And God said "let there be light,"...

[Schludwiller]

Originally posted by xoc


But it's only Wednesday?

Sorry for posting my thoughts here on the clique board.
Have fun killing people by blinding them with a million candlepower.

This can't be a "clique board". I haven't made stickers yet. :alien2:

[Mosi]

I rarely use my PIAAs... when I do, it's when there is no oncoming traffic or if it's pooring so hard that I can't see the road. All you boys with ARBs should save your money on lights and put it toward filling in that GAPING hole in your bumpers... yeah, I'm talking about a winch
17 PNWX members with bullbars and only 4 have winches. YIKES! BTW, if any of you naked ARB PNWXers want to snag some winches, I can hook up a bulk deal with 5 or more fer ya!

[ChuckH]

Originally posted by Schludwiller


Instead of using innocent bystanders as your light aiming test try aiming them against a wall using your main lights as a reference. With yellow fogs it's very easy to see if you're projecting below the headlights. After that I go out into my street at night, turn the lights on and walk down the street in front of my truck (where an oncoming vehicle would be). Then I can tell if I'm aimed too far over into traffic without pissing off other drivers.

A good set of fog lights should have a very good cutoff point for the light to keep from offending oncoming traffic. Driving lights shouldn't be used with any traffic visable on the road. Wattage has less to do with it, than the pattern of light they project can't be used without annoying oncoming drivers.

Uh, they were aimed on the wall first! I aimed them about a foot lower than the main beams and a little to the right so they don't go toward oncoming traffic. They also have a sharp cutoff and are only 55W lights. I specifically bought the lower wattage lights so that I wouldn't cause problems on the road. I don't think Anyone is going to die from them, but I might die if i don't use them. I know that's selfish, but it's true. I Can't see shit with just the mains (in other words I can't even tell when they're on!!!) and I didn't want to go through another winter without some light.

You guys have the same shitty Nissan lights that I have...I'm surprised I have to justify these so much. Sheesh!!!

[xoc]

My headlights light up the road just as well as any headlights I've had in the past on many vehicles. I don't understand what the problem is.

Take a close look at your stock headlights, and see if there is any dust buildup inside them.

[Xlax]

Nice shiner Chuck !......

Does anyone have anything good to say about Baja Though lights? I was looking at the 100w (per light) ones...kinda like the chrome I think it would look sweet on top....


And Rick how old was that picture????.......

[ChuckH]

OK, now that I'm not at work, let me take some time to explain my situation here. I think you guys have blown this into something it isn't.

First, about the factory lights. There is no dust in them and I have PIAA SuperWhite bulbs (stock wattage). They appear bright when you look at them, but on the road all I can see is the spot where the two beams hit the road up ahead. I can't see anything between there, anything ahead of there, or anything to the sides of those spots. I have adjusted the headlights about 15 times. now they are way high because of my springs going South, but I'm not going to bother reaiming them until I get the AAL's in. Anyway, I have nearly mowed down pedestrians and bicyclists on the side of the road because there is absolutely no light there. I imagine nobody wants to be struck by an ARB bumper that is moving at 40 MPH!

Now about the IPF'S and last night's test. After I installed the lights I turned them on and initially aimed them using the garage door. I intentionally aimed them down and away from oncoming drivers. It was raining last night so I figured that would be a perfect opportunity to test them out and check the alignment in the real world away from the garage door. So, I went out and started out with just the fogs and then worked my way into turning everything on. I wasn't purposely trying to blind anyone, but I did want to see how the few cars that were on the road would react as I approached them. I know that IPF makes good lights so I'm confident that the beam pattern is such that it shouldn't be offensive to oncoming drivers when properly aimed.

Anyway, I don't just go driving around with foglights on all the time. I only use them when i need them. If for no other reason I don't like putting the extra strain on the alternator. I only use them when needed. Last night was a perfect test because it was dark and raining...which is when I need them the most. Since I bought the Xterra I've avoided driving at night in the rain as much as possible. Now I can do that again! If it's dry and not too dark I'll just run the factory fogs. Lord knows those won't offend anyone!

So there and bite me or something!

[Schludwiller]

No body is giving you crap about using fogs in traffic. But here is info from PIAA's website about usage of the different lights.

What is the difference between a fog light & a driving light?

