Headlights too bright/poorly aimed?

[felix92]

Spurred on by Desmo's failed foglight thread and a ridiculous sleep pattern, I thought I would ask if anybody else has noticed that headlights on new cars are either getting brighter or not being aimed correctly?

My understanding is headlights (low beams) are designed to point mostly to the left of the road and barely over the centre line when correctly aimed. I also think projector style headlights (and maybe HIDs) must have focal points, which explain why they can become so bright at certain points when turning in front of you or when they hit bumps etc.

But I (sadly) deliver pizzas to get through uni, and I am sure many modern cars headlights just light up fucking everything, including my retinas. The worst offenders that I've noted are Range Rovers and Honda CRVs.

Now I'm sure there is a law out there defining how headlights must be aimed etc. as it gets checked when you go through the pits, so are these cars headlights actually fine and I just have little girls eyes?

[Moustacha]

When it comes to soft roaders and 4WDs I've just assumed that because their headlights are more at eye level you're just going to get fucked up more by them than a car.

HID lights are also supposed to be self-leveling because they fucking hurt, but with the number of douche bags installing them into their falcadore you might be seeing them more often.

[AliastheJester]

I'm actually seeing a lot of idiots that drive with them on high beam at all times. I'm not sure if they are complete fuckwits and don't know how to change to low beam or just arseholes.

[SPman]

Headlights on low beam should be set to a set height limit - over here, as there is no regular check (unlike like New Zealand with their 6 monthly warrant of fitness checks), headlights seem to be set at wherever the fuck you like - often at eye level. Then, there are all the shitheads with lights on high all the time, or one headlight out and the other on full beam!

The dipped beams on the missusses FZ1 were set so high, I had to use nearly all the adjustment to get them down to an acceptable level........even then it looks like a freight train coming towards you.........

[T-Rex]

Stock headlights on low beam should be aimed downwards. They should also be shit weak (there is a wattage limit in some regulation that they give yellows for if you change to HID) but stock cars get away with higher wattage. Fog lights should be for fog. daytime driving lights are a requirement in europe now.
some cars come with blinding lights, the LR discovery is one such c*nt. Electronic leveling allows people to go setting them up high and blinding. The ones that come on during corners need to be addressed, they are blinding to other drivers during bends. Boy racers with HID kits set their low beams to light up the whole fucking road like highbeams.
Some new cars are very good though - flash your high beams at people with too bright lights. One day they might get the message... I needed someone to flash me when I had a big load on the tray recently, 1 button later I'm no longer being a wanker.

[Tim the PM]

One of my pet hates. (Yeah ok one of many but 90% of them are about wanker drivers or piss poor roads)
Yes I'm seeing more blinding headlights. I flashed one recently coz I couldn't see anything past the glare and it was a fucking cop car.
It's not just cars either, more than once I've moved my mirrors on a WSR because the bike behind me is blasting my retinas. I usually try to move them so it reflects directly back at them but end up waving them past more often.

[agrid]

The headlights in my Golf R are those auto adjusting HID headlights that turn around corners. When I start up they adjust themselves up/down left/right. They are super bright and I have had a couple of people flash me. The previous Golf had a minor adjustment knob on the dash but I have no idea how to adjust these electronic gizmos.

[felix92]

I'm actually seeing a lot of idiots that drive with them on high beam at all times. I'm not sure if they are complete fuckwits and don't know how to change to low beam or just arseholes.

See I think a lot of the time it's just people with poorly aimed or stupidly bright aftermarket globes. Or as has been said new cars with electronic levelling that can be aimed up into your eyes.

I'm not sure about my little Ninjas lights to be honest, I've yet to had a chance to adjust them myself, but from the last owner the low beam seems to be aimed towards the centre of the road but downwards, whilst the high beam is to the left and up. I would think the low should go left and down and high up and central.

I have fit supposedly higher powered globes (+110%) to my little ninja but justify it by thinking I'd rather someone sees me and is blinded than doesnt see me and I'm blind to them.