Over bright headlights

[Boxofbits]

57 minutes ago, Clive said:

Definitely not.

The event is not a race or competitive in any way. To scutineer a car would imply otherwise. Club officials are not qualified to check cars (OK soem will be) but the club would not take any resonsibility for checking the cars. That is done by the owners and hopefully the MoT man. 

Plenty of new cars have horrendously bright headlights, it is not just a trait of some RBRR-ers. 

I agree new cars are a pain in the proverbial. They also undertake/ overtake, constantly change lanes behind AND in front you, and their lights.. arrrrgh!!! I certainly think all round improved vision is a must…including a dipping mirror! I’ve gone the TR6 mirror route for my 4a.

 

Kevin

[JohnD]

Clive, Have we crossed swords before, about my advocacy of rest?   In the same way, I fear for the future of the RBRR, if anyone who actually opposed it saw that people with badly adjusted lights were taking part.   This magnificent event could so easily be banned.

Bests,

John

[Vader]

Richard Warr has LED headlights (I was co driver) his are “toned down” so they look a lot like Halogen but with a better beam spread, they aren’t bright white and don’t look like a collapsed star!

His lights were a massive improvement over the sealed beams and not too expensive. I’m sure he bought them from classic car LED where you can spec the brightness (maybe 3000K?)

I’ll be fitting some to the stag

we also had the TR tan the back of our heads 😀

Edited October 14, 2023 by Vader

[Howard]

52 minutes ago, Vader said:

. I’m sure he bought them from classic car LED where you can spec the brightness (maybe 3000K?)

K(Kelvin) is the measure of colour temperature. Warm white is usually about 3000K, cool white is anything above 4000K.

The measure of illumination is lumens. A conventional halogen bulb is around 1200 lumens on main beam. An LED from classic car Lead's will produce 4500-5000 lumens.

Cheers

Howard.

[Vader]

12 minutes ago, Howard said:

K(Kelvin) is the measure of colour temperature. Warm white is usually about 3000K, cool white is anything above 4000K.

The measure of illumination is lumens. A conventional halogen bulb is around 1200 lumens on main beam. An LED from classic car Lead's will produce 4500-5000 lumens.

Cheers

Howard.

yes I know. Rich must have the warm white as they’re not intense. They suit the car.

[Howard]

Not sure if I made explanation clear. Brightness is equivalent to illumination and is how well it illuminates the road. Colour temperature is more a measure of how warm (yellow/red) the colour appears. Cold white is a very blue white and is seen frequently with modern HID bulbs. The optimum for our cars would be an even warmer LED than is currently available from Classic Car LED's or any of the other usual suspects, but failing that the 3000K versions are the best we have available for now.

Cheers

Howard

 

[McJim]

14 hours ago, Andy Flexney said:

How about a little more courtesy when driving behind someone?

I have noticed over the years that more and more people are becoming night blind and react by putting on brighter headlights. Something I can associate with, BUT when driving behind someone else why not just leave a bigger gap? If you are lighting up the car in front, i.e. there is not a dark spot between the end of your headlight beam and the car in front, drop back if not preparing to overtake.

Spot on Andy.

I have LEDs and try to leave a gap between me and the car in front, especially if it's another Triumph.

That's also my braking zone if the car in front were to slow down or stop suddenly.

And the Round Britain, magnificent as it is, is going to be banned for a few bright headlights?

Really?  Yes, really?

Thank you Private Fraser.

"We're all Doomed.  Doomed ah tell ye!"

Get some perspective man.

I had more of a problem from moderns than any Triumph as, no doubt, did everyone else on the event.

Only someone, who didn't take part, will never take part and despite not being a club member, feels his distaste for the Round Britain with his faux concerns and his opinions needs to be foisted upon all of us who had a great weekend enjoying our Triumphs in the manner that they made to be used.

Anyone here have a totally ruined experience over the weekend by bright headlights?

No, didn't think so.

But no, the event is doomed ah tell ye.

If you've nothing constructive to say .....

Jim.

