review: headlight upgrade, Hella H1 BiFocal & Cibie H1

[BRRV]

This year, one of my goals was to improve the lighting on the car. I was using a set of 'big/little' euro lights which I wasn't happy with.

So, this post is about my experience with replacing them with newer technology, readily installed in our U.S.-spec buckets.

Since he is well known to the enthusiast community, Dan Stern was the obvious choice for headlights. We also have a member here on the board, Andy, aka Mr Fixit, who happens to live in my neck of the woods, and he was helpful, too, especially with tail-light upgrades, nicely made, and bulbs. Thanks again, Andy.

After selling my big/little set, I bought a set of Sylvania Plus sealed beam headlights. These are listed at 35W, and don't do a very good job of illuminating much of anything. Very warm output, and kinda dim. Frankly, I saw little difference between the big/little set, and these sealed beam units, except on high-beam, where I was using a bulb wattage that most would view as somewhat dangerous (I know I know - no comments please. I'd been doing it for more than twelve years without issue, so your cries of foul fall on deaf ears). The sealed beams were only an interim fix, but I wanted a set just in case. Sealed beams, good ones like Phillips, or these 'plus' Sylvania models, aren't actually that easy to find, by the way.

Getting lenses sourced from the EU isn't a matter of placing an order and getting them this week. I had to wait, as stocks were dwindled on this side of the pond. I elected to buy these in two installments, with the first one being the harder-to-get lens, the Hella H1 BiFocal low beam. I ordered mine with a specially hardened lens. I bought the inner headlights, the Cibie H1 high beam, a few weeks later.

The Hellas arrived after a wait of about six weeks, and appeared to be well made, with excellent mirroring and a tight-sealing cap with electrical connectors. This lens also allows for the use of a city-light, just like the Hella 7" in our cars' original European configuration.

You may wonder why I chose an H1 bulb/lens for a low beam headlight. The problem with the Hella 7" (or any Hella H4 retrofit lens) is it's design - as an H4 headlight, it really is being asked to do two things, neither of them well. After driving with them for more than a decade, I agree that the H4 bulb, with it's cutout, isn't ideal. Dan Stern advised me that the Hella H1 does away with the limitations of the H4, in terms of optical output, and I went with his recommendation.

The high beams were the tried-and-true Cibie H1 lens, in flat front variety. Dan advises that there are small differences between the flat and the curved lenses, in terms of field, and I elected to go with flat on both high and low beam lenses. Again, well-made, excellent mirroring, and completely sealable from the elements.

I also bought bulbs from Dan, who advises that the bulbs manufactured by the top four manufacturers are pretty much identical, in comparison. I got H1 bulbs made in Germany, by Flosser, 55W +50.

If you haven't had to hack your wiring harness, then installation is straightforward, although you will have to remove the original connector on your U.S. wiring harness to accommodate the wiring on the Hella H1 low beam lens connector. The high beam lenses actually plug in straight away, using the original connector.

To make use of the city light, you'll need to tap into the front turn/side marker circuit, which is in the wiring strand that runs under the headlight. I used Posi-Lock connectors on the wiring from the headlight to the wiring harness, and used a Posi-Tap to connect the marker circuit to the city light. For the city light, I used an 85 lumen 3886X bulb, which is an upgrade from stock.

With the use of 55W +50 bulbs, I finally do away with any lingering concerns with using higher-wattage bulbs with original wiring. While my experience has been that it's not an issue (on my car, anyway) my goal here was to eliminate the need for higher wattage by maximizing the light output with superior optics and then use a standard wattage 'plus' bulb to give me as much light output as I could get, without imposing additional strain on the electrical system or the lighting circuits.

While many have claimed that the Cibie CSR low beam is a superior optic to the Hella, I'm not sure you can tell that from actual experience. The Hella has a bright, crisp cutoff, with little if any visible hotspot. They are easy to aim, using standard instructions. Their light output is on par with anything I've driven recently, save for the best HID setups (which are, for all practical purposes, impossible to do on our cars and much more expensive on new cars anyway). They are easily visible, with the standard 55W bulb, at pre-dusk light levels, and when properly aimed, make seeing at night much easier than anything I've ever used.

