moribundman
04-30-2004, 10:13 PM
I copied the following from some site. If I were to know the URL, I'd give the guy credit. Maybe this will help you decide whether or not there is somthing really wrong with your headlights. Also, let me mention there are two types of beam cut-off in e-codes:
1. Angled "ramps:"
(higher on the right of each light). That's what I have an prefer. With those lights you will have enough light "bleeding" to light up all reflective street and higway exit signs.
2. "Stepped pattern:"
more popular with projector lights than the one with the angled "ramps." Very sharp cut-off that can be annoying.
Here's the info from the lost site:
European-compliance ("E-code") replaceable-bulb headlamps
What does "E-code" mean? It's a quick way of referring to a European-specification headlamp. The "E-code", signified by a capital "E" in a circle on the lens of the lamp, signifies that the lamp has passed the ECE (European regulatory) tests for light output, durability, quality control, beam pattern, etc. The United States does not subscribe to ECE auto safety regulations, which is why US-market cars do not come equipped with ECE headlamps.
Although US and ECE headlamps both start with light sources (bulbs) that produce about the same amount of light, the two kinds of lamp handle the light differently. The ECE specifications for the low beam pattern tend to bring about headlamps with a subjectively more useful beam pattern. Lighting to both sides of the road tends to be much more even very widely so you can see to the sides of the car, including animals (of the two or four-legged variety) that may be lurking in the shadows, waiting to step into the road. Road signs along the driving side (the right side) of the road tend to be illuminated for a greater distance down the road than with DOT headlamps.
The Low beam pattern is less offensive to oncoming traffic because of a sharp cutoff across the top of the beam pattern. On the left side of the beam pattern, the cutoff is horizontal. On the right half of the beam pattern, the cutoff rises to the right at a 15 degree angle (or, alternately, the right side of the cutoff is also horizontal, but is "stepped" upwards with respect to the left side cutoff). This sharp delineation between illumination areas (areas that need to be illuminated in order for you to see what needs to be seen) and glare areas (areas that are likely to include other road users' eyes) tends to reduce backglare in bad weather. Because there is minimal light above the horizontal (in contrast to DOT lamps, which are required to produce quite a bit of light above the horizontal), light tends to be thrown on the road, the roadsides and the road signs, NOT back in your eyes via reflection from rain, fog or snow. Backglare in bad weather is completely eliminated. The effect, with properly-aimed ECE headlamps in bad weather, is a nighttime driving experience in which you see the *road*, the *obstacles* and the *signs* , not whatever might be falling out of the sky towards the road. The light tends to be more evenly distributed on the road in front of the car, with less of the streaky/blotchy/tunnel-of-light effects that are common to many DOT headlamps.
ALL headlamp beams are a compromise! It is not a simple task to design a good headlamp, because so many of the jobs we need a headlamp to do conflict with one another. Too much light above the horizontal can cause too much glare for other road users and too much backglare for the driver in bad weather, as well as a "veiling glare" effect even in relatively good weather. But insufficient light above the horizontal can make it difficult for the driver to read overhead road signs and can reduce seeing distance in some conditions, such as when going down a "sag" in the road. Insufficient light on the pavement in front of the car tends to make drivers uncomfortable, apparently causing a "black hole" effect in which it is difficult for the driver to judge accurately the position of his car on the road. But too much ligtht on the pavement close to the car can reduce the driver's ability to detect obstacles farther down the road. A super-sharp cutoff makes a lamp very easy to aim visually, using height measurements and a vertical wall, but can create distracting effects where the driver sees the cutoff bouncing up and down as he goes over road irregularities; at the same time, a very vague cutoff (or none at all) makes a lamp difficult to aim visually, but can reduce the on-the-road effects of a very sharp cutoff. And these are just a few examples! Every aspect of a headlamp beamâ€"and there are many, many aspects that make up a headlamp beamâ€"must be carefully adjusted to create a good overall compromise. The goal is to pick the compromise that works the best in the conditions in which you drive. The author has found that in the vast majority of the driving conditions he encounters, the ECE headlamps do a better job of allowing him to see what must be seen in time to react properly.
