Are we OK with how bright headlights are getting?

[ponytug]

Our 2020 Subaru Outback is probably the WORST car I've ever driven at night in a snowstorm due to its lighting! Drive-wise, it's a beast in snow. ZERO issues. Lighting-wise, it's horrible!!!

The daytime running lights are around the headlights.

View attachment 4375538

They shine in all directions, even UP! So if you're driving into snow, with your low beams on, these DTRLs shine UP and illuminate all of the falling snow right about eye height. Even if you turn off the headlights, the DTRLs are still on, and make it hard to see in falling snow.

Another thing is as you travel along in falling snow, the headlights get dimmer, as the snow and ice stick to the headlights and don't melt off as with old high wattage bulbs. The LED headlights generate little heat.

So about every 30 minutes you have to stop and clear the headlights.

BAAAAHHH!!!!!

Rant over.

I'm going to see if there's a fuse for just the DTRLs. If there is, I'm going to make them switchable. If not, I'm considering duct tape over them.

If it were me, I would definitely wire the switch in. Headlights that light upward in snow drive me bananas.

Actually any form of poor headlight illumination annoys me. I owned one vehicle that had an extremely sharp left edge and vertical cutoff, to the point where I couldn't really see beyond the bright edge. Between deer and pedestrians dressed in black, I found it nerve wracking, but poor headlights and poor alignment have always been a sore point for me. I bought a headlight alignment tool before I got my first license.

I have to admit to buying fog lights for many of our vehicles, not because fog is that common here, but because when we do have fog, seeing the road, and the road edge, really, really matters; we have more than a few lethal drops, with no guardrails on our prime access road. A pair of fog lights might really help you out. There are also aftermarket headlight defrosters, but I have never used them;

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All the best,

Peter

 

[MossRoad]

If it were me, I would definitely wire the switch in. Headlights that light upward in snow drive me bananas.

Actually any form of poor headlight illumination annoys me. I owned one vehicle that had an extremely sharp left edge and vertical cutoff, to the point where I couldn't really see beyond the bright edge. Between deer and pedestrians dressed in black, I found it nerve wracking, but poor headlights and poor alignment have always been a sore point for me. I bought a headlight alignment tool before I got my first license.

I have to admit to buying fog lights for many of our vehicles, not because fog is that common here, but because when we do have fog, seeing the road, and the road edge, really, really matters; we have more than a few lethal drops, with no guardrails on our prime access road. A pair of fog lights might really help you out. There are also aftermarket headlight defrosters, but I have never used them;

Amazon.com: LED Headlights Defroster Kit – Snow & Ice Removal for 4"x6" Lenses | Enhanced Safety & Visibility | Easy DIY Install | Includes CNT Grid Film, Harness, Controller & Switch | ClearView Tech : Automotive

Buy LED Headlights Defroster Kit – Snow & Ice Removal for 4"x6" Lenses | Enhanced Safety & Visibility | Easy DIY Install | Includes CNT Grid Film, Harness, Controller & Switch | ClearView Tech: Headlight Restoration Kits - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

All the best,

Peter

We have fog lights. However, even if I turn the headlights off and try to drive with just the fog lights, the DTRLs stay on. That's how I found out what was blinding me... I turned off the fogs and the headlights and STILL got blinded. GRRRRR!!!!

 

[ning]

Many years back I put an HID bulb in my motorcycle and was lucky that it maintained the sharp cut-off. The extra light was amazing (especially being able to spot certain reflector material from half a mile or more away ). A few years later, my F350's lights were half-filled with water and the front of the housings yellowing badly; I swapped to clear housings and LEDs and no longer get tired driving at night. Though the truck is up a ways (not specifically lifted, but bigger tires and 4x4 does raise things) I never get flashed. I do drop to parking lights if I pull up behind someone at an intersection because good cut-off or no if the lights are above the trunk someone's going to get blinded.

More recently I put LEDs in my wife's highlander. It's got projector lenses for the low beams and zero issues with the light pattern there but probably twice as bright. The amazing thing is I'm finding is that the oncoming car headlights no longer make my eyes hurt - I think with the old dim bulbs behind lenses you really don't put out a lot of light, and here it's pretty dark so your eyes are probably wide open (the iris/pupil I mean) so when bright lights come at you there's a big shock as your iris slams shut. With brighter lights coming from our own car now, bright lights coming at me I don't have the same feeling.

With that success I put LEDs in my son's older Mazda; it also has lenses so there's little worry about light pattern.

My suggestion to anyone with hurting eyes at night, join the arms race - not only will you see better but you won't perceive other lights as being so bright any more.

 

[dodge man]

Cut off is a big deal with HID and LED headlights. I’ve got two vehicles that have hid’s. When going down a hill you really notice it when the lights are shining on the up hill pavement. One problem is when cresting a hill or going around a curve, your headlights are often blinding oncoming traffic even if aimed correctly. It’s just the geometry of where they shine.

