Re: Light Watts in a 4kq

[Todd Phenneger <phen9461@uidaho.edu>]

Public Notice!   I'm not flaming.  Just informing. :-)  I havent seen very
many good replies to this light thing even though I KNOW most of us know
whats up.  I think some of us are just tired of re-hashing the whole
thing.  
	Big Breath.  Here goes.

>Just one word of warning I replaced my stock bulbs with cool blue/yellow 
>Stock wattage bulbs (stock is 45/65) and I still fried my Headlight 
>connectors.  I will shortly be doing a project that involves stock
headlamps 
>high wattage (yes blue) bulbs.  It does involve relays which the ones I
am 
>using (factory) have cost me nothing from the local scrapping yard.  The 
>place for the relay to plug into is costing me 6.00 for each one X4 and
the 
>Bulbs (ouch) are costing me 40.00 for the pair.

	Hmm, you actually start this whole thing off pretty good.
Relaying your headlights, thats good.  Wont just protect the headlight
connectors, but the switch as well, which is a major piece (you know what
kind of piece).  BTW, I was at the junk yard and pulled some connectors
for 9007 bulbs I think of some car that were MUCH better made.  14ga wire
even.  Wish I remembered what kind of car it was.  :-)
	anyhow, your comment about blue lights, well, if you want more
light, GET RID OF THEM>  Fact aint fiction.  They suck.  Read the info on
them.  Before you recommend them to others check out the facts.  If you
like them fine, but you should be informed.  HUW posted a great site to
read up on them.  The deal is, they tint the light blue, making objects
harder to see, destroying your night vision, and making you a moving
tarket for most officers of the law. (READ, they are illegal in many
states, and for a reason)  The BLUEISH lights you see on many new BMW,
Mercedes, Audi cars are HID lights.  High Intensity Discharge.   Basically
they use an Arc (like in welding) to make an extremely bright light.  The
reason you dont look into an Arc Welding arc is the same reason HID lights
are so bright.  They also cost $$$$$.  Like to convert to them is about
$1,000.  there is a reason they cost so much.  Just tinting a bulb wont do
it.  The reason HID light have a blue tinge is the color temperature of
the lights.  Its hotter and closer to blue but still shines white.
	If you want good bulbs, get standard high wattage units or better
yet, the PIAA Super White series or similar lights from Hella, Phillips,
and other manufacturers use a different gas (sometimes Xenon) in the bulb
to make the light burn hotter and brighter effectively bringing them
closer to the Hotter color temperature of HID lights.  YOu get a much
whiter light that is effectively brighter shining on the road.  You wont
piss of the Law, or oncoming drivers.
	As for yellow lights.  Run them if you like them.  I only like
them in Heavy fog as int he dry, they are not as bright on the road.  I
save them for dedicated Fog Lights that I run in the Fog.

>  BTW did anyone know that Pep 
>boys can get Factory Hella lamps for an 87 4000 and they are only 140.00 
>about?  Just curious but isn't that a Damn good deal?

	Not when New Euro's are only $189.  For $50 more you get Euro
Lights with a MUCh superior Beam Pattern and the capability of running H4
bulbs without having cheap 9004 connectors.  A Win Win situation.  Oh, and
you get MUCh more light, and wont blind oncoming traffic.

>  New headlamps will 
>come later right now I just need a little more light then I have right
now 
>and that is with AUXILIARY lamps I just can't aim then high enough
without 
>blinding people and sense it is impossible to blind people with DOT
headlamps 

NOT!  You can VERY easily blind people with DOT lights.  Do NOT drive by
me with your aimed high high wattage lights or if you do I may just flash
you with 400+ watts of Euro High Beam as well as a couple (Or Four) of
Hella Rally 4000's with 100 Watt bulbs for good measure.  That learnin
stick should learn ya. :-)    
	DISCLAIMER- before I hear cries of complaints, I'm joking.  I dont
run around flashing people with 800 watts.  Or 400 unless they are are
really stupid.  I briefly flashed one guy so he flashed his dims at me and
went back to brights, then turned on his mis aimed Fogs.  I flashed again
and he left them on.  So I nailed him.  He then turned his Dims on.   :-)
I love power but I dont abuse it. 
	Oh, and as for your AUX lights.  What are they.  If you want to
run them as Low beams then they better be either Fog lights or Hella XL's.
Also, if you like BIG lights, CATS makes a single reflector unit that has
High and Lows.  And most companies have dual reflector units that have
Fogs and Driving lighs built in.  But you need Fogs or similar as Low
beams (NOT DRIVING LIGHTS) and for Highs use whatever you want.  Jsut wire
them to switch off with your brights.  SOme of us have mounted driving
lights behind the grille for a stealth look (Credited to James Marriot for
the idea, dont know if anyone was before him)  Works great, looks good. 

>I figured I will just get some more juice out of them and reconfigure the 
>wiring to handle it!  Don't tell me it will just scatter light either
because 
>I tried it for a very short period and the light was focused enough for
me!

	FIne, but its not focused enough for your oncoming traffic.  If
the stock lights are fine then use them, jsut dont aim them up high.  Or
some drunk may just steer into some night because he cant see. Oh, and
remember, your wiring will get more power to the lights, and protect the
switch.  But all that power still goes through the cheesy connectors.  Try
to find some better connectors if you can.  
	Also, if you dont want Euro's.  you may consider converting to
9007 bulbs.  they fit you just have to knock off a couple nubs inside the
lights. (leave the lower one for positioning) and switch two wire.  The
Ground and I think the High beam wire. (Yellow one if I remember right)
These lights have slightly higher wattages, and by a fluke of design, work
better with the 4kq reflector and give a better beam pattern and more
light.   BTDT as have many.  

>PS: Stock wattage for the side marker is 5 Watts.  The bulb style is
European 
>though so if you are planning on doing anything with it you might want to 
>think twice or throw that out for the listers to bash as well.
Personally 
>what I would love to do would be to move the entire turn signal (the 21
watt 
>version) and Sidemarker/parking light into that one assembly kinda like
it is 
>on the 80's 90's Quantum's (86>) and Fox's and Passat's instead of having 
>this 21/5 watt bulb in the bumper and another 5 watt bulb in the
side-marker. 
> I am not sure how to do this yet but I haven't researched much either.

	Not a bad idea.  Personally, I wanted to mount Fogs down there and
wire a realay in to flash them when the blinker is on.  And have Euro's up
top (H1/H4) with the built in parking lights.  Of course, the 84' and
earlier 4000's had the blinker and parking lights in the bumper.  I have
both styles but havent' gotten around to seeing if the connectors are
different.  I bet they are but it may be worth a try. 

>Britton Ingraham  (Just out of HS and in College)

	Freshman maybe?  Just kidding.  But seriously, please think of the
oncoming traffic when you modify your lights.  If they cant see, you are
no safer than if you cant see.  Best if you BOTH can see.
	L8r

	Todd Phenneger
	1983 ur-q / black / getting a MC
	1984 4000 quattro / modified/ turbo conv almost done.
	1987 4000 quattro / Saphire Metallic Blue/ Girlfriend's
	1996 A6q / Volcano / Dads Car
   *****1985 5kt / PARTING OUT!