Re: Part question
 

We see them all over the place:
http://www.a-car.com/xenon/cool.html FAQ
God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/

Mike Romain wrote:
>
> Are you allowed to use blue bulbs there?
>
> Over here in Canada, they are for off road use only. They are not
> street legal. The parts counters even had big warning signs for a
> while.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Bright lights WAS: Part question
 

On Fri, 25 Jun 2004, Mike Romain wrote:

> AK wrote:
> >
> > All the posh cars have them over here as standard - BMWs, Mercedes
> > etc so I presume they are
>
> Those aren't blue lights, those are a special system that uses different
> wiring and stuff I think.

Those are HID lights, unlike the familar incandescent lamps that make
light by heating a bit of wire until it glows, HID lights are an
enclosed-arc light -- like a mercury vapor street light. There's two
electrodes in high-pressure envelope of various gasses and an external
ballast that gives it a high voltage spark to strike the arc and then
settles back to a lower, regulated voltage to keep the light output
steady. The lamps tend to be bluer than incandescent lamps and you get
much more light out of them at the same amperage load.

Here's a good article on them:
3. USATODAY.com - Bright lights, big controversy
<URL:http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2001-06-07-xenon.htm>


> The blue lights are coated and over watted to give a 'pretend' BMW look.

The wattage increase is needed to compensate for the light lost to the
blue filter. If I put a baby blue-colored filter over an incandescent
light I'll cut the actual output by better than a third.

Personally I hate those "pretend" lamps because they tend to flash colors
as they approach. At night, out of the corner of my eye, it looks like an
emergency vehicle.

Bright lights WAS: Part question
 

On Fri, 25 Jun 2004, Mike Romain wrote:

> AK wrote:
> >
> > All the posh cars have them over here as standard - BMWs, Mercedes
> > etc so I presume they are
>
> Those aren't blue lights, those are a special system that uses different
> wiring and stuff I think.

Those are HID lights, unlike the familar incandescent lamps that make
light by heating a bit of wire until it glows, HID lights are an
enclosed-arc light -- like a mercury vapor street light. There's two
electrodes in high-pressure envelope of various gasses and an external
ballast that gives it a high voltage spark to strike the arc and then
settles back to a lower, regulated voltage to keep the light output
steady. The lamps tend to be bluer than incandescent lamps and you get
much more light out of them at the same amperage load.

Here's a good article on them:
3. USATODAY.com - Bright lights, big controversy
<URL:http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2001-06-07-xenon.htm>


> The blue lights are coated and over watted to give a 'pretend' BMW look.

The wattage increase is needed to compensate for the light lost to the
blue filter. If I put a baby blue-colored filter over an incandescent
light I'll cut the actual output by better than a third.

Personally I hate those "pretend" lamps because they tend to flash colors
as they approach. At night, out of the corner of my eye, it looks like an
emergency vehicle.

Bright lights WAS: Part question
 

On Fri, 25 Jun 2004, Mike Romain wrote:

> AK wrote:
> >
> > All the posh cars have them over here as standard - BMWs, Mercedes
> > etc so I presume they are
>
> Those aren't blue lights, those are a special system that uses different
> wiring and stuff I think.

Those are HID lights, unlike the familar incandescent lamps that make
light by heating a bit of wire until it glows, HID lights are an
enclosed-arc light -- like a mercury vapor street light. There's two
electrodes in high-pressure envelope of various gasses and an external
ballast that gives it a high voltage spark to strike the arc and then
settles back to a lower, regulated voltage to keep the light output
steady. The lamps tend to be bluer than incandescent lamps and you get
much more light out of them at the same amperage load.

Here's a good article on them:
3. USATODAY.com - Bright lights, big controversy
<URL:http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2001-06-07-xenon.htm>


> The blue lights are coated and over watted to give a 'pretend' BMW look.

The wattage increase is needed to compensate for the light lost to the
blue filter. If I put a baby blue-colored filter over an incandescent
light I'll cut the actual output by better than a third.

Personally I hate those "pretend" lamps because they tend to flash colors
as they approach. At night, out of the corner of my eye, it looks like an
emergency vehicle.

Bright lights WAS: Part question
 

On Fri, 25 Jun 2004, Mike Romain wrote:

> AK wrote:
> >
> > All the posh cars have them over here as standard - BMWs, Mercedes
> > etc so I presume they are
>
> Those aren't blue lights, those are a special system that uses different
> wiring and stuff I think.

Those are HID lights, unlike the familar incandescent lamps that make
light by heating a bit of wire until it glows, HID lights are an
enclosed-arc light -- like a mercury vapor street light. There's two
electrodes in high-pressure envelope of various gasses and an external
ballast that gives it a high voltage spark to strike the arc and then
settles back to a lower, regulated voltage to keep the light output
steady. The lamps tend to be bluer than incandescent lamps and you get
much more light out of them at the same amperage load.

Here's a good article on them:
3. USATODAY.com - Bright lights, big controversy
<URL:http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2001-06-07-xenon.htm>


> The blue lights are coated and over watted to give a 'pretend' BMW look.

The wattage increase is needed to compensate for the light lost to the
blue filter. If I put a baby blue-colored filter over an incandescent
light I'll cut the actual output by better than a third.

Personally I hate those "pretend" lamps because they tend to flash colors
as they approach. At night, out of the corner of my eye, it looks like an
emergency vehicle.