The Cibie H1 high beam lens just literally pokes a great big hole in the night, with the standard bulb. Proper aim is the key, and I've spent quite a bit of time fine-tuning the aim of these lights - the basic instructions can be difficult to execute, since finding a flat, level surface with a 90 degree wall isn't all that easy. I recommend setting them and then drive with them, fine tuning the adjustment in slight amounts until you get it right.

One thing I did not do, with my initial installation, is set up the H1 Hella for 'four light' or high beam carry-over. This requires making an adjustment to the fuse box, so that the Hella H1 will "hold over" when you choose high beams, giving you four beam lighting up front, in high beam mode. You can also do this with a holdover relay. Using the modification inside the fuse box is easier, if you consider disturbing a thirty year fuse box easy. It's at least cheaper. What this means is that, on high beam mode, I get high beams only, with the city light illuminating the outer lens, so that it appears as a four light setup. Dan and I had a number of conversations about this, and for now I'm evaluating whether or not I really need all four bulbs lit in high beam mode. So far, I haven't, but I'm still evaluating. I can always make this modification later, if I need to.

After years of driving on the big/little setup, albeit with lens that were worn, I'm very pleased with this upgrade, and even think the straight, same-size headlights make the car look - dare I say it - more modern, at least to my eye. I may try some protection film over them, as Andy advises that there are now films available which do away with the 20% light reduction common in earlier films. I'm still thinking about it.

All in all, this is the best money I've spent on upgrades since I bought an EAT chip or went to urethane subframe bushings. "Highly Recommended", if you are still using sealed beams, or tired of the light output from the big/little optics. -Rick

[tig]

I think there may be some really great info in here. Thanks for taking the time. I, personally, would greatly benefit from photos of all these bulbs and fixtures.

Vlad's PO put a lot of energy into upgrading the lights. Relays, cibies, etc... They work great but I don't know WHY. This thread threatens to help me with that, so I'm hopeful you and others will pile on with more details and photos...

[BRRV]

I thought about taking photos, but I didn't see where it would be all that helpful. I mean, they are, after all, just headlights. [EDIT: Scroll down, I put four basic photos up, just for those who want to see what it's all about.] I think BMW did a better than average job of engineering the headlight system, in terms of wiring and relays, especially based on other european cars of this era. So my intention was to build on that, rather than re-engineer or extensively modify what was already there. I don't have any significant corrosion issues on my car, so much of what's here is perfectly acceptable (and I found nothing when I removed the grilles and did my usual poking-around-for-problems-to-add-to-my-list routine). I'm a painful failure at soldering, so I took the suggestion of many here who recommended the posi-tite connectors, and was glad I did. More importantly, I can now see when I drive at night, and the city lights are a great addition (I hadn't wired the city lights in the big/little setup). And this was not a difficult upgrade to install. I think anyone looking to upgrade their cars should consider this, maybe instead of the euro lights, since it requires so little modification to what came on the car.

IIRC, there are already photos of the lenses I installed here, so, no reason to duplicate that. If I get a chance, I'll take a pic of my lights installed, but it won't be anything we haven't seen before!

[ldsbeaker]

Lighting is super important to me as well.

Would you share how much you spent on each of the components of your new setup? Vendors for the buckets?

Thanks!

OT Threadjack:
I'm totally nerding out, but I saw these...

http://www.amazon.com/GE-NIGHTHAWK-Roun ... +round+led
There is ONE $100 coupon that I can use, but even if I can find a partner in crime, it will still add up to $300+in headlights...
If I understand this design correctly, I won't need the highs anymore...

/OT Threadjack

[demetk]

One thing I did not do, with my initial installation, is set up the H1 Hella for 'four light' or high beam carry-over. This requires making an adjustment to the fuse box, so that the Hella H1 will "hold over" when you choose high beams, giving you four beam lighting up front, in high beam mode.

I thought 4 beam highs is the standard wiring setup on an e28.

[BRRV]

It is. In order to make use of the H1 lens, with its single filament bulb, you need to make a mod to the fuse box wiring, or use a holdover relay to allow the bulb to stay lit when you activate the high beams. This allows use of the superior H1 lens. What this means is that without modification the low beam will extinguish when you choose high beam operation. I haven't made the modification as I'm not sure I want to.

