Are modern headlights too bright?
Poll: Are modern headlights too bright?
Total Members Polled: 878
Discussion
Earthdweller said:
Where we are 99% of roads are unlit and have no footpaths they often have people walking on them and when a car with very bright lights is oncoming you can’t see the edges of the road it just blinds out everything and the “fading” of light disappears
You just can’t see pedestrians at all .. and a lot round here wear hi viz and carry lights add in rain and wet road surfaces and it’s deadly
Country life. Each time a car passes you have that brief window of hoping to help that deer hasn't wandered out or some plum isn't walking in the road dresses link a ninja. You just can’t see pedestrians at all .. and a lot round here wear hi viz and carry lights add in rain and wet road surfaces and it’s deadly
In the old days you could replace the fogs under the bumper with low wattage spots and angle them to the curb so that you could always see. Bit at the same time the car was a foot narrower so you weren't anywhere near as close to the gutter.
mcdjl said:
Ollerton57 said:
In seriousness, it's not just a lazy way to operate full beams. The system should automatically puts oncoming cars in a 'shadow box' so they aren't dazzled, but the lights continue to be on full beam across the side of the vehicle and the road. It is a good system on unlit highways as it allows you to see more of the verge.
edited. The reality is that while a driver sees the on coming lights lighting up the verge/in the distance the clever lights wait until they've blinded the driver first.Earthdweller said:
We have a new Mini Countryman with inter galactic search lights for headlights .. in their relentless search for Klingon starship raiding parties they frequently upset mere humanoids approaching from distance
We have had them checked and aligned and they are absolutely spot on
But feck me are they bright
We have had them checked and aligned and they are absolutely spot on
But feck me are they bright
They do seem quite intense! I can imagine they would be very impressive to use though.
jamesbilluk said:
Earthdweller said:
We have a new Mini Countryman with inter galactic search lights for headlights .. in their relentless search for Klingon starship raiding parties they frequently upset mere humanoids approaching from distance
We have had them checked and aligned and they are absolutely spot on
But feck me are they bright
We have had them checked and aligned and they are absolutely spot on
But feck me are they bright
They do seem quite intense! I can imagine they would be very impressive to use though.
We live on a ridge along a country lane and I can sit in the house and see my wife approaching in the Mini from about two miles away .. they are so distinctive and bright that I can tell it’s her car as opposed to another random car approaching. They are just such a defined bright harshness if that makes sense
Ollerton57 said:
mcdjl said:
Ollerton57 said:
In seriousness, it's not just a lazy way to operate full beams. The system should automatically puts oncoming cars in a 'shadow box' so they aren't dazzled, but the lights continue to be on full beam across the side of the vehicle and the road. It is a good system on unlit highways as it allows you to see more of the verge.
edited. The reality is that while a driver sees the on coming lights lighting up the verge/in the distance the clever lights wait until they've blinded the driver first.kambites said:
Of course the lights we have on cars today were always intended to be illegal. The purpose of the wattage limit on headlight bulbs was to limit brightness in the days when there was only really one type of bulb and it was only about 10% efficient. ALL modern headlights, even relatively old-fashioned halogen ones, were intended to be illegal by the people who made the current rules.
They should really change the rules to limit by light output rather than input power, that way halogens could easily be made just as bright as LEDs (at far lower cost). That would allow older cars (maybe limit it to those with projector lights, I don't know how much difference that really makes) to be easily upgraded to match the brightness of modern headlights and hence end the new cars arms race.
This is spot on. The current wattage rules date from the mid-1980s. HIDs did not appear until the early 1990s. From that point on, manufacturers have produced lights which comply with the letter, but certainly not the spirit, of the regulations. They should really change the rules to limit by light output rather than input power, that way halogens could easily be made just as bright as LEDs (at far lower cost). That would allow older cars (maybe limit it to those with projector lights, I don't know how much difference that really makes) to be easily upgraded to match the brightness of modern headlights and hence end the new cars arms race.
