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High Beams?

36K views 100 replies 44 participants last post by  Mathwiz 
#1 ·
I just received my Obsidian Blue 2020 RTL-E and do not understand the lighting system. The LED low beams are very bright but the high beams project an amber light and the automatic function does not work very well at all. I will have to admit though; in foggy conditions I can use the high beams. I have HID lights on my BMW X3 and the high beams light up the road with a lot more intensity.
 
#2 ·
The RTL-E's low beams are LED projectors that produce a "cool" white light. The high beams are halogen reflectors that produce a "warm" white light. Many vehicles use a combination of LED and halogen headlights - only recently have LED's become bright and cheap enough to use for both low and high beam applications.

Despite the inherent color difference, the RTL-E's combination LED/halogen headlights are very effective and were given the highest possible rating by the IIHS.

According to IIHS testing, the Ridgeline's halogen high beams actually provide better illumination on straightaways than the X3's HID high beams.


 
#10 ·
The low beams are so good that on straight, open roads the high beams don't seem to add a lot of distance, but I can see further to the sides--important for spotting deer or other animals. On more twisty roads or with lots of trees the high beams seem to make a big difference.

I don't rely on the automatic function. It may work OK sometimes on straight roads but I prefer to be more courteous and dim my beams sooner than the auto function will do it, and on winding roads I can see an oncoming car's headlights long before the auto detector will and I don't want to come around a corner and blind another driver before the auto function can turn them off. I guess it is nice to have as a back-up.
 
#11 ·
I installed the Auxito Y13 style in mine. Made a big difference and the beam profile seemed very similar to stock I think because there is no shrouding around the copper board the actual LEDs are mounted on. They do use a fan like many of the others do, and you can hear it when the engine is off. That might bother some people. You could do the Xenon Depots if you don't want the fan, or I think GTR has a fanless option as well, but they most likely won't be quite as bright. It's hard to say without side by side testing or a review where someone has used a light meter on them. The numbers that get advertised are just about useless without knowing the specific application.
 
#28 ·
I installed my LEDs on one side and left the old bulbs in on the other so I could compare the beam pattern. The ones I ended up using were extremely close to the original pattern and there was no difference that I could in the low beam cutoff. The high beams would obviously be very annoying to other drivers with LED or original bulbs. I rarely use the high beams since I mostly drive around town, but it's nice to have them when you need them.
 
#29 ·
For those that due want to go LED high beams, these fan-less have been working great. Much better than the OEM halogen. I use them every night.

 
#30 ·
Well, I guess that it ultimately boils down for me to how much I detest having to look into those extra-bright headlights of others myself, that I still have enough courtesy within myself to refuse to do the same to other drivers that I would meet on the road..................

Bill
 
#32 ·
Well, I guess that it ultimately boils down for me to how much I detest having to look into those extra-bright headlights of others myself, that I still have enough courtesy within myself to refuse to do the same to other drivers that I would meet on the road..................
As long as you put in an appropriate bulb it's not an issue. The beam pattern and headlight aiming rather than the brightness is what causes problems.
 
#31 ·
Not to deviate from the core point of the thread; but data that solely includes automotive crashes (or fatalities) stemming from improperly adjusted headlights, or improper bulb in the housings, etc etc would not be available and would doubt that it is even possible. Each side would speak behalf of their own experience in these circumstances and each side would argue that their argument is superior than the other; however, both sides can agree that there are many idiots on the roads today with converting their DRLs into highbeams, or HIDs in their reflector bowls, etc etc.
Careful folks need to be vigilant drivers and accept that idiots reproduce and we have no control over it.

As long as we advocate, continuously, the proper means of getting better light output that does not infringe the safety and well-being of others on the road, we here on ROC have done our fair share of good deed.

Back to the thread; the projectors are more forgiving to drop in retrofits than the reflector bowls.
 
#35 ·
I would buy the lights he suggested but I'm not a fan of having any moving parts on my LED's. Moving parts = failing at some point in time. I know, so could the non fan LED's but I would rather take my chances without a fan.

Basically I'm not a fan of a fan.
I'm not a fan of fans, either, which is why I purchased the Xenon Depot-branded units for my Ridgeline.

Then, I bought a new Miata a few months ago and heard a high-pitched fan noise when I got home with it and shut the engine off. Yup - the factory LED headlights have fans!
 
