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On Tue, 12 Jan 1999, Ginger D.&Peter P. wrote: + + Here is basic headlight technology as I understand it: + + 1 Stock Euro spec: glass lense with incandescent bulb inside + 2 Stock USA spec: sealed beam incandescent Yep.. + 3 also: sealed beam halogen, brighter and more efficient so takes less juice! Aftermarket items, meant as replacements for 2. above. + 4 also: glass/plastic lense with halogen bulb inside + 5 also: something called H4 halogen that draws a lot more juice and costs $$ The H4 is a glass lens/reflector, with a replaceable halogen bulb inside. They don't necessarily draw more current, they just allow you to if you feel you need to. Halogens in the 'states, found stock in japanese and american cars are usually what's called a 9000-series bulb. These are halogens with a plastic plug-in base, and small enough contacts that they're not a whole hell of a lot of good if you're going to change them for higher-than-stock output. H4s are axial-filament, as opposed to the 9000s transverse filament, which allows the reflector to make more use of the light output, and the bases are usually ceramic, thus heat-resistant enough to take serious wattages. Your average sealed-beam draws 50/65w (50 on low beam, 65 on high). You can easily find H4 bulbs like this (mine are 55/65, I think) and they won't draw any more power than a stock light. (They are several orders of magnitude better, as far as useful light output though..) On the other hand you can just as easily find 100/160w bulbs, which are insane. (I like them. :P) (A friend has them in his a2 gti, and 100w H3 drivers in the _øÇ 520 watts of halogen lighting coming out of the front of that car. It can turn off streetlamps coming up hills..) Geoff Melnychuk -=-=-=- http://www.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~geoffrey _-~-_-~-_-~-\ | gpmelnyc@acs.ucalgary.ca Volkswagen-driving, Beagle-dog-hugging, | | geoffrey@cpsc.ucalgary.ca Bass-playing, Beer-brewing, Lurking nerd. | \._.^`'~*-,._.^`'~*-,._.^`'~*-,._.^`'~*-,._.^`'~*-,._.^`'~*-,._.^`fnord._./ ------------------------------------------------------------------- Too much? Digest! mailto:type3-d-request@vwtype3.org Subj=subscribe