Re: City Lights and aiming

["Fred Munro" <munrof@isys.ca>]

Gross;

    Regarding alignment, I initially set my euros (the lights, not the
currency) to a 1% slope using the wall technique. I also found that the
lights seemed to be projecting too close to the front of the car, so I moved
them up until the low beam cut-offs hit the rear bumper of a small to
average size car at 30 feet or so. This improved distance vision on both low
and high beam. On my recent Christmas journey with the trunk loaded with
presents, luggage, and assorted geegaws, I noticed the low beam cutoffs had
moved up 6 inches above the bumper on cars I was following. This improved
distance vision again and I still wasn't getting flashed by oncoming cars,
so I think my unloaded setting is not objectionable to oncoming drivers. I
suppose as long as the cut-off is below the oncoming car's hoodline (taking
into account movement from bumps and dips in the road), the driver will not
be dazzled by the lights.

    Regarding city lights, I installed the 20w halogen bulbs which came from
Metrix. I tested them by pulling the fuse on one high beam circuit so that
one headlight had the highs on and the other had the city light on. These
city lights are extremely bright - standing in front of the car, it looked
like one low beam and one high beam was on, so they well perform a marker
function if one low or high beam is burnt out. The downside is that they
scatter light in all directions, and in heavy snow there is some scatter
above the hood line, illuminating the snow. That being said, the scatter is
not as bad as that with the DOT lights. When they burn out, I will try lower
wattage lights to see if there is a reduction in snow/fog illumination.

HTH

Fred Munro
'91 200q  266k km
-----Original Message-----
From: Janet Scruggs <scruggs@mbay.net>
To: quattro-digest@coimbra.ans.net <quattro-digest@coimbra.ans.net>
Date: Friday, January 08, 1999 7:49 AM
Subject: City Lights and aiming


>City Lights on the Euro conversion:  They are small bulbs that insert next
>to the H4s and are about 4 watts.  Get them at any car parts store.  They
>aren't intended to cast light, just provide a glow.  I don't know if it is
>still the case but in many European cities, Paris being my only experience,
>traditional low-beams are not used... just the modest 'city lights.'  The
>effect is that of a more 'mellow' nighttime city-scape.  They come on as
>your switch is in the first notch up from 'off', at least on my '87 5kCSq.
>It has been suggested that one could use them as DRLs, should one be so
>inclined... I'm not.
>
>Speaking of aiming all of this newfound wattage, I've followed the list
>recommendations... level ground, pull to wall, mark horiz position, back up
>ten meters, adjust horiz line one inch down from mark... and am unsatisfied
>with the pattern on High beam.  Low beam has a really nice pattern, lots of
>clean dispersion, no one flashing me that I'm 'too bright.'  However on
>High, in addition to lighting up the world, there is a rather distracting
>bright spot about 10m in front of the car.  Not a 'spot' precisely, but a
>large oval that could easily be called the 'ant roasting zone.'  Is this
>characteristic of everyone's experience?  Seems as if this hot spot would
be
>better used were it aimed much further down the road, but to do so would
>then have the Low beams raised into the faces of my fellow travelers.  Have
>I misunderstood the list wisdom regarding aiming?  Is there a remedy?  My
>H3s are a mere 55W and would like to resolve the aiming issue prior to
>upgrading.  Ideas?
>
>
>Regards, Gross Scruggs
>'87 5kCSq, Euros with 'hand crafted' harness, one year ago this week... and
>no fires yet!
>
>