Another look in the mirror

[quk@sievers.com (Phil Payne)]

In message <970106175539_1525407575@emout07.mail.aol.com> QSHIPQ@aol.com writes:

> My post did offer that the euros are a step in the right direction from the
> crappy US lites....  Coupla problems with the euros...  

> 1)  H3 bulbs are east west oriented filament bulbs, commonly found in 
> Autobahn combination driving/fog lites, a compromise in the design of the 
> bulb compromises the quality of it's lite output, the H1/2 bulbs found in the 
> Cibie euro conversions have a better hibeam setup...  The Bosch lites are 
> usually Hellas, the covetted Cibies are harder to find...  

When I use the "Euro" designation, I'm referring to H4/H1 combinations.  I've 
not tried the others.

> 2)  Running higher than stock wattages in the outside bulbs is a further 
> compromise to proper light dispersion...  The problem with an H4 is that it 
> is designed to be both a low and a high beam, not really effective at the 
> latter....  

Although I seem to dispute just about everthing you say, I'm beginning to agree 
with this one point.  In fact, I'm trialing 130/100s against my 170/100s, and 
hoping even to try 100/100s.  The dipped beam pattern is _excellent_ in all 
weathers, excluding the thickest of fogs.  The high beam is too diffuse and
scatters too much to the upper centre of the field of view.

Another odd issue is that the headlight washers (jet only) are inadequate to
deal with such warm glass.  Anyone tried fitting wipers to Cibies?

> 3)  Euro beam pattern is not well suited for the US of A....  It has a sharp 
> cutoff for about 1/2 the beam spread, then angles up to the right, the object 
> of this is to give a longer throw of beam down the right side of the car 
> without blinding oncoming traffic (yes UK patterns are the opposite) ....

True.  The onside light illuminates a swathe along the roadside.  Large, highly 
reflective roadsigns become _very_ noticable.  So do pedestrians (people without
cars - strange European concept) and cyclists.

> It is also meant to be turned OFF when running fogs in the really thick 
> stuff, few states here allow this as a rule....

Technically, that's the law here.  Fogs only.  No one observes it.
 
> The reflectance from that angle up beam is prolly worse than the US low 
> beam pattern.....

In fact, I've recently been considering removing and blanking the fogs.  H4
dipped is a vast improvement.  The fogs are just weight.

> 3)  As phil has posted before, you "properly" aim a set of euros, your eyes 
> deceive you, cuz proper aiming actually (USA) aims the left side lite towards 
> the right, clipping the immediate LF quadrant of beam spread....

We use a lightbox contraption placed in front of the car - it has the patterns
etched on the back of a translucent screen.  I then set the outers down about
2 degrees, and the high-beam only inners inwards about the same amount.

> 4)  A quad headlite system will outperform the euros, uglyness (got those
posts guys) aside, price, alot less, expense:vanity.

I have a quad setup in the Coupe GT.  It's garbage.

We are obviously talking past each other here.  My system has been seen now
by over a dozen members of the UK quattro Owners Club who have ridden with me.
The reaction has been universally enthusiastic or very enthusiastic.  This
isn't just theory - I'm driving hundreds of miles along mixed roads (350 miles
last Friday in fog, rain and snow) without being flashed at and with _vastly_
better vision than I had with the stock bulbs and setup.


-- 
 Phil Payne 
 phil@sievers.com
 Committee Member, UK Audi [ur-]quattro Owners Club