What's the state of the art in lighting for the 3x8?

For something quick, easy, period correct, and a HUGE improvement, a 7" Carello or Cibie optic that takes an H4 will bolt right in, and you can use a 65hi/55lo H4 without having to upgrade your wiring. Any standard E-code lamp is a big step up from the sealed beam. It doesn't look much different on the outside from a sealed beam, but the focus/pattern of the light is much better/more useful, the glass is typically lead crystal (better light transmission), and the reflectors tend to be a little better quality. It all adds up.

From there, if you want to go to 100hi/65lo or other such step-up wattages, the optics are built to handle it and actually throw that light onto the road (as opposed to scattering it all over the place), and what you need to do is run heavier gauge wiring to the lights activated through relays.


As for HID, etc. . . I'm not sold on their effectiveness over halogen. They look cool, but I don't think I really see better with HID vs. Halogen.

.02


- Tony

 

That's just what I did a month after buying my car. I found a pair of mid-70s vintage Carellos at a BMW Meet. They're correct for my fiberglass GTB and were quite an improvement over the OEM Westinghouse units.

Barry

 

It's easy to find a 6 inch lens that swaps the old sealed beam on the 308 and put a composite bulb in. This will help. If going the HID route i've found that painting a 3 inch border with black gloss paint makes the HIDs shoot farther out and not scatter to the point where others blink their lights at you.

I dont know if the 308 uses six or seven inch sealed beams but here is an example of what you'd use to make the switch to composite:


http://www.thefind.com/cars/info-beam-headlight-conversion-diamond-cut

 

This is hardly "state of the art", but more of an easy, low-tech solution ---- add a pair of good driving lights. I have a pair of relatively low intensity (only 100W), rectangular, Bosch units mounted under / inside the front bumper. They nestle nicely in the squared-off recesses on either end of the bumper (US spec bumper), and they are bright enough so I can tell whether that deer has a pedicure --- just before I hit her !!

This is an easy and inexpensive way to "throw a little more light on the subject"

 

Go to this thread and read the posts by "scheinwerfermann" http://thebestemployee.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65424 That is Dan Stern of http://www.danielsternlighting.com/

Don't waste your time on ghetto "diamond cut" or HID conversions. You need euro spec H-4 lamps and do the headlight relay to get full voltage and to save the switch from melting.

 

The first thing you need to do is see to it that you actually get 12v to your headlights. I bet it is more like 9v on most 3X8's.

After that, H4's should produce more than enough light.

 

Yes. In fact, 9.6v, which is what you want to work with when looking for proper 3x8 lighting and lighting system replacements. Overpowering the lights could cause a power surge which may lead to multiple malfunctions. To combat overpowering the electrical system, keep within 80% of the power load.

 

For best visibility and bright lights, use the stock headlights and a relay pack to provide full battery voltage to them eliminating the voltage drop of the switch and wiring. I did this and could not want more light.

 

I'm bewildered. I'm just staring at the screen trying to even figure out what to write. Did you make that up on your own or find that somewhere else and repost it? Go to Napa Auto Parts and ask for 9.6V headlights, let me know what they say.

Your old Makita drill should have 9.6 volts. Your car should have a 12V electrical system (unless you have a '62 Beetle) which runs at a nominal 12V, the battery should be providing close to 13V, the alternator should be providing close to 14V. So when your car is running you should have around 14V to work with. For bright headlights you want as much of that 14V getting to the bulbs as you can. By the time the electrons get through all the fuses, wiring, switches and connectors, consider 12+V to the bulbs good (with the car running). That's what the relays suggested above are for. They help eliminate excess wiring and cruddy switches, a much more direct line between the battery and the bulbs for more voltage potential. More voltage gives brighter lights. Lower voltage gives dimmer, yellower lights. Too much voltage to the lights means it is time for a new voltage regulator/alternator. There should be no way to "overpower the lights."

