RE: Ion blue lights - a test report

[quattro <quattro@acacianet.com>]

I had resisted this test report, but someone brought it up so here goes...

I had exactly the same opinion as the author below. Just another passing
automotive fad and nothing more. Then I tried them in the 85 ur-q. "Blue Ion"
H4s in 80/100, exactly the same wattage as the bulbs that were in there.
Well, surprise - surprise! They really work! In use they do not appear to be
blue to the driver. They appear to be a hotter, whiter-white than are standard
halogen bulbs. Everything regardless of color appears to be much more
visible and overall contrast is vastly improved. The difference between the
"Blue Ion" and conventional halogens is as big or bigger than is the difference
between conventional halogens and the old conventional tungsten filament
incandescent lamps. The conventional 100W halogen high-beams' light appears 
to be orange/red in color next to the very hot, white/blue "Blue Ion" light.
What a difference! I would never have believed it without testing them myself.
Get used to seeing these lights around - they just plain work. The awesome
photometrics of the Euro Hella H1/H4 lenses is also a factor here, I would not
expect such spectacular results with, say, stock US-spec 4K or 5K lenses.

-glen

Now please somebody correct me if I am wrong, but why would anyone in his/her
right mind go ahead and put blue light bulbs on their car's headlamps - except
maybe they think they look "cool"?

The "blue" headlamps on the the late Mecercedes or Porsches are HID (High
Intensity Discharge) lamps and don't use light buls in the traditional sense,
but rather flow a small current through a gas (not fillament).  The resulting
beam appears "blueish", but in fact emits light in all wavelegnths of light
spectrum and lets you see objects of any color.  HID lamps are to Halogen lamps
what Halogen lamps were to conventional (dim, yellow) incandescent.

Now, the blue replacement light bulbs are just that: light bulbs that emit blue
light.  They are still incandescent, not HID, with the shortcoming that they
only give out blue light and you won't be able to see anything that isn't blue
too well.  I have personally seen lots of Hondas, etc. with these blue
headlights and can only wonder if they have ever done any kind of hi-speed night
driving.  Remember guys, headlamps should be white to let you see objects of all
colors!  Now, yellow lights do have an advantage in rain and fog, but that's it
- the rest of the time they should be white.  The last thing you want is to see
some small reddish obstacle on the road too late to do anything about it!

HTH

Luis Marques
'87 4kcsq

randrews@post.cis.smu.edu (Robert Paul Andrews) wrote:
> Well guys, a company has Ion blue lighting bulbs for our Audis.  They
> are $35 for the pair for my 90.  These are similar to those found in
> Benz and the new Mark VIII.  I'm thinking about cuz they do look so
> cool and light em much better.
> Found the sight on the newsgroups at dfw.forsale.
> Later!
> Rob