Anyone Ever Use Landing Lights as High Beams?

[Bruzilla]

Got news for ya Trimmer... I break quite a few laws. I speed, heck I even removed the tags off my mattress. But what I don't do is break laws that are more good sense than bureaucratic regulation... like running red lights and stop signs. Until someone comes up with a way for two cars to occupy the same space at the same time, I'll hold those laws inviolate.

As for blinding drivers, I always lower my high beams at first sight of another driver since that's easier than trying to gauge distances at night, so I doubt I'll be blinding anyone,

 

[Seax440Dodge]

(never have lost a "high beam headlight fight yet" either"

I fergot to include picture

roflmao, I bet not when you're turning on THE FREAKING SUN with your left foot :glasses2:

 

[snakeoil24]

I was just looking at an old picture of a Road Runner that had 100W aircraft landing lights in place of the 4001 37.5W high beams, and wondered if anyone had ever used these types of lamps on their cars? The new landing lights put out close to 250W, which would make for one helluva high beam.

Why?

 

[Photon440]

Even the aircraft industry is getting modern and going LED. Some of those extreme high powered landing lights had to be shut off on the ground, there wasn't enough airflow to cool them off. With LEDs, 40 watts will do where 250 was used for incandescent bulbs.

You go high enough wattage like the 600 and up, and you may as well have a dead short on your battery! More than a few seconds and the alternator won't keep up.

If you go that route, be sure to watch for voltages. Many aircraft are running 28 volts, and the light output is only about 60% at car battery voltages. Some newer landing lights use 400 volt ac and will set fire to close objects.

Another bright light source is locomotive ditch lights, but again, usually 24 or 72 volts, so not a direct match.

 

[shorty64]

Yup, put a set in as high beams on my '59 Olds back in '66 or so, prior to entering the USAF. Always won the high beam battle as well but was semi-sneaky about it. They were on a separate switch so that after the oncoming idiot refused to dim his lights from my flicking the outer lights to high and back, I could then toggle the landing lights on and off as required to increase the miscreant's attention. Was also great for sneaking up on someone you "owed" from behind w/ all lights off and then giving him/her a Close Encounter of the Third Kind moment.

Hey, you're only young and foolish once. I'ld never do that as an old fart. Well, then again.......

 

[PlumcrazyRR]

Many aircraft are running 28 volts, and the light output is only about 60% at car battery voltages. Some newer landing lights use 400 volt ac and will set fire to close objects.

Out of curiosity, what type of aircraft has 400V AC running on it? I like to try to stay up to date on my aircraft electronics for the most part and have never heard of that.

 

[Bruzilla]

I think he meant 400 Hz, not volts. Our systems on the P-3Cs used 120V 400Hz three-phase AC power. We had one 120V/60Hz outlet in the head that we could use to run electric razors with. We plugged a TV and VCR into the 400Hz power one time and they both worked fine except for the timer on the VCR that ran at three times or so faster than normal speed.

 

[PlumcrazyRR]

That is what I figured he meant. Just giving him a little bit of a hard time. Haha. I am pretty sure there aren't any landing lights run off of AC power anyways. All DC power, so you can have battery back up as a redundancy in case something happens to the main power to put it in simple terms for non aircraft people.

I could be wrong though. Do not claim to know everything. If I did, I would be making a lot more than I do

 

[Photon440]

Out of curiosity, what type of aircraft has 400V AC running on it? I like to try to stay up to date on my aircraft electronics for the most part and have never heard of that.

Sorry, I actually was thinking of the wrong thing when I said that. I was thinking of the 400 Hz system a lot of aircraft use for their generator system. There are some HID landing lights that initialize at 400 volts, but then taper off to about 115, but that's really no different than the igniters in automotive HID lighting.

Back to incandescent bulbs, the GE 4555 is an example of a 1000 Watt, 115 volt bulb with about 400,000 center beam candle power. However, at 8", it's not something to fit a stock location on a car.

edit: I see Bruzilla already caught my 400 Hz slip up.

 

[PlumcrazyRR]

Sorry, I actually was thinking of the wrong thing when I said that. I was thinking of the 400 Hz system a lot of aircraft use for their generator system. There are some HID landing lights that initialize at 400 volts, but then taper off to about 115, but that's really no different than the igniters in automotive HID lighting.

Back to incandescent bulbs, the GE 4555 is an example of a 1000 Watt, 115 volt bulb with about 400,000 center beam candle power. However, at 8", it's not something to fit a stock location on a car.

edit: I see Bruzilla already caught my 400 Hz slip up.

I knew what you meant, I was just messing around. Got to keep each other honest around here

 

[Herr_Poopschitz]

I'm skeptical of the effectiveness of landing lights being used in an automotive application. There's much more to lighting than 'watts' or 'candlepower'.

 

[Donny]

12v may not be enough to really project some light! Grab a set of Locomotive Ditch Lights, they're 74v, and they run HOT and are very bright!

 

[A383Wing]

Let us know if you are able to find them.

Pulled the headlight out of the car today..it's a Westinghouse brand, #4537 is the number, 13v, 100w sealed beam...I found one on ebay for $10 so I'can have my high beams back now...

- - - Updated - - -

I'm skeptical of the effectiveness of landing lights being used in an automotive application. There's much more to lighting than 'watts' or 'candlepower'.

come stand in front of my car and I'll show you how "skeptical" you will be

 

[Coyoteduster]

Pulled the headlight out of the car today..it's a Westinghouse brand, #4537 is the number, 13v, 100w sealed beam...I found one on ebay for $10 so I'can have my high beams back now...

- - - Updated - - -



come stand in front of my car and I'll show you how "skeptical" you will be

That's exactly what mine looked like including the "NOT FOR HIGHWAY USE" stamp.

 

[A383Wing]

Schucks carries Sylvania brand ....$15 each

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/SYL0/4537.oap?ck=Search_4537_-1_3725&keyword=4537#

 

[rp23g7]

I went to A&P school with a Boeing Flight line electrician, he had a truck that he had put 2 747 Runway lights (the lights in the wing root), to use as Fog/Driving lights. He had to run 4 alternators and a inverter with a custom wire job for the whole set up.

If he was behind you even 50 or 60 feet, you could feel the heat sear into your skull.

 

[bm02tj]

I used to run the 4537 bulbs and you will have no trouble if you only use above 30 mph and wire with relay for power

 

[A383Wing]

I'm running relays on mine...don't understand the 30mph thing though...what does speed have to do with lights?

 

[Coyoteduster]

I'm running relays on mine...don't understand the 30mph thing though...what does speed have to do with lights?

Wind speed keeps them cooler ...