Terry Thompson wrote:
[...]
> ANYHOOO...
> I too have found that some back roads that are too
> dark for your regular incandescent lights to be useful
> for seeing more than 30 feet ahead of you. And I think
> that a set of higher output lights would be welcome on
> overcast/moonless/starless/unlit/tree-lined narrow
> back roads. I'm using sealed Halogens ($8-14/ea? pep
> boys) and they are less than adequate for the above
> conditions, but they're usable and slightly better
> than incandescents (I just have alltogther bad
> vision).
>
My feeling is that in a spitfire the brightness isn't
the main problem. Because of how low to the ground
the lights are, they have a very low angle on the road,
and the slightest change in slope obscures the road ahead.
If I drove a lot of back roads at night, I would be tempted
to run driving lights on a roll bar (or make them clip on the
windscreen frame where the soft top does) but I'm pretty sure
this is illegal, even though they would only be at the height
of some of those jacked up SUVs headlights.
> My suggestion is that you don't super intensify your
> turnsignals/brake lamps/running lamps/headlamps. All
> that will do is cost you money to annoy people that
> you may or may not want to annoy.
>
Amen. I run regular halogens AND switch to low beams as
soon as another car comes into viw.
BTW, on my recent road trip from CA to AZ and back
in the spitfire (I'll post a fuller report later),
the only real failure was the high beam switch, which
broke within 1/4 mile of home on the return trip ;-)
My biggest complaint with lucas is that the plastic
they used goes to $#!+ after 30 years.
[...]
--
Reed Mideke
email: rfm(at)cruzers.com -If that fails: rfm(at)portalofevil.com
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