When are headlamps are TOO bright..???

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

Maybe a rant.. maybe an aging thing.. but.. it seems lately more and more of these newer vehicles have ultra bright.. white.. glaring and blaring..blinding in your face headlamps.. (lights)

I noticed it the most a few weeks ago when I unlatched my (lowered) 67 Beetle from it's spider web laden floor nest and was driving it daily.
One example.. This jacked up truck (you know the kind that you can see just the bumper in the rear view in ) from 2 miles back , headlamps and fog lamps were literally making it hell to drive. .. So bright in fact .. they over powered the Beetles sealed beam "Silver Stars" which are plenty good..
The clear glass made the glare an EYE ope.... closer.. Reminded me of the scene from Christine.....
When I drive my scratch haze laded DD mini truck.. its simply.. point, shoot.. and hope for the best..

Is it just me.. or are some of these simply ridiculous for the road.. ??
The LED's and LED bars are blinding.


I know.. lots are probably not DOT approved.. and will certainly light up the night.. but damn...
Enough already..



..

[KTPhil]

Brightness isn't the main problem, it's aim. Almost all of the retrofits lack a leveling device (required in new cars) and are prime for poor aim. Plus a lot of cheap retrofit bulbs do not match the source geometry and turn a good pattern into rubbish.

A dim light with a poor pattern is bad, but a HID or LED with poor pattern is dangerous.

Cali CHP does not have the manpower to enforce DOT regs, so this will not change any time soon.

The latest OEM designs with steerable patterns and auto-dimming are bright but not bad for others. Expensive, though!

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

True.. I agree lamp beam aiming is a major key to safety..
yet.. ... some.., EVEN when aimed to state specs, are down and outright glaring.

We own a Caddy with HID "adaptive lamps" they are fantastic..

I know its certainly more of an aftermarket and owner self installation issue... but.. even so..

If found glaring or "dazzling" I fail them at the state vehicle inspection level.. and let the DMV make the call .. or... the next shop down the road who passes them

.



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[Erik G]

ok, but part of your problem is lowered bug an mini-truck

I went the expensive route for my DD yukon. Very expensive retrofit projectors. about $1,200. They are great though, great cutoff line, properly aimed, etc. It's not going to help at all when I get behind a lowred bug, mini-truck, 914, MR2, etc.

Trucks are bigger, more SUV's on the road than before, etc. Plus shitty cheap ass HID's people put behind regular lenses. I think it will get better with some of the cheap LED's but still...

I also drive a lowered mini-truck so I feel ya and agree. Thats why I spent the money on my yukon

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[VOLKSWAGNUT]

I get that a lowered and or lower to the ground cars/truck are outside the norm.. but not the main contributor. Those were just examples.

I have the same issue when I drive my Silverado.. .. and other normal height cars/trucks I own and drive on a daily (job requirement) bases.
My Beetle is normal rear height and my DD "mini" truck is 100% stock height..


Granted.. good retrofit kits when installed and aimed properly are good.. I cant dispute that..

Let me clarify some.... Its more the slap in replacements or slap on units that the owners installs not the DOT approved OEM units.. (maybe some )

[Erik G]

yeah. around here everybody wants updated lights to make their car look newer. I tried explaining to my friend that put them on his CRV but it was useless. "no I bought them at a store, they can't sell me anything illegal" "I can see better" blah blah and then I showed him mine vs his on a wall. He still kept his in until they prematurely blew out

It doesn't help that some cars and trucks factory headlights are garbage. my 2011 Yukon for instance. Factory headlights 9008 H13's are useless
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[VOLKSWAGNUT]

[skills@eurocarsplus]

you know what gets me, the idiots that slam some "kit" into a housing that isn't designed for them....they scatter light all over the place and look like crap
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[Erik G]

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

[Letterman7]

Even on some of the new imports, Audi, BMW, Volvo.. the LED headlights, even on low beam, can be quite dazzling if you hit them just right. I'm in my '06 2500 Chevy and still get blinded by them from time to time, even coming up from behind. Just wait until BMW's laser lights get into the country....

But yes, I agree, it's these cheap "HID" look lights that the rice racers put in their cars that cause most of the issues. I love the blue ones that they put in... can't see more than a couple feet in front of you.

[skills@eurocarsplus]

it's only a 11k option. just wait till some poor poser buys one second hand and finds out 1 assembly, controller, programming and labor will be 7K for "just a bulb"
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[79SuperVert]

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

[Jon Schmid]

Acetylene? What is this, 1904 all over again?

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

[my59]

I go with poorly aimed headlights as #1, specially in lifted trucks with no attempt made to re aim.
The poor folks who can't seem to afford to replace the drivers side bulb when it blows as #2. The icing on that cake is when they do not have a parking light on that side either.
#3 would be the driver who never turns his lights on cause the daylight runners are good enough, who needs tail lights?

#1
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my59: Well son, my grandfather died before I got to drive it, so does that answer your question?
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Other:'12 Jetta, '77 Benz 300D, and a 74 MG Midget.

[Letterman7]

[hitest]

I agree- mostly aim is the culprit around here. And anyone under 45 y.o. here lacks courtesy. These are the sweet folks who (while doing their makeup) pull up to a Starbucks before sunup and illuminate it for the patrons and baristas. How much spit do they get in their Latte'?

Hicks here load an ATV; old tires; sofa and a dead hooker in the back of their sagging F150 and not care that they are helping to land aircraft. My tundra has load-adjusting headlight levelers- a cheap courtesy because my concubines tend to be a little weighty.

And in Idaho, lift laws are right up there with texting- the police don't see it therefore it doesn't exist. And the cool guys who run those plastic LED light bars 24/7 are the best. I guess Walmart only sells the curved kind- so when they sag, their owners (Walmartians) let air out their back tires until the front end 'lifts' and they can see again.

Some of this may be speculative, your Honor.
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[TDCTDI]

If you can't beat them, join them. Replace your headlights with cheap non-DOT units, get a few HID rallye lights to mount to the roof rack & mount the 60" light bars to both front & rear bumpers, & maybe a couple of rearward, seizure inducing white strobes just for the assholes that think it's cute to ride your ass while trying to blister the paint on the back of your car.

Or, just mount a couple of these fore & aft.
http://www.ledpointsoflight.com/?utm_source=google...gQod9YoLjg
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