Delta 7-inch, round, quad-bar headlight kit
Part number: 01119950XWe went ahead and got the quad bar lights; we really liked the look of them when they were installed. As a bonus, they come with the mounting ears attached. No more messing with the bulb and the retaining ring while messing with the screwdriver and tiny screws. We got these in the Hyper White style and then swapped bulbs from one set of Delta lights to the other for the full Delta light experience.
Pattern: 6 (high beam), 6 (low beam)
Light output: 7
Ease of installation: 3
Installation notes: We thought these lights were going to be a treat to install because the retaining ring is built-in. However, once we got down to it, the holes in the built-in ring don't align with the holes in any of the Jeeps we tried them on. We ended up just cross-threading the screws in for testing. Also, the black ring looks cool around the outside of the light, but on our '01 test mule, it interfered with the pretty, chrome, plastic-trim rings that came on the Jeep. Still, we didn't have to drill, cut, or hammer anything, so it could have technically been worse.
DOT compliance: While there are official-looking markings on the lens of the headlight assembly, there's no specific DOT or SAE marking. The bulb isn't marked either.
Testing notes: Another remarkable seal adorns the back of this light, with three slots for the three terminals on the back of the bulb. However, the "city light" doesn't seal very tightly to the housing, which might cause moisture seepage.
We had the same impressions we had with the Delta xenon lights on both high and low beams as far as pattern is concerned. As for the Hyper White bulbs, yep, they are whiter. However, we didn't notice an increase in light output thanks to them-just whiter light than the xenon bulbs. They certainly pick up reflectors down the road, which we could see being useful in rainy or snowy conditions.
Overall, we really liked the appearance of these lights, but the middle-of-the-road pattern and problems with installation meant we were left with a real love/hate feeling toward them at the end of testing.
Hella Vision Plus headlight conversion
Part number: 70477For some reason, we remember trying these years ago, and they were sealed beams. This time around, they have a totally stock appearance-take an H4 bulb and put out a stock-shaped pattern (with a little more range).
Pattern: 9 (high beam), 9 (low beam)
Light output: 7
Ease of installation: 10
Installation notes: Slam-dunk install. They go in just like the stock lights do, with no drama at all.
DOT compliance: The literature included (read: the box) states they are DOT compliant, and the lens of the headlight assembly bears this out with DOT and SAE stampings. However, the bulb is not stamped as DOT.
Testing notes: On low beam, they aren't as wide as the In-Pro Car lights, but we still feel they light up the road just like we needed. They shine out to about five lanes (if we're in the center lane), and they shine pretty far without annoying oncoming traffic or people in front of our lifted Jeep. The solid horizontal cutoff of the pattern makes sure of that.
On high beam, there's a decent cone shape of light emanating from these things that will light up far down the road, but unlike many of the other lights, the area not spotlighted by the cone isn't left in the dark. There's still enough light right in front of the Jeep and off to the sides of the road to feel confident in not missing anything-even in high beam.
All in all, we really liked these lights. The appearance is, of course, boring. We went into the testing not really seeing why someone would pay $74, plus shipping, for stock-looking lights. Well, one reason could be they probably put out the best pattern of the bunch.
However, we would stuff them with the Fatboy bulbs, some high-wattage Hyper White bulbs, or snag some HID conversion somewhere for the best in brightness and the best pattern.