 

[Oaktree]

They shine in all directions, even UP! So if you're driving into snow, with your low beams on, these DTRLs shine UP and illuminate all of the falling snow right about eye height. Even if you turn off the headlights, the DTRLs are still on, and make it hard to see in falling snow.

Another thing is as you travel along in falling snow, the headlights get dimmer, as the snow and ice stick to the headlights and don't melt off as with old high wattage bulbs. The LED headlights generate little heat.

So about every 30 minutes you have to stop and clear the headlights.

The DRLs stay on even with headlights on? On my Acadia they turn off. I'd be in there with a pair of wire cutters if that were my car.

As far as LEDs and snow, yeah, had the same experience. I'd replaced the halogens in the Acadia with LEDs, last Thanksgiving got caught in a snowstorm (wet, early-season stuff) and had to pull off every 15 miles or so too. What sucked was that a bunch of the cars I'd passed on the interstate (this car is awesome in snow) went by while I was cleaning headlights. Learned to make my clean-off stops quick.
Dryer snow later in the season wasn't a problem. I wonder how they deal with that on newer vehicles with factory LEDs?

 

[MossRoad]

The DRLs stay on even with headlights on? On my Acadia they turn off. I'd be in there with a pair of wire cutters if that were my car.

As far as LEDs and snow, yeah, had the same experience. I'd replaced the halogens in the Acadia with LEDs, last Thanksgiving got caught in a snowstorm (wet, early-season stuff) and had to pull off every 15 miles or so too. What sucked was that a bunch of the cars I'd passed on the interstate (this car is awesome in snow) went by while I was cleaning headlights. Learned to make my clean-off stops quick.
Dryer snow later in the season wasn't a problem. I wonder how they deal with that on newer vehicles with factory LEDs?

Yep, they are the C-shaped light rings around the outside of the headlights. In earlier models, they were the high beams on lower setting.

I think I found a way to disable them. It appears there is a 5 pin relay for the right and left ones. People have mentioned you can replace the 5 pin relay with a 4 pin relay and that'll kill the C lights.

I'll try that first, then if it works, figure out a way to wire them to a switch as the only time I want them off is when the snow is falling.

 

[ponytug]

Can I suggest considering the use of a relay with a momentary pushbutton control, so that the DRL will automatically revert to "normal" function when you turn the vehicle off?

All the best,

Peter

 

[ning]

I noticed something about DRLs a few years back when I was driving in the (CA) South Bay on a freeway - it was dark - definitely night - and there were a number of cars quite obviously driving "lights out" but with DRLs, and I've seen this a number of times since - though only on well-lit highways.

I suspect that the driver sees that some light is coming from their car, and there are enough street lights that they see well enough, though people coming up behind them don't see them so well... this is my suspicion based on the fact that of all the cars I saw driving without lights turned on (ie, no taillights at all) all had DRLs (which in older cars means low beams on lower than normal setting).

 

[ponytug]

I noticed something about DRLs a few years back when I was driving in the (CA) South Bay on a freeway - it was dark - definitely night - and there were a number of cars quite obviously driving "lights out" but with DRLs, and I've seen this a number of times since - though only on well-lit highways.

I suspect that the driver sees that some light is coming from their car, and there are enough street lights that they see well enough, though people coming up behind them don't see them so well... this is my suspicion based on the fact that of all the cars I saw driving without lights turned on (ie, no taillights at all) all had DRLs (which in older cars means low beams on lower than normal setting).

Sadly, that isn't uncommon in the Bay Area. Whatever the cause, in my view they have clearly demonstrated themselves to be incapacitated in some way, so I try to give them a wide berth.

Then there are the kids doing 40+mph down the road on our nearby hill, at night, wearing all black, no helmet, with no lights or reflectors. I only saw one kid by the faint iridescence from some logo on their shirt. I think it got popular after some "influencer" posted a video of it. Mercifully, it seems to be dying down, but I don't know if it is Darwin or something else.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Jstpssng]

I noticed something about DRLs a few years back when I was driving in the (CA) South Bay on a freeway - it was dark - definitely night - and there were a number of cars quite obviously driving "lights out" but with DRLs, and I've seen this a number of times since - though only on well-lit highways.

I suspect that the driver sees that some light is coming from their car, and there are enough street lights that they see well enough, though people coming up behind them don't see them so well... this is my suspicion based on the fact that of all the cars I saw driving without lights turned on (ie, no taillights at all) all had DRLs (which in older cars means low beams on lower than normal setting).

A lot of people don't seem to care if you can't see them. I'vd even heard claims tjat turning on your headlights uses more gas.
That may even be true but I know the biggest variable to my economy is my right foot.

