Is it time to ban LED Headlights

My old Kia has xenon’s and I thought they were good. The Cupra has matrix LED and my word, they’re significantly brighter. You can flash someone to let them pass and on a sunny day, it will light up a road sign. The Cupra has auto main beam and will turn off specific LED’s so as to not dazzle an oncoming driver. You can see it working and I’ve never been flashed.

Amazing tech really.
 
Rroff said:
The matrix style move the light around differently to older implementations, which move the whole light, due to the more granular cluster implementation in matrix lights, while the illustrations exaggerate it a bit the beam patterns and cut off are quite distinct:

practicalmotoring.com.au

What are matrix headlights and do they work? | Practical Motoring

More and more car makers are offering the choice of regular headlights or clever matrix headlights, but what are they and do they work?
practicalmotoring.com.au practicalmotoring.com.au

It isn't just as the car passes you, you can see it in action as the vehicle approaches especially if there are multiple vehicles ahead and it is possible to see it behind you as well as the illumination changes after it stops blacking you out.

EDIT: Also in trucks etc. is it probably even easier to see due to the higher seating position meaning you can see the light painting on the road, etc. easier.

I'm honestly surprised you don't notice it - when someone comes up behind me with them you instantly notice the extra illumination at the sides especially out in the countryside compared to having someone follow you with regular dipped headlights - when working properly they are a massive advantage when someone is following you with them.
Click to expand...
My Polestar 2 had amazing matrix LEDs. Used to enjoy watching those dance around whilst driving.

The Genesis GV70 I have now has them too, but far less 'zones' than the Polestar, so not as good.
 
VincentHanna said:
The Genesis GV70 I have now has them too, but far less 'zones' than the Polestar, so not as good.
Click to expand...

Be interesting to see whether that makes a difference with instances I've had with people following me with them where it isn't blacking out my wing mirrors correctly despite the rest of the vehicle in a blacked out zone.
 
Rroff said:
The matrix style move the light around differently to older implementations, which move the whole light
Click to expand...

Again, you are confusing two different systems. Beam splitting headlight systems did not move the entire light unit around - systems which didn't use matrix LED to perform this function shaded various sections of the headlight unit using motors, but the headlight itself didn't move.

Where the lense did move was in headlights with a cornering function, but this isn't the same thing.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Again, you are confusing two different systems. Beam splitting headlight systems did not move the entire light unit around - systems which didn't use matrix LED to perform this function shaded various sections of the headlight unit using motors, but the headlight itself didn't move.

Where the lense did move was in headlights with a cornering function, but this isn't the same thing.
Click to expand...

I was generalising as there are different approaches - but the other implementations are different to the way light moves with the matrix cluster of LEDs and you can notice the difference.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Again, you are confusing two different systems. Beam splitting headlight systems did not move the entire light unit around - systems which didn't use matrix LED to perform this function shaded various sections of the headlight unit using motors, but the headlight itself didn't move.

Where the lense did move was in headlights with a cornering function, but this isn't the same thing.
Click to expand...
Or some really rubbish systems just had lights that came on as you steered the wheel left and right
 
VincentHanna said:
Or some really rubbish systems just had lights that came on as you steered the wheel left and right
Click to expand...

Actually I think its more common now than the moving headlight unit. I think my M340i has this as well?

I've just checked the manual and it has both - the light that switches on is for low speed and the adaptive unit is for higher speeds. It's quite helpful as it'll light up the area immediatly around, for example, a parking space as you turn into it. It allows for a more focused illumination which the main system - more designed for cornering at higher speed - cannot.
 
Last edited:
VincentHanna said:
Or some really rubbish systems just had lights that came on as you steered the wheel left and right
Click to expand...

I question whether they actually provide much benefit, though they can give a bit of visual clue to other road users - my parent's VWs do it and from a driver perspective I've not seen a benefit from it.
 
Rroff said:
I question whether they actually provide much benefit, though they can give a bit of visual clue to other road users - my parent's VWs do it and from a driver perspective I've not seen a benefit from it.
Click to expand...
Turning into a drive. Lights up the side that are otherwise unlit. Useful feature in dark places
 
Simon said:
Turning into a drive. Lights up the side that are otherwise unlit. Useful feature in dark places
Click to expand...

I've not driven a range of vehicles with the feature to see but at least on my parent's VWs it doesn't really do that very effectively.
 
Simon said:
Apologies, i must be wrong thinking its useful then.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying you are wrong or right. Just saying at least on the fairly limited range of vehicles (as in 2) I've experience of with the feature I've not seen the benefit.
 
I have Matrix headlights and they are amazing tech, never been flashed once in 4 years of owning the car, you can see the shadow covering the car as it passes.

The only thing I notice is that when a car is coming out of a side road on your left, it does light up the driver as there are no headlights to see.
 
Jaguar XK “static bending light” was very impressive lighting up inside of corners at slow speed. The stuff that turns on a separate light at roundabouts etc utter comedy though.
 
On my 5 mile commute home this evening I was dazzled 5 times by oncoming cars. None of them were due to the technology of the lights. All were due to the driver failing to dip their lights.
 
Rilot said:
On my 5 mile commute home this evening I was dazzled 5 times by oncoming cars. None of them were due to the technology of the lights. All were due to the driver failing to dip their lights.
Click to expand...
Were they all Kia and Hyundai by any chance?

If I'm getting blinded via my rear view mirror I'll often stick my rear fog light on to inform the driver behind that they have left their main beams on. This normally works... Unless it is a Hyundai or Kia driver. They also seem to be way more likely to have their main beams on with traffic around and also ironically the most likely to not have their lights on at all in heavy rain.
 
I had a good long commute last night following people at 30mph in dark country lanes not willing to use main beam… double sided coin to this!
 
don't you have the power of the matrix/dlp though to be able to look around and overtake.

If I'm familiar with a road&pot-holes I don't instinctively use main beam -
sitting in main beam and then having to adapt (more slowly than adb) to driving beam when someone comes towards you can be less safe itself.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom