The advantages of Xenon lights

[snala]

Is the fact that you are from New Zeland a reason for your rather rude and arrogant response?

The argument for HIDs comes from people who drive behind them and not from people like me who have to put up with their glare. I have written that I would not have these HID lights as I would not want others to suffer blinding from these lights as I have.

If you have a problem seeing the road with normal lights, perhaps you should consider your future as a driver.

New Zeland is not alone in having windy and rural roads. Wales has many miles of rural and moorland roads as does the rest of the United Kingdom. We have driven them for years with halogen headlights without any problems and will continue to do so.

So "Possum" keep your "stupid arguments" to yourself until you have something intelligent to add to this discussion.

Same thing back at you, is your perspective any better than mine in voicing your opinion over others? This is a forum, that's what it's for, so don't get all upset because someone else has a different opinion.

All i'm saying is these lights are a vast improvement over halogens and personally I don't find them a problem in oncoming vehicles either. So your opinion to blatently ban them just because YOU are uncomfortable regardless of any benefits is what I'm arguing their continued survival over.

Edited 21 October, 2010 by snala

[Terfyn]

Same thing back at you, is your perspective any better than mine in voicing your opinion over others? This is a forum, that's what it's for, so don't get all upset because someone else has a different opinion.

All i'm saying is these lights are a vast improvement over halogens and personally I don't find them a problem in oncoming vehicles either. So your opinion to blatently ban them just because YOU are uncomfortable regardless of any benefits is what I'm arguing their continued survival over.

Do you even own a Yeti?

Most Yeti owner are reasonable, polite and intelligent and are entitled to their opinion as I am.

Most Yeti owners don't like being called stupid or "Possum".

"Same thing back at you" Does that mean ? Oh dear Oh dear.

Edited 21 October, 2010 by Terfyn

[fuzzybunny]

Just to be provocative, let me quote from the Wiki article:

The contrary argument is that HID headlamps can negatively impact the vision of oncoming traffic due to their high intensity and "flashing" effect due to the rapid transition between low and high illumination in the field of illumination, thus increasing the risk of a head-on collision between the HID-enabled vehicle and a blinded oncoming driver.

I agree with you. These lights may be great fun for the owner but I find the intense glare from oncoming vehicles equipped with them quite distracting and dangerous. I suppose it’s only a matter of time before all new cars have them and we can all blind each other. I wonder if having such lights encourages people to drive faster as they think they can see better at night. Time will tell no doubt.

[ap0gee1978]

Let's avoid the name-calling, please!

It's clear the 'haves' and 'have-nots' both have very good reasons for their opinions, and the arguments are starting to go round in circles. For those that don't like the glare from them, you can always wear yellow glasses if you don't mind looking like Ali G or like you're just driving home from the gun club (TACKLEBERRRRRYYYYY!) Those that do have them may wish to ask themselves whether they have them for genuinely practical reasons, or just for show. I have to drive through the Welsh mountains in the small hours, but then if I need more light, I switch on main beam. If other cars are about, there is generally enough scattered light to cope.

So in summary, everyone's wrong and you're all right as well. Ne'er the twain shall meet and all that, so leave the playground stuff behind and move on...

[Macdemon]

I had Xemon bulbs in my Accord, and now have them in my Yeti.

MY opinion is that if HiD headlamps are blinding then the headlights are badly adjusted or the tyres incorrectly inflated causing 'overspill'.

The fact that people here are just mentioning HiD headlamps as being a problem, I have come across arseholes who have incorrectly adjusted halogen bulbs that were dazzling :(

So the problem is not the technology, but the particular vehicle concerned.

[Trevorminor]

Fact is that in my old Octavia with properly adjusted halogens, I would be flashed by oncoming drivers at least once a fortnight. I can honestly say that I have not been flashed once whilst using the Xenons on my Yeti.

Clearly the self levelling works and I now am now not so keen on driving other vehicles without Xenon bulbs.

I also think that the worst cars for dazzling are those where people have fitted their own higher rated halogen bulbs, often with a blue hue and without getting them properly aligned. Y reg Mondeos simply never had Xenons as an option

My wife is thinking about changing her car (so long as I am not made redundant) and she will be having Xenons as an option if the car she buys doesn't have them as standard.

[bahnstormer vrs]

Hey guys (and gals); how about winding the clock back 35 or so years ago and then having a discussion of the relative merits of the then widely used 'tungsten' bulbs vs the newly introduced 'halogen' bulbs.