[tig]

I thought about taking photos, but I didn't see where it would be all that helpful. I mean, they are, after all, just headlights. I think BMW did a better than average job of engineering the headlight system, in terms of wiring and relays, especially based on other european cars of this era. So my intention was to build on that, rather than re-engineer or extensively modify what was already there. I don't have any significant corrosion issues on my car, so much of what's here is perfectly acceptable (and I found nothing when I removed the grilles and did my usual poking-around-for-problems-to-add-to-my-list routine). I'm a painful failure at soldering, so I took the suggestion of many here who recommended the posi-tite connectors, and was glad I did. More importantly, I can now see when I drive at night, and the city lights are a great addition (I hadn't wired the city lights in the big/little setup). And this was not a difficult upgrade to install. I think anyone looking to upgrade their cars should consider this, maybe instead of the euro lights, since it requires so little modification to what came on the car.

IIRC, there are already photos of the lenses I installed here, so, no reason to duplicate that. If I get a chance, I'll take a pic of my lights installed, but it won't be anything we haven't seen before!

I'm a visual learner. Names, numbers, and text are hard for me. It also helps when seeing other pictures, say, in for-sale ads.

[Coldswede]

BRRV's set up is exactly like one of my cars with the exceptions of, I did do the fuse box mod and my CSR's are the French yellow variety.

The fuse box mod while not technically challenging is kind of hard because "There just aint much room down there"! Especially when your trying to get the crimper in there along with your fingers and still see what your doing.

The yellow CSR's are amazing because they reveal a lot more detail than white lights, I think it might because there is less glare in the reflected light makes things look clearer.

Adam figure $450-$500 for the OP's set up. The amount of light the 4 headlight set up gives it almost like a religious experience the first time you use on a dark unknown highway, you just kind of mutter to yourself "I never knew ...!"

demetk, when you don't use the high beam side of the low beam circuit (as when you use the H1's) you lose the 4 light system, thus the fuse box mod.

As BRRV said, this is one of the very best upgrades to your e28.

[demetk]

Ok thanks for that. I didn't realize the low beam was a single filament bulb.

[BRRV]

BRRV's set up is exactly like one of my cars with the exceptions of, I did do the fuse box mod and my CSR's are the French yellow variety.

The fuse box mod while not technically challenging is kind of hard because "There just aint much room down there"! Especially when your trying to get the crimper in there along with your fingers and still see what your doing.

The yellow CSR's are amazing because they reveal a lot more detail than white lights, I think it might because there is less glare in the reflected light makes things look clearer.

Adam figure $450-$500 for the OP's set up. The amount of light the 4 headlight set up gives it almost like a religious experience the first time you use on a dark unknown highway, you just kind of mutter to yourself "I never knew ...!"

demetk, when you don't use the high beam side of the low beam circuit (as when you use the H1's) you lose the 4 light system, thus the fuse box mod.

As BRRV said, this is one of the very best upgrades to your e28.

Yea, exactly. The fuse box is not one I'm going to do - I'll use a holdover relay if I decide to do the four lamp setup (I probably will - I just didn't want to cut into the wiring harness. But the initial install is so clean I can legitimately consider it, I think. Probably this fall). EDIT: SEE NEW POST< SCROLL DOWN!

The cost, including the up-rated city bulbs and the german H1s, delivered, was right at $525. You were real close. I will probably keep my white lenses, as I found that, with my years, yellow doesn't work as well as it used to, for some reason. And I don't use the bluish halogens, preferring the normal plus 50 bulbs.

[unt0uchable]

This is excellent information! I have a set of H1 Ciebi's already from a previous purchase. I think this mod will be added to my short list.

Thanks for posting. I'm in for pics as well!

Also- Part numbers?

[JohnH]

Just interested, but what are big/little lights?

[ldsbeaker]

Look at my sig pic. Big / little, or Euro lights.

