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MG MGB Technical - US vs. World Lighting....

An interesting article on a subject which seldom gets beyond the speculative stage ~ how our lighting standards and those elsewhere shape the lighting used in those regions, and the philosophical differences behind the engineering. Just thought I would share for those who are thinking about changing from US lighting to, say, euro standard lighting equipment.

http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/june01/features/letlight/letlight.html
Bob Muenchausen

Bob
I installed headlights several years ago that JC whitney sells. At $20 they are as good as the expensive brands. They are a European design. The low beams aren't a whole lot different from the US standard. The high beams are more powerful straight ahead and have a very sharp cutoff at the top of the beam. For fast hi beam highway driving they are ideal. However, get into the winding mountain pass, and that flattop search light beam provides minimal peripheral light. I have installed some cheap clear driving/fog lights where the front parking and turn indicators were located. They splay outward so I can see my way around the next sharp bend on a dark and stormy night.

You pay your money and take your choice.

Barry
Barry Parkinson

Bob,

Thanks for the interesting article. A short time back, Road & Track magazine had an interesting article on the HID vs. standard debate related to the color of the light. One of the interesting things in the article was whether we have some sort of built-in preference for yellow light as opposed to blue light. The article proposed that yellow light was more acceptable to humans because of centuries of adaptation to the yellow light put out by a fire. The article also pointed out that blue light may be more acceptable to younger people as the pattern of exposure changes (younger people have experienced more blue light over their lifetimes than older people).
Richard Smith 1

Way to deep for my marginally functional brain, I'm just glad they all turn on when I flip the switch.
How many MG owners does it take to change a bulb in a Lucas fixture?
3, One to do it wrong, one to do it right, and one to curse the DPO.
Lewis

True enough, Barry and Richard.

For many years (and perhaps even now) the French ran with yellow head lamp light, based on a belief that it was easier for people to see with at night than white or tungsten light. It also probably had something to do with glare, a factor which seems much more important to european than american lighting engineeers.

I felt it was interesting what the differences were in engineering philosophies but like you say, I paid my money and am happy with what I have. My choice is probably predicated by habits of seeing also, and I do believe by my own individual eyesight ~ color perception, luminance perception (whether I inately see very well in the dark or not), and my own preferences for HOW I want the ground lit up in front of me ~ a certain amount of comfort related to how my brain analyzes the info provided by my eyes and the light display around me.
Bob Muenchausen

I drove a friend's HID vehicle on less than flat roads and I hated the lights and driving was difficult. The cut-off was so severe that you couldn't see anything other than what was completely level with the headlights.
Mike MaGee

This thread was discussed between 14/07/2005 and 15/07/2005

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