Any European spec vehicle will have better headlights than US vehicles. The E code beam pattern is just much better. From my first tour in Germany while in the Army, and during the almost 11 years I spent assigned there over the years, I really grew to appreciate the efficiency of European headlights. It's a shame US auto manufacturers don't replicate that.
Veey bright headlights
- Thread starter hardcore302
- Start date
Yup, DOT is a joke.
Actually it's LEDs that are the issue. Hids generally output more lumens and have a better cutoff.
Were they newer BMWs? My friend has a 14 M235 and despite it being so low to the ground, it's got better headlights than any other vehicle I've driven yet. I haven't been in a TourX but I wonder if GM decided to use the Euro spec headlight versus making a USDM one.
Does it really help to have low beams that bright though? It's hurting the drivers own night vision aswell, making it impossible to see beyond the reach of the low beams, even if the night isn't pitch black..
I wonder what your experience is with this? do you find you need the high beams more now?
I find a sharp cutoff, especially with the blue colourisation, to be tiring on long drives. I prefer a softer cutoff without different colouring, one that merges seamlessly into the darkness
Yes I hate them, feel part of the problem is the colder color temperature. Don't get me started on jerks who install the aftermarket retrofits into incan housings then state that despite being illegal, they must be fine because they don't get flashed by Every Single Vehicle that passes them.
LED's are just the type of light. The housing is what is going to determine cutoff. I really wish the LEDs would be made in more color temps. 6000-6500K is awful.
Oz is so different than here (#18).
The 1990s marked the debut of two types of lighting that have since gone on to dominate the headlight market. The first of these is the high-intensity discharge (HID) headlight, in which two electrodes support an arc of light within a tube. Commonly known as xenon headlights, HIDs were introduced in 1991, but have grown in popularity since the turn of the millennium.
HIDs are popular for their brightness, durability and energy efficiency. In comparisons to halogen bulbs, many of today’s motorists agree that xenon lights are superior by all metrics.
The other lighting innovation of the 1990s was LED lights, which consist of charged, glowing electrons. As with HIDs, LED lights can last for periods that far exceed the life expectancy of halogen lights.
Furthermore, LED lights emit strong levels of brightness without drawing too heavily on energy supplies. LED tail lights first appeared on automobiles in 1993, but the lighting option didn’t see wider adoption until the following decade. These days, LED lights are the dominant headlight type throughout the automotive industry.
With the passing of time, it’s become increasingly apparent that the 1990s marked a downward shift in car light marketing. Even though HIDs and — to a lesser extent — LED lights remain superior to all the different types of headlights that came before, the marketing of headlight bulb types was starting to emphasize “coolness” over quality.
illuminating qualities of led light have given it the market edge over brighter HID
Consequently, the icy, illuminating qualities of the LED light have given it the market edge over the brighter and technically superior HID.
blog.theretrofitsource.com
The 1990s marked the debut of two types of lighting that have since gone on to dominate the headlight market. The first of these is the high-intensity discharge (HID) headlight, in which two electrodes support an arc of light within a tube. Commonly known as xenon headlights, HIDs were introduced in 1991, but have grown in popularity since the turn of the millennium.
HIDs are popular for their brightness, durability and energy efficiency. In comparisons to halogen bulbs, many of today’s motorists agree that xenon lights are superior by all metrics.
The other lighting innovation of the 1990s was LED lights, which consist of charged, glowing electrons. As with HIDs, LED lights can last for periods that far exceed the life expectancy of halogen lights.
Furthermore, LED lights emit strong levels of brightness without drawing too heavily on energy supplies. LED tail lights first appeared on automobiles in 1993, but the lighting option didn’t see wider adoption until the following decade. These days, LED lights are the dominant headlight type throughout the automotive industry.
With the passing of time, it’s become increasingly apparent that the 1990s marked a downward shift in car light marketing. Even though HIDs and — to a lesser extent — LED lights remain superior to all the different types of headlights that came before, the marketing of headlight bulb types was starting to emphasize “coolness” over quality.
illuminating qualities of led light have given it the market edge over brighter HID
Consequently, the icy, illuminating qualities of the LED light have given it the market edge over the brighter and technically superior HID.
The History of Automotive Headlights | Retrofit Source
The automobile has been through numerous transformations during its 130-year existence. Visit us to see the history of different types of headlights!
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Yeah, and probably the biggest problem is the abundance of cheap LED bulbs that folks stuff into reflector housings that just blast light everywhere. Super popular, and the glare is insane because of course that housing was never designed for that bulb.
I see a lot of trucks and in particular, Civics and Chevy Cruze's with this going on.
Up here, it is the MTO IIRC that's supposed to enforce cracking down on this, but they don't seem to.
And what about the people behind me? Properly adjusted mirrors means that these lights are right in your eye from three angles.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
2022 Tahoe = good HL’s
2021 Lexus = good HL’s
2020 Jeep = good HL’s
2017 Tahoe = poor, upgrade to Silverstar, meh, then to LED … better
2021 Lexus = good HL’s
2020 Jeep = good HL’s
2017 Tahoe = poor, upgrade to Silverstar, meh, then to LED … better
Yup. The other problem is when guys level or lift their trucks and then don't readjust the headlights.
Auto-darkening rearview mirrors have been a thing for a few years now. The pulldown tab before that.
This is where the sharp cut off on European headlights benefits IMO. You can easily see that the direct illumination cuts off in the middle of the trunk on a vehicle directly in front of you, and below their rear view mirrors on properly adjusted E code headlights. That cut off gets lower the further in front a vehicle may be.
JHZR2
Staff member
The Acura multi-element lights are the absolute worst. Always get me. I don’t have much issues with others, though they are brighter than yesteryear.
Also the usage custom, where in Europe main beams appear to be more widely used unless there is other traffic in front or opposing, or in cities where the low sharp cutoff beam is used. Pretty much how it should be done here as opposed to way too many folks drive on open roads using only low beam and almost as many folks obliviously cruising along in traffic w/ main beams.
Oh man you're such a good driver wow.
The auto headlights in my last two cars react at least as fast as I do.