#37 ·
Apparently there have been some issues with high powered LEDs generating enough heat that the leds or drivers die. I think the Xenon Depot solution is a decent option, but I have an RTL and wanted to put in LEDs for highs, lows, and fogs. I thought it might get tight with all those fins sticking out of two sets of bulbs.

I ended up going with lights that have a fan and have the driver in a separate box. I figured that should be well suited to long life, but as often as manufacturers update their products it's probably going to be hard to know for sure what the life of the bulb will actually be unless they are junk and die quickly. There's just not enough time since release to know for sure.

I only ended up spending about $125 to do highs, lows, and fogs, so if they last a few years I'll be pretty happy with that.
 
#43 ·
This discussion of auto lights has been going on since at least the early "70's (yes I'm old). And the central problem is the federal government. The auto manufactures will do as much or as little as the government regulators allow them to do. Sealed beam headlights lasted as the only headlight allowed in U.S. produced cars until 1984. In 1984 the first American car with composite headlights with replaceable bulbs was produced. So, to improve auto lighting you need to move the mountain of federal regulation. Good luck.
 
#45 ·
Thanks for starting this thread. Good info. I live and drive on a very rural island on the coast of SC. Very dark roads that are like a tunnel with the overhanging oaks and Spanish moss. OH, and a LOT of deer!
After reviewing a lot of possible modifications to the existing lights I’ve come to the conclusion the best option is to add an LED light bar under the front bumper and not mess with the stock headlights. What I require is some very serious, long distance light when the high beams are on.
 
#61 ·
I studied up on the Gen1 LED replacements and settled on the Lightning Dark ones, purchased from Amazon. They are part of the video linked several posts back.
Notes, install and what became apparent...
I have no affiliation with any lighting manufacturer
The auto lighting reviewers on-line repeatedly say that light generation from an emitter with the same geometry as the original halogens is best in reflector housings.
Gen 1 Ridge = reflectors for both high and low beam.
The Gen 1 has dual purpose bulbs for low/high beams. A downward aiming reflector on the high beam filament focuses the light on the lower reflector housing generating the high beam pattern.
The Lightning Dark LED bulbs have a dual emitter design with equivalent spacing/size as the halogen filaments and a similar reflector on the emitter for the high beams.
I first marked my garage walls with blue masking tape, noting the hotspot and cut off of the OE halogens.
I installed the LEDs fully expecting housing adjustments would be necessary to get things sorted similar to the OE. This was not the case. (Wish I had documented and took pictures of the process)
As suggested by the reviewers, the LED with similar geometry put out a similar pattern with no adjustment required. The only difference in pattern I noted was slight, in the far outside of the patterns reach there were dim "horns" that were not there in the OE bulbs.
As expected, the light is brighter and whiter than the aged halogens. The halogens were original to the vehicle from 2009, and likely have faded considerably.

I am now thinking of making the same move with my wife's Highlander low beam projectors, upgrading the lumen output without and measuring for, but not expecting a pattern shift.
 
#53 ·
I'm puzzled. I have an RTLE, and maybe it is different, but in mine, the headlights can't be changed. Can you change the high beams in the RTLE, separately from the low beams?
 
#54 ·
Yes you can. By removing the plastic cover at the front of the engine department ( just pull upwards and it unclips ), along with the intake ( just two screws and twist ) it reveals the rear of the headlights. Both low beam and high beam are separate bulbs and separate locations within the headlight.

Just a matter of un-clipping the power connection to the bulb then turn 90 degrees and the bulb will release to pull out. Reverse application with a new LED bulb.
 
#56 ·
My dad has a 2017 RTL-E and he says he gets flashed all the time by other drivers that think his low beams are his brights.

From what I've seen of his auto high beams they work very well, so I'm curious if they've changed something if you're having problems with them. It's the one feature that has me seriously considering just going for the RTL-E or waiting for the 2020 sports to start rolling out.
 
#57 ·
My dad has a 2017 RTL-E and he says he gets flashed all the time by other drivers that think his low beams are his brights.
I had the same experience with my 2017 RTL-E.

 
#59 ·
I do get flashed at times and amusingly it's often by a Brodozer or Rig Pig lifted "real" truck.

The nice thing about the LED lows is they have very well defined cutoff. If you watch as you are driving with the lows on the line between light and dark is below the side mirros on the average sedan. The colour is bright but you're not blinding anyone you're following or oncoming traffic.
 
#63 ·
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