On Tue, 1 Nov 2005, James Sweet wrote:

Virtually every owner of a '93-'00 Chrysler product who pays any
attention at all to headlamp performance pines for the "performance" of
the $9 sealed beams on his '60s-'80s cars. And as a concept,
sealed-beam construction in standardized form factors makes a great
deal of sense for automotive headlamps. The _implementation_ we were
stuck with for so many years was poor, but there's nothing about
sealed-beam construction, per se, that locks one into poor headlamp
performance.

There's nothing wrong with the sealed beam construction itself, but the
classic DOT headlamps *suck*.

Yep, many of them do. I have a few interesting E-code sealed beams that
produce very well-focued beam patterns. They're little more than
historical/technical curiosities by dint of being an uncommon design;
sealed-beam headlamp construction really never caught on enduringly
outside North America. That said, European regulations are now being
written for the optional installation of sealed-beam *fog* lamps, for some
strange reason.

Installing quality OEM E-code headlamps on my European car was the best
thing I ever did to it. People who ride with me often comment at how
good the headlights are and they're usually shocked when I flip on the
high beams. The original sealed beams were downright dangerous, I was
overdriving my headlights going 5 under the speed limit on a dark
highway, yet they still produced more glare to oncoming traffic than
what I have now.

Got a well-stocked public library near you? Go find Car & Driver, March
1979. Start reading on page 93, and don't quit til page 111. It is sad how
much of it's still completely true.

DS