[rohittunga]

It was from Meng Motorsport. He ordered online. I think the low beam spread is good. Its not too high to blind oncoming traffic but the fundamental problem lies with HID's itself. Even in the lowest beam setting it is so blinding to look at.

[Thad E Ginathom]

said before, but hey...

I doubt that most people fitting their own lamp replacements have any idea how the beams should be adjusted for either high or low. I doubt that many workshops have, either.

It is not just a case of hight. The low-beam should illuminate towards the left of the road. I suspect that many lamp replacers either just plug it in, like a domestic tube, thinking that is all there is to the job, or else they actually seek to get the maximum amount of light on the maximum amount of road, which is not what it is about.

[Suess]

Originally Posted by VW2010

Last night i was driving in ECR. I have taken a oath not to drive in ECR after dusk. Its absolutely impossible to drive with 99% if the oncoming traffic on high beams and never even obliging with your frantic attempt to be in low beam.

I honestly wanted to throw eggs at their windshield. But i prefer not to drive at all after dusk in these median less lanes.

The Kelambakkam to Vandular stretch felt far safer.

ECR(East Coast Road, for those who doesn't know, is a Toll highway from Chennai to Puducherry) is one of the worst highway i have seen mainly because of nonsense traffic there. vehicles with highbeam, vehicles overtaking on bends where it is prohibited, nobody seems to see speed limits posted on the way and it pass through several villages, many cows and dogs crossing it whenever and whereever they like. It's a 2 lane of nightmare in night. And above all irony is that we have to pay to experience this stupidity.

[Suess]

Originally Posted by rohittunga

Here is another reason why they should ban the use of HID's on normal reflector housing. This guy next to my house got this new 5000k H4 HID Kit and this is the end result. I pity the oncoming drivers who get to see this

I don't see any difference in high beam and low beam pattern except that low beam is much worse then highbeam and illuminating the road till quite farther than highbeam, and ya the colour is "COOL White"! just to warn if i have truck i would like to ram into him head-on. most probably and eventually it could happen with him and some truck and then he and everyone will be blaming truck!

[VW2010]

The BMW white lights are one of the fantastic headlights i have seen. It doesnt blind the on coming traffic yet spreads light so well. For some reason even the Benz or Audi lights are not exactly friendly to the oncoming traffic. Any of you felt that way?

[carfreak77]

Originally Posted by VW2010

The BMW white lights are one of the fantastic headlights i have seen. It doesnt blind the on coming traffic yet spreads light so well. For some reason even the Benz or Audi lights are not exactly friendly to the oncoming traffic. Any of you felt that way?

Couldn't agree with you more!
I think its got to do with how the other cars have aligned and adjusted their beams.

[rajeev k]

Many of these blinding light sources has the Warning Note that they are not for sale in Europe. Anything banned elsewhere is magic potion here.

It is high time authorities concerned, take firm steps to make our roads safe at night. The blinding effect of the powerful hi beam is the real reason for wiping off of many innocent people, which goes unnoticed.

[Thad E Ginathom]

It is high time authorities concerned, take firm steps to make our roads safe at night

It is hight time they took firm steps to make them safe at any time

(see my sig)

[vivek_vt]

A song that was playing in the car with the oncoming traffic with full high beams on the two lane Pune-Hyderabad NH9. It just perfectly suited the occasion, with the driver giving dipper and wishing somebody would return the favour

kaise bataaye kyun tujhako chaahe, yaara bata na paaye
baatein dilon ki dekho jo baaki aankhein tujhe samjhaaye
tu jaane na, tu jaane na, tu jaane na, tu jaane na

[normally_crazy]

In this past week I had 3 experiences with High Beamers !

1) Everyone was stuck in b2b traffic on the Saki Vihar road - and this Indica coming from the opposite side had the high beam on - as he came parallel to me, I asked him if he was blind and thats the reason he had the high beam on ? he says his bulbs on low beam have fused and thats why he is on high beam - I asked him whether he cannot see the car in front of him which was barely cms ahead ? He sheepishly switched the high beam off.

2) On a sunday in the Sab TV lane - empty lane and a car behind me on high beam. I stop at the signal and ask the guy behind me - are you blind ? Can't you see you are on high beam and its troubling me ? Nonchantly he puts the low beam on and continues playing with his phone.

3) On the EEH - a Fortuner follows with blinding high beam at the Powai turn off, I slow down and ask him if he cannot see my tai lights and needs high beam for that ? He just smirks and drives off.

I really cannot get the funda of tailing a car on city roads in slow traffic with high beam on - Why ?

