Originally posted by RogerB:
I think they're hot. Too bad they won't fit.

BTW, I'm not sure, but I don't think the refractive lens is inferior the the clear lens design. The main feature of the clear lens headlights is that designers have more freedom with the final shape.






Go see this link: http://www.hella.co.nz/technical/headlamps/hella_headlamp_systems.htm
This page gives a rundown of the different headlight types. Pre-'98 Contours and those glass Mondeo lamps on the eBay auction are Parabolic type lense which according to Hella, are 27% efficient. POST-'98 Contours and most newer cars have Freeform headlamps where the reflector does all the bending of the light rays. They ARE more efficient. Hella claims 45% efficiency (in their perfect form). But the reality is that most DOT versions aren't that great (a headlight can only be as good as it's designer makes it). For this reason ECE lights are usually better, because their beam pattern has been more well thought out, and Europe is full of real driving enthusiasts and their engineers deliver what their customers want. Americans really don't place much emphasis on headlights and driving at night with good lights. Much of Europe has already made the switch to xenon lighting already, whereas Americans are decades behind (only a few percent of people have xenon here). For these reasons, I'd be willing to voucher that the ECE Mondeo parabolic headlights probably perform better, and produce more usable light than the supposedly more efficient F.F. headlamp that comes on the '98+ Contours here (partially due to the H7 bulb's 1500 lumens vs. the 9006's 1000 lumen bulb). I've seen several sets of ECE (ecode) headlights put onto cars here and the difference is always amazing how much more foreground light you get, and the beam is always wider than DOT (American) versions.

'95 CONTOUR SE -Enkei 16s -SVT wannabe -Dual escapes w/ 2 1/2" stainless tips -True LED taillight conversion -Audi Xenon Projector Retrofit -Mp3 deck, dual 10s