Thumbnail Filmstrip of Hella 5-3/4" Round ECE High/Low Beam Headlamp w/City Light, Your choice of Bulb, Kit or Single, Images
A Little History
Sealed beam headlamps were introduced in the 1930s to provide a consistant quality of headlamps. Prior to that, headlamp design was left up to the vehicle manufacturer and lighting ability varried greatly.
The problem with sealed beams is that the lens, reflector and fillaments are all part of a bonded assembly. When the filament burns out, the entire lamp is discarded. Consequently, the sealed beam has become a commodity. As long as it meets the DOT standard, the only thing that matters is low cost. The DOT standard allows for a very loose pattern with a wide transition from dark to light. Many sealed beams still conform to the antiquated pre 2000 DOT standard that required 20% of the light go up to illuminate overhead signs.
All of this results in lamps that dazzle oncoming traffic and at the same time supply poor illumination of the road. The sharp low beam cutoff of Hella Vision Plus lamps makes the areas that are supposed to be dark darker and the lighted areas to be brighter. We say that our lamps are four times brighter on low beam and twice as bright on high beam. Refer to the Isolux drawings at left.
What Is A City Light?
City Lights or Position Lights are a small, typically 4
watt, bulb, mounted in the reflector of a headlight that are wired so that they
are on whenever the ignition is on. They are required on all ECE vehicles worldwide.
Think of them as a for-runner to the Day Time Running Light, but not nearly as
bright. Their primary purpose is to make a vehicle visible in many of the large
cities in Europe, such as Paris, which are very well lit at night. Headlights
are not allowed to be on because of light pollution concerns in areas where
many people are outside shopping and dining.
Features:
- City Light
- If your car has sealed beams, this is the most effective, simplest and least expensive improvement in forward lighting you can make.
- Exact Replacement for 5006, H5006 Sealed beams.
- Low beam transition from dark to light in less than an inch, at 25 feet.
- Optical Quartz Lens.
- Silverized Polished Aluminum Reflector.
- Replaceable H4 twin fillament bulb allows use of modern high performance bulb technology.
- Direct replacement for sealed beam.
- Tight Pattern allows optical aiming.
- Sold for off road and competition use only (;-)
- Works on many 1950s>1980s cars, BMW's and Tractor Trailers
- 135 mm / 5-3/4 inch diameter
- 102 mm / 4 inch Depth
- Meets ECE standard.
- High'Low Beam
- Uses any H4/9003/HB2 bulb.
- City Light uses T4W/1618/BA9s bulb
- Bulb Base: P43t
- Conforms to SAE PAR-46
- Hella P/N: 002850031
- SMS P/N: HL66021
- Replaces: H5006
Includes:
- Hella 5 3/4"" Round ECE Conversion Headlamp. 002850001
- Rubber Dust Boots.
- Your choice of bulb, or no bulb
Optically Aiming ECE Headlamps
ECE headlamps are
intended to be aimed optically. This is a superior method to aim headlamps
because it eliminates the effects of manufacturing tolerances and variations in
filament placement in respect to the aiming lugs. Consequently, ECE headlamps
do not have any aiming lugs.
Many auto repair
businesses have equipment to aim headlamps optically, but not all. The
advantage of this equipment is that aiming can be done indoors with the lights
on and uses considerably less floor space.
To aim these
headlamps yourself is relatively simple. Here are the steps:
- Adjustment of these headlamps is achieved by turning the two screws on the headlamp frame. The screw at the top or bottom will adjust the up-down aim, and the screw at the side of the lamp will adjust the left-right aim.
- This is best done at night.
- Position your car on a level surface. Pointing at a garage door or a wall, place the vehicle about 25 feet from the wall.
- Turn the headlights on low beam.
- Using a yard stick or a tape measure, as close as possible to the left side head lamp, measure the distance from the floor to the cutoff line of the lamp beam. Note this distance.
- Looking at the light pattern on the wall, adjust the left-side headlamp left or right so that the “Hot Spot: is in line with the headlamp. Try to get it correct within a couple of inches.
- Go to the wall and mark the height of the headlamp and then measure down three (3) inches and mark it with tape, or if you own the wall, a marker.
- Adjust the headlamp so that the cutoff line is at the lower mark. 3” of drop in 25 feet.
- Measure the distance between the headlamps. Note this number.
- On the wall, measure to the right the distance between the headlamps and mark the wall.
- Looking at the light pattern on the wall, adjust the right-side headlamp left or right so that the center of the “Hot Spot: is at the mark. Try to get it correct within a couple of inches. This should result in the beams of both headlamps being parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and to each other.
- Using the same height measurement you used for the left-side headlamp, adjust the right-side headlamp up or down so that it is the same height as the left-side headlamp.