Edited by kambites on Tuesday 11th January 10:12
What is required is regulation based not on wattage but output.
mcdjl said:
Ollerton57 said:
mcdjl said:
Ollerton57 said:
In seriousness, it's not just a lazy way to operate full beams. The system should automatically puts oncoming cars in a 'shadow box' so they aren't dazzled, but the lights continue to be on full beam across the side of the vehicle and the road. It is a good system on unlit highways as it allows you to see more of the verge.
edited. The reality is that while a driver sees the on coming lights lighting up the verge/in the distance the clever lights wait until they've blinded the driver first.Speaking of crests, what about drivers of high vehicles, buses and trucks etc, whose own lights are masked by the crest but they're sat high up in the full glare. Or do these systems select the whites of the eyes, or is it a case for getting a set of Rylan style ultra white teeth.
LuS1fer said:
Oddly, foglights irritate me more and DRLs I think are too bright and don't get me started on the cock-eyed foglight when German cars indicate and selected rear LED brake lights are too bright (Mitsubishi Outlander this morning sitting on the brakes) but headlights I think are generally OK.
Front foglights irritate me more as there's just no need for them and you get this constant wall of light. Most do it to pose and since my £700 Golf GTI has them, it's a bit thick of them to think it looks good.
Plenty of cars from other nations do this too. My last German car didn't do this, the headlight itself moved when you turn the steering wheel (providing the car is moving). Front foglights irritate me more as there's just no need for them and you get this constant wall of light. Most do it to pose and since my £700 Golf GTI has them, it's a bit thick of them to think it looks good.
rxe said:
wag2 said:
In town, pedestrians wearing dark clothes virtually disappear if there are bright headlights behind them.
This is the real problem. Regardless of what you are driving, when faced with very bright oncoming lights, the area to the left of the oncoming car is a black hole. Might have a pedestrian or any other unlit obstacle in it. What do we have but some numpty out for his morning run, back to the traffic, dressed in dark running gear, no lights, no reflective material. Noticed vehicle ahead move out sharply so forewarned and could get right out to white line but in hindsight would have preferred to give a wider pass. Van behind must have only just missed the prat running in the road despite their being a pavement. Darwin moment.
EW109 said:
This is spot on. The current wattage rules date from the mid-1980s. HIDs did not appear until the early 1990s. From that point on, manufacturers have produced lights which comply with the letter, but certainly not the spirit, of the regulations.
What is required is regulation based not on wattage but output.
I think you will find that UNECE regulations refer to headlamp output in lumen.What is required is regulation based not on wattage but output.
I have found oncoming headlight dazzle much less of a problem since I changed my prescription to a pair of Ziess driving glasses. They definitely reduce glare.
My Leon has LED headlights & none of the friends I have followed have found them a problem.
Back in the 1970s I had a Hillman Avenger that had 4 headlamps. I had fitted 50/75w bulbs in outer (dip/main beam) & 75w bulbs in inner (main beam. The main beam was the best I had until I my current LED.
.
My Leon has LED headlights & none of the friends I have followed have found them a problem.
Back in the 1970s I had a Hillman Avenger that had 4 headlamps. I had fitted 50/75w bulbs in outer (dip/main beam) & 75w bulbs in inner (main beam. The main beam was the best I had until I my current LED.
.
FiF said:
Plus a clever driver using Mark 1 eyeball and manual control can dip based on the loom of the lights from an approaching vehicle round the next bend or crest.
Speaking of crests, what about drivers of high vehicles, buses and trucks etc, whose own lights are masked by the crest but they're sat high up in the full glare. Or do these systems select the whites of the eyes, or is it a case for getting a set of Rylan style ultra white teeth.
Most HGVs do seem to run roof lighting these days which is pretty much the only way to avoid blasting them. Speaking of crests, what about drivers of high vehicles, buses and trucks etc, whose own lights are masked by the crest but they're sat high up in the full glare. Or do these systems select the whites of the eyes, or is it a case for getting a set of Rylan style ultra white teeth.
Are auto dip headlights becoming a popular thing now?
I've met several BMWs lately that I've seen dipped for cars far out in front of me, then once they've passed the full beams come on even though I've remained dipped and have always been in sight. I guess the Clio lights are too weak to register.
I've met several BMWs lately that I've seen dipped for cars far out in front of me, then once they've passed the full beams come on even though I've remained dipped and have always been in sight. I guess the Clio lights are too weak to register.
A few thoughts from me, Most headlights I find OK, but:
I do notice that higher up vehicles (Vans, Faux x Faux and 4x4) are worse
I note that a few cars have uber white, glaring colour - I wonder if cheap LED lamps are an issue here?