I'm sure the pros and cons would be argued with equal enthusiasm as the posts above !!

Will we be having the same argument in 5 - 10 years time of HID (xenons) vs LED lights? I dare say we will.

[Macdemon]

Hey guys (and gals); how about winding the clock back 35 or so years ago and then having a discussion of the relative merits of the then widely used 'tungsten' bulbs vs the newly introduced 'halogen' bulbs.

My wife says I act like a 10 year old

[lbl25a]

If someone has already mentioned it I have missed the post, but for me the most useful feature of the BiXenon lamps is the "travelling" setting that switches the lights for continental driving without the need for those horrible stick on deflector lenses. Absolutely brilliant as our Yeti is used a lot in Spain.

[yellowyeller]

If someone has already mentioned it I have missed the post, but for me the most useful feature of the BiXenon lamps is the "travelling" setting that switches the lights for continental driving without the need for those horrible stick on deflector lenses. Absolutely brilliant as our Yeti is used a lot in Spain.

That's the clincher for me too, not having to fiddle about with lens converters every time we go overseas will be fab.

Per previous post, why isn't LED technology up to acting as main headlights?

[loadswine]

I've put up with oncoming drivers with nasty converted bright blue lamps coming towards me on their chavved up Corsas for a long time. The standard fitment xenon lights don't seem to worry me as much. I'm really looking forward to actually driving behind a set myself. It just came with the Elegance spec and I really don't want to hack off anyone else by driving with them. I've assumed that the factory fit items are less offensive than some I've seen.

[Agerbundsen]

I think we can all agree that cars with poorly adjusted headlights are a menace on the road. This includes illegally added aftermarket HID (Xenon) lamps without the required washers and self-levelling, Hih intensity halogens with or without the blueish xenon look, burnt out headlights not replaced, dirty headlights that spread the light and blind oncoming trafffic.

I have now had the factory Xenons on the Yeti for a little over 10 months. I really appereciate the extra lighting on the road and the curve fitting feature, which works remarkably well. Even though the Yeti headlight position is a little higher than most cars, I do not get flashed by oncoming cars, and their cut-off on dipped beam is very sharp and well defined. The higher light setting and longer view of the near side verge is very helpful and does not seem to disturb cars driving in front.

[Fluffy destroyer of worlds]

Have to take the same view as Agerbundsen with more than a nod to Terfyn's view - especially on Mercedes. I didn't realise it but an option on the latest Mercs is 'Auto dip' I rather suspect this is of equal competence to the collision avoidance systems demonstrated to hilarious uselessness by both Mercedes and Volvo.

My last car was the first I have had with Xenons and I really appreciated the extra light and its quality, however as a contact lens wearer I am also fully aware of how damned annoying incorrectly adjusted or non dipped HIDs can be as well.

[EdmundBlackadder]

That's the clincher for me too, not having to fiddle about with lens converters every time we go overseas will be fab.

Per previous post, why isn't LED technology up to acting as main headlights?

LED lights send out a direct beam of light, it does not spread. If you look on an LED torch that is why there are lots of small lights rather than one big bulb. The trick for the mfrs is to get that spread effect. I was in a Philips lighting factory in Holland last year where they produce LED lights sets for offices, replacing strip lights, and they talked about the spread issue quite a bit. LED lights use a significantly smaller amount of power than standard lighting and give a very good clean light so they are the future, until the next clever invention comes along. One UK supermarket chain switched half of their in store lights to LED and got back their investment within 4 months so it is well worth it.

Once they resolve the spread issue then expect the car mfrs to swap over to LED as these lights should then last the lifetime of the car. If anyone has an LED torch then they will also know how much brighter LED lights are compared to standard bulbs so Xenons and HID lights will all disappear.

[BossFox]

Actually LED headlights have already been developed. The Audi A8 already has them.

It won't be a long time before more top end road cars get them, as the tech will (as always) get cheaper.

[EdmundBlackadder]

Actually LED headlights have already been developed. The Audi A8 already has them.

It won't be a long time before more top end road cars get them, as the tech will (as always) get cheaper.

I'm not surprised at this, I'm afraid an Audi A8 is outside of my bracket so I don't look at their specs. As you say they will become more commonplace as the technology becomes refined. The lights people know the importance of LED's and they are beavering away to get it right and affordable.

I assume they also have self levelling? LED lights are bright and so a high beam in your eyes will continue to be an issue unless this is standard.

