Rant!
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From: Tiffin, Ohio
Rant!
How long have automobiles been out with high intensity discharge headlights?
5 years? For the S2000 alone, it's been since 2000 (1999, whatever). Every Bimmer, Lexus, and Mercedes Benz that's fairly new has them. Every Acura (sans the RSX) has them. The S2000 has them. The new Lincolns have them. The 300M from Chrysler has them, and so does the Crossfire. The XLR has them, and maybe the new CTS (old one had projectors I believe).
That's almost 30 different models of cars that feature HIDs.
Now to my story, I was leaving Sandusky this evening on Rte. 2, and this guy was going ridiculously slow on the on-ramp. I didn't tailgate him or anything, but as soon as we hit open freeway I was in the fast lane and went around him. He was driving slow all the way through town, but I didn't think anything of it.
When I get around him, he guns it, gets over into the fast lane, and then turns his brights on as he's riding my bumper. I didn't actually realize his brights were on (because they were so dim) that I didn't realize what this guy was doing. He followed me for a good mile or so before slowing back down to approx. 55mph (the speedlimit on 2 is 65).
I had people flashing their brights at me all the way home. Some are curteous and do it far enough away that I can acknowledge them and return the flash before they're close enough to really be bright on their eyes (and on mine), but others wait until the last second to blind me, which is unsafe to say the least.
But aside from all of that, someone took time out of their day to hunt me down to flash their brights at me because I had my low beams on. If I wouldn't have had a passenger, I probably would've brake checked the Honda, and then when he would've dipped into the slow lane to avoid rear-ending me, I would've gotten behind him and rode with my brights on all the way until I had the chance to return the favor. Yes, that would've been road rage, but ya'know, that was just uncalled for.
Now, back to my point. I can tell the difference between HIDs and non-HID cars. It's pretty easy to distinguish the difference, and I assume when I see an HID equipped vehicle that his/her low beams are on. Everyone should've seen HIDs by now, and understand that they give the impression (when not shot right in the eye) that they're brighter. But the thing is it isn't being shot into their eyes, but rather the road, so they're not being blinded.
Yeah, they should be auto-leveling, but in a car this low to the ground, I shouldn't be getting flashed by 18-wheelers, and I also shouldn't be shining into someone's rear view mirror if I'm following them normally with my dims on.
My car is probably going to get keyed some day just for this reason. Grrrrr it's just so frustrating.
Now that I've vented, I still love my little Honda.
5 years? For the S2000 alone, it's been since 2000 (1999, whatever). Every Bimmer, Lexus, and Mercedes Benz that's fairly new has them. Every Acura (sans the RSX) has them. The S2000 has them. The new Lincolns have them. The 300M from Chrysler has them, and so does the Crossfire. The XLR has them, and maybe the new CTS (old one had projectors I believe).
That's almost 30 different models of cars that feature HIDs.
Now to my story, I was leaving Sandusky this evening on Rte. 2, and this guy was going ridiculously slow on the on-ramp. I didn't tailgate him or anything, but as soon as we hit open freeway I was in the fast lane and went around him. He was driving slow all the way through town, but I didn't think anything of it.
When I get around him, he guns it, gets over into the fast lane, and then turns his brights on as he's riding my bumper. I didn't actually realize his brights were on (because they were so dim) that I didn't realize what this guy was doing. He followed me for a good mile or so before slowing back down to approx. 55mph (the speedlimit on 2 is 65).
I had people flashing their brights at me all the way home. Some are curteous and do it far enough away that I can acknowledge them and return the flash before they're close enough to really be bright on their eyes (and on mine), but others wait until the last second to blind me, which is unsafe to say the least.
But aside from all of that, someone took time out of their day to hunt me down to flash their brights at me because I had my low beams on. If I wouldn't have had a passenger, I probably would've brake checked the Honda, and then when he would've dipped into the slow lane to avoid rear-ending me, I would've gotten behind him and rode with my brights on all the way until I had the chance to return the favor. Yes, that would've been road rage, but ya'know, that was just uncalled for.
Now, back to my point. I can tell the difference between HIDs and non-HID cars. It's pretty easy to distinguish the difference, and I assume when I see an HID equipped vehicle that his/her low beams are on. Everyone should've seen HIDs by now, and understand that they give the impression (when not shot right in the eye) that they're brighter. But the thing is it isn't being shot into their eyes, but rather the road, so they're not being blinded.
Yeah, they should be auto-leveling, but in a car this low to the ground, I shouldn't be getting flashed by 18-wheelers, and I also shouldn't be shining into someone's rear view mirror if I'm following them normally with my dims on.
My car is probably going to get keyed some day just for this reason. Grrrrr it's just so frustrating.
Now that I've vented, I still love my little Honda.
Joined: Dec 2001
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Check to see if they are aimed properly. the driver side should be lower than the passenger side and look like this. You can see where the cutoff meets in the center to the right when the car is level and you shine your lights on a garage door from 20 to 30 feet back.
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From: Findlay
[QUOTE]Originally posted by david1
Check to see if they are aimed properly. the driver side should be lower than the passenger side and look like this. You can see where the cutoff meets in the center to the right when the car is level and you shine your lights on a garage door from 20 to 30 feet back.
Check to see if they are aimed properly. the driver side should be lower than the passenger side and look like this. You can see where the cutoff meets in the center to the right when the car is level and you shine your lights on a garage door from 20 to 30 feet back.
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From: Tiffin, Ohio
Thanks for the suggestions on the headlight aiming.
They are aimed properly, and they have a nice cutoff right below the cockpit of most cars (meaning it's not in their eyes).
Get brights flashed at me is one thing, but getting chased is another. Of course then I'm the one who feels bad because of their ignorance.
Eh, oh well. Something I'll just get used to.
Thanks guys for letting me vent.
They are aimed properly, and they have a nice cutoff right below the cockpit of most cars (meaning it's not in their eyes).
Get brights flashed at me is one thing, but getting chased is another. Of course then I'm the one who feels bad because of their ignorance.
Eh, oh well. Something I'll just get used to.
Thanks guys for letting me vent.
