Headlights

[Kremmen]

I've been running around both day and night and my dashcam footage has been perfectly OK.

Daytime is very sharp, as seen in numerous posts and night time perfectly acceptable.


A few weeks ago I changed cars. My old car had halogen headlights but my new car has LED headlights. The LED headlights are like HID headlights in that they are very bright and white, not halogen yellow.

What this is doing, night time, is lighting up UK front white reflective number plates as just bright white rectangles with no chance of reading the numbers.

Next time out I'll lower the beam, they have 4 settings, and see how the footage changes, if at all.

 

[Dashmellow]

What this is doing, night time, is lighting up UK front white reflective number plates as just bright white rectangles with no chance of reading the numbers.

The march of technical progress?

Driving on the dark rural roads in my area at night I find LED headlights to be absolutely blinding no matter what level they are set to. Many people seem to run the LED headlights during daylight hours as well and they are just as blinding in the day time.

 

[Kremmen]

Technology as you say.

The latest Honda Jazz MK4, you have no control over the headlights. You can't turn them off if the sensor says it's too dark.

It also has 'Collision Mitigation Braking' if it senses a car too close it auto brakes. On by default.
'Road Departure Mitigation' if it senses you're too close to the white line or the kerb it gives a slight steering wheel wobble and a dash warning. I turn this one off. On by default.
'Lane Keep Assistance' If you turn this on it will keep you centred in motorway lanes. I don't turn this on. Off by default.

Having said all that, it's a lovely car to drive. Mainly electric with the engine topping up the battery pack.

 

[Outbacknomad]

Halogen has great CRI (colour rendering index). LED on the whole is pretty poor usless you buy professional photography lamps which cost thousands. The scene may appear brighter with LED due to the high colour temperature, +6000k, but in reality due to the poor CRI it's not as bright across the spectrum, and tiring for your eyes.

Halogen beam pattern on garage wall (right hand drive). Most lamp fitting s are made for halogen.

 

[Dashmellow]

Technology as you say.

The latest Honda Jazz MK4, you have no control over the headlights. You can't turn them off if the sensor says it's too dark.

It also has 'Collision Mitigation Braking' if it senses a car too close it auto brakes. On by default.
'Road Departure Mitigation' if it senses you're too close to the white line or the kerb it gives a slight steering wheel wobble and a dash warning. I turn this one off. On by default.
'Lane Keep Assistance' If you turn this on it will keep you centred in motorway lanes. I don't turn this on. Off by default.

Having said all that, it's a lovely car to drive. Mainly electric with the engine topping up the battery pack.

Soon the machines will be our overlords and we will just be along for the ride. We are already half way there.

 

[Dashmellow]

Halogen has great CRI (colour rendering index). LED on the whole is pretty poor usless you buy professional photography lamps which cost thousands. The scene may appear brighter with LED due to the high colour temperature, +6000k, but in reality due to the poor CRI it's not as bright across the spectrum, and tiring for your eyes.

Halogen beam pattern on garage wall (right hand drive). Most lamp fitting s are made for halogen.
View attachment 58482

There is no reason that LED headlights can't have any color temperature and CRI one might want but car manufacturers don't seem to want to bother with that.

On the other hand, today's LED emitters for interior lighting fixtures have come a long way with very refined options for CRI numbers. Flashlights too!

 

[Kremmen]

Soon the machines will be our overlords and we will just be along for the ride. We are already half way there.

All this 'nanny' technology is due to EU NCAP. NCAP gives out star ratings and all car manufacturers strive to get the full 5 stars.

I'm just glad I can turn them off if needed, except for the headlights.

 

[Dashmellow]

We're all in a lot of trouble!

First, 'Collision Mitigation Braking', then 'Road Departure Mitigation' and 'Lane Keep Assistance' and then Terminator! (which will no doubt have automatic LED headlights)

An autonomous robot may have already killed people — here’s how the weapons could be more destabilizing than nukes

Autonomous weapon systems are robots with lethal weapons that can operate independently, selecting and attacking targets without a human weighing in on those decisions.

www.c4isrnet.com

 

[Kremmen]

I've already got automatic LED headlights !

 

[Kremmen]

Snapshot :

 

[Nigel]

Snapshot :

Since that car is oncoming, your headlight beam pattern should not be putting much light on its number plate!

If you can't sort it by lowering the beam, maybe you can partially cover the LED that points in that direction to lower the intensity a bit, just stick a little black dot over it?

 

[Kremmen]

TBH Nigel I'm not fussed. I don't do much night driving and the daytime footage is spot on.

 

[kamkar]

well i am no fan of LED headlights on cars, i find more and more often i go " there is one of those idiots with illegal bulbs in his headlights" only to find it is a newer car with LED light and it is probably 100 % legal.
and still as it pass by i murmur " Jesus Christ"
I try hard to store such things in the " It is just me that get more and more out of line with the world" folder, but i also feel some days that the whole world have ganged up on me just to thumb me down.

Even if i am far from a anti techie and tinfoil hat wearer, my friend that know me do say i would probably have been more happy if i had lived 500 years ago.
I do find much tech today are just BS which it should have been banned wasting silicon on.

I hear nowadays you can drive with the high beams on all the time, and your new car will take care of the rest. I for one are not going to even try that even if i had a new car that supported it, it is just a stupid idea that at least should have been under wraps until the cars can do all the driving them self.

 

[Kremmen]

Yes, mine has got the auto high beam but I've turned it off.

When I was alone on a dark straight road I played with the beam vertical adjustment and even though they say with one or 2 occupants and no luggage it should be on zero I've put it on 1 as zero I think is too high.

 

[kamkar]

Main thing is to have what you feel comfortable with, and of course to not annoy other motorists.
When i drive with the high beams on, if there is a house where my light just pour in, i turn high beam off, but i recon most do not have that kind of consideration.

For instance this house i often passe buy on my way home when my friend lived in Aarhus.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com