I note a few folk have no idea that you can tilt lights down when you have a full load on.
I note that many cars are designed for looks - and good light performance is an afterthought.
I do notice that higher up vehicles (Vans, Faux x Faux and 4x4) are worse
I note that a few cars have uber white, glaring colour - I wonder if cheap LED lamps are an issue here?
I note a few folk have no idea that you can tilt lights down when you have a full load on.
I note that many cars are designed for looks - and good light performance is an afterthought.
I'm probably the only one that thinks this - I think LEDs are decent for dipped headlights but I don't think LED light travels as well over distance as halogen bulbs (on an unlit road). I'm basing that on my experience with a car with LEDs, one with H4 halogens (about the same as LEDs), and one with xenon + halogen when on full beams (an 05 Saab 9-5, much better than the LEDs). I overtook a newish Volvo recently on an unlit road when it had it's full LED beams on and once I had passed and put my full beams on the difference in vision in the road ahead was substantial. And being behind various cars with LEDs on main beam they appear to be broadly similar on full beams. Happy to accept other people might feel different, but that's what i've found.
I think the problem people might have isn't necessarily just brightness, it's also the whiter colour of the LEDs. I don't find LEDs coming towards me on an unlit road dazzling at all (in fact they are probably less dazzling than halogens) however I think the contrast between the much-whiter light and the dark road not lit by headlights makes it very hard to see anything else apart from the white lights coming towards you. That more-yellowey headlight coming towards you is much easier on the eye, even if it doesn't look as cool. To be honest i've also found when driving the car with LEDs on main beam that, because everything it lights is much whiter, i find it harder to see things in the unilluminated peripheral area i'm looking towards, again due to the contrast. Or maybe i'm just getting old!!
I also hate that, in winter, there is no heat coming off the LEDs to melt ice and you need to de-ice your headlights (at least on mines anyway)
And then there's the cost if you get a light failure. A halogen bulb is cheap, and xenon less so. But a whole new LED headlight - ouch (admittedly LED's shouldn't really need replaced unless of damage or a fault).
I don't mean to sound like a sceptic of LED lights, and i know there's reasons for their existence which probably make sense, but i genuinely prefer halogen/xenon lights.
I think the problem people might have isn't necessarily just brightness, it's also the whiter colour of the LEDs. I don't find LEDs coming towards me on an unlit road dazzling at all (in fact they are probably less dazzling than halogens) however I think the contrast between the much-whiter light and the dark road not lit by headlights makes it very hard to see anything else apart from the white lights coming towards you. That more-yellowey headlight coming towards you is much easier on the eye, even if it doesn't look as cool. To be honest i've also found when driving the car with LEDs on main beam that, because everything it lights is much whiter, i find it harder to see things in the unilluminated peripheral area i'm looking towards, again due to the contrast. Or maybe i'm just getting old!!
I also hate that, in winter, there is no heat coming off the LEDs to melt ice and you need to de-ice your headlights (at least on mines anyway)
And then there's the cost if you get a light failure. A halogen bulb is cheap, and xenon less so. But a whole new LED headlight - ouch (admittedly LED's shouldn't really need replaced unless of damage or a fault).
I don't mean to sound like a sceptic of LED lights, and i know there's reasons for their existence which probably make sense, but i genuinely prefer halogen/xenon lights.
Honeywell said:
There was nothing wrong with Xenons. Its just enhancement for the sake of it and for built in obsolescence. A halogen bulb is £4. A Xenon unit is £400. An LED Lazer unit is £4000. Manufacturers want ten year old models to be scrapped...
Not sure who charges you that for xenon bulbs but I recently replaced a xenon bulb in my LS460 and the bulb was about £40.jamesbilluk said:
Mostly no, except the new MINI’s LED Headlights really do seem too bright.
When driving our old JCW, I used to get the occasional flash from oncoming drivers at night who were presumably dazzled by its dipped beam. The silly thing is, it was too often to be coincidence, but not often enough to suggest it bothered very many people at all. Had the dealer check the beam pattern and it was bang on, so it was obviously "a characteristic"Yet I also had LEDs in the M140i and also have them in the i30N and never had anyone flash. The i30N's high beam assist is flawless in its operation as well.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff