Today I was running around town and saw a guy driving an old Audi Coupe S with yellow headlights. Now I am not talking about some aftermarket bumper mounted fog lamps I am talking full on Yellow High and Low beam Lamps in the grill. I thought it was strange to see and wondered why they don't do it anymore. Now here's my question what's the benefit if any using yellow headlights?
Glare Some of the old fellas thought that yellow lights made it easier to see at night or in the fog or rain. it was also popular to wear yellow glasses or goggles way back when. But all I've ever been able to tell on yellow lights is that they don't seem to glare as much in adverse weather.
Yellow is a longer wavelength and cuts thru fog. Unfortunately, blue is the shortest light wavelength. Consequently, this blue light dissipates quickly, producing more glare from fog, rain, and snow. The HID, which started the blue craze, is the real McCoy. It has a legitimate, slightly blue (actually purple) cast due to its otherworldy whiteness, and is therefore not actually a blue headlight, but extremely white and bright. HIDs are legal, and are showing up on motorcycles, particularly offroad machines. The second type, the "cool blue" headlight bulb, is an HID fake, and that's all it's meant to be and can be. It is illegal in all of the Western world however, because it is in fact a colored headlight. Finally, the third type, the "super white" headlight bulb, is an attempt to brighten the headlight by removing its yellow range. Unfortunately, in the process, though the light is whitened to the point of having a slight blueness, the output is actually weakened. Though legal, this third category of headlight bulb isn't really safe.
i had yellow lights in my old jaguar. they where great but had to change the low beams cause cops kept busting my balls for them.
Yep, they were real popular (especially with the sports car guys) in areas with a lot of fog an rain. I didn't think that they threw that much light when you were running down long dark roads without fog or rain though. If you are looking for good light that doesn't throw a strange light pattern or offend oncoming drivers, I like these units that I get off ebay from a guy in the DFW area. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0188318274&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT They are almost HAMB friendly as they don't have any highly visable logos on the lens and they don't have that *me too* street rod headlight look to them. I have the 55/100 white H-4 bulbs in mine (pretty standard motorcycle bulb) and it would take a lot of horsepower to outrun the lights on high beam.
Here's my super lame attempt at an international look! I haven't seen any real benefit. Of course, I haven't driven the car in a torrential rain storm or dense fog, either. Though, I'm pretty sure they're illegal. But, no one has said anything.....yet!
France seemed to use a lot of yellow headlight bulbs back in the day. All of the old 60's and 70's M-B's in France seem to have them in the pictures I've seen.
I believe France mandated yellow forward facing lamps till just recently. Droped the reg whan the joined the European Union.
You lose approximately 15% of visibility with yellow lights - when compared with conventional 'white' light.
I still use the yellow "FOG" lamps but usually in the morning time when visibility is low but with headlights on also. It does make it easy for someone to see you a little faster in my estimation. In my area we have a lot of bridges and water canals and the fog is thick and usually about 2-300 feet before and after the crossing.
I didnt think anyone else had though of it yet! good job! And by they way, they are awesome on a dark, foggy , curvy road in some real shitty weather in a '57 chevy!
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