Fog lights provide illumination forward of the vehicle that enhances visibility
in fog, rain, snow, or dust. Fog lights are intended to be used in conjunction
with standard headlamp low beams. Driving lights are mounted to provide
illumination forward of the vehicle and intended to supplement the high beam
of a standard headlamp system. It is not intended for use alone or with the low
beam of a standard headlamp system.

[xoc]

Chuck (and this is serious) have you had your eyes checked ?
You could have night vision problems, I do, and I hate driving at night.

[Schludwiller]

Originally posted by xoc
Chuck (and this is serious) have you had your eyes checked ?
You could have night vision problems, I do, and I hate driving at night.

Not a bad question. My wife has serious problems with night driving. I hate driving at night when I'm real tired (driving to GoX). I start to get tunnel vision and just can't deciepher what's coming at me. Ask Slimedog about the construction pylon (night driver) course we went through at 3am outside of SLC.

[ChuckH]

Nah, my night vision is OK. I actually prefer to drive at night because my eyes are sensitive to light and work better in the dark. Mainly I just don't like not being able to see the side of the road where there could be pedestrians and such. I also have problems in the rain when it's dark, but I think that's normal. Without question that is my biggest problem though. It doesn't help that we have a lot of road construction in my area, poorly marked lanes, standing water, and lots and lots of animals to watch out for.

I reaimed all my lights again tonight and moved everything more right and down, including my factory lights. I walked away from my truck and looked head on at it and the lights don't bother me at all, even with the driving lights and fog lights on at the same time. I don't intend to drive with them on when there's traffic anyway, but I figured it would be good to know what it looks like. They're bright, but not blinding to me.

I can't say I agree with the fogs only being used with the main headlights. Just because the government and PIAA say it's right doesn't mean that's the best way. The idea of the foglights is to cut through the fog and not allow the light to reflect back at you. Turning on the main lights causes the reflections you're trying to avoid and defeats the purpose. I'll use mine without thank you! This is common knowledge and the reason why other countries (the smart ones) have cars with foglights that can be run without the headlights on.

BTW, the only car I've ever driven with worse headlights than the Xterra was a '98 Audi A4. Thank God they started putting Xenons on those, because the US spec Halogen lights sucked ass! My Audi 90Q was almost as bad as the Xterra, but not quite.

On that note, I mounted my switch tonight. Now flame for for where I put it! :finger:

[xoc]

I knew I didn't like PIAA's for a reason... you have to wire them to the CD slot on the stereo...

Chuck, did you look at your lights head-on from 3 feet off the ground, or from a standing position ?

[ChuckH]

Um, they're IPF's and the CD player makes a great power source!

I did bend down when looking at my lights. I was trying to put myself into a position where the average driver would sit. I actually have the lights aimed really low right now and will probably bring them back up a bit. The fogs have a very sharp cutoff so I should be able to come up a bit more. I don't plan on using the driving beams with oncoming traffic, unless I forget to switch them off or soemthing. One of the nice things about these lights is that I can have the drivers on and switch instantly to the fogs so I still have good coverage but won't blind anyone. These lights are everything I hoped they would be...powerful enough to aid my vision but mellow enough so they don't blind anyone. The fogs are amber too, so that helps keep them from being obnoxious. I'm pretty confident that they are going to be fine ont he street. When we get Rick's on this weekend we can go out and drive toward one another to get a better idea, but I don't expect any problems. Now if Schlud would just help me put the AAL's in so I can get everything balanced! (hint, hint!)

Trust me guys I don't like being blinded either and don't want to do it to anyone else. All I'm doing is trying to find a happy medium.

On that note, two old guys in different Pontiacs of the same color tried to connect with my ARB today. No look, no signal, no knowledge of nearly having the side of their cars shredded. The second time I went to hit my horn and it was dead. Guess my next mod!

[Xcanuk]

Since the lights are dual beams, did you have problems lining up the two patterns, or did both naturally fall into place. I've got the Piaa 980's myself, and still can't get the pass. side highs to fall where I want it.

[Philosopher]

Originally posted by Schludwiller


This can't be a "clique board". I haven't made stickers yet. :alien2:

Indeed.

[Philosopher]

Originally posted by Mosi
All you boys with ARBs should save your money on lights and put it toward filling in that GAPING hole in your bumpers... yeah, I'm talking about a winch

Indeed again!

:smoka: :smoker2: :bandit: