# H7 to H4 Conversion



## bora1p8t (Oct 27, 2002)

Went shopping for HID bulbs today, I have a MKIV Jetta whch takes an H7 bulb. The guy in the shop told me that the H4 is a nicer look. He also said that he has heard of a conversion kit to get an H4 bulb in my Jetta.
Anyone ever heard of the kit and know where to get it????
Cheers in advance!


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## BlahBoy (Jan 31, 2004)

Shopping for HID bulbs? In H7? What the?


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## Lams (Jun 17, 2003)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (bora1p8t)*

hmm, looks like you got confused somewhere...
the Jetta uses H4 bulbs for low and high beam. the H7 will fit, but not securely or perfectly and I suggest you should not put H7 in your car!
You should look at OEM HIDs for the Jetta, or look at putting a hi/lo H4 HID kit into your headlights. H7 is no good for you!!


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## GT17V (Aug 7, 2001)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (bora1p8t)*


_Quote, originally posted by *bora1p8t* »_Went shopping for HID bulbs today, I have a MKIV Jetta whch takes an H7 bulb. The guy in the shop told me that the H4 is a nicer look. He also said that he has heard of a conversion kit to get an H4 bulb in my Jetta.
Anyone ever heard of the kit and know where to get it????
Cheers in advance!

stock Jettas take a 9007 bulb
Boras (E-codes) take H4


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## bora1p8t (Oct 27, 2002)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (GT17V)*

Okay....I am confused. I'm pretty sure that's what the guy told me though. I'll go back and confirm. OEM HID's woud be nice....too expensive though!


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## GT17V (Aug 7, 2001)

Take a look at your headlight lens.
On the lower edge you will see DOT####.... and *HB5*
HB5 is another term for 9007


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (bora1p8t)*


_Quote, originally posted by *bora1p8t* »_I'm pretty sure that's what the guy told me though. I'll go back and confirm. OEM HID's woud be nice....too expensive though!

He was probably telling you to convert to H4s - but the "kit" needed to do this is a new E-code headlight assembly. A better option than going to HIDs in my opinion - and less expensive.


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## bora1p8t (Oct 27, 2002)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (dennisgli)*

so what bulb type does the e-code assembly take?


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (bora1p8t)*

H4


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## vr6ofpain (Feb 5, 2004)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (bora1p8t)*

dont use "conversion kit" hids. you will have glare. and with a high/low setup your beam patterns will be flawed.


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (vr6ofpain)*

hb5 = worst bulb evAR!
I don't think you should be complaining about the cost of mods, I mean you bought a VW to start with in the first place!


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## vr6ofpain (Feb 5, 2004)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (germanrox)*


_Quote, originally posted by *germanrox* »_hb5 = worst bulb evAR!
I don't think you should be complaining about the cost of mods, I mean you bought a VW to start with in the first place!









not even close. the 9004/HB1 is the worst bulb.
from daniel sterns website:
9004, 45/65 watt, 700/1200 lumens
(my dad has a flashlight that puts out 500 lumens....and this is a FLASHLIGHT!!!!, btw it is a Surefire M6 Guardian)
9007, 55/65 watt, 1000/1350 lumens

my personal favorite:
H4, 90/100 watt, 1820/2600 lumens
Philips Rallye bulbs baby!


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (vr6ofpain)*

700, 1000, who really cares when you're going to oem hid that puts out 3200 lumens


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## vr6ofpain (Feb 5, 2004)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (germanrox)*


_Quote, originally posted by *germanrox* »_700, 1000, who really cares when you're going to oem hid that puts out 3200 lumens









well when you have a bulb whos high beam is weaker than most peoples low beams, you want to get HID's or something better.
though depending on the HID kit you have, your output may be less. especially these very blue HID kits. The higher the kelvin number the less output they have. These guys running the 6500K+ HID kits are not putting much more than 2000 lumens out. So a car with high watt H4's and ecodes puts out more light. Now these guys who buy the "less white", "older" HID kits, rated around 4200K, now they are putting out 3200, and seeing everything!!


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (vr6ofpain)*

yeah I'll never understand those high temp hid bulbs. The 6000k Philips ultinon bulbs do put out 2800+ lumens, so not too far off of that 3200, still a ton of light, but next to an oem hid car you come out dimmer!


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (germanrox)*


_Quote, originally posted by *germanrox* »_700, 1000, who really cares when you're going to oem hid that puts out 3200 lumens

Too be fair your should compare:
9004 45/65 700/1200
9007 55/65 1000/1300
H4 90/100 1820/2600
D2S/H7 35/55 3200/1500
I'll take the 2600lumen high beams any day. And the better color spectrum of the halogen low beam.


_Modified by dennisgli at 8:13 AM 9-16-2004_


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## vr6ofpain (Feb 5, 2004)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (dennisgli)*

Has anyone heard of the ballast's using 7 watts? I read this somewhere, that there is about 7 watts of draw by the ballasts of HID systems, so in actuality, they use 42 watts(35+7). Only saw this on one site, so I dont know the validity of it.


