys want to try it also to get a whiter, much more ample lighting, props to you also

 

Nice! Thanks for the write up.

 

Ah, no one else interested in more modern lighting?

I'm sure if you guys want to keep your 9004 bulbs, you can follow the same steps:

1) file down the two lower nubs (4 oclock and 8 oclock positions)
2) turn your bulb counterclockwise (when your standing in front of your car) so that your 4 oclock OR 8 oclock position is on top. This will make your HB filament placed lower than your LB filament on the ol 9004 bulb
3) splice and swap the high and low-beam wires (the wires with the strips, ground is the black wire)
4) reconnect and readjust the headlamp if needed
5) see objects you've never seen before

The only thing about 9004 bulbs is that your high-beams will be the crappy 45watts. Experiment with both 4 and 8 oclock settings to see how different the beam pattern is and report back your results

 

Beam pattern pics with 9007 65watt 'lowbeam' Notice how sharp the beam is? Look at the cutoff on the hotspot.





Yes, I am parked less than 10feet away from the garage door, the beam is still wide and intense.

 

hmmm, interesting. Maybe I'll mess around with that. 65 watt low beam huh? hehe thats cool. I was actually messing aound with my lights last night, seeing what changes occur to the beam patter as you pull the bulb out. (nothing good) I wonder if this sideways/upside down beam patters is going to work on all 4th gens. The 95/96 lights are similar to your 3rd gen assemblies. They have a smooth chrome reflector interior, with a tube like cover (or shade?), and a glass lens that aims the light. 97-99 have nothing the same. They have a chrome multi reflector interior that aims and focuses the light, a cap that covers the bulb, and a clear plastic lens. I have both 96 and 98 assmeblies so I can mess around with both types.

Can you link me to your homepage? DO you have any night beam pattern pics? My 9007 beam pattern is already pretty strong as you can see:

 

I'll wait until it gets darker and take pics from inside the car with what I see. I hope my digital camara will pick up all the light. Standby

Your 9007 bulb is still using the 12oclock nub right? By the looks of it, it seems like the 97-99 headlights aim the light on the ground more accurately than the 3rd gens.

 

i just got higher wattage colored bulb.. it melted down my driver side head light harness.. but i replaced it with a new one with better plastic and a fatter ground wire. it does fine for now..

 

Ya can't compare the beam pattern of the 9007 bulb vs. your low beam 9004 bulb

Maxima10to1, I can't seem to take a clear picture of the light at night, its all fuzzy and orange looking and doesn't show everything.

 

buy hids call it a day

 

No one seems to be liking this alternative

 

Best alternative that seems to be is the Bimmer conversion. Why do this mod when you can go to 9005 + 9006 bulbs

 

The conversion was designed for a 4th gen first of all, and second of all some people are poor or lazy.

 

Or both, like me

This mod cost me less than $25, thats about as much for shipping two pairs of headlights

 

i'm quite satisfied with my light setup right now..

http://members.shaw.ca/sunny_cps/IMG_0073.JPG

 

Nice setup man. Im really feeling the brightness.

 

I did the BMW conversion on my old car and while it was nice, it took too much effort and probably would yield an insignificant improvement. By the way, it sucks to have done the conversion, then to be hit by someone and have your investment ruined. That's why I think I'll be doing the 9007 conversion.

Good write-up btw! (free bump)

 

My conversion is complete. The difference is dramatic, especially now that I have a 65 watt low beam. ScreaminVE, I haven't converted the LB=HB yet, but I will when I have more time, so now I'm driving around with the HB on which is pointed lower to the ground and not in people's faces. Thanks again for the write-up and help.

Total cost ~ $30 since I accidentally broke a 9007 bulb (doh!)

 

If you don't mind the slight hotspots at low speeds on the road, your going to love having your HB filament in a lower position than your LB filament. The hotspot goes invisible and blends in as speed picks up though, so its no big deal then.

 

Does this affect the distance you can see at night at all since the hb is lower? That would be my main concern.

 

The distance is similar, if slightly better but the main advantage is having light closer to you as well. The beam pattern starts at the sight-line at the end of the hood so there is much more light on the road and not aimed into the distance in nowhere space and a brighter, much more intense light. Drive on rain soaked roads and the advantage is even more clear with so much intense light available right in front of the car.

 

Sounds sweet man, good work. There is no need to upgrade wiring harness right?

 

Its not necessary but it is an option if you choose to do so. Ive had the OEM harness with the setup for about 2 months now and are doing great.

 

caleb if you just wanna get some higher wattage 9004 bulbs I can make you an upgraded headlight harness

 

Well I'm mostly interested in the increase in light output. If I'm not mistaken wattage doesn't equate to light output. I've always wanted better light while driving in the rain when the road is dark. This sounds like the best price to result option I've seen.

If I'm wrong someone please flame me.

 

higher wattage is not the only way to better output.
Better bulbs work better.

 

The second picture shows how much more light is spread within the headlamp Did you do the HB to LB conversion+turning the bulb also? Or did you keep it the way it is?

 

ok here are the pics of the headlamp and wall for every position.

8 o clock


4 o clock

 

12 o clock



the 9007 are connected thru a relay so its an upgraded harness and wires.

 

had to search a long time to find this...i tried the filing and turning over of the 9004 bulbs, re-adjusted the bulbs with great success. instead of cutting and splicing wires which is unsightly as well as looking illegal to official probing eyes, i decided to pop the plugs apart and swap the wires to create the 65w low beam. i did this during a cool wisconsin day with a wind chill of -10 F.

the back of my plug had a removeable cover which holds and protects the wires. it can be popped apart with a small screwdriver. to get the wires out of the plug you need a eye-glass-sized screwdriver, small and thin enough to insert into the front of the plug. i believe the black wire is ground so select one of the others to remove. the wire's female end had two raised metal prongs which interlock with the plastic of the plug. while prying (gently) downward towards the wire, pull gently on the wire which will release the lock and you will be able to pull the wire out the back. plug the light back in and turn on the headlights to find out which wire you just disconnected. swap the wires and reconnect and presto, high is low and low is high.

65w low is great, 45w high is sort of like driving a '64 rambler a pleasure few have had and many would like to forget. oh ya. dont tell your cop friends. our state's minimum fine starts somewhere over $140 for non-white lights...

 

i have silverstar bulbs they are expensive are they good i am doin the beemer swap anyways in a few weeks!!1

 

I think i'll be doing this soon.

 

I tried doing that also, the only thing that bugged me about this is that the thin beam pattern of the 9004 bulb is still there, only much whiter. With a 9007 bulb, the beam pattern is much more vast, throwing light wider, farther, as well as closer.

Mrgone, it took you 4 months to decide to do this

 

Well the plan was to just put some projectors in the stock housings, take the glass off and put wade covers on and seal them. But I can go pick up some Wagner Tru-View 9007's dirt cheap, already have the wiring harness so all I would have to do is mess with the connectors and I would get decent gains for my long dark drives home from work (which before was a mile and wasn't dark ).


I'll save the other project for when everything else on my car is done. I have other fish to fry first