Anyone Add More Lighting?

[Gio]

BUT - the bulb is brighter. Big improvement over the stock bulb.

 

carlomoto,

Which model # of PIAA did you go with?

I am considering upgrading the stock bulb myself and see several choices from PIAA including the "Super extreme" and "extreme white"...?

 

Gio

[Guest carlomoto]

BUT - the bulb is brighter. Big improvement over the stock bulb.

 

carlomoto,

Which model # of PIAA did you go with?

I am considering upgrading the stock bulb myself and see several choices from PIAA including the "Super extreme" and "extreme white"...?

Hi, Gio:

 

I got the "Xtreme" model H-209.

[callison]

I made mention in an earlier post that there used to be a FAQ at Sterns Lighting, but that it was no longer there. I searched my hard drive, and I actually have the entire website archived. If any of you guys want the skinny on all of the various lights and manufacturers claims, I'll zip it up and email it to you. It's copyrighted stuff, so I won't post it here (besides, there's and unbelievably large quantity of information. In short though, he (Daniel Stern) thinks very little of the PIAA lights - and then goes into extreme detail as to the validity of their (PIAA) claims. Good reading. Covers HID lights and conversions and a host of other things as well.

[Gio]

Thanks Carl,

 

Other than HID, anyone else have any experience/opinions as to the merits of upgrading the stock H4 (Bosch I presume) for PIAA, better Bosch unit or anything else?

 

The specs on the PIAA H4 Xtreme white (code # 15260 - twin pack or 15261 - single) are quite impressive (on paper at least) :

 

Wattage 60/55w = 135/125w, 4150K

 

Gio

[dlaing]

I am of the opinion that xtreme white, and blue lights, can actually reduce your night vision, because they make your pupils smaller. But in a dog eat dog world, you have to face the Xeon and HID lights and your pupils may have already shrunk anyway.

I can't believe the DOT ever approved of HID at its current lumens level.

But now they are after aftermarket HID, because they are too chickshit to take on Mercedes and BMW.

HID especially suck for oncoming drivers in the rain.

I am of the opinion that the yellow tinted bulbs are the best as they illuminate better without blinding oncoming traffic.

Does PIAA make a yellow xeon?

Also, I like the idea of mounting squirrel chasers (lights that aim up in the trees) that as you lean into turns, put the beam where you need it. (not good for fog)

[Gio]

Hi,

 

Interesting thoughts....don't want to blind the squirrels (and have them fall out of the trees) as well though eh?

 

Here's a link to PIAA in the US which has various options and specs :

 

http://www.piaa.com/Bulbs/Bulbs-H4.html

 

Gio

[callison]

From Daniel Sterns FAQ on lighting:

 

PIAA's wattage equivalence claims ("55w = 85w", etc.) are very misleading. They cannot be verified with proper laboratory equipment, and they CERTAINLY aren't true when compared with real overwattage bulbs on the road. Here's the full scoop:

CLAIM: PIAA "SuperWhite" bulbs produce 85W of light from 55W of electricity

 

REALITY:

 

PIAA "Superwhite" bulbs produce exactly the same amount of light as any other bulb in a given bulb format (9004, 9005, 9006, H4, etc.), plus-or-minus 15 percent (which is the US FMVSS 108 Part 564 tolerance for variations in luminous intensity from headlamp bulbs).

 

The "55W = 85W" type claims are a sham. Here's how these kinds of pretend wattage numbers are cooked-up: The filaments in PIAA "Superwhite" bulbs are wound on a larger mandrel than regular filaments, so there are fewer filament coils, of a larger diameter. When these bulbs' luminous intensity is measured using the appropriate device (called an integrating sphere), they come up within the FMVSS 108 Part 564 tolerance range for whatever bulb type is being tested--no more. (If they didn't, they would not be permitted to be marked DOT, and they are, so they do.)

 

When a bulb with such a modified filament stack is placed in a headlamp, the different dimensions of the filament alter the beam pattern. In most US-specification headlamps, what this does is reduce the size of the central "hot spot" of the beam and put more light in it, while taking away light above, below, to the left and to the right of the hot spot. Then the PIAA marketeer comes up with his light meter, sticks it in the hot spot of the beam, and says "Nifty! The hot spot is almost as bright as it would be with an 85W bulb!" and rushes off to order-up a new batch of boxes festooned with "55W = 85W" banners. Then Mr. Consumer comes along, plunks-down some $70 (!!) for a pair of these bulbs, puts them in, and though his headlamps look "whiter", he has just screwed himself. How?

