Re: Hella auxillary lamps

[todd@qualmedoregon.com]

My first question is, what are you looking to accomplish with
additional lights?  Do you want something to supplement the
abysmal illumination of the low beams, look trendy, serve as
possible fog lights, or extend your high beams?

I'm guessing one or more of the first three, since you're
concerned about blinding oncoming drivers, and driving lights
are meant only as supplements in situations where you would
use your high beams.  For this reason, you wouldn't want to
use driving lights for the other purposes.  You can purchase
Hella add-on lights that are meant as a fog light, and thus
have a shorter beam pattern than a driving light, but have a
clear lens.  With the right wattage of bulb and proper aiming,
they would probably serve the purpose quite well.  Hella may
still make lights for this, but I haven't seen them.  However,
you would still have inadequate high beams, so adding a pair
of driving lights in addition would fill in both shortcomings
of the stock lighting.  Some people like having lots of add-
on lights like this, some think it is tacky.  It's up to you.

You do have another way to improve your illumination on a
5k: get the headlight assemblies from an '84 or '85 5k, and
replace both pairs of sealed-beam lights with universal Euro
rectangular lights that use H4/H1 bulbs.  This makes it look
like an older car, which you may or may not like, and you
would do best to install relays since you would need to hack
the wiring anyway.

> Since euro headlamps are far too expensive (I mean HONESTLY people!) I'm
> looking into alternatives.
>
> I've heard there is an "auxillary" headlamp (resembles your typical fog
> lamp) made by Hella.  I'm interested in this since I don't want driving
> lights which would prove too bright for oncoming drivers & law
> enforcement.  Does anyone know of these and where I might get them?
>
> If I can't find them, I think I'll go with driving lamps anyway, wired
> to the parking lamps.