Aircraft Landing lights
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Race Director
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Aircraft Landing lights
Crazy question, but has anyone considered using aircraft landing lights as foglights. They have some that are small enough to fit and the lumens are unreal. Problem is they are built for 14 and 18 volts.
I recall that I saw some mounted in an old Vette years ago running on a 12 vdc system and they were really bright.
They have ballasts etc. but don't know if they would work. They come in all shapes and sizes.
Just wondering if they work and would they be legal.
http://www.xevision.com/
I recall that I saw some mounted in an old Vette years ago running on a 12 vdc system and they were really bright.
They have ballasts etc. but don't know if they would work. They come in all shapes and sizes.
Just wondering if they work and would they be legal.
http://www.xevision.com/
Safety Car
Joined: May 2004
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From: Naples Florida
I never heard of anyone with them on a vette. Years ago I put them in place of the brights on a 71 GTO. They were so bright it looked like the space ships on close encounters of the third kind. Blinding bright! They would light up the road and anything around it. When coming up to someone that had their brights on, I would flash mine and some people would just stop. For that reason they may be too dangerous for other drivers.
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From: ================== Houston, Texas www.englandgreen.com ================== Necessary Evil™ __________
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I had these on my car back in the early 80's - in my Rice days...
Ooooppppssss :bb :bb I'm still in my Rice phase.... :bb :bb
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From: Hurst, TX USA
I had two mounted on my rally cars years ago. They worked fine and really lit up the world, about 1,000,000 candlepower. Mine were the 6 inch variety, however. not something that would replace our fog lights. Assuming you could find ones small enough, they do run pretty hot, so I would have reservations about enclosing them in plastic like our fog lights are. But then they are not lights you would want to have on all the time.
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I would think they would be way too bright for use on the street. If you are really interested in this, may want to check with the Highway Patrol in your state to see what the rules are on lighting.
Lepus-temperamentalus
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Roswell Ga
Really bad idea.
Aircraft landing lights throw out a tremendous amount of light but have absolutely no aiming qualities to them. They're like a big lightbulb painted on one side, they just shoot light everywhere.
That may sound great, but you can't turn them on anywhere near any other car. You'd be much better off to buy a good set of driving lights that shoot a light almost as bright, but can be aimed precisely. They'll put more light where you need it and won't be dangerous to cars a mile away.
Then, there's always the legal and liability issues to consider. Do you really want those on your car when someone runs into you because you blinded them?
Aircraft landing lights throw out a tremendous amount of light but have absolutely no aiming qualities to them. They're like a big lightbulb painted on one side, they just shoot light everywhere.
That may sound great, but you can't turn them on anywhere near any other car. You'd be much better off to buy a good set of driving lights that shoot a light almost as bright, but can be aimed precisely. They'll put more light where you need it and won't be dangerous to cars a mile away.
Then, there's always the legal and liability issues to consider. Do you really want those on your car when someone runs into you because you blinded them?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: Colesville MD
Originally Posted by JDs00PewterCoupe
If you are really interested in this, may want to check with the Highway Patrol in your state to see what the rules are on lighting.
The day we all start running our potential mods by the State Police before doing them, go ahead and stick a fork in us, we're all done!
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Originally Posted by MyVetteDream
Statement made by oncoming drivers ....
My vote for funniest post of the day!!!!
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I think the size and heat would be a problem. I had a 6" set on a truck in the early 80's - lit up the street like daylight on the darkest nights. WAY too bright, and I had them completely exposed on a push bar because they ran so hot. You couldn't touch them for a hour after you had them on. And they were solid beams - you could aim them quite well. But where would you put them on a 'vette?
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I had aircraft landing lights.....on my 65 Baja Bug when I was in high school....bright as friggin hell and just as wildly illegal. Offroad though, at night, wow.....
edit: You know, thinking more about this...it's been so long ago...even though they were bright, I couldn't run them at full intensity. I only had a 12 volt system and they would work fine for my needs, but to realize their full potential I needed a 24 volt system which at that time was beyond me. A friend of a friend of a friend, etc..got these from a salvaged KC130. They were the 8" pod lights, I believe were under the wing? Maybe under the nose...don't know. Heck, I don't really know for sure where they came from because I didn't get them myself....just what I was told and well...you know....
edit: You know, thinking more about this...it's been so long ago...even though they were bright, I couldn't run them at full intensity. I only had a 12 volt system and they would work fine for my needs, but to realize their full potential I needed a 24 volt system which at that time was beyond me. A friend of a friend of a friend, etc..got these from a salvaged KC130. They were the 8" pod lights, I believe were under the wing? Maybe under the nose...don't know. Heck, I don't really know for sure where they came from because I didn't get them myself....just what I was told and well...you know....
Last edited by Joe Diver; Mar 15, 2005 at 06:29 PM.
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Could be dangerous to you if the oncoming driver gets blinded and hits you head on.
I have a pair of 1.5 million candlepower lights on my Jeep, mounted to the side of the windshields. These puppies when lit up can light, with intense white light, for almost a mile. Only place I use them is off-road in the desert.
I have a pair of 1.5 million candlepower lights on my Jeep, mounted to the side of the windshields. These puppies when lit up can light, with intense white light, for almost a mile. Only place I use them is off-road in the desert.
