RE: You're-a-peein' lights?

[enzeder@ix.netcom.com]

OK folks,

please remember that you're preaching to the choir here and I'm playing devil's advocate.  I've told my Dad that I didn't want to just put overwattage 
bulbs in my car (although I know bulb efficiency does matter-which is why we use halogens) and that it was the design of the reflector and lens that made 
the difference, I was after hard data.  Let's assume that the "bulbs" we refer to are of equal wattage and equal efficiency.  Another quote from Dad: 
"well if YOU spent over $500 on lights you would WANT to say they were much better too".  Dad even concedes that the E-spec lights might be better, just 
not that much.  

Stott gave me the URL for someone that had done the conversion:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/bacaruda/lights.htm

I was amazed to see that the lights are brighter, oh wait, the bulbs are way over wattage.  I will admit though that the there were 4 DOT spec lights on 
the high beam test that more than evened things out.  And then there's the fact, for you photo nuts out there, that the printing of the photos can play a 
large roll in the apparent brightness of the lights (the author says he didn't alter the images and I don't doubt it, but what about the developing lab).  
That's why I was after data from a light meter, one step data, although the photo's are a great tool for seeing the beam pattern.  The DOT lights also 
seemed to have a more focused "pencil" beam that gradually falls off as opposed to the Euro's more defined but broader beam (swings and roundabouts).  I 
will say I was most impressed with the low beams, wider and broader hot spot (but they should be with an extra 50 watts - 110 vs. 160).

Please try to enlighten me so that I may enlighten my father, and the drive home.

A copy of the specs would be interesting, but I doubt that'll happen (who has copies of those lying around?).

Arryn.



On 10/21/97 13:45:58 you wrote:
>
>The main difference between euro and US headlamps is that on euro
>headlamps all the light is directed right where you need it - onto the
>road. On US headlamps, depending on car brand/model, usually some of the
>light is wasted on illuminating peaks of the trees (and blinding
>oncoming drivers as a side effect). The bulb wattage only tells you how
>much power it draws, which doesn't have direct conversion to brightness
>(only a fraction of this energy is converted into light, the rest is
>wasted as heat) For example, Philips has recently introduced a new H4
>bulb that is promised to be 20% or so more bright while still having the
>same wattage (55/60W) as conventional ones. I don't have any
>comparisions between H4 and US bulbs of the same wattage, though.