Matt O.

This is a repost from my one that got deleted. I'm getting the impression I need to take these bad boys back to Autozone. I suppose I'll just stick with the XVs or whatever they are called, since those H4's you all speak so highly of are a little out of my price range. Poor college student's budget.

-Matt

ribs

A friend of mine had the PIAA superwhites...those looked incredible. They weren't blueish really at all...they didn't look like they were trying to be the fake ID lights at all...they just looked much whiter than normal bulbs. This was on a civic, too (I finally convinced him to remove his stickers)...and they looked incredible, all for 2 weeks before he wrecked his car, necessitating new fronts lights (he had to get rid of the clear corners, too). He has wrecked that car 2 times after that time too...I am amazed he is still insured, since all together I think he has cost his insurance company $14000 in repairs for a $7000 car.

Dave

Yes...IMO anyway.

Mark944na86

Matt,

One of my first "upgrades" was a new set of headlights... 60/40 Sylvania sealed beam units form Pepboys at < $10 each. Work great.

And yes, cheesy fake blue headlights are totally rice.

-Mark 86 944 NA

IceShark

Yeah, they are rice, although PIAA are even more rice, actually put out less light than normal halogen, cost way more and cause fools to think they got a good light and deal. Something about PT Barnum comes to mind.

Also, those Cool Blues only have a 45 watt, 700 lumin low beam according to the spec sheet I have in front of me. That is pretty low as far as what is available.

The legal Xtra Vision bulbs which are clear are 55 watt on low beam. That is the best deal if you want to stay "legal" and also not change out lenses to something better due to lack of cash.

Matt O.

'Nough said. Back in the box they go. I better still have my dang receipt...

-Matt

PS
WAY off topic, but funny none-the-less. For all of you who went ape-crazy about Ribs' porno Porsche page.



Talk about headlights...

deni durrell

1. yes, rice
2. totally tasteless, but funny (i guess)

TomH

FYI: In some states the blue lights are illegal. I work with a guy who bought a 1999 Acura TL (in Maryland) that came with blue intensity lights, and he has been stopped twice by state troopers in Maryland who say the lights are illegal.

Matt O.

Oh deni, please tell me why is that tasteless? I'm pretty sure the special forces guys out there in the desert hunting down terrorists for us all would find it quite amusing - maybe even motivating. What's tasteless is brutalizing and subjugating, owning women (or whatever they call it), beating them if they are uncovered... That's tasteless (I guess).

RE: Blue lights -

On the box it says DOT certified and things to that nature. That doesn't matter? Thanks for the heads up about the laws regarding this.

-Matt

IceShark

I don't believe DOT (the Feds) have any specification on the color of *HEADLIGHTS* so I don't think you will run into a problem with bluish headlights from that perspective as long as the wattage of the bulb is also legal.

Where you will be asking for trouble is from the State and Local governments. Some of them specify what are allowable colors and actually reserve colors to emergency vehicles i.e. red and blue flashing lights. And some states are apparently enacting laws regarding headlight color shades because of glare complaints associated with blue overwatted (as well as HID which a State can't do anything about since the Feds approved the original equipment ones) bulbs. I think these additional State color laws started to come about originally from the under chassis neon light craze the LowRiders started way back when.

So you may run afoul of some jurisdictions and if you are running overwatted bulbs then they really got 'ya. From a more practicle standpoint, even if you are on the edge of legal, many cops are looking for probable cause (your equipment - headlights - appear to be illegal wattage or misaimed) to stop you and check you out for other infractions. Why give them that with blue lights unless you like asking for trouble?

TomH

Different states do have different laws. It has nothing to do with the Feds and DOT. PIAA Super White Bulbs come with the following disclaimer:

*We recommend Checking with State and Local Laws Regarding The Use Of Upgrade Lighting Systems.

PIAA Xtra Bulbs are described as having the power of the PIAA Super White Bulbs, but without the attention-grabbing blue white color-perfect, if you prefer keeping a lower profile... but still come with the same disclaimer.

Manning

It isn't just the bulb color, but the lens/reflector as well that can be illegal. If they do not have a little DOT embossed on the lens then most likely they are not DOT approved. And in fact quite a few of the Hella kits out there on cars are not DOT approved and I am pretty sure there aren't any Cibe lights out there on the aftermarket that are either.

The reason for this is that Rest Of World lights are designed to aim far, low and way on down the road where as DOT approved lights are designed to aim close and off to the side slightly so that you can see in front of you AND see street signs and stuff to the side.

And lenses designed for the UK aim to the wrong siden (not making that up).

IceShark

PIAA is a funny animal to keep up with. Historically their lights have been much worse than stock run-of-the-mill halogen despite the outrageous cost. Here is a test:
http://www.overboost.com/story.asp?id=102

I was also told by a very informed lighting specialist that PIAA has a trick to make their marketing work and mislead the user. Headlight reflectors are designed to use industry standard bulbs which have a tightly specified design for the physical location and light output of the filament. So your light patterns are the same as original design when you replace a burned out bulb.

But PIAA winds their filaments different and the result is light output is stolen from parts of a "normal" beam pattern and concentrated in a central hot spot. So with a PIAA bulb the lumens in the center will usually be higher but at the expense of the rest of the beam. They have given you a bad case of tunnel vision and claim 55 watts in = 80 or 85 watts out. This is probably why they still disclaim legality on their clear bulbs because they can't meet minimum legal requirements for illumination at all the required measurement points of the beam.

I would just as soon see that kid at the side of the road that is about to run across.

IceShark

Manning, a couple things. The big difference between DOT and E-Code is DOT is designed to throw more light high and not pay much attention to glare on both oncoming as well as preceeding traffic.

The high towards the stars light pattern is because NHTSB thinks you need it to light up *overhead* signs like on freeway overpasses and will not accept the fact that an E-Code light will also bounce enough light off the road surface to light up those signs. But they can and do as anyone that has run E-Code will tell you. Also, NHTSB has historically thought glare was just something you should get used to and avert your eyes every time a car comes at you. This may change in the next few years.

The NHTSB are really a bunch of morons - E-Code lenses are legal on motorcycles. Seeing as how motorcycles might have just one headlight and require all the lighting they can get, nice logic in banning them from cars because they don't throw enough light up high.

The reason headlights in the UK throw light up and over to the left hand side is they drive on the other side of the road! DOH!

Matt O.

Has anyone ever been to France? I remember all the headlights are a yellow/orange color. Is that legal here? I wonder if that would be something you could market here to riceboys as a way to be "different" and "european", because they already go for the *cool* European side marker lights...

-Matt