[canonguy]

For me it's day driving all the way. Night driving, for me at least, is taxing. Too much of straining to get a clear view ahead and make good speed. Part of the problem is that I like to drive fast but safe. This I find difficult to do during night. When I look back on all my previous drives, I find my average speed was higher when I drove during the day and I reached my destination faster.

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by s3va

Pros
1) Outside Temp is lesser than day time temp

Actually this is a very good and economical point.
No use of A/c and good FE all the way.

[formel_eins]

if one knows the road and its a four lane NH, then night driving is fine. Alternate weekends I visit my place using NH4, since I know the road, towns, villages which come in between I am cautious at right moments. But I do make sure that I am home before 12am.

Pluses:
- You save your days time
- Less traffic (but it depends on highway you use)
- Less honking
- Fellow passengers seem to drowse, so less chatter patter in car (sometimes I like it quiet)

Negatives:
- high beams
- missing tail lamps on trucks, tempos, carts
- requires high level of alertness
- nasty surprises

Best time is early morning. Timing should be such that you reach the highway around 5am. You save time through city and couple of hours of AC

[Karumbaiah]

If roads are good (without pot holes) I awlays love to drive in nights.Otherwise I perfer day light drive for safety reason.

Regards,
Karumbaiah

[bullinb]

Originally Posted by sbraj

Will HID lamps help on highways? I have a Getz and the high beam is a joke in that. It will hardly lit 50 meters ahead. I am now seriously considering upgrading to HID.

I was in the same shoes before I changed the bulbs to Philips X-treme powers. The beam pattern is totally different. Low beam lights up the side of the road brilliantly - perferct when the oncoming vehicles don't dip their lights. High beam reach is excellent. Best part is - no wiring change required because the wattage is the same. I have heard Osram Nightbreakers are also pretty good. The OEM headlights just don't give you the confidence to drive beyond 60 at night.

Edit: Does your car have fog lamps? I find them very useful while driving on the highway even when there's no fog. They light up the near end of the road when you are on high beam. Very usuful on curvy roads.

[wildsdi5530]

Bullinb, The lights on the Hoinda city Gxi are fab. With high beam and fogs on, I can cruise all night at 120 kph. And keep my A/c on at 1. actually by all night, i mean from ~1am to 7am. Usually do the Tirunelveli to Bangalore or Tirunelveli to Chennai stretch. Perfect for one day trips. No working days wasted.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by bullinb

I changed the bulbs to Philips X-treme powers. The beam pattern is totally different. Low beam lights up the side of the road brilliantly - perferct when the oncoming vehicles don't dip their lights. High beam reach is excellent. Best part is - no wiring change required because the wattage is the same.

Thanks bullinb, for sharing the info.

Did you do the change in BLR? Which shop? Do they do the installation? Or installation is easy that a non-specialist can do it?

Originally Posted by bullinb

Does your car have fog lamps?

Yes, it does have. Fog lamps do help in lighting up nearer areas.

[bullinb]

Originally Posted by sbraj

Did you do the change in BLR? Which shop? Do they do the installation? Or installation is easy that a non-specialist can do it?

Yes. I bought the bulbs from A.K Traders on JC road and put them in myself. AFAIR, a pair was for 800 a year back. My Owners manuals has step by step instructions on how to replace the bulbs.

Check out the thread below for more information.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ting-here.html

[bullinb]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

Bullinb, The lights on the Hoinda city Gxi are fab. With high beam and fogs on, I can cruise all night at 120 kph.

I should have said, OEM lamps on my car never gave me the confidence to push beyond 60 at night .

[speedsatya]

Night driving for sure .But I wouldnt risk anything if the car didnt have proper lights (100/90) or if it didnt have proper wipers.
The Zen was always ready for a drive ,no matter what time of the day or what season of the year as it was always maintained in that condition.
The Lancer that I am driving these days ,is very poorly maintained and has very poor headlights-the blue ones that work with a clear lens headlight set up and dont work in the older ones...As a result,its a pain driving it in the night.

[s3va]

Night Driving through forest areas is highly not recommended unless you have great reflexes and a stable car !

I encountered this situation during one of my night drives through Bandipur(before the night restriction came in force) when I banged an animal that ran across the road. To date, I really dont have an idea what animal it was ! I didnt feel like stopping as it was pitch dark. But even today I really feel sad for the animal that hit my car !

[wildsdi5530]

Wild animals on road are a rare sight nowadays. Pity we cannot say that about domestic ones. In forest areas, I always drive at ~80 Kph and never use the horn.

[R.I.P]

Driving in the hills, night driving is anyday better than day driving.

Pros:
can see a vehicle around the corner
can adjust driving line with respect to oncoming traffic
silence!!!!!! broken by the exhaust note
negligible traffice except heavy load trucks

Cons:
more difficult to find dhabas in night time although truck stops are present on most routes(generally very good tea and fresh food)
can be a little dangerous especially on tighter roads
difficult to find help in case of a breakdown

[prateek99]

Highways; day driving hands down.

City like Mumbai; night driving hands up, ohh!!! let me get hold of the steering.

But those who have travelled on Mumbai-Pune express way will agree that night driving is fun there. I didn't find any visibility issues. Continuously clocked 130s in my U-VA.

[wildsdi5530]

Am leaving on a trip now.
Train to Chennai. Car to Hyderabad tonight. Return to Bangalore tomorrow night. BIL wants company. Ford fiesta S. will post details.