Styling Blue glass DLR bulbs

[MuddyPaws]

Blue bulbs arrived today - no E mark on them so presumably they’re not legal for road use At least they didn’t cost much.

 

[A3jeroen]

To find an E-mark on a T5 (W5W) bulb, you'll probably need a magnifying glass

gr J

 

[murphyv310]

It a BAY15D type in the DRL position as its a dual 21/5 watt filament.

 

[murphyv310]

Hi.
It gets worse!!! I have an Aldi bulb kit I bought last year with H4 bulbs and others and just realised they are slightly tinted blue, I've just looked at them, not an E marking in sight except on the amber bulb. I've not used them as it was bought for bulb failure.
Very difficult for the unwary motorist.

 

[g8rpi]

Hi.
It gets worse!!! I have an Aldi bulb kit I bought last year with H4 bulbs and others and just realised they are slightly tinted blue, I've just looked at them, not an E marking in sight except on the amber bulb. I've not used them as it was bought for bulb failure.
Very difficult for the unwary motorist.

Take them back and complain.


Robert G8RPI.

 

[MuddyPaws]

It a BAY15D type in the DRL position as its a dual 21/5 watt filament.

Just thinking - wonder why no one makes halogen versions of these bulbs for a brighter light?

 

[Schumi2001]

Blue tinted bulbs provide a valuable road safety function.

If I see a car running them, I stay well out of its way, as I know the driver will be driving like a nob.

 

[MuddyPaws]

Much research would seem to indicate that a whiter light gives better night vision as it is more akin to natural daylight - so Schumi2001, why would wanting to change your light bulbs to get better night vision change the way you drive in such derogatory terms? How can you possibly link the two together? You may want to call me a nob for doing so, but at least this is one nob who has a clearer view of where they’re going! Anyway, my last post was about halogen bulbs, not blue ones....

 

[Schumi2001]

It's an utter myth that going to the blue end of the 'white' spectrum (which makes lights appear purple / blue at some angles) improves vision.

OEM bulbs (HIDs / LEDs) tend to run around 4300k - anything over 5000k looks blue-ish which will actually worsen your depth and contrast perception and make it difficult for oncoming drivers.

They also tend to cause blue / purple 'flashing' in mirrors.

Generally, those who fit these kind of bulbs will be idiots more concerned about how the car looks than safety - and will drive accordingly.

It may be a generalisation and stereotype - but I drive around 35k miles / year and most with bulbs from the blue end of the colour spectrum are awful drivers.

 

[g8rpi]

Just thinking - wonder why no one makes halogen versions of these bulbs for a brighter light?

Because the heat would melt the lamps. The thing with "halogen" bulbs is that they run the filament at a much higher temperature. This causes tungsten atoms to leave the filament and condense on the colder glass causing it to blacken. The "glass" of "halogen bulbs is quartz and is run much hotter. The halogen part refers to the addition of a halogen to the gas fill in the bulb which promotes cycling of the metal back to the filament. The bulbs are sometimes called quartz iodide (quartz glass, iodine as the halogen). The whole lamp has to run much hotter so the halogen cycle can work. Unless the quartz is doped they also give out lots of UV light which can damage plastic lenses (I have a patent on using them for sterilising and drying microarrying pins using the UV and IR outputs).

Robert G8RPI.

 

[g8rpi]

It's an utter myth that going to the blue end of the 'white' spectrum (which makes lights appear purple / blue at some angles) improves vision.

OEM bulbs (HIDs / LEDs) tend to run around 4300k - anything over 5000k looks blue-ish which will actually worsen your depth and contrast perception and make it difficult for oncoming drivers.

They also tend to cause blue / purple 'flashing' in mirrors.

Generally, those who fit these kind of bulbs will be idiots more concerned about how the car looks than safety - and will drive accordingly.

It may be a generalisation and stereotype - but I drive around 35k miles / year and most with bulbs from the blue end of the colour spectrum are awful drivers.

Correct,

In wet / foggy conditions refraction causing rainbow effects is also worse with "whiter" lights. This is why some foglights are yellow. Any lens system will produce a sharper focus with a single wavelength of light because the refractive index of the lens varies with wavelength.

Blue light a the shorter wvelengths is particuarly hard to focus on because it causes fluorescence within the eye. This is particually noticable if you look at blue led festive lighting.

Robert G8RPI.

 

[MuddyPaws]

Firstly, I’m talking about blue-tinted bulbs here, not HIDs or LED headlights which would be illegal if fitted aftermarket to a Panda.
Secondly, there could be an argument here for suggesting that anyone concerned about the look of their car may drive more carefully to maintain those ‘good’ looks.

There will always be contradictions in research, partially depending on who is conducting the research and also current thinking, take for example the advice about diets and healthy eating which seems to change almost on an annual basis.

Likewise, personal experience an also vary between individuals.

 

[MuddyPaws]

Because the heat would melt the lamps. The thing with "halogen" bulbs is that they run the filament at a much higher temperature. This causes tungsten atoms to leave the filament and condense on the colder glass causing it to blacken. The "glass" of "halogen bulbs is quartz and is run much hotter. The halogen part refers to the addition of a halogen to the gas fill in the bulb which promotes cycling of the metal back to the filament. The bulbs are sometimes called quartz iodide (quartz glass, iodine as the halogen). The whole lamp has to run much hotter so the halogen cycle can work. Unless the quartz is doped they also give out lots of UV light which can damage plastic lenses (I have a patent on using them for sterilising and drying microarrying pins using the UV and IR outputs).

Robert G8RPI.

Wow! You can certainly gain some wonderful scientific insight on this forum.... sooo interesting. Thank you

 

[irc]

Wow! You can certainly gain some wonderful scientific insight on this forum.... sooo interesting. Thank you

Not all blue bulbs denote impaired driving skills or a need to be seen to be different - the W5Ws that come with a twin pack of Philips WhiteVision H4 bulbs are very blue...

But show as a nice clean white when on.
AFAIK they are fully road legal, and they do look better than the dim yellow originals they replaced

 

[chr1s]

Ahh. Now I understand.
I thought Schumi meant these blue lights :devil:

 

[murphyv310]

My good old fashioned photographic light meter and the light meter app on my phone both show a lower reading with a 5w5 blue coated bulb than a clear one, how a blue tinted bulb can possibly have more lumens than a clear one beats me.

 

[Schumi2001]

That's the danger of going towards the blue end of white light - your eyes perceive it as being brighter, even though it isn't.

 

[R1NGA]

Because the heat would melt the lamps. The thing with "halogen" bulbs is that they run the filament at a much higher temperature. This causes tungsten atoms to leave the filament and condense on the colder glass causing it to blacken. The "glass" of "halogen bulbs is quartz and is run much hotter. The halogen part refers to the addition of a halogen to the gas fill in the bulb which promotes cycling of the metal back to the filament. The bulbs are sometimes called quartz iodide (quartz glass, iodine as the halogen). The whole lamp has to run much hotter so the halogen cycle can work. Unless the quartz is doped they also give out lots of UV light which can damage plastic lenses (I have a patent on using them for sterilising and drying microarrying pins using the UV and IR outputs).

Robert G8RPI.

Possibly the most awesomely detailed answer to any question for ages