[Dannyb]

I find the lights from modern cars coming towards me are worse, especially on our low down cars. I use night time glasses that filter the blue from the led lights. 

Danny

[Tim Bancroft]

This light issue has been a problem on the RBRR for ever, to the point that it is not worth discussing. Hence, my rather glib reply of just dip or move the rear view mirror.

We cannot scrutineer the cars on the event as we have no right to do so. We just hope that the cars on the event have been put through a MOT. For the life of me I still do not understand why old cars are MOT exempt.

I'd rather discuss the positives of the RBRR.

 

[Vader]

9 hours ago, Howard said:

Not sure if I made explanation clear. Brightness is equivalent to illumination and is how well it illuminates the road. Colour temperature is more a measure of how warm (yellow/red) the colour appears. Cold white is a very blue white and is seen frequently with modern HID bulbs. The optimum for our cars would be an even warmer LED than is currently available from Classic Car LED's or any of the other usual suspects, but failing that the 3000K versions are the best we have available for now.

Cheers

Howard

 

Yes, I know how lighting works, I’m an electrician By trade.😀

[Rubce]

3 hours ago, Dannyb said:

I find the lights from modern cars coming towards me are worse, especially on our low down cars. I use night time glasses that filter the blue from the led lights. 

Danny

Hi Danny

The night time glasses sound a great idea. Are they prescription ones?

Regards

Bruce

[Tim Hunt]

22 hours ago, JohnD said:

"Not possible"?    There are a profusion of dipping mirrors on sale, some with suction cup attachment.   Following the style of the Traffic Police, who fit them for the use of the officer in the passenger seat, I use one on my modern, to improve near side rear view as the provided mirror isn't wide enough.   In the TRansit, I have a satnav and a tyre pressure monitor attached to the windscreen, and they stay on very well!

Absolutely!

John

+1

[JohnD]

If I offend those who scoff at the idea that the RBRR might become the attention of officialdom, and banned, I invite them to consider these, all banned for safety reasons:

Cooper's Hill Cheese Race

Banger fireworks

Conker games at school

Cycling, swearing, ball games, busking, dog walking, gathering in groups of more than two, even charity fund raising!   See: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/dec/27/cycling-swearing-banned-council-public-spaces-protection-order-fines-civil-liberties

And, of course, Christmas, but that was under Cromwell.

John

Edited October 15, 2023 by JohnD

[Tim Hunt]

22 hours ago, Andy Flexney said:

that is the problem John. Obviousley you have never drive a sidesreen car otherwise you would know the windscreen vibrates so much you cannot see anything out of a "stuck on" rear view mirror. A sat nav vibrates off within the first 2 miles.Ask me how I know?

Andy, have you tried a rubber gasket between the mirror mounting and windscreen frame. One made from a piece of old truck tyre inner tube did the trick on my 4A.

[JohnD]

3 hours ago, Dannyb said:

I find the lights from modern cars coming towards me are worse, especially on our low down cars. I use night time glasses that filter the blue from the led lights. 

Danny

Danny, May I humbly suggest that you, or anyone who finds they need "night time glasses" consult an optician?    Glare from over-bright lights can affect anyone, but also can be a sign of early eye disease, such as glaucoma.   High street opticians will stock such glasses, of better quality than bought online.

John

[Steve P]

I would be interested to find out more about the night time glasses.

Having attempted the RBRR in 2012 with the late Bill Goodwin (dnf-driveshaft snapped at Lands End).  And completed it in 2014 in my Herald.

Having had 2 Cataract lens replacements in 2020, night driving is an issue for me as the new lenses create a Halo effect on white light coming towards you. It`s bad in a modern with the massive SUV`s with blinding lights but in my Herald or Vitesse worse.

Steve

[Rosbif]

1 hour ago, Steve P said:

I would be interested to find out more about the night time glasses.

Many, many,many years ago I recall ads for glasses like these claiming to reduce glare/eye strain at night and make vision clearer.