 

Well, the reason why many people find many US-specification headlamps in need of upgrading is because many US-spec headlamps have insufficient foreground light, which creates a "black hole" on the road in front of the car. There's often insufficient lateral light (left and right) to see critters or people before they run into the road. The "hot spot" creates a narrow tunnel of light that disappears "out there somewhere". By making the hot spot smaller, this narrow tunnel of light gets smaller. By taking away (already scarce) light from the foreground and sides, the situation is made worse.

 

CLAIM: PIAA "Superwhite" bulbs produce light that is whiter and brighter than regular bulbs.

 

REALITY:

 

It is a mistaken notion that "whiter" and "yellower" qualities in the white light of a headlamp have any direct link to the amount or usability of the light. PIAA capitalizes on that mistaken notion to sell their bulbs. The "higher light color temperature" trumpeted by PIAA is created by a purplish-tinted glass bulb globe. It's not a dichroic coating like the "diamond blue" junk, but it is a tint, and as such physically must subtract from the available light. Remember, color temperature is independent of the amount of light, and there is absolutely *zero* evidence that light of a higher color temperature is better than light of a lower color temperature for driver performance at night. A 4-watt flashlight bulb dipped in the purple coating applied to Piaa "Superwhite" bulbs would look "whiter", but produce less light. And so it is with these headlamp bulbs.

 

People seem to have the notion that the eye is more sensitive to light of higher color temperature. This is probably as a result of claims made by car salesmen trying to sell HID headlamps more than anything else; it's false. The eye is not more sensitive to the blue cast created by the subject bulbs. There have been several studies done showing improved driver performance (due to improved vision at night) with headlamps of LOWER color temperature (less blue, more yellow). Color perception is much better under lower color temperatures (within the IEC "white" boundaries, of course), and the acuity of the human eye is really quite lousy under light colors that even begin to approach "blue".

CLAIM: "I've got pictures that prove the brightness difference!"

REALITY:

You have proof of nothing. Not only can photographs not accurately record or represent the intensity of a lamp or beamcaster, but photos placed on the web are even less true to reality. At best, what you have is something of an illustration of the color difference between the regular bulb and the "Superwhite".

BOTTOM LINE:

 

The laws of physics are the laws of physics. They don't bend even for PIAA's advertising department. There is no way to get "85 watts of light for 55 watts of electricity", unless the light meter you use happens to go spastic when hit with blue-tinted light. There is no seeing advantage to these "Superwhite" ("ultrawhite", "hyperwhite", etc.) bulbs, and quite often a disadvantage. They aren't as bad as the "ion blue" junk used by poseur kids who want to pretend they have HID headlamps, but they're not magical.

[docc]

(which is the US FMVSS 108 Part 564 tolerance for variations in luminous intensity from headlamp bulbs).

 

Carl! Hu-ah!

[al_roethlisberger]

...so there

[Guest J.R.]

I couldn't have said it better myself

 

[callison]

I couldn't have said it better myself

 

Neither could I, since I didn't say it to begin with. Look at the top of the post. I attributed it to it's source, Daniel Stern (http://lighting.mbz.org/). He makes for interesting reading. I only posted a part that was germane to this thread. Don't expect to go to his web site for the FAQ though, it is not currently posted as it is being "updated". I do have it on my hard disk from a while back though.

[joe camarda]

Carl. Please go eat some more turkey. Your'e melting me brain mate!

[Lex]

Carl,

 

Whoever said it I thank you for posting it. I am so sick of otherwise intelligent people falling for these stupid scams. Can we add "Super White Light Bulbs" to 100 MPG carburetors, higher octane gives more power, more pre-load fixes soft springs, "magic" spark plugs and stop talking about them? There are no free lunches folks.

 

OK, I'm grumpy. The TV adds Chrysler (that would be Mercedes Benz's junior partner to you Europeans) has been running trying to trade on the famous "Hemi" V-8's distant past racing glory (we are talking 35 to 40 years ago) made me this way. Are people really so ignorant they fall for this crap?

 

Lex

[Gio]

The "hot spot" creates a narrow tunnel of light that disappears "out there somewhere". By making the hot spot smaller, this narrow tunnel of light gets smaller. By taking away (already scarce) light from the foreground and sides, the situation is made worse.

 

Very interesting reading Carl This puts the proposal in a whole new light eh?

 

Can anyone out there using the "higher performance" H4 bulbs comment on the "tunnel" effect..?

 

Gio

[callison]

Comment? Sure, but... it's very dependent upon what type of light you have. I find the stock V11 Sport light quite good. I commute over 11 miles of twisties every night at midnight. I find the stock light to be sufficient. And I'm not traveling slow either. Narrowing down the projected beam on that road would be counter productive. I have a Sport 1100i with the rectangular headlamp. The beam pattern on that headlight is so bad that the PIAA bulb actually adds to the usefulness of the headlight pattern. What I really need is the motorcycle helmet dreamed up for the movie "Timerider".