Euro headlights????

[james accordino]

Thank you Roger.  I too am running stock watt bulbs
(55/60) with 4 Bosch relays.  I also struggled to see
"past the end of the hood" with my stock lamps.  Your
descriptions are vivid and deadly accurate IMO.  Those
who don't notice any difference must either have the
wiring wrong(I saw a thread about this a few times) or
they're not relayed or the aim is way off.  IMO, the
difference is just too remarkable not to be blown
away.

Jim Accordino

--- "Roger M. Woodbury" <rmwoodbury at downeast.net>
wrote:
> This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
> --
> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> It amazes me that this thread reappears continually.
>  It further amazes me that people have 5000/200 TQ
> cars without European headlamps and actually drive
> them at night.  It is positively amazing to me that
> there are some who claim no noticeable difference
> with European headlamps.
>
> I have had an '87 5000 CSTQ and a 200CSQ...both were
> Avants.  Let me say this only once:  driving in
> rural Maine, neither car was safe to drive at night.
>  Low beams were adequate for city or in-town
> driving.  High beams were inadequate, and so poorly
> focussed as to be dangerous at anything approaching
> the 45 mile per hour rural speed limit.  The
> headlight were adjusted to get the most light down
> the road, but the problem was totally unfocussed
> light...just a big, DOT mandated blob of light that
> diffused at much more than a hundred feet.
>
> I switched the headlights in the 200 to European
> lights.  Yes:  VERY expensive.  Bought at a famous
> aftermarket internet retailer and installed by my
> authorized dealer.  The headlights had H-4 bulbs and
> H3 bulbs...the H4 was for "normal" or "low" or
> "dipped" beams...depending on your nationality.  The
> beam was very flat on top, and rose 15 degrees on
> the right side of the road which was fine for
> in-town driving or when meeting on-coming cars, as I
> could still see the right shoulder yet NO ONE ever
> complained about my headlights.
>
> But when I wanted high beams, both the H4 (main beam
> filament) and the H3 bulbs lit up.  AND Mr. MAN:
> let me tell you:  I could have illuminated the area
> of a football field enough for night practice!  The
> lights were so intensly bright, that pedestrians
> walking toward me on the side of the road would
> shield their eyes, and the deer?  Well the deer
> immediately went down on their knees and prayed for
> salvation.  (Well, OK:  I made that last part up.).
>
> We wired both sides separately, and used the feed
> for the parking lights for the "city lights".
> Worked like a charm, and I could always see in any
> weather.  I used this car as my main driver, and
> that meant going out in all weather as I have real
> estate that I manage and sometimes, in the worst of
> conditions, something breaks.
>
> When I sold that car last year, I was concerned
> about the "new" Audi's lights.  The "new" Audi is a
> '94 100 Quattro wagon, and it's regular DOT
> headlights are bearable...not good...but not worth
> seven hundred bucks to change....at least not yet.
>
> I really think that anyone who doesnt' see a
> dramatic improvement in night visibility with
> European headlights has either an improper
> installation, or simply doesn't drive where it is
> REALLY dark enough to need the power of the Euro
> "main beams".
>
> Incidentally, my headlights used stock bulbs.
>
> Roger
> --
>
>


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