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from the shine-a-bright-light-on-the-subject dept.
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
It might be stating the obvious, but your car's headlights are a safety device, and not all headlights are created equal. For a while, carmakers have been fitting powerful LED headlights to their high-end offerings, but more often than not, their cheaper cars—and particularly cheaper trim levels—get saddled with much-weaker illumination. But sometimes a commuter wants to see more of where they're going when the sun goes down. Eventually, they go looking for a solution, starting with their local automotive parts store. But stuffing aftermarket LED headlight bulbs into OEM housings designed for conventional halogen units results in dangerous glare for oncoming drivers. While LEDs can deliver more intense light at a higher end of the spectrum, most aftermarket units also create a hazardous condition.
The major brick-and-mortar auto parts stores know this, which is why they tend to shy away from aftermarket H11 LED bulbs, other than ones clearly marked for use in fog lamps or "for off-road use only." It's a different world online, with off-brand H11 LED bulb listings on Amazon, eBay, and Walmart websites failing to carry the same prominent warnings.
You can get pulled over for non-spec headlamps, and for a good reason. In addition to issuing a citation, the law enforcement officer may have the legal right to force you to remove the bulbs. More ominously, once the officer has pulled you over, you risk a vehicle search. With all that in mind, it would be wise to keep a set of securely packaged OEM bulbs in the glovebox or trunk if you are running aftermarket LEDs.
Although Consumer Reports tests new vehicle headlamps, it hasn't tackled the topic of LED replacement bulbs, despite Consumer Reports' extensive resources. A comprehensive Consumer Reports aftermarket LED replacement bulb test would go a long way to bring clarity to the market. Consumer Reports' testing of conventional replacement bulbs found that while aftermarket units can improve headlight brightness, there's much more to it than that. "Distance and how far a headlight illuminates is governed more by the reflector (behind the bulb) or the lens (ahead of the bulbs). While you can change the bulb, you are not changing the distance, i.e., not necessarily improving safety."
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 17 2020, @03:55PM (9 children)
The limitations on headlights has always been stupid. Fancy cars get brighter and more unpleasant headlights, and cheaper cars get ones that can barely see the road (these are averages, there are outliers in both categories.)
The real issue is ensuring all headlights are calibrated to a distance in front of the vehicle that avoids the beam shining into other drives eyes on a flat road (unfortunately they will on any kind of curvy road no matter what we would like, which is part of the reason for slower speed limits around corners on many curvy roads, along with traction and road hazards.)
DOT certification as mentioned in another post is important from a legal standpoint, but the real solution would be a headlight inspection bi-annually and the ability to change your vehicle lighting so long as they were recertified before the vehicle was operated at night or with running lights enabled.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday March 17 2020, @04:11PM (6 children)
Maybe we could save this bi-annual headlight inspection for those who have been ticketed for having the blinding lights.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday March 17 2020, @04:57PM (5 children)
Oh blinding light [youtu.be]
Oh light that blinds
I cannot see
Look out for me!
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday March 17 2020, @05:28PM (4 children)
Did they foresee this problem with aftermarket headlights?
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday March 17 2020, @05:32PM (1 child)
They foresaw it during the old carriage days when people wouldn't trim the wick on their lanterns.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by dry on Wednesday March 18 2020, @01:37AM
Err, an untrimmed wick puts out less light then a trimmed wick. Youngsters now a days don't even know about trimming wicks
(Score: 2) by jasassin on Tuesday March 17 2020, @06:50PM
No. They were blinded by the newer cars that already have them built in.
jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
(Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Tuesday March 17 2020, @06:59PM
Yes, but they also foresaw that consumertards would buy them by the truckloads just because they "looks cool".
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Wednesday March 18 2020, @03:03AM
Even if they're manufactured to be aimed properly, they will no longer be aimed properly if, as is very common in my area, dudes who use their trucks to compensate have lifted it an extra foot or two off the ground.
And yes, it's always dudes who do this, in my experience.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 18 2020, @04:00AM
Yep, and it makes throwing a quarter toward bright lights especially class satisfactory.