[900000]

The A8 was first but is not the only car with LED headlights. The Toyota Prius has LED headlights as an option as does the Lexus LS600.

http://priuschat.com/news/the-2010-prius-standard-vs-led-headlights

[900000]

And I found the above link re the Prius in this thread on this very forum.

[EdmundBlackadder]

So the gist is they are on their way much sooner rather than later. I expect we will see them, in terms of the Skoda brand, on the Superb first and then as an option on the Yeti. It will be interesting to see how they develop.

[EdmundBlackadder]

Incidentally, the way Philips spread the light is by use of curved reflectors rather than using many multiples of bulbs. It will be interesting to see how the technology develops when used in headlights. Best to look closely when the lights are off though!

[geordiebroon]

Have now done around 700 miles with Xenon headlights on and not a single flash from the thousands of approaching cars. They certainly work very well for me.

[900000]

Having spoken about LED only headlights in this thread I now see Audi just launched the new A6 with all LED headlights. I wonder how these compare to a decent set of Bi-Xenons?

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1055461_2012-audi-a6-gets-all-led-headlights?

[roguebrit]

Interesting thread that obviously arouses some feeling. I have the bi-Xenons because the Beasty came with them. I have to say I find them excellent, they illuminate the road ahead like nothing else, in my experience. I was concerned about the effect on other drivers, but I have never been flashed, to my knowledge. But this is something do care about, on the basis of 'do as you would be done by' - my central tenet of life, as far as I can make it. I have a friend who is a police driver and I have had him drive ahead of me, and towards me, in as many different scenarioes as we could devise (I was 'testing' the bi-Xenons on his car too) and we could not decide that they caused either of us us any problems.

Frankly, I have more problems with other folks badly adjusted normal lights than I ever do with Xenons, and this is an occurrence I notice more and more. This is in spite of the fact that I think the higher seating position on the Yeti helps - the Defender was even better, I seldom got dazzled in the last one: the Golfs were noticably worse, of course. Xenons startled me somewhat when they first appeared, they looked so different - but now - having got used to them - or is it that they have got better? - they don't cause me any problems, personally. The cut-off is so well defined that I would think that it would be very easy to tell if Xenons were badly adjusted or causing any problems. . Generally - and not surprisingly - those that have 'em tend to love 'em, I suppose, and those that don't have 'em feel they are the invention of the devil - a bit like it was when the motor car was first invented, in fact!

Just my own feelings and opinions, as someone who has them, of course.

Edited 17 February, 2011 by roguebrit

[wakev]

i have not got bi-Xenons and don't have a problem with oncoming cars that have them blinding me unless they are set up wrong or the leveling system is not operating as it should. this also applies to any type of headlight not being set right.

I have just seen a article on the Internet that new legislation to tighten up on badly set and some after market bulbs is coming and the mot test changed to include testing of the leveling system of bi-Xenons.

[Trevorminor]

Interesting thread that obviously arouses some feeling. I have the bi-Xenons because the Beasty came with them. I have to say I find them excellent, they illuminate the road ahead like nothing else, in my experience. I was concerned about the effect on other drivers, but I have never been flashed, to my knowledge. But this is something do care about, on the basis of 'do as you would be done by' - my central tenet of life, as far as I can make it. I have a friend who is a police driver and I have had him drive ahead of me, and towards me, in as many different scenarioes as we could devise (I was 'testing' the bi-Xenons on his car too) and we could not decide that they caused either of us us any problems.

Frankly, I have more problems with other folks badly adjusted normal lights than I ever do with Xenons, and this is an occurrence I notice more and more. This is in spite of the fact that I think the higher seating position on the Yeti helps - the Defender was even better, I seldom got dazzled in the last one: the Golfs were noticably worse, of course. Xenons startled me somewhat when they first appeared, they looked so different - but now - having got used to them - or is it that they have got better? - they don't cause me any problems, personally. The cut-off is so well defined that I would think that it would be very easy to tell if Xenons were badly adjusted or causing any problems. . Generally - and not surprisingly - those that have 'em tend to love 'em, I suppose, and those that don't have 'em feel they are the invention of the devil - a bit like it was when the motor car was first invented, in fact!

Just my own feelings and opinions, as someone who has them, of course.

I share your thoughts on the Xenons entirely.

It would be interesting to see some sort of comparison with LEDs.

This is the sort of thing that both Autocar and Car would publish without much prompting but these days they both seem more keen on featuring the latest BMW 'Emperors New Clthes' blingmobile rather than things of interest to the wider readership!