1. Angled "ramps:"
(higher on the right of each light). That's what I have an prefer. With those lights you will have enough light "bleeding" to light up all reflective street and higway exit signs.
2. "Stepped pattern:"
more popular with projector lights than the one with the angled "ramps." Very sharp cut-off that can be annoying.
Here's the info from the lost site:
European-compliance ("E-code") replaceable-bulb headlamps
What does "E-code" mean? It's a quick way of referring to a European-specification headlamp. The "E-code", signified by a capital "E" in a circle on the lens of the lamp, signifies that the lamp has passed the ECE (European regulatory) tests for light output, durability, quality control, beam pattern, etc. The United States does not subscribe to ECE auto safety regulations, which is why US-market cars do not come equipped with ECE headlamps.
Although US and ECE headlamps both start with light sources (bulbs) that produce about the same amount of light, the two kinds of lamp handle the light differently. The ECE specifications for the low beam pattern tend to bring about headlamps with a subjectively more useful beam pattern. Lighting to both sides of the road tends to be much more even very widely so you can see to the sides of the car, including animals (of the two or four-legged variety) that may be lurking in the shadows, waiting to step into the road. Road signs along the driving side (the right side) of the road tend to be illuminated for a greater distance down the road than with DOT headlamps.
The Low beam pattern is less offensive to oncoming traffic because of a sharp cutoff across the top of the beam pattern. On the left side of the beam pattern, the cutoff is horizontal. On the right half of the beam pattern, the cutoff rises to the right at a 15 degree angle (or, alternately, the right side of the cutoff is also horizontal, but is "stepped" upwards with respect to the left side cutoff). This sharp delineation between illumination areas (areas that need to be illuminated in order for you to see what needs to be seen) and glare areas (areas that are likely to include other road users' eyes) tends to reduce backglare in bad weather. Because there is minimal light above the horizontal (in contrast to DOT lamps, which are required to produce quite a bit of light above the horizontal), light tends to be thrown on the road, the roadsides and the road signs, NOT back in your eyes via reflection from rain, fog or snow. Backglare in bad weather is completely eliminated. The effect, with properly-aimed ECE headlamps in bad weather, is a nighttime driving experience in which you see the *road*, the *obstacles* and the *signs* , not whatever might be falling out of the sky towards the road. The light tends to be more evenly distributed on the road in front of the car, with less of the streaky/blotchy/tunnel-of-light effects that are common to many DOT headlamps.
ALL headlamp beams are a compromise! It is not a simple task to design a good headlamp, because so many of the jobs we need a headlamp to do conflict with one another. Too much light above the horizontal can cause too much glare for other road users and too much backglare for the driver in bad weather, as well as a "veiling glare" effect even in relatively good weather. But insufficient light above the horizontal can make it difficult for the driver to read overhead road signs and can reduce seeing distance in some conditions, such as when going down a "sag" in the road. Insufficient light on the pavement in front of the car tends to make drivers uncomfortable, apparently causing a "black hole" effect in which it is difficult for the driver to judge accurately the position of his car on the road. But too much ligtht on the pavement close to the car can reduce the driver's ability to detect obstacles farther down the road. A super-sharp cutoff makes a lamp very easy to aim visually, using height measurements and a vertical wall, but can create distracting effects where the driver sees the cutoff bouncing up and down as he goes over road irregularities; at the same time, a very vague cutoff (or none at all) makes a lamp difficult to aim visually, but can reduce the on-the-road effects of a very sharp cutoff. And these are just a few examples! Every aspect of a headlamp beamâ€"and there are many, many aspects that make up a headlamp beamâ€"must be carefully adjusted to create a good overall compromise. The goal is to pick the compromise that works the best in the conditions in which you drive. The author has found that in the vast majority of the driving conditions he encounters, the ECE headlamps do a better job of allowing him to see what must be seen in time to react properly.