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From: punia@uvm-gen.UUCP (David T. Punia)
Newsgroups: net.auto,net.flame
Subject: Re: Halogen headlights -- ARGH!
Message-ID: <270@uvm-gen.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Aug-85 09:10:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: uvm-gen.270
Posted: Thu Aug 29 09:10:15 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Aug-85 08:06:08 EDT
References: <1343@umcp-cs.UUCP> <648@rduxb.UUCP> <1107@mhuxt.UUCP>, <656@rduxb.UUCP>
Organization: University of Vermont (780a)
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Xref: watmath net.auto:7959 net.flame:11744


  Everyone has been ranting about the proper aiming of halogen headlights,
and rightly so.  A PROPERLY DESIGNED QI lamp when properly aimed, indeed will
not throw much light into the eyes of oncoming drivers, unless they happen to
be coming over the crest of a hill.  I would doubt, however that all of the
QI lights on the market qualify as properly designed, or maybe that should 
be properly executed.  A high quality lens is very important to the sharpness
of the beam shape and cutoff.  Are there any standards that the after-market
manufacturers have to meet?  Are the DOT standards for QI's (are there any?)
different than for ordinary lamps?  It seems that the vendors of relampable
units might pay a lot more attention to their lenses than the manufacturers
of disposable sealed beam units.  I had a pair of Cibies with re-lampable
housings, and was always impressed with the sharpness of the cutoff.  I'm
not nearly as impressed with the GE sealed beam units I'm using now.  Sure,
GE has to make a product cheap enough to compete, but what are the tradeoffs?

   And then there are the lights you can get in any discount department store
for $20 the pair.  I suspect they're the ones that most people have the
biggest problems with.  Unless its got a good quality lens, no amount of
aiming is going to prevent light from going where its not wanted.





-- 

David T. Punia, Dept. of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering
The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT   05405-0156  
802-656-3330

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