[nilanjanray]

People in Mumbai at least listen and understand that high beam within the city - when there are street lights - are not done ( I spent 9 years in Mumbai, and found people reasonable when one points out something). Here in Bangalore, people are oblivious. Come sunset, all MUVs and hatchbacks start driving on highbeam. Even when there are powerful street lights.

This is like a classic example of Prisoners' Dilemma:
#1 Both have high beam on. Both lose.
#2 I have high beam on, you don't. You lose
#3 You have high beam on, I don't. I lose.
#4 Both of us have high beams off. Both win.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to arrive at #4 given the city mindset and untrained traffic (no concept of lanes, driving on the wrong side of the road etc. instead of making a U turn by traveling 100 feet extra).

After quite a lot of driving on our lesser highways at night, I am coming to the conclusion that #3 - which is the norm in this part of the country - is actually more dangerous than # 4 (I have gone over horrible potholes or bad bumps when I was dipping my highbeam in the face of approaching high beam). So one is forced to go for a suboptimal solution (#4) to retain some visibility in the face of 100/90 or 130/100 highbeam lights on dark highways.

[amit_mechengg]

i have literally given up now. i always land up in following instance 98% of the time
#3 You have high beam on, I don't. I lose.

now i am tired of losing again and again and again.

I am now hunting for the most painful HIDs and i am going to put them in my high beam.
as far as the front person is running with low beam i will use low beam giving him utmost respect.

as soon as he disobeys my signal to lower the beam, i will attack him with full blast.

sad indeed but i give up.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by Suess

BTW, have you tried driving on low beam on highways(indian)? i am not convinced that i am making it safe for myself and for others by driving on highbeam(until unless rrequired).

While ideally low beam is a superior solution, reality makes it unsafe to drive on low beams at decent speeds on our highways at least that is what I am seeing in the South. On low beam on any unlit highway (NH 209, say), unless one drives slowly, one wouldn't have enough time to react to a dog coming onto the road, or two people walking in the dark, or say a pothole. In some places, there are some fantastic potholes right in the middle of a smooth stretch (e.g. in MP).

And what about the folks coming at you on full blast? Should I stop on the side of the road and wait till they go by? I might have have to stop the vehicle indefinitely :-)

I try dipping...the other guy doesn't dip, I continue on high beam. And if I see that 90% of the guys are driving on highbeam (on certain stretches say where people are brought up on some different type of water) - that too using more powerful non stock lights or using 2-4 extra spots - and they are not dipping when I do - I decide to just continue on high beam and not bother unless someone dips first. Not the ideal solution, but I have had bad experiences when I tried to be extra cooperative.

Disclaimer: I am talking of unlit, two laner highways. Not the Pune Expressway or Mysore Road types.

@ Amit: attack is not really a good idea, IMO. High beam is more for one's own visibility. With extra powerful lights, it becomes more of a measuring fight :-). But then there are some who deserve it...e.g. Sumos coming at you with 6-8 lights at full blast.

MODS: can you please merge this post with the previous one?

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

I am now hunting for the most painful HIDs and i am going to put them in my high beam. .

Boss, everyone is hunting for powerful lamps and that is the reason why we see everybody else on high power blinding lights.
The crux of the matter is everybody gets blinded and the poor pedestrian or a cyclist or a guy like you and me who are on stock lights get hit.
So let us fight against these high beam-ers correction powerful hi beam-ers.

[Tassem]

Nowadays, I dread going out in the evenings. The traffic coupled with the incessant use of high beams gives me a bad headache. Every night when I get home after the 45min to an hour drive, I have a headache! It's just ridiculous.

At times, On well lit roads, I drive with just the fogs and park lights on. I find this soothing and in fact helps me see better since the light is well balanced. This however, seems to mean nothing to most of the oncoming traffic who's on high beam. I also switch off my headlights when I stop behind someone or when the traffic is crawling. Not only will this be good for the guy in front, but my eyes are less stressed due to the lack of reflected light.

And funnily, the whole world is busy harping about HID retrofits causing glare and blinding oncoming traffic. Well honestly, how often do you get blinded by one? To date, I'm yet to be blinded by the glare of an HID fitted to a normal reflector. I've had several retrofitted cars in the oncoming lane but they're not awful. I'm not saying its right. I'm just saying there are worse things out there! On every single drive there is one moron refusing to use low beams. This is usually, but not exclusive to cab drivers. Those 100/90 equipped Sumo's are a menace! And I don't think most of them understand why the car opposite them is frantically flashing!

On the other hand, I sincerely hope the traffic police does not decide to do anything about it. As usual, we will have to bear the brunt while the cabbies/truckers etc get away because the 'collection' will be low if they're stopped.