No idea if they are any good or are just snake oil like the lead balls for the petrol tank. However, allegedly, one of the reasons French cars used to have yellow headlights was to reduce glare to oncoming drivers. I've not been driving here long enough to have had cars equipped with them. You can still buy yellow headlight bulbs here.

 

[mpbarrett]

interesting discussion.

My Golf GTE it has intelligent LED matrix headlights (IQ.Light) which mean it can shape and bend and modify the light pattern. It uses the forward camera to detect a car in front and then modifies the beam pattern so that the car in front is not illuminated but either side of the car is. And it will bend the beam around corners.
Quite remarkable and works very well, makes driving at night almost a pleasure and one of the best bits of technology on the car! 
Not sure it could be retro fitted to a Triumph 😉

Mike

[McJim]

Here's my exhaustive list of motoring events banned for having bright headlights.

1.   ......

2.  .......

3.  ..........

4.  ..........

5.  ..........

6.  .....

Oh, that's right.

There aren't any.

And I thought Halloween had come early with all this scaremongering.

Conkers?

More like bonkers.

Keep grasping at straws.

Jim.

[Nick Jones]

10 hours ago, Tim Bancroft said:

We just hope that the cars on the event have been put through a MOT. For the life of me I still do not understand why old cars are MOT exempt.

Could you not insist that any car being used for the RBRR has a valid MoT certificate? 
 

Given the fairly extreme real world test they are out through it seems like a sensible ask?  

[Clive]

22 hours ago, JohnD said:

Clive, Have we crossed swords before, about my advocacy of rest?   In the same way, I fear for the future of the RBRR, if anyone who actually opposed it saw that people with badly adjusted lights were taking part.   This magnificent event could so easily be banned.

Bests,

John

Not that I can remember. I do find it odd that you try to pick up on issues that people mention. And as to rest, all participants know not to drive tired, and all are adult enough to, dare I say it, be sensible.

But badly adjusted headlight?? 

I reckon it is because our cars are small compared to most on the road, and lower. And yes, they tend to have a load of stuff in the boot meaning the headlights are probably higher than ideal. But other road users are unlikely to be distracted, just those in their 50+ year old sportscars. 

In all honesty, apart from the big main roads and motorways, you don't see too many cars at night apart from fellow participants. 

 

[Roger Keys]

3 hours ago, Nick Jones said:

Could you not insist that any car being used for the RBRR has a valid MoT certificate? 
 

Given the fairly extreme real world test they are out through it seems like a sensible ask?  

But the headlight check will be conducted on an unladen car. By the time it rocks up at the start, it will be pointing at the sky.

The reality is, people need to buy decent LED lights if they are going to move away from stock. Theres heaps of crap on the market. But the people who dont bother to find out what works, likely wont try them out before the event, check the beam pattern or anything else.

Its hardly rocket science. Prep car, load car, find garage door at night, Turn on lights. Adjust accordingly.

Yes the TR3 was exceptionally bad. 

 

[Dannyb]

11 hours ago, Rubce said:

Hi Danny

The night time glasses sound a great idea. Are they prescription ones?

Regards

Bruce

Hi Bruce,

Not prescription,  I got them off Amerzon.  I think they were under £10. They really do make a difference. I believe you can also get them to fit over prescription glasses or clip on.

Danny

[Dannyb]

19 hours ago, JohnD said:

Danny, May I humbly suggest that you, or anyone who finds they need "night time glasses" consult an optician?    Glare from over-bright lights can affect anyone, but also can be a sign of early eye disease, such as glaucoma.   High street opticians will stock such glasses, of better quality than bought online.

John

Thanks John, I had an eye test 6 months ago. I don't need distance glasses yet only reading. I think led light are causing problems for many drivers of all ages. I believe it's something to do with the blue light. I find the yellow of the night glasses soften oncoming lights.

Danny

[Howard]

Recently I have become aware of Zeiss DriveSafe lenses which are reported as improving vision significantly in poor lighting conditions.

As someone who had cataracts and lens implants some haloing is unavoidable, but Zeiss lenses claim to significantly reduce this.

Not particularly cheap but might be worth the money if they work

Cheers

Howard