AnotherS4inTo

As I was ordering an RS4 grill for my 2001.5 A4 1.8T, the dealer and I were discussing headlights. He was telling me that the North American DOT headlights creat a wider, less focused beam that doesn't illuminate as well as the more focused Eurospec headlights. He mentioed that the main differance was that the NA lights projected the light over a larger area which also tends to blind oncoming traffic in comparison to the Eurospec lights that did a better job in lighting the road further ahead. This he atribues to DOT regulations. Has anyone done any conversions to Eurospec headlights? He said the the differance was very noticable even compared with the Xenon headlights from NA to the Eurospec Xenons.

MWZafar

Done it with halogen projectors - dealer is absolutely correct.

Andy Hedin

<b>European-compliance ("E-code") replaceable-bulb headlamps</b>

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 evenvery 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 beam--and there are many, many aspects that make up a headlamp beam--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.

AnotherS4inTo

Now are these E-Code lights worth the money?

audigone

lights on my car and the beam is waaaay better than the US spec,, If you look closely on the xenon lense on the US spec lights you will see rigid lines on the lens in a circular shape,,, this difuses the light differently,, the euro spec dont have this, just a clear lens,, the light is way more focused and direct.

I was impressed with the differance,, also they are cooler when the go on,, there is this intense purple color at first,, I love it,, well worth the 3-500 bucks(depends were you go)

I reccomend,, much cleaner looking as well.

Larry Sr.

One of my two biggest disappointments in my 99 A4 i.8 (the other was the lack of fully adjustable driver's seat) was the poor choice of very old fashioned headlights. Typically poor US spec light pattern, & even dull unagressive cosmetics. The description from Stern Lighting summarizes my appraisal of my xenons extremely well. I'd like to comment on one point. It was said in that article that the E-code light pattern is easier on oncoming drivers, while it is common in this country to hear complaints about "those extra-bright European lights" I agree with Stern, & I believe there are 2 reasons for these complaints: one semi-legitimate, & the other misperception. The semi-legit is this: some drivers (& shops) do not fully understand the low sharp cutoff line of the beam, & in the misbelief that it is projecting too far down, they aim the lights too high.
The misperception is from oncoming drivers unaccustomed to the sharper light source & color, who allow their eyes to be drawn to the light, and believe themselves to be "blinded" when in fact their vision & view of the road is really unimpaired. It's more of a psychological flaw. I know this rambled a bit but I think anyone with e-codes (esp. xenon) will understand, & I hope this helps others. BTW, love the look of these headlights!

Larry Sr.

Are they worth the money???!! Only if you want to see better!

MWZafar

I've seen the Xenon US spec lights and the
Xenon Euro spec lights. Although the Euros or
"E-code" headlights still put more light on the
ground in front of you, and blind oncoming
traffic less -- they also make it a bit harder
to see signs that are high up in the air. It
is because the US lights disperse light with what
seems like no real method. The euro lights have
a very obvious setup - to put as much light
as possible on the road, and not to blind other
drivers. However, with the way signs are setup
in the US, the E-code headlights may **** you off
sometimes when driving in absolute darkness while
lost/searching for signs.