[BRRV]

Someone (forgive me) asked a question about buckets. These headlights work with existing U.S. buckets, no modification needed. Part numbers: Cibie 082369 5.75" H1 high beam, and Hella BiFocal H1 low beam unit, white light, hardened, H575BF_HCA_TL. Or, just contact Dan Stern (do a search for his website, and contact him directly). You'll be asking for information on the headlight improvements for an E28 BMW, and he'll respond with substantial information. I'm an info junkie, so I'm sure I overwhelmed him, but he patiently answered every question and gave me good advice. That advice included a lot more information about lighting for our cars, beyond headlights, some of which I've reserved for later. But, if you haven't done the side marker upgrade, the turn signal upgrade, the tail light and brake light upgrade, then you have lots you can do, including daytime running lights. Lastly, these are flat front headlights; the convex-lens unit gives a somewhat longer beam, while the flat-lens unit somewhat a wider beam. Since so much of the time I run in a rural/urban mix, I decided on wider.

[BRRV]

OK, here are some pics of the headlights, close-ups with and without city light, and a pic of the rear of the bucket showing the headlights installed.

First up, front end with the new lights:



Next, a close-up of the drivers' side light:



..and a pic of the drivers' side lamps with the city light on:



Lastly, a photo showing the installation and wiring:

[BRRV]

UPDATED: I finally got around to wiring the 4-filament bulbs so that the "low beam" H1 stays on at the same time as the high beam Cibie H1 comes on. Rather than disturb the fuse box, I bought a holdover relay, which turned out not to work for some reason, even wired properly. After staring at it for at least a week in frustration, I gave up. I opted to go into the fuse box to do the so-called simple fix, which is in essence changing the wiring on the low beam relay and high beam relay, which is further complicated by the fact that this wire also goes directly to 85 of the fog light relay. Rod Paine writes about this on his archived site, and actually the hardest part of this is getting the female lock-type terminal out of the relay slots. After freeing the red/white wire from terminal 85 of the fog light relay, you clip that same wire at 87 of the high beam relay, snip out the now useless terminal connector, and wire to ground with a posi-tite and new wire. You'll also need to crimp and install a new ground wire with connector at 85 of the foglight relay, and I tapped this, with a posi-tap connector, into the new ground I ran out of the box. Working inside the box isn't as difficult as you'd think: I was very concerned about opening my fuse box for the first time, and I needn't have been - it was pristine inside, and while tight, not particularly difficult to work in. The fuse box cover, what you need to remove, is held in place with 2 screws and two gaskets, as well as a plastic cover on the inner side. I was in and out in about ten minutes. One thing that was easier was investing in correct, F-type (not F clamp) open barrel terminals, in both brass and tin-plated brass, along with the correct F-crimp (double) tool that is used to properly crimp both the wire and the insulation at the same time. This is the only way I'd work on relays or inside a fuse box, or really to add or replace any factory wiring, as it looks perfect when it's done, with none of those awful closed barrel terminals with the plastic over them (that you can't see what you're doing with).

One consequence of this is that the fog lights now come on anytime you want, which for me is really inconsequential, as I don't use them much.

Lastly, let me just sing the praises of the H1 bulb and lens combination. With a better, more visible beam pattern, the low beam Hellas are as good as you can get on any older vehicle. And the Cibie H1s are excellent (mine are the flat face models). I'm going to try the new Phillips X-Treme Vision H1 bulbs soon, since they are considered to be a 50% improvement over +50 bulbs. In any event, These are great headlights and well worth the upgrade.

[Foonfer]

Thanks, this is very helpful. Especially since one of my US-spec, sealed-beam high beams is either burned out or non-functioning... time to switch to an H1/H4 or similar setup.

[MisterFixit]

Rick, you shoulda contacted me about the fuse box mod. I have a small harness I designed and build for this purpose that requires NO CUTTING, SNIPPING, SOLDERING, etc. That means it is reversible without any brain damage, should you decide to sell the car without the headlights, and want to make it work as it did from the factory.

As you have discovered, getting the terminals out of the housing is a bit of a PIA, but once you do it's all plug-in simple. After it's installed, you put it all back together, plug the relays back in, and have a beverage of choice. And yes, it is tight in there, but since you're not adding any bulky posi-tite or posi-tap or whatever parts to the wiring with my new design, it's simply a matter of tucking a couple of small wires in place and snapping it back together.

This new harness I came up with is good for converting the low beams, or the fog lights, or both, to work independently of the high beam switch. Since all the lights are powered and fused independently, absolutely nothing to worry about. Operation of 2 high and 2 low beams together is about the same draw as 4 high beams. Adding the fogs as well is less than the heater fan or rear defroster.

Congratulations, btw, on your new lighting setup, you certainly should have a nice view of the road at night! Let me know if/when you want to insure against that sickening 'crack' sound when a rock hits one of those babies, and I'll set you up with headlight protection film. Frankly, I will not sell a pair of Hella BiFocals without it. After all, they don't call them the "Rocky Mountains" for no reason.

[clipper47]

MisterFixIt, Please PM me the price of one of these harnesses. I also need two 5 3/4" headlight protection films. Thanks

[milarsky]

I would like to recommend Andy for all your lighting needs! He is a super guy and always willing to lend advice, help with installation, etc. I just "completed" my upgrade with a purchase of Bi-Focals as well.

Just a strong recommendation for "MisterFixit".

all best,
Jeff

[MisterFixit]

MisterFixIt, Please PM me the price of one of these harnesses. I also need two 5 3/4" headlight protection films. Thanks

Done, look in your inbox.

I would like to recommend Andy for all your lighting needs! He is a super guy and always willing to lend advice, help with installation, etc. I just "completed" my upgrade with a purchase of Bi-Focals as well.

Just a strong recommendation for "MisterFixit".

all best,
Jeff

Thanks, Jeff! That's the best advertizing I can get. Maybe after they are installed and aimed, you can post your impressions in this thread?

[milarsky]

MisterFixIt, Please PM me the price of one of these harnesses. I also need two 5 3/4" headlight protection films. Thanks

Done, look in your inbox.

I would like to recommend Andy for all your lighting needs! He is a super guy and always willing to lend advice, help with installation, etc. I just "completed" my upgrade with a purchase of Bi-Focals as well.

Just a strong recommendation for "MisterFixit".

all best,
Jeff

Thanks, Jeff! That's the best advertizing I can get. Maybe after they are installed and aimed, you can post your impressions in this thread?

Yes I will!

jeff

[MisterFixit]

UPDATED: I finally got around to wiring the 4-filament bulbs so that the "low beam" H1 stays on at the same time as the high beam Cibie H1 comes on. Rather than disturb the fuse box, I bought a holdover relay, which turned out not to work for some reason, even wired properly. After staring at it for at least a week in frustration, I gave up. I opted to go into the fuse box to do the so-called simple fix, which is in essence changing the wiring on the low beam relay and high beam relay, which is further complicated by the fact that this wire also goes directly to 85 of the fog light relay. Rod Paine writes about this on his archived site, and actually the hardest part of this is getting the female lock-type terminal out of the relay slots. After freeing the red/white wire from terminal 85 of the fog light relay, you clip that same wire at 87 of the high beam relay, snip out the now useless terminal connector, and wire to ground with a posi-tite and new wire. You'll also need to crimp and install a new ground wire with connector at 85 of the foglight relay, and I tapped this, with a posi-tap connector, into the new ground I ran out of the box....

Rick is right, it's not that difficult -- if you have the correct harness. I designed one, based on my own experience doing this upgrade ten years ago when Cibie CSR lights were still available. No snipping, no crimping, no soldering, no positap connectors, no wires running out of the box, no worries. All is done internally by rewiring the 'logic side' (coil wires) of the relays, and letting the 'power side' do its job. As you say, BMW does a better job than most with headlight wiring and relays.

A few bucks for my tiny little harness, pop a couple of terminals out of the fuse box, snap in new (Hella, factory original) terminals, and close it up. Su-weeeet, simple, and very clever. Wire is even the correct color, matching the factory wiring.... OH, and I figured out exactly how to get the relay terminals out of their slots in the fuse box, and show you with the kit. It adds around 5 inches of wire inside the box, not too tough to squeeze it in.

One consequence of this is that the fog lights now come on anytime you want, which for me is really inconsequential, as I don't use them much.

This is an option with my harness, you can install it three ways - to operate either low beams, fog lights, or both, independently from high beam operation. Slightly harder than a DIP switch, but not much.

