Re: Head lamps

["checksix3 <jetjock11@xxxx>" <jetjock11@xxxx>]

I recommend anyone considering changing their headlights educate 
themselves. There is a lot to know about this and many people simply 
get sucked in by hype. For example, there are no legal or safe 
conversions to HID using aftermarket lenses unless the lenses are 
designed for the HID capsules used. The Sylvania Xenarc HID kit is 
the only one I know of that offers this for the Delorean's H4656 
sealed beams. Buying housings and installing HID capsules not 
specifically designed for them will make for a pretty to look at 
light but the beam quality will be near useless and dangerous. Use 
the Xenarc kit or stay with white halogen in the 4000-5000K color 
range.

If you're going to upgrade your headlights it's best to go with H4 
halogen lamps in aftermarket housings (of which only a very few are 
DOT approved) and stay away from the blue filtered bulbs. (There are 
a few filtered bulbs that are legal and safe but they still perform 
worse than clear halogens.) The rest (a vast majority) of the blue 
filtered halogens being hyped these days are a scam and put out less 
lumens than clear lamps. In addition, the wavelength emmited will 
cause problems in rain and fog. Improving the wiring will go a long 
way too. A voltage drop of only a few percent will cut lamp output by 
a large amount.

Also, true HID has been shown to not neccesarily be the best "kind" 
of light for driving. Again, the best method is to edjucate oneself 
with the knowledge to make a sound decision based on science and not 
pretty headlights or hype. How the human eye responds to light is a 
very complex subject and has been intensely studied in the aviation 
world. There is much information to be had on the web, I recommend 
Sylvania's website or any site that is more interested in informing 
you than taking your money. A good place to start is here: 
http://lighting.mbz.org