Frenchies at Night?

[HooptE30]

So recently ive been looking to get myself a pair of french headlights. Cosmetically i think they would look nice on my 90 schwartz 325is, however i was wondering about the functionality of them. Obviously the output itself would be yellow at night, but how does this compare to standard clear headlights? I dont want to sacrafice road illumination for cosmetics if there is a noticable difference between the two previously stated options. Id assume with the same bulb they would illuminate the same, but im still unsure as to how frenchies look on the road at night. Ive serched and looked around for pics and vids of people driving at night with french headlights on their e30's without much luck. If you guys could chime in on this or maybe post pics, that would be super helpful. Thanks

[wilholl]

Yellow High beams work fantastic!!

[HooptE30]

Yellow High beams work fantastic!!

Thats good to know! I was more curious as to how the low beams work at night since thats what i would be primarily driving with, unless i drove with both on or adapted the highs maybe.

[HooptE30]

Could anyone who has french ellipsoids give me info on how they are at night?

[Bggdnssnguy]

I'm sure they would be awesome at night with a good set of bulbs.

Have you ever wore a yellow set of safety glasses? It's crazy how they brighten everything up with vision.

[HooptE30]

I'm sure they would be awesome at night with a good set of bulbs.

Have you ever wore a yellow set of safety glasses? It's crazy how they brighten everything up with vision.

Now that you say that, it does make sense. I guess a similar concept would apply to polarized sunglasses. I heard that french headlights deepens the contrast of objects on the road in comparison to normal "white light", but im not sure how true this is. I was looking at depo's french smilies a little, and if not those then "authentic" french smilies. I feel like it'd be an upgrade over my current Hella Ellipsoids

[Bggdnssnguy]

I would love a set of frenchies. But my car keeps needing other shit..

[Mo Brighta]

Be assured, they may enhance contrast but they also reduce light output. Any tint is going to reduce light output over no tint - or clear glass.

If this doesn't make sense, look at Daniel Stern's lighting site for a detailed explanation. He's a tech wizard, and has helped me immensely improve my lighting knowledge and business.

[HooptE30]

Be assured, they may enhance contrast but they also reduce light output. Any tint is going to reduce light output over no tint - or clear glass.

If this doesn't make sense, look at Daniel Stern's lighting site for a detailed explanation. He's a tech wizard, and has helped me immensely improve my lighting knowledge and business.

Thanks for the info! I'll take a look. I was thinking if i put h1/h4 bulbs in they should look quite nice on the road

[Mo Brighta]

Bulbs in the headlights? Mmm, yes, naturally

Thanks for the info! I'll take a look. I was thinking if i put h1/h4 bulbs in they should look quite nice on the road

I think they'd look quite odd if you didn't put H1 and H4 bulbs in them!

Did you mean to say 'High Output H1/H4' bulbs? That would certainly help overcome any reduction from tinting (colored glass in the originals). I'd start with the standard wattage HO bulbs like +50, +90, etc., and see if that does the job without overloading the wiring and fuses.

At one time, years ago, I saw some bona fide French Yellow headlights- Cibie CSR low beams! There's one in my avatar. You would do very well with these, but sadly they ceased production.

[MSGGrunt]

You could always upgrade the bulbs to LED replacements.

[Das Delfin]

fuckin OP, check out my build thread! I have a few pics on page 2 or 3 which are super interesting and right up your alley ;)

Yellow lights are a little dimmer, but not by much. They are worth the "cool" factor although aren't legal in all 50 states so you may want to make sure you're running a front plate and your car isn't cambered out

[Idrisu]

Not bright at all, maybe because I haven't adjusted them yet. The high beams are fantastic though.

[Das Delfin]

^ just because they're not aimed properly or you're using sealed beams. My Hella H4's with yellow lamin-x were great when I was running them

[Reub_e30]

I just bought a set of depo frenchies. Decided they weren't my style. They are brand new. If anyone is interested in me