Date:         Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:55:59 -0800
Reply-To:     Marc Sayer <marcsayer@HUGHES.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Marc Sayer <marcsayer@HUGHES.NET>
Subject:      Re: queston on H4 55/60w bulb to fit stock bulb socket
In-Reply-To:  <9f4608e90911101339h7eea840n7782ff5976ebb686@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Yeah this is something owners of those jacked up 4WDs never seemed to be
able to get their minds around. A headlight system is designed to be
spaced within a given minimum and maximum distance above the road
surface. Get outside that zone and no amount of reaiming will fix the
problems with the patterns produced. Some of the issues involved are
simply insoluble. You can at least partly address the high vs low beam
pattern incompatibility by going to a 4 headlight system, where you can
aim the dedicated high beam housings independently of the combo beam
housings. Then, if your bulbs are up to it, you can simply disconnect
the high beam connectors to the combo bulbs so you get high beams only
from the dedicated high beam bulbs. This lets you aim each set of
housings for best effect for that specific beam. Personally, I've always
preferred the light patterns from round headlights myself, assuming you
get good quality headlight housings and bulbs, and makes sure the bulbs
are supplied adequate  electrical power. It's unscientific for sure, but
to me round headlights always seem to give a better pattern than the
various rectangular versions out there. And as for those model specific
"aerodynamic" headlight housings, they range from down right awful to
pretty darn good, depending on the vehicle. But with them, you get what
you get. No way to improve them unless there is an E-code version you
can convert to. We did this with my wife's Grand Cherokee and the
improvement was simply astounding. Stock the headlights were almost as
bad as the 86+ Vanagons. With the E-code version of the headlights
installed, it had amazingly good illumination.



Al Knoll wrote:
> The reflectors have an optimum above the roadway height so that both beams
> are correctly aimed.  The headlight position oo the vanagon is above that
> design height.
>
>
--

Marc Sayer
Journalist, Photographer, Dog Trainer (APDT member #062956)
Board member - Western States Great Dane Association
Director of Operations & Training - Deaf Dane Rescue Inc.
Oakridge, OR USA

My Homepage - http://gracieland.org
Deaf Dane Rescue  - http://deafdane.org
Western States Great Dane Rescue Association - http://wsgdra.org
RescueWatchdogs - http://rescuewatchdogs.org
Association of Pet Dog Trainers - http://APDT.com