Vanagon EuroVan
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Date:         Thu, 4 Jun 2009 08:49:27 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: 7" hella replacement lights for SA Grill with An Aftermarket
              HID 6000K kit, Will this work?
Comments: To: Allan Streib <streib@cs.indiana.edu>
In-Reply-To:  <1244124430.19033.1318773605@webmail.messagingengine.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

I have the Hella H-4 Euro-style lights in my 84 now. They are a huge improvment over the original lights, but they are somewhat frustrating, too.

First, let me say, I don't agree with you, Alan, that standard Vanagon headlights are "more than adequate" . Compared to a modern vehicle, driving a stock-lighted Vanagon on a dark highway is downright scary. Yes, maybe in the city or the suburbs stock headlights are more than adequate but I, for one, rarely drive at night in a city. I do spend many hours out in the dark countryside traveling backroads full of deer, potholes, fallen rocks, etc etc. With 'modern' headlights, you have a much better chance of seeing night time hazards in time to avoid them.

I first noticed how inadequate my 84's headlights were when I realized that every time an overtaking modern vehicle came up behind me at night, I could see the road ahead much better, except for the "shadow" my Vanagon cast, despite it's meager headlights being on bright. I cleaned up all the connectors and tried some new, improved, replacment sealed beams,with relays, even, but they still sucked.

I've since switched to the Hella H-4s now (last fall) and they are very much better than the sealed beams. The frustrating part? The Hellas have a "gap" that I can not 'adjust out'. I have tried and tried. Maybe it is just a characteristic of Hella's beams or maybe it's because of the height or seperation of the lights as mounted in the Vanagon, but the divergence-angle between the high and low beams is just a little too wide. If I adjust the lights so that the low beams give me adequate light out to a decent distance ahead, the high beams illuminate the highway a mile+/- ahead, missing the road by a couple of 'degrees'. With the lights aimed "right" for the high beams, the low beams shine downwards too close in, only about 60 feet in front of my bumper.. So the best aim I can get is when the high beams are aimed to work properly..and they do a great job of improving my long range night driving vision. That leaves the low beam setting with the lights right down in front of my van,,almost as poor for seeing as the standard headlamps were. I have followed all the web-posted aiming protocols carefully. I've spent hours on deserted highways, tweeking the settings over and over...There is just no way to get the Hellas aimed to deliver their light up to the full potential in both settings. Someone posted that this 'blind spot' may be a characteristic of this particular(Hella) brand. Something to keep in mind, should you be in the market for safe backroad headlight options for the vanagon.. Of note is that only after about 15 adjustments, made by first removing my grill (stock round headlight 84 van) I finally noticed that with just the right screwdriver, you do not need to remove the grill to reach the adjustment screws....Duh!... Don Hanson

On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 7:07 AM, Allan Streib <streib@cs.indiana.edu> wrote:

> On Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:01 -0400, "Robert Stewart" <robertmstewart@MAC.COM> > wrote: > > > The only reason why I am looking to improve the lighting to the best > > it can be as I am just tired of straining to see and I know from > > driving modern cars that the new lighting systems really do make an > > enormous difference when driving in the darkness on a small local road > > in the middle of the night. > > Please try to do a proper job. The other side of the coin is that I am > finding myself, more and more, facing overly bright, poorly aimed headlights > coming at me at night. If your windshield is the least bit dirty, fogged, > or pitted, you get blinded by glare. Maybe it's safer for you, but it can > be unsafe for everyone else going the other way. > > IMHO properly aimed conventional headlights are more than adequate. If you > need more light for off-roading or really dark rural areas, install > auxilliary lights that are only on when you *need* them. > > Allan > -- > 1991 Vanagon GL >


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