 

[lman]

I noticed something about DRLs a few years back when I was driving in the (CA) South Bay on a freeway - it was dark - definitely night - and there were a number of cars quite obviously driving "lights out" but with DRLs, and I've seen this a number of times since - though only on well-lit highways.

I suspect that the driver sees that some light is coming from their car, and there are enough street lights that they see well enough, though people coming up behind them don't see them so well... this is my suspicion based on the fact that of all the cars I saw driving without lights turned on (ie, no taillights at all) all had DRLs (which in older cars means low beams on lower than normal setting).

That's probably why most new cars have auto headlights that turn on automatically when it gets dark.

 

[sd455dan]

This is an area my car actually improved two years after purchase. Tesla finally got approval to turn on the adaptive matrix lights and now really V (dark) out the area where oncoming traffic approaches also drop the beam level down while following another vehicle.
Have not been beamed, Previously headlights always drew a real clear line as to where the light stops and now once past an oncoming vehicle they fill in and light up much more of off the road sides which made some deer approaching the road much more obvious. I really like the adaptive headlight feature so far, and this is much more useful than the headlights just being able to spell words on a wall.

 

[MossRoad]

Can I suggest considering the use of a relay with a momentary pushbutton control, so that the DRL will automatically revert to "normal" function when you turn the vehicle off?

All the best,

Peter

Yes you may.

 

[MossRoad]

I noticed something about DRLs a few years back when I was driving in the (CA) South Bay on a freeway - it was dark - definitely night - and there were a number of cars quite obviously driving "lights out" but with DRLs, and I've seen this a number of times since - though only on well-lit highways.

I suspect that the driver sees that some light is coming from their car, and there are enough street lights that they see well enough, though people coming up behind them don't see them so well... this is my suspicion based on the fact that of all the cars I saw driving without lights turned on (ie, no taillights at all) all had DRLs (which in older cars means low beams on lower than normal setting).

I've done that myself on occasion. The headlights were in the off position for some reason. The parking lot is well lit. The dash is illuminated. So you don't notice you have no headlights on. Then you take off down the road with only your daytime lights on.

 

[Jstpssng]

I feel that separate DRLs like what's on my Tundra are essentially a gimmick to increase vehicle costs. You may as well just run your parking lights. In rainy or foggy weather I turn the headlights on because I want to be seen. It also turns the taillights on, as others have mentioned.

 

[ruffdog]

There was a time when headlights were meant to light in front of the car. Now, many cars are throwing light in all directions. I see them coming down our country road lighting up the trees lining the road. They throw the light up and to the side....all over. I don't get it...............

 

[ning]

A lot of people don't seem to care if you can't see them. I'vd even heard claims tjat turning on your headlights uses more gas.
That may even be true but I know the biggest variable to my economy is my right foot.

I remember reading back in the 80s when Mazda was bringing out the second generation RX7 that it was so aerodynamic (ok for the time it was pretty good) that it only took 12hp to run 55mph (hahahah sports car 55 mph *strains to catch breath*) and I figured that 55w headlights, there's two of them, so that's 110w, after other losses figure that's almost 1/4hp, or 2% of that 12hp. 2% isn't entirely insignificant! But yeah, not a good reason to drive with lights off. Also, 55mph pfffff (especially 21-year-old me buys the turbo version, proceeds to pay almost as much for insurance as for the car payment whattf was I even thinking)

 

[ning]

I've done that myself on occasion. The headlights were in the off position for some reason. The parking lot is well lit. The dash is illuminated. So you don't notice you have no headlights on. Then you take off down the road with only your daytime lights on.

Why is the dash illuminated? Is it because it's a modern screen panel? I think that for all of our cars (only one of which has a central screen for cameras & "infotainment") the dash - all analog dials other than the center driver info on the newest car - are dark unless the lights are on.

I try to get my wife to leave the newest car's headlights in the "auto" mode but it bugs her that the lights stay on for so long when we get home, I'll have to dig into the settings and try to reduce the timeout. IMO it's a great feature, get home in nearly complete darkness and have your way lit to the front door with the headlights...

 

[dodge man]

There was a time when headlights were meant to light in front of the car. Now, many cars are throwing light in all directions. I see them coming down our country road lighting up the trees lining the road. They throw the light up and to the side....all over. I don't get it...............

We have to cars with hid headlights and a truck with regular headlights. The hid are brighter and whiter lights and they also have a much wider and higher pattern but only on brights. My truck with regular headlights has a much narrower pattern even on brights. I think the truck shines down the road far enough but not wide enough. In town it doesn’t matter much but out in the country it does, mainly for deer.

One thing I especially notice with the better headlights is going down a steep hill you notice instead of the headlights being buried into the bottom of the hill they shine up the other side some. My wife’s car actually moves the lights some such as hills and around corners.

 

[MossRoad]

Why is the dash illuminated? Is it because it's a modern screen panel?

The gauges and infotainment systems are always lit.