Quote:
Originally posted by Ali Al-Chalabi
A big thing I remember about those European patterns not being approved by the DOT in the 80 is that they were not compatible with the quick aiming mechanism at inspection that they use to check the aiming real quick. DOT approved lights had those little glass nipples on them that allowed them to be aligned with the machine.
|
for state inspections, we are supposed to use (rarely do they actually take time to check anything other than that they light) an optical alignment machine which has had the beam patterns for Euro lights built in for at least four decades because the manufacturer also sells it overseas and in Canada, and yet when I tried (very briefly) to lobby for legalization of Euro headlights to certain of Virginia's legislators in the late '70s, General Electric argued in total nonsense, but successfully, that the E-code required that the beam drop about 2" in 25 ft., and therefore that it would require a level garage floor at least 45 ft. long to check headlight alignment if the car was to also be indoors -- that's the kind of gibberish which apparently convinced the feds and the state to stick with sealed beams for so long!