Using HIDs for high beams
- Thread starter Scott_Tucker
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Sure it does.
When you are travelling down a road at 50mph you want to have the majority of the light ahead of you not scattered off to the sides or right in front of the car or all focussed off to the left a hot spot off in Timbuktu...headlight design is meant to be purposeful for safety's sake. You want to see a little off to the sides to pick up movement of critters but at the right angles while still having proper coverage for the road ahead with turns and dips and everything else. That pictured beam pattern is bright and all but there are huge gaps, holes and wierdo weighting happening.
When you are travelling down a road at 50mph you want to have the majority of the light ahead of you not scattered off to the sides or right in front of the car or all focussed off to the left a hot spot off in Timbuktu...headlight design is meant to be purposeful for safety's sake. You want to see a little off to the sides to pick up movement of critters but at the right angles while still having proper coverage for the road ahead with turns and dips and everything else. That pictured beam pattern is bright and all but there are huge gaps, holes and wierdo weighting happening.
It's lights up a 1/2 mile of road and at a 100' wide path. Works great and far from a fail.
On my 2008 Accent I just modified the fog to 35w hid. Had to change adjuster screw to get more height on the lights but when they are on you can hardly tell if the OEM headlights are on, lo or hi beam. The OEMs just ad some yellow color.
On my 2008 Accent I just modified the fog to 35w hid. Had to change adjuster screw to get more height on the lights but when they are on you can hardly tell if the OEM headlights are on, lo or hi beam. The OEMs just ad some yellow color.
Originally Posted By: Brick B-Body
No question Daniel Stern's website has good information within it. However most of it looks to be from the early to mid 2000s. How much as automotive lighting advanced in that time?
It's no different that us looking over oil and filter info and tests from 8 to 10 years ago. While it maybe useful, it is out of date and probably doesn't reflect the current state of what's available.
Are there other sites out there with similar information that is more current?
I suppose you think Dan Stern turned his brain off ten years ago, right? The problem today is on a plastic car bumper there is no place to attach the really good lighting systems which are DOT approved.
No question Daniel Stern's website has good information within it. However most of it looks to be from the early to mid 2000s. How much as automotive lighting advanced in that time?
It's no different that us looking over oil and filter info and tests from 8 to 10 years ago. While it maybe useful, it is out of date and probably doesn't reflect the current state of what's available.
Are there other sites out there with similar information that is more current?
I suppose you think Dan Stern turned his brain off ten years ago, right? The problem today is on a plastic car bumper there is no place to attach the really good lighting systems which are DOT approved.
plastic bumpers can complicate. but there's metal in there somewhere. or you can place metal between the frame members and fab up a mount surface without too much work. There may be plastic mount provisions near oem fog locations, etc.. I've found that sometimes just reinforcing plastic areas with metal plate behind it is just fine. lights don't weigh that much.
AFA Dan Stern--- lots hasn't changed since yr 2000, so there's not much that would need updating. our eyes, where the light needs to be, reflection/refraction... hasn't changed. Just the lamp technology, but that's just a light source.... the same rules apply. If you want to really do it right, hard to dismiss Dan S.
M
AFA Dan Stern--- lots hasn't changed since yr 2000, so there's not much that would need updating. our eyes, where the light needs to be, reflection/refraction... hasn't changed. Just the lamp technology, but that's just a light source.... the same rules apply. If you want to really do it right, hard to dismiss Dan S.
M
Honestly, my driving lights are mounted right into the (thick) plastic bumper with a metal bracket and some big self-tapping screws, and they don't shake or anything unless I'm on a surface rough enough that I'm going too slow to actually need high beams anyway.
I'm loving the light output on high beam from 100W e-code highs, a pair of 100W pencil beams aimed straight down the road, and a pair of 100W driving beams angled out slightly for better deer spotting across open fields and better view around corners. It looks like daylight with the full 600w complement powered up
My (pretty good) 55w e-code low beams look pitiful in comparison.
Only reasons none of my high beam / driving light setup uses HIDs are that the high/low beams are a single H4 bulb, good HIDs are expensive (good halogen setups are expensive enough, I don't need to spend twice that), and I don't like the way HIDs render color anyway.
I'm loving the light output on high beam from 100W e-code highs, a pair of 100W pencil beams aimed straight down the road, and a pair of 100W driving beams angled out slightly for better deer spotting across open fields and better view around corners. It looks like daylight with the full 600w complement powered up
Only reasons none of my high beam / driving light setup uses HIDs are that the high/low beams are a single H4 bulb, good HIDs are expensive (good halogen setups are expensive enough, I don't need to spend twice that), and I don't like the way HIDs render color anyway.
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