I'm not sure what it was following me earlier, pick up of some kind, a new one, Nissan maybe. But my god it's lights were painfully bright. I dunno if it was his full beams or what but they were honestly searingly bright, to the point I have to pull off and let him past. Ridiculous if they were the dipped beams.
Is it time to ban LED Headlights
- Thread starter Glanza
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I noticed the other day some of the modified new Ford Rangers like the Deranged edition (look similar to the Nissan Navara N-Guard) are pretty bad for it - I'm guessing non-stock light setup. In general seems to be a bit of a thing for modified pickups at the moment with some pretty bad non-stock lighting options. (I'm guessing the Bugatti Style Tri-Projector ones especially aren't friendly for smaller vehicles).
When I was on my way to work yesterday evening had someone coming the other way on the dual carriageway with matrix LEDs where I think the central reservation was blocking their view of my headlights - I could see the car ahead of me in the left lane was being blacked out but as I pulled out to overtake I got their headlights full on completely dazzled if I hadn't have known the road so well it could easily have ended in an accident. As great as the tech is I just don't think it has a comprehensive enough ability yet in all situations to be used indiscriminately.
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I notice on my new Kona - which is reflector LEDs - the little "kicker" part of the beam is absolutely huge in the distance. When you look at the beam pattern when against a garage or close-by wall, the kicker looks tiny and very normal, yet when it's got the road to shine down, it's so high! I know its purpose is to light up the footpaths and signs etc, but I can see it shining into cars if I overtake, and I can't help but think it must be blinding for others cars when I come around a corner in the distance etc.
Before anyone says it - the rest of the beam is fine, I can see it always shining below the numbers plates etc, it's just the kicker part that seems mental.
Before anyone says it - the rest of the beam is fine, I can see it always shining below the numbers plates etc, it's just the kicker part that seems mental.
Similar on my Toyota. The cut off is very sharp compared to halogens. Factory LEDs, not matrix. Automatic height adjustment does its calibration dance when the car is started. I do get flashed occasionally when on dipped beam by irate pensioners coming the other way on unlit roads in darkest Cheshire. Auto high beam seems to worth well, as soon as it detects car lights in the distance then it goes back to dipped beam.
Funny enough most of them seem to drive with permanent main beams... around here they don't just flash people coming the other way with bright lights either - I've seen a couple of them more than once aggressively drive into the path of the other vehicle then back into their own lane (not just getting confused and can't see - it is obviously intentional if you've been following them for awhile).
I don't know definitively what triggers matrix/auto-dim lights , they definitely don't recognise halos from oncoming cars as you approach the brow of a hill;
generally, if approaching, you have high beams on too (or leave them on longer) do they see you faster - do they see street lights;
as an evening runner with reflective high viz , they don't see that either, I just swear as they drive past, maybe I need to be carrying a light too, & buy that petzl head torch.
With mine, the auto high beam functionality comes with the pre-collision safety system. In theory that can tell the difference between another car, a pedestrian and also read road signs.
Reflective hi-viz is an interesting one, no-idea how mine handles it. I'll have to keep an eye out if I spot one.
Reflective hi-viz is an interesting one, no-idea how mine handles it. I'll have to keep an eye out if I spot one.
Since posting in this thread I've started noticing it more now heh - especially as the weather has been hazy/misty quite a bit if you know what you are looking for can see those with matrix headlights as the individual beams move around as stuff changes. Quite interesting to watch it in action. Still don't think it has a comprehensive enough ability to deal with all conditions that it should be legal to have it running fully automatically though.
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I use the matrix IQ lights quite a lot of the time in the Golf, they are fantastic.....for the driver at least. They seem to react fairly quickly and modify the beam appropriately. I have not been flashed yet but then that could be just lucky.
I think a lot depends on the roads you drive on frequently - around where I live is probably more challenging than average to be fair for tech like that.
My daily commute starts at 5am every morning and gradually, especially over the last 2 year I noticed a gradual increase in the amount of cars headlights that are almost blinding, some so much I think I had mistaken them for leaving full beam on. Are they a special bulb people have fitted or do they leave the factory like this?
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Could be, mostly just average A and B roads. No country lanes.
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I'm currently using a RR Velar whilst my iPace is sat around waiting to be fixed and it has matrix headlights, the fog seemed to completely confuse them and they'd do all sorts of stupid stuff and people would flash me. Initial found them impressive but they're just not quite good enough to be reliable.
Mixture of roads I drive but even the dual-carriageways are twisty with lots of steep hills and dips, differing central reservation width and style and different vertical heights between the 2 sides, etc. plus as above this area tends to be bad for fog, etc. at night.
EDIT: Doesn't look too bad on Google maps - though the camera it mounted above the car - the vehicle that dazzled me was approx where the camera is here:
I pulled out to overtake, coming the other way, just past the junction and could see it blacking out the other vehicle but was like looking into the sun for me.
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My Audi A4 had matrix and the manual clearly stated not to use adaptive in fog. Can see why this is so because the light from them will bounce back to the camera. The audi had specific all weather lights for those conditions.
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Yeah not driven in fog yet but it's simply a flick of the stick to turn back to normal dipped lights. The lights seem to react quickly to most situations so far, though they are pretty decent even dipped so you dont actually need the Matrix IQ functionality in most situations, its just nice on dark roads.
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Maybe that's what the issue is then, it's a courtesy car, not even sure if it has the manual with it.
well I now see why audi's light me up - they think I'm a road sign -
I'll be a little less tolerant as a car driver too, sometimes use rear fogs to tell people behind to stop dazzling, don't often cycle at nigh, too, but if they turn them on for oncoming bikes .... their technology seems pretty meh.
That's interesting that they mention white cars causing problems - my car is white, so might partly explain why I've been getting dazzled a lot recently.
I have tried putting my rear fog light on in the past to hint that I'm being blinded by someone behind me, but I don't think they've ever got the message so don't bother any more.
Things like that reinforce my feelings that these super bright adaptive systems are immature technology that shouldn't have been allowed to be inflicted on other road users, be they cars, lorries, bikes, or pedestrians.