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (dennisgli)*


_Quote, originally posted by *dennisgli* »_
Too be fair your should compare:
9004 45/65 700/1200
9007 55/65 1000/1300
H4 90/100 1820/2600
D2S/H7 35/55 3200/1500
I'll take the 2600lumen high beams any day. And the better color spectrum of the halogen low beam.

_Modified by dennisgli at 8:13 AM 9-16-2004_

100w h4! Now you're getting into the realm of melting the plastic headlamp reflector. Not to mention you are close to doubling the power draw of a standard 55w bulb, and therefore signifigantly shortening the life of the bulb and putting tremendous strain on the factory wiring harness. I don't know about you but I like replacing headlamp bulbs as little as possible.
Did you know that 4% higher voltage can reduce the life of the lamp by 40%! Maybe you can tell us how long the average 100watt H4 bulb lasts, and how much each one costs to replace? 
The halogen low beam will also have a worse "color" i.e. yellow vs the 4100k of the hid bulb. 
I suggest you do more search before you come out stating that a one hundred watt halogen bulb performs superior to a 35watt d2s capsule.


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## vr6ofpain (Feb 5, 2004)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (germanrox)*


_Quote, originally posted by *germanrox* »_100w h4! Now you're getting into the realm of melting the plastic headlamp reflector. Not to mention you are close to doubling the power draw of a standard 55w bulb, and therefore signifigantly shortening the life of the bulb and putting tremendous strain on the factory wiring harness. I don't know about you but I like replacing headlamp bulbs as little as possible.
Did you know that 4% higher voltage can reduce the life of the lamp by 40%! Maybe you can tell us how long the average 100watt H4 bulb lasts, and how much each one costs to replace? 
The halogen low beam will also have a worse "color" i.e. yellow vs the 4100k of the hid bulb. 
I suggest you do more search before you come out stating that a one hundred watt halogen bulb performs superior to a 35watt d2s capsule. 


well you should also so some research. the average D2S and D2R bulbs are running much higher then 4100 Kelvin. So they are not as likely to be putting out the 3200 and 2800 lumens as the lower Kelvin versions. Also "worse" is subjective. If anything the bluer light of many current HID's is going to be worse for the majority, because they glare much more, and dont show contrast as well.
Also only a moron would run high watt bulbs with factory wiring. So once you accept the fact that most run HD wiring and Relays, the wiring is NOT being stressed. I run my high watts in a large glass light, with a magnesium reflector, which is completely capable of taking the heat....for over 2 years now, no problems.
Speaking of which, I have been running my 90/100 watt H4 bulbs for 2 years now. They were $25 each from powerbulbs. Guess how much D2S and D2R's cost, $175 each!!
You better hope those HID's last the lifetime of the car, because a pair will set you back more than the cost of a brand new set of Ecodes with bulbs!!


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (vr6ofpain)*

I have done research. Hey just for fun lets compare spec sheets:









"current" hids only appear blue because the light emmited is so close to a pure white it makes any halogen product appear yellow, which they really are. 
If anything, the 4100k d2s bulbs provide more of a contrast between where the light starts and stops vs a halogen unit.
You and I both know there are plenty of morons out there that run high watt bulbs with factory wiring, I'm just glad you're not one of them









http://www.autolamps-online.com/howwhy/index.htm Read through that a bit. 
And of course a quality HID kit, such as one from http://www.hid-online.com will last the lifetime of the car, both the bulbs and the ballasts are rated for 3000hours! You'd have to be a madman to think that a Tungsten fillament (halogen) bulb can burn at 100w for 3000 hours








PS what is the Lumen maintenance of one of those 100w H4 bulbs?


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## vr6ofpain (Feb 5, 2004)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (germanrox)*


_Quote, originally posted by *germanrox* »_
"current" hids only appear blue because the light emmited is so close to a pure white it makes any halogen product appear yellow, which they really are. 
If anything, the 4100k d2s bulbs provide more of a contrast between where the light starts and stops vs a halogen unit.


Well NO "current" HID kits dont appear blue, they ARE bluer. This is from your own site, http://www.autolamps-online.com :
"Standard Philips D2 lamps made on the discharge production line in Aachen, Germany. *These are the same lamps as supplied to the worlds car manufacturers for Original Equipment fit*. They are specified as *6000K colour temperature , 2800 lumen* UV Cut Quartz glass."
So they DON'T put out 3200 lumens, like "older" hid kits which used, the ~4100K bulbs.


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

When did we switch over to talking about the Ultinon bulbs? I'm still talking about the OEM bulbs, 4100k. We can start talking about the Ultinon 6000k bulb if you want, it's 2800lu far exceeds any conventional halogen low beam application


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## chaosparvus (Dec 5, 2000)

*Re: (germanrox)*

Nobody has brought up that the yellow light from a halogen lamp allows your eyes to transition to the natrual night time lighting much smoother than the HID will. The effect of this is that with HIDs your headlights will cover more of the road, but you won't be able to see what they are not covering anywhere near as well as you can with a halogen lamp.


