Re: Nite lite 2

[PDQSHIP@aol.com]

In a message dated 96-12-02 16:03:00 EST, you write:

<< 
 Scott (PDQSHIP) put out a long and informative post on lights, what he
 recommends and doesn't.  Most of what he said makes sense, but there are a
few
 "apples to oranges"...

 Your average road condition in Europe is somewhat different than that in the
US.
 Scott recommended a test with a reflective surface.  This would be useful,
 except that the roads, turns, etc are usually better marked in the US.  I
have
 actually had people come up to me and say "They really mark the curves on US
 roads well."  In the UK the turns are often marked by where there's fresh
growth
 in the hedgerows from the last guy to miss the turn.  
>>>>  Then the better option would be to take the fogs below the bumper and
aim them to the outside, another rallye trick.  Put a 100w in the fog, it
makes a good driving light down low, and is not offensive to the oncoming
traffic, very stealth...  When you put a 100+w bulb in the low beam, you
actually create what is known as a "hot spot"...  That is where the contrast
of where your lens sends light to where it doesn't... Lots of stories on hot
spots from those aware....  Me, I missed the deer directly in front of my car
when I lost the pencil beam on a rallye....  
 
 The Germans mark sharp curves, but everything else is done by the computer
game
 "Night Driver" method -- white posts with reflectors.  All well and good
until
 the first winter storm.  Then they become gray posts with covered
reflectors.
 There are actually trucks that could have been designed by Dr. Seuss that
drive
 along and wash these.  I need to see gray stubs at night to follow the road.
 The 55w euro lights, correctly aimed by the Hella machine and with clean
lenses
 are barely adequate for the task.
>>>>  That is the definition, tho, of outdriving your headlite, a 100+w bulb
will solve that problem in dry weather, but not in most forms of inclimate
weather....  Been on the autobahn in winter driving conditions, remember the
"gray reflectors", but again, lumins doesn't solve the problem, that is an
aux lite issue...
 
 Fogs redundant with euro lights?  I don't think so.  I've got both and use
them
 separately.  Then again I live in a low-ish spot surrounded by rivers.  We
get
 FOG!  Wholeheartedly agree with the amber lights for snow, thick fog, etc.
>>>>>  Fog lens and a euro lens are the same theory, sharp cut off upper cut,
wide beam spread....  They are redundant....  What a fog does with a euro
lite, is put more light directly in front of the car, ok....  Better to aim
them out some, giving the wider spread, that is the trick.... A euro lens is
a better fog becuz it sits higher than the fog lense in most cases....  To
mount a fog below the bumper is not maximizing it's light potential, it
should sit on the bumper....  Again, you are talking reflectance here...  A
fog below the bumper aimed up, reflects the moisture back at the driver....
 Lites should be mounted ON the bumper as close to the lowest part of the
windshield as possible....
 
 100w max for rally driving.  Sure, I'll buy that; but I know next to nothing
 about the speeds reached and the terrain covered.  Remembering way, way back
to
 driver's ed.  I thought the point was to not "outdrive" your headlights.
 The
 definition back then was to be able to see, react and stop if necessary.  At
the
 speeds I drive on unlit Autobahn at night I exceed this by a far margin.  I
 don't think 100+w bulbs would help much.  I need lights for the purpose:
 pencil
 beams, with a high power bulb (wattage left blank) aka "driving lights". 
>>>>  All terrains, outrageous speeds (buffum went thru my radar stand at 142
back in '84, that was on a 12ft wide dirt road), autobahning on a two track
as I like to decribe it....  You are right about not outdriving your
headlites, and lumins is irrelevent, it is the lens and aim.....
 
  On some of the roads Phil drives on (B6047 and environs, BTDT) you run out
of
 road before you run out of headlight. In his shoes, if I can achieve this
while
 keeping a lower profile by not having the rally-look front, I'll do it.  My
car
 has been vandalized before -- why, who knows?  I'll do what it takes to
minimize
 that likelihood.  In due respect though, Phil's laser cannon front end is
not
 exactly low profile either....
>>>>  Exactly...  so laser is cool, just like eibach spring ads say of
themselves...  I question the execution as a tool, there are more effective
weapons, certainly as stealth (but see 100/170's as stealth as hanging 4
Rallye 2000's) to achieve the same result...  I understand what the objective
is here, question the means, bttt, as have most rallye drivers>>>>
 
 I'll stay out of the vibration/Nystagmus argument.
>>>>  I ran Cibie Oscar + 190's (only 7in dia) drivings with no strut support
for one, exactly one rallye....  vibrating lites create havoc on the eyes...
 Walk up to a rallye car and try moving the lites, those babies are ON that
car.....  Kinda like watching a strobe for hours, it just wears you out....
>>>>
 
 You want to see at night?  That's easy, whole lotta lights.  You want good
 lights? That's a little harder.  You have to pay to play.  You want good
lights
 that assume some semblance of legality AND work with Audi wiring?  That's
the
 tuffy.  It takes thought, money and a reasonably creative electrician to
wire
 them up.  Remember, most european countries inspect the cars every so often
--
 "trick" switches must be exactly that.  The TUV (sorry, no umlaut) is not
 exactly forgiving.
>>>>>  Trick switches require some creativity, but you will have better lites
for it...  A buddy of mine in Hamburg has a plug and play switch panel, that
he can remove anytime....  Remember, the use of relays is just as
important...  A properly relayed car can operate any wattage bulb off the
parking lite circuit...  Most lite relays need only 2 amps max to operate
them...  Hardly a challenge for the most fragile of electrics in street cars

I've seen, corrected and kibitzed on more light installs in the last 10 years
than I care to imagine....  There are people, lots of them, who know this
stuff well..... If you don't know , want to know, or want it right, ck out a
shop that preps rallye cars, they are more common than you would think, here
or in the EC....  Properly harnessed relayed and installed, the lites will
look just as stock on the car as they are trick for driving....  

HTH

Scott