R34 D.O.T. headlights

[jodett]

So I just picked up an r34 sedan from 4xtoys in lethbridge (awesome dudes, highly recommend them), and I'm getting it ready for the safety inspection in saskatchewan.

before I continue, no I am not going to find a shop to just pass my lights and no i'm not going to stamp the inside. I'm a certified inspector for sask vehicles, and if you're familiar with saskatoon at all, you know that the police here HATE any modified or RHD cars. I've fought vehicle inspection tickets and helped many others who were wrongly ticketed. I want to make sure my car is fully legit so I can whoop some ass in court if I have to.

Back to my question, has anyone tried to retrofit any headlights into their car? I obviously want to make it look as clean as possible and not hacked together. I'm thinking GC subaru, but I would really like to know if anyone has dealt with this. Any help is greatly appreciated. And if nobody has done it, I'll gladly do a full write-up with pictures of whatever I end up doing. Thanks!

[YumGTR]

i'm a yank, so I have no clue as to actual canadian law, but I remember reading on the gtr.co.uk forums about the hoops some german R34 owners had to go through to bring their lights into compliance with safety requirements and safety inspections there. something about changing the cutoffs in front of the bulbs. does Canada care about stuff like that or are they only looking for the "DOT" stamp on the housings to approve the car?

[FunnyGas]

...aren't R34 headlights E code and therefore legal? (correct me if I am wrong, could be different in Sask vs BC)

[Dragon Humper]

They are E-coded (E13 iirc) but that stamp is on the backside of the housing, which is no good. You cant retro-fit anything into the stock housing either, unless what you are putting in has an SAE/DOT stamp on it, visible from the front. The cover must also be clear with no refracting capabilities.

Save yourself a bunch of grief and just get it passed with whatever and put the stock lights in. They are very well focused and you wont get into trouble just for that. Give them enough time to realize that the headlights are BETTER than most DOT lights. The boys in BC are starting to come around.



Jon.

[Bossman]

Hella has aftermarket H9 and H7 projector lights with DOT and SAE marking on the lens that you can use but they are not cheap, a new set of four will set you back four to five hundreds for a set of four lights. That R34 that was imported legally into BC a few years back was retrofitted with the H9s.

[jodett]

The focus of the lights isn't the issue. it's the cut off. the beam is cut off in a way that it shines into oncoming traffic as opposed to into the ditch. This is the main source of concern. I've found retrofit projector kits that correct this to suit our roadways, and I've shown them to SGI (sasks gov't opperated insurance agency) and they are ok with it, as long as I can find provide some documentation showing that the kit is road legal. None of the kits I have found come with any type of legal backing.

I tried gc8 headlights. not even close to fitting. I'm waiting on a reply from hella to confirm whether their retrofit kits are road legal. in the meantime, IF ANYONE KNOWS OF ANY RETROFIT PROJECTOR KITS THAT ARE LEGAL IN NORTH AMERICA, PLEASE POST HERE!

[Bossman]

http://www.automotivelightstore.com/...mmlowbeam.aspx

These are the H9 I'm talking about, they are DOT and SAE compliant and the numbers are etched on the lense. These are also what the new Flyer bus uses for low beams and high beams and I believe Flyers are may in Canada. Other options I can thing of is to fit GM mini size sealed beam headlights also known as "Camaro" headlight (H4351/H4352). If there is more room try the more common larger size square (H4651/H4656) light, these you can get conversion lights that use replacement bulbs.

[Dragon Humper]

You can correct the cutoff by taking the projector apart and fliping the plate around. Simple as hell but withou DOT stamp...no good. You really need to put their feet to the fire and get THEM to tell you what will be compliant or not. Not point in busting your ass to find something and be told no. If they are going to be picky about the headlights then THEY should come up with a solution to a federally legal import.



Jon.

[nismo1234]

I used hella 60mm. R34 headlight reflectors are quite small. My installer used original reflector as my new projector holder to make sure that i can adjust the headlight aim. I did it for both low beam and high beam. It took a really long time to finish.. PM me if you want the installer's info! They can also hook up DRL with 50% power to high beam for DRL at extra charge.


Link to headlight: http://www.rallylights.com/all/light...mp-module.html

Since they are headlamps themselves and visible DOT and SAE from the front, they should pass inspection. I cannot guarantee it would pass..but according to this guide it should.

http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/CVSE/vehicle_inspections/PDF/2009_Vehicle_Lighting_Protocol.pdf

*I dont have steady hands... will take better photos later. And my lenses needs to be polished and cleaned up

Here is the link to the pictures just in case it doesnt show up

http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/ds010392/media/headlight_zpsb9f3d5ed.jpg.html

http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/ds010392/media/image_zps0a05945b.jpeg.html

[jodett]

Thanks for all the replies guys! You've been very helpful. I ordered a set of Hella micro halogen low-beam projectors. Hella makes lots of nice kits, but these were the most cost effective. I'm not the type to spend 1g on headlights. Even these came to $400 after shipping and our brutal CAD conversion. I'll post a write up with pictures of the retro-fit for anyone else having issues.

nismo1234, I wish I had clicked your link before ordering mine. those are a good price. and your headlights turned out great.

[will@jdmconnection]

Craig at C&S Performance in Cranbrook has a solution for this if anyone was needing help.

[thumper]

bumping this. i've been looking at a few R34's and one of them won't meet compliance because of the headlights.

i am wondering how those involved in this thread found a permanent fix to building DOT headlights that are good enough to stay in the car? i do not want to be like my friend with a GTR that seems to get pulled over every 2 months by the police and he keeps having to pull his oem headlights for some jury rigged honda setup that gets old after the first time...

[dah_hunter]

What other mods does your friend have..
most people have the stock headlights in there cars and never have a worry..

the only reason cops would bother is if the car is slammed loud exhaust etc etc..

[jesusjuice]

Sentra SE-R maybe? I also noticed that people with like a 2000 Nissan Maxima swap their headlights to r34... Maybe the other way around..

[Dragon Humper]

Yea, I have had my JDM headlights in my car for 4 years now and never had an issue with the fuzz. Still have my inspection lights but have not needed them after the initial inspection.



Jon.