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Re: [Fwd: Found a cure for crappy low beams...] long



Gee, Stern's diatribe makes me fearful to turn my headlights on at all!!!
Electrical fires!!   High-velocity shrapnel!!  Nuclear meltdown!!   Quick,
call the feds...we need protection from this carnage!
Where does he get this stuff?   whoo-eee!

Larry  sandiego16V




----- Original Message -----
From: T Berk <tberk@mindspring.com>
To: Scirocco List <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2001 1:44 PM
Subject: [Fwd: Found a cure for crappy low beams...] long


> This post is forwarded from the Subaru newsgroup (GF has a WRX Wagoon)
> and is intended to refer to relay vs non relay thread that was on the
> list recently. It is pretty non brand specific in terms of one auto
> manufacturer or another and in the interest of On Topic-ness I humbly
> submit the following for your approval.
>
> TBerk
> btw Daniel Stern's link is <http://lighting.mbz.org>
>
> Daniel Stern Lighting wrote:
> >
> > On 2 Dec 2001, Rockhead wrote:
> >
> > > When you go from a 55-watt factory bulb to a 100-watt aftermarket
> > > bulb, you are increasing the heat output by nearly 100%.  The extra
> > > heat of a hig output bulb will quickly cook the reflector of the lamp
> > > housing as well as the bulb.
> >
> > ASSUMING high-quality bulbs (Osram, Philips, Narva, Norma) and not
> > third-world garbage (PIAA, Heliolite, Phoenix, Polarg, Eurolite, etc),
the
> > bulbs can handle it.  Whether the materials of the headlamp itself can
> > take it is on a case-by-case basis.  There is a wide range of materials
> > used in the construction of headlamps.  Some of them are at the
> > bleeding-edge limit of their thermal resistance with stock-wattage
bulbs,
> > while some of them have no problem handling massive thermal overloads.
> > The important point to remember as regards the lamps themselves is that
> > one is always taking a risk of headlamp destruction by overheat damage.
> > That damage may take the form of melted, distorted, dulled or cracked
> > reflectors, heat-cracked lenses, deformed bulb shields, deformed or
melted
> > bulb holder parts, or, in extreme cases, heat welding of the bulb into
the
> > headlamp (this makes a VERY expensive "sealed beam"!).  With
poor-quality
> > bulbs, one also runs the very real risk of grenade damage, when the
> > massively-overpressurized, poorly-made bulb explodes inside the lamp
> > housing.  The destruction is almost always total; hot, sharp shrapnel at
> > extremely high velocity and close range doesn't leave much behind.
> >
> > Then there is the issue of the wiring, which despite the occasional
"Gee,
> > I've been running 130 watt bulbs on my stock wiring with no problem"
> > story, is NOT up to the task of any kind of overload.  Stock headlamp
> > wiring is usually marginally-to-moderately undersized for even
> > stock-wattage bulbs, when brand new.  The wiring that improves with age
> > has, so far, eluded scientists.  Bulbs that present a 50 or 100 or 150
> > percent overload on stock wiring are an utterly foolhardy risk to take;
> > the chance is quite high of a serious electrical fire.
> >
> > Even if one does not burn the car down with overwattage bulbs, remember
> > that *tiny* changes in voltage to the bulb give *large* changes in light
> > output.  The relationship is not linear; a 5 percent voltage drop robs
15%
> > of the light output, for instance.  With voltage drops with
> > couple-year-old stock wiring and stock bulbs running between 2 and 8
> > percent, and remembering that increased current pull through the same
> > wires will massively increase voltage drop, you will be shooting
yourself
> > in the foot from a lighting performance perspective unless you install
> > wiring adequate to the task at hand.  Note that often, simply upgrading
> > the wiring and (installing) relays and staying with stock bulbs gives a
> > *very* substantial improvement in lighting performance.
> >
> > > In addition to replacing the bulbs more often
> >
> > True.  High-wattage bulbs have a shorter life than low-wattage bulbs of
> > the same design.
> >
> > > you will find that the bulb socket will eventually melt as
> > > well.  If you're lucky, you will only have to replace the socket, not
> > > the harness.
> >
> > See above.
> >
> > > The heavier filaments used in high output bulbs take a fraction of a
> > > second longer to heat up when energized.
> >
> > MMmmm...no.  A couple of nanoseconds.
> >
> > > This is noticable when
> > > turning on high-output high beams.  You may have a split-second of
> > > total darkness before the bulb heats up.
> >
> > Only if you aren't feeding the bulbs properly with heavy wiring and
> > relays!
> >
> > > Modern relays and switches are usually capable of handling the
> > > additional power load.
> >
> > Usually NOT capable of handling the additional power load.  If you've
ever
> > dissected a typical factory-equipment lighting circuit, you know that it
> > involves LONG lengths of THIN wire and TINY contacts.
> >
> > > Do youself a favor and invest in a quality set of driving lights.
> >
> > Driving lamps are only for use with high beams, only when there are no
> > other vehicles visible in front of you in either direction.  They must
> > never be used in traffic.  Therefore, they are of rather limited use to
> > most drivers who rely on their low beam headlamps most of the time.
> >
> > --Daniel
> >
> > TO WRITE TO ME:  Remove the headlamp from my return address.
> >
> >                      .______DANIEL STERN LIGHTING______.
> >                      |     http://lighting.mbz.org     |
> > ---
> > dastern "at" vrx "dot" net
> > Automotive Lighting and Signalling Services
> > NBCS b6f+wg++rp
>
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