 

I am running H4 on my truck and pretty happy with it, mine is IPF made. The H4 swap was simple and straight forward. As for my Ferrari, I am going to keep it original and since the 328 is kind of low to the ground, I often turn on high beam and it doesn't seem to bother anybody.

http://www.rocky-road.com/ipfH4.html

 

that's what I did and it's really a huge difference. AND it saves the expensive headlight switch.
Running 100W racing bulbs without a relay setup is absolutely not recommended. And even if one has a relay setup together with racing bulbs it may end up like in my case, when I tried those bulbs on an Alfa Romeo.
One night while driving through heavy rain both headlight screens cracked.

Best Regards from Germany

Martin

 

I've considered doing the mod that allows you to run parking lights without the headlights popping up and also installing driving lights behind the grill. I think the headlights in the up position takes away some of the sex appeal of the car. It would be nice to drive around in the city (with streetlights) without the headlights up. Out in the country or rural roads its a different story. JMO. Joe

 

Joe, I agree with in-city driving, looks SO much cooler without those pop ups, popped up! Not suer we have room for good looking auxilary lights though, only the EuroQV has them nicely integrated. Still I want to modify mine to rum parking lights with pop ups, down, until it gets too dark. BUT......this thread is really about highway driving, so better headlights in the "up" position are the issue. From what I gather, we'll need relays, end of story, right?

 

Til,

Check out this thread http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=135375

Mike and Jeff were great help.

 

I don't understand the problem; I have owned several British vehicles and, as Joseph Lucas once pointed out, "Gentlemen do not motor about at night."

 

Here ya go:
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Not headlamp related, but a tasteful modernisation of the interior lights.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134622

Lee

 

Hi Tillman,

The Daniel stearns sit is great. That is where Pizzaman, I and many others have "seen the light". Technology has come a long way since 77. .

It has often been said that "stock is best", - but not only does technology improve over time, but all cars are compromises, you can almost always do better than stock if you are willing to spend more for the part.

Enter the "Euro" headlights, better lenses, reflectors, with the possibility of higher wattege bulbs.

Just before the upgrade, i had the drivers high beam go out. i replaced the bulb, then the fuse and finally found the problem - The high beam wire had fatigued right at the connector to the light. No wonder it wouldn't work. The factory uses fairly thin wire for the lights, this results in a voltage drop. Reducing the voltage by 10 % reduces the light output by about 20%, it is NOT a linear function. If we had thicker wires, we could go to higher wattage bulbs, for more light.

The Ferrari wiring system already uses relays, so the switches are not in danger, What is needed is thicker wire, (the shorter the better) to get juice from the battery, through a new relay close to the lights. The stock wires are only used for activating the relays.

This is a fun afternoons work and the improvement is HUGE. Now i can really see at night.

hth,
chris

 

The 308 already has relays to drive the headlights so the switch is thankfully safe. But adding relays with short fat wires is still a help.

Also the grounding is half of the equation. Be sure that the ground point is good and clean, connectors are healthy. Don't poke a DVM lead into the hot side and find a chassis point for the other DVM lead and be happy with the result. This isn't really a good test.

 

Unfortunately not true. There are 3 relays for the headlights, all for the lifting motors.

The full brunt of the headlight current flows through the switch, resulting in a 2.5v voltage drop, the main reason why the headlighting is poor.

 

The biggest issue I have is the low seating position... oncoming cars blind me, especially the newer HID headlights. Part of the problem is also i am getting older and night vision is definitely decreasing. I now try not to drive at night as much as possible, especially in the 328 so I won't be needing to upgrade the lights, but the brakes are a whole other issue

 

tillman.
i agree with the premise above.
why do you feel the need to drive after dark?

around these parts, driving after dark could have your 328 wind up in the beautiful repose of t.rutlands graveyard.
our whitetail do not discriminate.

 

+1

 

I'm travelling right now and I don't have a scematic with me, but I was really certain that the headlights had a relay (obviously, or I wouldn't have posted it). What are the three relays for? Lift right, Lift left and ??. Even then there should be four, one for highbeams also. So is one relay just to drive the other two relays? That seems odd.

EDIT: The 328 does have headlight relays - relays L and M according to page 4 of the 1989 328 wiring book. Still I was apparently wrong about the 308. I HATE it when people just make stuff up and post it as truth, and apparently I'm guilty. ****!!