Thread: Driving w headlights

Hmmm,

I'm surprised at how many people here drive with lights on during the day.

I think they're useful in the country, escpecially on long glarry roads, where the vehicle would otherwise dissapppear in a mirage-like haze.

I think they're useful in poor weather & at night.

However, I think they actually increase risk of accident when they're on in the late afternoon in built up areas (with traffic congestion). By late afternoon, I mean, just before it gets dark, but when you still have clear visibility to the horizon. In these circumstances the glare from the lights makes it impossible to make eye contact with other (oncoming) drivers, and in a sea of lights & glare, it's also harder to judge the speed of oncoming cars, such as when doing a RH turn. The sea of glare on the road also makes it harder to see past it, and so pedestrians that would otherwise be visible aren't seen.

As for off road driving, they're useful in dusty, or overshadowed winding roads, convoy travel etc, but I have seen someone crack a headlight in a river crossing after driving with their lights on all day - so there's something to beware of.

Park lights are for PARKING. Driving with park lights only turned on is illegal.

Fog lights are for low visibility conditions. They are to be used in conjunction with park lights (clearance lights) only. They are not to be used with either low beam or high beam headlights.

No Subarus have the foglights hard wired into the low beam circuit (ex factory). I would go as far to say that no cars do.

Some models of Volvo do/did. They had a system that measured the "load" on the circuit and would actually tell you if a globe was blown.

I think it was the 650? but others may well have.

Drive with low beam on when on long country trips - have done fro 40+years.
Recent trip back from Qld - worst experience was driving in rain and in dark behind a new Range Rover - their tail lights are blinding.

(I was in a subaru forester so pretty low in relation to RR. Also note I hate those ultra white lights in modern european cars and presumably in RR).

Just a question for those with the newer vehicles with the HID (or retro fitted ones!) how do you find the whiter light for glare in rainy/foggy conditions?

(Of course Defender drivers don't have this problem... they come standard with nice yellow fog lamps! Sorry couldn't resist!)

I have a mid size jap car with retro fitted white (6000k) high beam HID's, in fog they are useless, but not many normal high beams are that good in fog anyways, so it doesn't bother me. Normal driving the high beams are awesome.
I believe one forum member has just got himself a (an?) HID kit for his 'fender. Look forward to an update.

Originally Posted by moose

I have a mid size jap car with retro fitted white (6000k) high beam HID's, in fog they are useless, but not many normal high beams are that good in fog anyways, so it doesn't bother me. Normal driving the high beams are awesome.
I believe one forum member has just got himself a (an?) HID kit for his 'fender. Look forward to an update.

Dobber

Originally Posted by cookiesa

Just a question for those with the newer vehicles with the HID (or retro fitted ones!) how do you find the whiter light for glare in rainy/foggy conditions?

(Of course Defender drivers don't have this problem... they come standard with nice yellow fog lamps! Sorry couldn't resist!)

I have retro fitted HID's to my headlights and driving lights. Just come back from a long weekend in the Vic Alps and found myself driving up Water Spur and along Tea Tree Range in the rain, snow, dark. (It snowed for most of Sunday where we where) and I found the use of HID in the snow, fog on low beam had little extra glare off the snow and fog compared to normal halogen lights. I would never go back to halogen after using HID.

Ian