Right on, brighter is better and I have found that adding relays can
make a huge difference in headlight output. The automotive bulbs we use
are not made specifically for Vanagons. Many vehicles using them operate
at a slightly higher charging voltage than Vanagons and many also have
better wiring to the headlights. They likely burn out bulbs a little
sooner too but so what?

Some of the voltage drop in Vanagon headlight wiring is due to aging
grounds and corrosion at the common grounding points under the dash.
Don't overlook adding better grounds when adding relays. In some cases
improving the grounds makes a bigger difference than adding the relays.

Mark

David Brodbeck wrote:
>
> On Wed, 4 Jun 2003, George Goff wrote:
>
> > volts will certainly produce more light.  But, will a trip through a pothole
> > also make the lamp more likely to succumb to the lure of the Dark Force?
>
> I know what you're saying, but personally, I'd gladly change headlights
> more often in exchange for being able to go more than 40 mph on country
> roads safely.  My headlights are *terrible* with the wiring as it is.
> Probably has something to do with the fact that my voltmeter up front
> drops to 11.5 volts with the headlights on, while the battery voltage in
> back stays at 14!  I'm sure my headlights will last forever with this
> condition, they just don't do a heck of a lot of good.
>
> David Brodbeck, N8SRE
> '82 Diesel Westfalia
> '94 Honda Civic Si