About Euro headlights (poached from the Swedishbricks list)

[Peter Henriksen <peterhe@microsoft.com>]

Found this on the Swedishbricks list today.

The Web site is very, ahem, illuminating.

God, this is making me want Euro lights for the Volvo... I'm sure
they're not very expensive. Aha. Sure.
- peter, peterhe@microsoft.com, issaquah, wa -
http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/1001
  98 volvo v70 t5 - 5-speed
  94 acura legend gs - 6-speed...

------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 11:46:35 -0600 (MDT)
From: Richard Loken <tech@cs.athabascau.ca>
Subject: Re: H4 vs. DOT Re: Pictures tell all

Richard Loken <tech@cs.athabascau.ca> via SWEDISHBRICKS@SHORE.NET writes
:
On Mon, 25 Aug 1997, Daniel J. Stern/L3ALS wrote:

> "Daniel J. Stern/L3ALS" <dastern@ursula.uoregon.edu> via
SWEDISHBRICKS@SHORE.NET writes :
> On Mon, 25 Aug 1997, Ed Saxman wrote:
> 
> > After the recent discussion about the merits of European headlights
vs.
> > U.S. headlights, I felt the call to scan in some pictures of
headlight
> > patterns. We can brag all we want, but when you see these pictures
the
> > truth comes out more 'clearly'.
> > http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/bacaruda/lights.htm

I finally went and looked.  Nice job Ed, now we need a set of Hella
H4/H1
4X6 replacement lamps up there for comparison.  Get a few list members
to run
by your garage with some other headlight samples!

> 3) Even with black and white PROOF that the E-code beam is better, the
man
> in charge of US headlamp specs still insists that the DOT sealed beam
is
> the pinnacle of lighting technology, that E-codes have "no safety
> advantage because the seeing distance is less" and claims that those
who
> retrofit their cars with the E-codes are "just trying to look
different".

Here I am in Canada where decent lights are not illegal but still not
common.

We live in the bush and one consistant hazard is altercations with deer
and
moose.  When we bought the 82 245 my wife's first complaint was that she
was
driving in a tunnel, especially on low beam, and she could not see into
the 
ditches.  A set of 4X6 H4 Hella replacements fixed that problem nicely.
The
jury is out on the V90's glass 9004 (or whatever they are) moulded
lights -
they sure aren't as bad as the sealed beam 4X6's but the sun was setting
at
midnight when we bought the car so there hasn't been enough night
driving to
make a reasonable evaluation.

To me the proof is there for all to see and Mr DOT lighting man can take
a 
flying leap at a rolling doughnut.

  Richard Loken VE6BSV, Systems Programmer - VMS   : "...underneath
those 
  Athabasca University				   : tuques we wear, our
heads
  Athabasca, Alberta Canada			   : are naked!"