Headlights And The New Iihs Testing Initiative

[Ty]

Go back to the caveman days... It helped to be able to see when the world got darker in the evenings. It also just happens that is when the sun's output appeared more red. And THAT eventually led to our eyes maintaining their night vision capabilities when exposed to red light. And THAT led to all those red lens flashlights people use to see maps and such at night. And THAT is why I like red numbers on my alarm clock.

My 2013 F350 also does not have a light reclaiming switch despite the extreme weight capabilities it has. That capability, plus the fact that it doesn't noticeably drop down in the back when hauling my 30' enclosed car hauler, didn't stop everyone from flashing their lights at me on my trip to Nebraska. Now, if I can figure out how to retain them before loading up for the next, and final, load to Nebraska...

 

[RUCRAYZE]

I only just learned about this after owning the car for nearly a year, so it might be an innocuous switch in some out-of-the-way corner of the dash.

my citroen 2cv had a twist handle that allowed for angle change.
I think driver's weight will play an important factor in headlight adjustment- :-) @ 1200 lbs a hefty with muck lucks could have a dramatic effect- hey, speaking of clothing, I don't believe there is any information/observation on comfort and handling with winter/warm garb on? The E has been shown inside, or in comfortable spring/summer outdoor events?

 

[Sethodine]

my citroen 2cv had a twist handle that allowed for angle change.
I think driver's weight will play an important factor in headlight adjustment- :-) @ 1200 lbs a hefty with muck lucks could have a dramatic effect- hey, speaking of clothing, I don't believe there is any information/observation on comfort and handling with winter/warm garb on? The E has been shown inside, or in comfortable spring/summer outdoor events?

I'm getting heated seats regardless, so it's a moot point for me. (I'll even install a heated cover on the back seat if I have to)

 

[DAVID BROWER]

FOR 50 YEARS WE WERE LITERALLY STUCK IN THE PAST WITH THE HEADLIGHT LAW OF 1936
REQUIRING SEALED BEAMS .

I HAD A FEW FRIENDS WHO GOT IN TROUBLE RUNNING EUROPEAN HALOGEN UPGRADES .
I GUARANTEE A GOOD SET OF OLDSCHOOL HELLA H-4 ROUND HEADLIGHTS WOULD PASS THE TEST .

THE BEAUTY OF THE OLD DAYS WAS IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE WAY THE HEADLIGHTS WORK ,
THEN YOU CAN UPGRADE THE LIGHTS WITHOUT CHANGING THE CAR . JUST DON'T GET CAUGHT .

ALL OF THAT SEEMS TO BE OUT THE WINDOW WHERE EVERY CAR HAS A UNIQUE SET OF LIGHTS
THAT CAN OPERATE WITH 3 OR 4 DIFFERENT KINDS OF LIGHTING SYSTEMS .

THAT BEING SAID , THEY NEED TO PAY AS MUCH ATTENTION TO FUNCTION AS THEY DO TO STYLING .

I WENT THROUGH THE BMW FACTORY A FEW YEARS AGO AND PART OF THE TOUR WAS WHERE EVERY
COUNTRY THEY SHIP CARS TO HAD SOME SORT OF DIFFERENT LAW REGARDING HEADLIGHTS .
THIS GOES WAY BEYOND LEFT & RIGHT HAND DRIVE . THEY HAD SOME 75 DIFFERENT SETUPS !

THE GOVERNMENTS ARE MAKING THIS ENOUGH OF A CHALLENGE FOR THE MANUFACTURERS
THAT IT IS HARD TO GET THE RIGHT FOCUS WHEN DEALING WITH A BLUR OF REGULATIONS .

 

[BiloxiGeek]

Caps lock stuck?

 

[Sethodine]

Caps lock stuck?

Nah, that's just his quirk. Just like how I say "all well" instead of "oh well".

 

[Lil4X]

Lighting has improved with technology over the years - I recall an old scooter and an early bike that took power from the magneto to power the lights. Nothing (other than Lucas, I suppose) could be worse than throttling back for a corner and having your lights go out . . . . (you had to declutch and rev the engine to see where you are going on a dark night).

I had a series of company cars over the years that would point the headlights skyward when carrying a heavy load. Worst was an '80 Buick, that, while a good road car, had a very soft suspension in the rear. A set of Monroe Max-Air shocks fixed that, and I could load several hundred pounds of gear in the trunk, and with the push of a button under the dash, inflate the air shocks to bring the headlights back to a normal position. I carried about 10 PSI in the shocks under normal conditions just to improve the "floaty" ride.

Some years later, my Lexus RX 300 had HID headlights that were "self-leveling", depending on a sensor on the right rear to measure the distance between the body and axle to tilt the arc downward under loads that caused the rear end to squat. It was too sensitive, and like many early HID units caused the beams to wave up and down as you went over bumps and dips in the road. The guy ahead of you was treated to quite a blinding, flickering light show. You just had to be careful when clicking on the "brights". My later RX330 had no such problem, the "leveling" mechanism had gotten a lot smarter, requiring a time interval of a couple of seconds to respond to differences in the body-axle relationship.

I've been wondering if the Elio's headlights would be available (or adaptable) with HIDs. The bright white light, combined with a good focusing lens with a sharp upper cutoff is far superior to even the best quartz replacement bulbs. A good conversion unit runs about $400 or more (there are a LOT of cheap ones out there), and the conversion is a pretty straightforward Saturday morning project.

 

[Coss]

Caps lock stuck?

Yup, that's David's thing, we've all learned that, that's just the way it is, and no amount of anything said is going to change it.
David's a great guy, has a fantastic collection of cars and is a really good machinist; so if that's his only draw back, it's not so bad.

With that said, we return you to your regularly scheduled Forum .......

 

[Lil4X]

I wonder if those headlight nacelles might incorporate LED DRLs? If not, I'm considering installing an array of four or five vertically on either side, just inside the air intake. There are inexpensive kits available to do this with high quality lights for an all-up price of under $80 that includes all the wiring and the relay that will kick them on after the engine starts.

 

[Sethodine]

Nowadays, any standard automotive headlight bulb can be replaced with LED bulbs

Link to Example <----