What do you do with the RHD beams when importing from Japan?

[Cañonero]

Hello.

For those of you that imported japanese cars, do the goverment make you do something with the RHD beams?, replace them, put stickers?

I just put in new Philips bulbs that have a bigger intensity and I'm a bit worried about having problems with the police while driving in Spain because the RHD beams.

Do the stickers make you lose much light? Any website that teaches how to make them?

 

[Stone]

I know for sure that all lenses here in Canada need to have the proper DOT or "E" code. "I think" we also need to switch over to LHD lenses. Easy enough to get LHD 80 series lenses here, although they do cost a bit. THe round headlights on my previous BJ74 just accepted replacement lenses from a Hella kit.

 

[BreckenridgeCruiser]

Government did nothing to mine. I put in IPF headlights and 70/75w bulbs a year after the truck was imported. ONly wheI paid attention did I realize I had the same wattage sealed bulbs in the rig already.

Well, now it is easier to change the bulb and not the whole light assembly.

I bought the 70/75 because they are DOT legal here in the states. Standard is 55/60 and I could have gone to 75/100 but thought that might be pushing it with the police. Check your local laws and put in the highest you can get, or better off is find the low beam that is leagl and get a higher high beam and just make sure to not bright any cops!

K

 

[ForealBoreal]

hella sells a 55w low 100w High H4 Bulb. There pretty cheap too.

 

[toomanymachines]

I have two right hand drives one has the headlights changed, the other not.

The person who did the safety said it is not part of his check, and did not care others are aware, and want to enforce their power, and not let it pass.. \if you drive it alot on the highway, where you could annoy others, just get the correct lenses that go away from the traffic on low beam instead of towards them.

 

[Wherlwind]

Mine passed the government inspection here in B.C. with RHD lights, but I changed to LHD ones so they would not point into oncoming traffic.

 

[Dieseler]

Can someone educate me on RH and LH headlights I thought all headlights point straight out and are directed by adjusting the adjustment screws for up/down and side to side,is there something in the design of the bulb that causes directional glare,and what type of lense are you talking about round like a 40, rectangular like the 60, or a 80s lense.

 

[Dauntless]

If you look at the bulb in the housing, it will be angled/tilted to one side or the other. They should angle away from the oncoming traffic, to help avoid glare.

 

[Cañonero]

I'd had said that was the fluted glass in the beam what directed the light in on direction or another.

So does that mean I can keep the glass when switching from RHD to LHD and just replace the bulb mounts?

 

[Dauntless]

Have a look at your glass and see if the patterns are symmetrical or not. The ones that I have seen are not, and generally you are better off replacing those with the correct ones.

 

[mophisto]

I can tell you this, in southern AZ bright headlights attract no police attention, but they do blind me

especially with the trucks with 3+ feet of ground clearance.

 

[83bj60]

I'd had said that was the fluted glass in the beam what directed the light in on direction or another.

So does that mean I can keep the glass when switching from RHD to LHD and just replace the bulb mounts?

Actually, no. Not only the lens, but the internal reflector is different as well.

 

[T.Stanford]

To be even close to tolerable for oncoming traffic, you have to adjust the RHD lights so low and away the low beams are practically useless. Unless you don't mind running blind or blinding all on-coming traffic you have to change out the whole headlight. Canonero, if you're constantly traveling between the UK and Europe, some sort of compromise is necessary....
I guess you should have headlights proper for the bulk of your use. Too bad you don't have the OEM headlight height adjustment option on your dashboard. I assume by "stickers" you mean something that you stick on the lens to restrict the light pattern from blinding on-coming traffic. I thought in the UK that there are "off the shelf" products for that, since many UK drivers spend much time on the continent. Cheers, Tony

 

[83bj60]

Tony, the option would be euro code headlights, they are flat, with no angles on the left like the Japanese or on the right like the North American ones. I admit to be long overdue for a set of those... just other priorities...

 

[T.Stanford]

BJ60, maybe not all Euro lamps are the same but the ones I put on my truck angle up to the right, just like the round Hellas I have on my 60. DOT headlights do not seem to have a particularly focused beam pattern and consequently (maybe?) could be used for both RHD and LHD applications. Even though both are available, I chose the Euros because they focus the light where you want to see,(I live in an area where there is twisty roads and multitudes of deer) the DOTs, are more of a "shotgun" blast made to illuminate billboards and large hiway signs. Cheers Tony

 

[crushers]

i have been driving RHD for 9 years now on Canadian roads, most of the dozens of vehicles i have driven i have not bothered to change out the head lights to DOT LHD units and here is the kicker... i have NEVER had someone "flash" me. NEVER.
it is not the big issue that some make it out to be unless you are an idiot and forget to dim your headlights.

as for the original poster, when you drive the tunnel from Britian (RHD country) to France (LHD country) you can put the stickers on to keep the "hockey stick" out of on coming traffic's eyes. i would suggest you do this to be safe.

I have two right hand drives one has the headlights changed, the other not.

The person who did the safety said it is not part of his check, and did not care others are aware, and want to enforce their power, and not let it pass.. \if you drive it alot on the highway, where you could annoy others, just get the correct lenses that go away from the traffic on low beam instead of towards them.