Want to upgrade my headlights

[RoyBatty]

Hi all,
I have noticed that there are more modern headlights available to retrofit into both my Spider and the Sport Coupe.
Don't feel the need to go HID, but if that is the best way then I'm ok with that.
Just looking to install lamps that will take a replaceable bulb.
Kinda like the idea of the angel eyes on the Coupe. Also would like to maintain the stock hi beam, low beam operation of the Coupe.
Anyone already gone down this road.

I know the 7" lamps are available from Allisons and Auto Ricambi just looking to see if anyone has compared the HIDs to the replaceable halogen setup.
Thanks

[toplessexpat]

Hey -

The H4 bulbs in the lamps from any of the usual vendors are a big improvement over the sealed beams. Putting relays on them only improves them more. Upgrading the alternator better still.

The "HID kits" you'll see advertised really aren't a good idea in my opinion - the beam patterns of your headlamps are designed for halogens bulbs not HIDs. Also, the quality of many "cheap" aftermarket market kits aren't great. Yes, they may contain components from "leading manufacturers" but they were never designed to work inside halogen housings. At best, they'll not perform as well as H4 bulbs, at worst, they'll be dangerous and dazzle other road users.

There are a couple of manufacturers of 7" headlamp units specifically for HID, and LED for that matter. The HIDs tend to be very expensive and intended for Harley Davidson bikes - but I guess they'll work. I've actually taken the plunge and got 100% LEDs. Not those angel light things - but optics designed specifically to be illuminated by LED clusters --- and thus far they are fantastic!

A

[GeorgeT]

Be sure to install headlight relays as well.

[TStark]

Combination of Hella H4's with std wattage bulbs and a relay harness will not leave you wanting

[vandor]

I prefer the Cibies to Hella. Both have great light pattern, but the Cibies just look so cool installed

[bradartigue]

I like the Bosch and Hella H4 lamps that this guy sells: http://www.busdepot.com/0301600118

I've used them on FIATs, Alfas, Porsches. They look good, albeit a bit flat (which I like), if you like the rounded look and want some inexpensive versions, http://www.busdepot.com/nl910ch4

Then of course you can just go for the OEM stuff: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alfa-Romeo-Spid ... 1514028399 - Carello being about as good as the Bosch and Hella if you like corrosion at 5x the price. I like Carello for originality but the quality...not so much.

[RoyBatty]

Thanks for the help everyone.

[So Cal Mark]

yep, H4 lamps with relays will light up the night

[baltobernie]

+1

But ... depending on where you live, H4 headlamps may require occasional cleaning, as they are not sealed like the lamps presently on your car. The lamp must be removed from the car. I've found that Invisible Glass applied to long swabs works well. Don't touch the glass portion of the bulb. Don't get any cleaner on the reflector. The beam pattern is molded into the glass, so it is somewhat time-consuming to get all the haze out of the grooves. Be gentle with the tiny machine screws attaching the headlamp mounting ring, and use stainless, anti-seize, and a #1 Phillips blade.

Properly aimed and with sufficient voltage and current, they do light up the night. Mine are aimed a little low, as I'm running a 65w low beam, about 50% brighter than stock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doIWmD0vp-A

[KevAndAndi]

As I recently discovered on this forum, since I have an '81, I do not need to worry about doing the Brown Wire Fix. So, moving on to the next item in my (growing) to-do list, I would like to upgrade my sealed beam headlights to H4. Would a headlight relay kit still provide worthwhile incremental benefit, seeing as how I'm OK in the BWF department? I don't want to install the headlights and then have to do the relay installation at a later date; I would want to do it all at once if I can determine the relay kit is worth the additional cost and time.

Also, is there any benefit provided by the relay kit beyond having brighter headlights? For instance, does it reduce the chance of electrical failure elsewhere in the system?

[baltobernie]

Without the relay kit, current for your headlamps runs thru your ignition switch. The ignition switch is perhaps the weakest link in the Spider electrical system. Headlamps, brake lights, and a lot of other circuits go thru this switch, unlike in modern cars. You should do the relay mod whether you need it now or not; it is good preventative medicine as well as cure.

[KevAndAndi]

Without the relay kit, current for your headlamps runs thru your ignition switch. The ignition switch is perhaps the weakest link in the Spider electrical system. Headlamps, brake lights, and a lot of other circuits go thru this switch, unlike in modern cars. You should do the relay mod whether you need it now or not; it is good preventative medicine as well as cure.

Thanks, that was my impression, but I wanted to be sure. There are so many things to do that are necessary, at this point I'd hate to do anything that's not. I'll do the relay with the headlights.

[TStark]

Yes, a relay kit is critical to get full Voltage to the lamp. the last 50% of brightness is in the last Volt or two,

Too many oppertunities for Volatge drops to the lamp.. undergauge wiring, multiple spade terminals and quick disconnects, and all lamp current goes through the hilow switch as well as the ignition.

The advantage is the sealed beams last forever, the disadvantage is you can't see st|t

The H4 has a different pinout, so you would need another adapter, best to just set the pinout correct at the lamp plug the first time with the harness.

If I could only afford the H4s OR a relay harness (aside from being evidence this hobby is not for me), I would pick the relay harness, that is how critical it is to get results.

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=25038

[vandor]

> The H4 has a different pinout,

???? I've used H4s for 20 years and never had to change anything. Just plug it in and it works.

[TStark]

Yes, my err Vandor, the 165mm SB and some other models are the irregular pinout.
the H4/7" SB appear the same