Quick Euro light question

[kentmclean at mindspring.com (Kent McLean)]

John C. Worden wrote:

> I realize that since a Scirocco in Britain is driven on the wrong(oops, 
> I mean left hand)side of the
> road that their light point differently than the rest of European 
> lights.  But are the lights different or
> are they just aligned differently?  If they are different what parts are 
> different and what are the same?

They are different. I have E-code (Euro) lights on
my Audi 200, and they have a real sharp cut-off.
That is, the light that shines on the left side of
the road doesn't rise above 2-3 feet. As you move
towards the right, the cut-off line starts slanting
up and to the right at about a 30 degree angle, so
that the light shines on the right edge of the road
about 10' high, illuminating street and road signs.
I also installed E-code lights in my Miata, and
they have the same pattern (though not as bright).

"English" lights on a US car would hardly light
street signs, and the cut-off would rise up to
blind oncoming traffic.

I don't know how the Euro Scirocco lights would
be constructed, but usually it's a combination of
the lens and reflector.  Aiming them to the right
wouldn't help.

HTH,
Kent