Lastly, let me just sing the praises of the H1 bulb and lens combination. With a better, more visible beam pattern, the low beam Hellas are as good as you can get on any older vehicle. And the Cibie H1s are excellent (mine are the flat face models). I'm going to try the new Phillips X-Treme Vision H1 bulbs soon, since they are considered to be a 50% improvement over +50 bulbs. In any event, These are great headlights and well worth the upgrade.

AMEN to that, Rick! And yes, you may want to invest in the optically clear headlight protection film, it is practically invisible, is guaranteed five years, and resists horrific abuse. How much did you pay for those Tempered BiFocals from Dan??? I bet it was more than $6 each.... which is what the film costs for a piece that fits the lens exactly.

Of course you don't want to risk your $300 investment in BiFocals? Think of the headlight film as a $2.40 annual premium ($24 for four pieces, lasting ten years) that protects your forward lighting investment.

Andy

[emwexler]

I'm running Hellas with 130/90 H4's and 100W H1's in high beams. 100W H3 fogs. Let There Be Light!! 16 Amp fuses all the way around

[MisterFixit]

I'm running Hellas with 130/90 H4's and 100W H1's in high beams. 100W H3 fogs. Let There Be Light!! 16 Amp fuses all the way around

Hmmm, I won't say anything about pushing 19.2 amps to the highs through 8 amp wiring.... not a word.

I just wonder if, after a long night with those paint-peelers, you have checked the terminals at the headlights, and within the fuse box, for heating. I believe they call it "I squared R" heating. Your relays are probably fine under this load, but I'd be concerned about the wiring - especially the ground wiring - and the terminals connecting from the underside of the fuse block to the headlight. Wires rarely overheat or fail in the middle of a run, it's normally at the connections.

Certainly, any relay modification would be unnecessary running H4 lows. I'd do a survey on high beam and ground wires. Feel for heating at the terminals and fuse clamps after a long night time drive with highs on as much as possible.

I've heard that those high wattage lamps are short-lived; do you find this to be the case?

[demetk]

I've heard that those high wattage lamps are short-lived; do you find this to be the case?

I'm running 80/100w and 100w and I rarely have to replace mine. But to the OP, definitely upgrade your wiring. Not only will you run safer but you'll also push all those amps to the lamps rather than heating your engine compartment.

[milarsky]

Another quick and very general review on my newly purchased Yellow Hella high beams and Hella Bi-Focal low beams. Both were recommended by Andy(MrFixit), who is the absolute best in hands on customer service! I also purchased Andy's relay mod which I installed directly under the fusebox. It was very simple, and in fact the hardest part was removing the relays! No cutting involved, just plug and play with the new "harness", and it is totally reversible. In addition, I purchased headlight protection film which was cheap insurance. This film is perfectly clear and in 3 months of heavy use, looks new. I like to put a touch of Zaino protection on so bugs simply wipe off.

The main reason for this lighting upgrade is the fact that much of my driving is very late at night on very dark roads here in New Mexico. I found the stock sealed beams terrible.

This upgrade is an enormous improvement, and in fact, compares favorably even with our
2000 Xenon setup on the e39 540. It feels like the illumination has doubled. It is not just in brightness, but it seems like the clarity and general range of the illumination has increased greatly.

Here are few glamour shots:




all best,
jeff

[BRRV]

UPDATE: the best H1 bulb available now is the Philips X-tremeVision +130%, which is an improvement over the +90 bulbs. This is from the best guy in the business, Dan Stern. I've been running them for awhile and they make a noticeable difference.

[Acid House]

So I just replaced my standard fixtures on the 535i with a set of Hella H4/H1 which came standard off a 533i from a user here.

I bought them for my old ETA but thankfully never installed them prior to some old lady destroying my ride pulling out and not looking


Am I reading this correctly that installing these on an e28 requires an upgraded wiring setup? I thought the 533i had the same internals as any other e28? Mine is an 86 if that matters.

[Acid House]

The Chrome rings really cleaned up nicely, and I used Wipe New on the trim which also came out nice and black.


Did someone mention that Wipe New was some kind of industrial floor wax? That shit is expensive and it would be cool to find a cheaper source if that is indeed the case.