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Date:         Tue, 2 Dec 2008 07:40:58 -0800
Reply-To:     David Marshall <mailinglist@FASTFORWARD.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Marshall <mailinglist@FASTFORWARD.CA>
Subject:      Re: Hella E-Codes vs. Vision Plus?
Comments: To: Chris S <szpejankowski@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <5ebe10a0812020636h113a0670p972b31c2cb078762@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

The wife's V10 Touareg has factory HIDs which are the same part number as what they use in Europe - it's an ex-US car too!  They are auto-leveling so on coming traffic has never flashed me about the bright light.  The color temp of the OE stuff is around 6000 Kelvin so basically pure white with none of that crappy blue stuff that the teenagers seem to like.  These lights are I think about the best factory lights I have ever used.  Like the other European lights I have driven, up close to the car there is almost no light (say cica 5m) so the up close and personal light is rather low to keep the long distance light and vision where you need it. 

On a related note, I have also have aux HIDs on my BMW F650GS, I took a one Hella Optilux 1300 driving light for the high beam and one Optilux 1350 for the fog beam, ditched the H3 bulb for the eBay special, made in China drop in HID kit.  High beam is 6000K (pure white) and fog beam is 3000K (straw yellow).  I must say that the pattern of home made HIDs is not as good as they are with the halogen bulbs installed but the light output is easily magnatudes brighter - for example I would never install these on the low beam circuit as you will piss off on coming traffic.  But for high beam and fog beams they are totally fantastic and well worth the messing around factor of getting them installed.  I have also install these HID kits in the Hella 500 high beam lights and the Vanagon H3 high beam lights - the wow factor is there!

As for 80 / 100W bulbs - as long as you get brand name stuff, I have never had an issue with them.  For years now I have run Hella 80 / 100 H4s in my TriStar and Westfalia and never had a cracked lamp nor a burnt out bulb.  I have in the past had very bad experience with no name 80 / 100 stuff from Autopal, Sunlight etc.   Again, I would NOT install anything brigher than a 55 / 60 in a non e-code lamp that doesn't control accurately where the light is going.

David Marshall VW Adventure Driver and BMW Adventure Rider http://www.hasenwerk.ca

On Tue, December 2, 2008 06:36, Chris S wrote: > > My wife's Acura TL has HID headlights. The HID light pattern is > closer to e-code than old DOT and they are insanely bright. When > cresting a hill or incorrectly aimed HID headlights will blind > oncoming traffic, but otherwise the beam cutoff is below the oncoming > driver's eyes. The one side of HID that is not often not talked about > is they put so much light so close to the car that your eyes adjust to > the bright light and will not see much beyond the low beams. This, > and the color of light actually hurts night time depth perception. > HID is a case of too much of a good thing being.. just too much, like > LED retina-burner strobing brake lights and turn signals. > > 2008/12/2 Allan Streib <streib@cs.indiana.edu>: >> Chris S <szpejankowski@GMAIL.COM> writes: >> >>> For high wattage bulbs you want e-codes or you'll blind oncoming >>> traffic with the scattered DOT low beams. >> >> Is that why new cars with their projector-lens HID lights seem so d*mn >> bright in on coming traffic, even on low beam? >> >> Allan >> -- >> 1991 Vanagon GL > > -- > Chris S. > Disclaimer: "Death and serious injury may occur"

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