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (germanrox)*


_Quote, originally posted by *germanrox* »_I suggest you do more search before you come out stating that a one hundred watt halogen bulb performs superior to a 35watt d2s capsule. 

I was comparing high beams. So you are suggesting the 9007 4100K Car Kit from HID-Online for comparison? Do those even provide high beams?

_Quote, originally posted by *germanrox* »_The halogen low beam will also have a worse "color" i.e. yellow vs the 4100k of the hid bulb.

What's wrong with yellow?

_Quote, originally posted by *germanrox* »_http://www.autolamps-online.com/howwhy/index.htm Read through that a bit. 

One of the web sites that does a good job explaining why yellow light is better than blue.

_Quote, originally posted by *germanrox* »_PS what is the Lumen maintenance of one of those 100w H4 bulbs?

After 1500hrs your HIDs will be down to 75%. After 1500hrs you will have replaced your H4s with new bulbs and they will be at 100%







.
HIDs big advantage is long life. They are marketed mainly as a luxury item. And not having to ever replace a headlight bulb is a luxury - particularly if the low beams are run as DRLs at maybe 500hrs/year. But you can buy many sets of halogen bulbs for the additional cost of HIDs - unless you need to take the car to the dealer to change the bulbs for you.
But for lighting performance - both best color and throwing light the furthest - I'll still take a halogen high beam. And I shudder when I hear the "get a 9007 HID kit and you won't even need high beams" recommendation.



_Modified by dennisgli at 7:01 PM 9-18-2004_


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (vr6ofpain)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vr6ofpain* »_Has anyone heard of the ballast's using 7 watts?

Sounds about right. I'm sure there is some power lost in the ballasts - but how much probably depends on the supply voltage.


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## vr6ofpain (Feb 5, 2004)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (dennisgli)*


_Quote, originally posted by *dennisgli* »_
Sounds about right. I'm sure there is some power lost in the ballasts - but how much probably depends on the supply voltage.

So if this is true, the whole "advantage" of less power consumption goes down a little, considering that 42 watts, isn't a hell of a lot less than 55 watts.
I like the idea of HID's, but if I had the money to blow on them, I would make sure to get the ~4100K bulbs. I would just like the increase in output...I don't like the color. My dad got some Xenarc's for his silverado. the output is pretty nice(though it is a Free Form setup, not a DE projector), and the color is ok, since it is a lower color temp. they are pretty damn bright too!
but honestly I think the color of my high watt halogens is the best. the lighting on the street seems to actually be white. like probably something around 3900-4000K. and they are pretty damn bright too. i'm very content.


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

First off I'm comparing low beam to low beam. If you want to do 100w high beams to suplement your HID low beam, that's quite alright. Nowdays though a Bixenon retrofit is not all that complicated and will still output more light.
Whats wrong with yellow? Yellow is harder on your eyes at night. It states right on that link http://www.autolamps-online.com/howwhy/index.htm that a 10w yellow bulb and 10w "blue" bulb, the yellow APPEARS brighter. That's the key word here, appears. a 4100k bulb looks "blue" because any halogen bulb in comparison shows its true yellow. 4100k d2s capsule is easier on the eyes, and provides 3 times the light as a standard halogen at 2/3 the power consumption. 
Why not run a 100w H7 bulb if you are so concered about your high beams not being bright enough, they're out there, though I still don't expect them to last very long. 
Lets compare a quality 55w H7 bulb








Note the rated live @ 13.2v is 350hr minimum. some go longer, some may go shorter. Now look at your HID capsule, minimum life of 2500 hours. That is SEVEN times the lifespan of a standard H7 bulb @55w. Luminous flux is also over double the H7 bulb, and I'd also venture to say that 75% of 3200lu is Still over double that of 85% of 1450lumens. 
Also note that when running your wiring harness to your halogen bulbs, you will be supplying more voltage, and a 4% gain in voltage can reduce bulb life by up to 40%.








A ballast does not have this problem, it can supply the same light output from 11v up to 15+ volts, it self regulates and supplys constant clean power to the hid capsule.
And to vr6ofpain, yes the ballast uses approx. 7w of power.


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: H7 to H4 Conversion (vr6ofpain)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vr6ofpain* »_but honestly I think the color of my high watt halogens is the best. the lighting on the street seems to actually be white. like probably something around 3900-4000K. and they are pretty damn bright too. i'm very content.

I agree - with a relay and good wiring they're great.

_Quote, originally posted by *vr6ofpain* »_So if this is true, the whole "advantage" of less power consumption goes down a little, considering that 42 watts, isn't a hell of a lot less than 55 watts.

Well, HIDs are significantly more effecient but, as you point out, they don't use that much less power than stock halogens. I haven't seen HIDs marketed for increased fuel economy but I guess saving 26watts might get you about .1MPG more.


_Modified by dennisgli at 9:40 AM 9-19-2004_


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