The Surprising Truth About BRIGHTER HEADLIGHTS Nobody Tells You

It's too easy to buy illegal upgrades for your headlights these days, so its always worth double checking quite how brilliant your bulbs are and if the are for Off-Road Use only! Our weekly diaries are designed to keep you updated with progress in the workshop between 'full size' episodes that take much longer to make. A little glimpse behind the scenes with the odd job filmed in slightly less detail (although this one is quite in depth).

Edd China's Workshop Diaries Catch Up 21-12-2024

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Music:
On The Fence - Sam Wedgwood
Cobweb Of Intrigue - Chris Warner

Thanks as always to my production pixies for keeping up with all of the distractions.

…and if your company has a cool or interesting product or process that you think the audience would like to find out more about, please do also get in touch.

So, come and have a wonder around the workshop and enjoy the show!

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[eddchina]

Thanks for all of the great comments about car lighting. Really interesting! We have a Christmas treat for you on the 27th of December! John buys the cheapest Ferrari in Europe (perhaps the World)!! Wishing you all a great Christmas break! Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Mele Kalikimaka!...

[cybersheep]

all the vehicles that dazzle me are typically less than five years old, so the dazzling issue doesn't come from people with older cars fitting illegal LED bulbs, rather from the somehow legal factory fitted units in modern vehicles

[kingbertie]

Now that all 'modern' vehicles seem to come as standard with brighter lights, including the 'daytime' driving lights, it begs the question as to why the designers have been allowed to position the front indicators so close to them, especially the ones that are in the same 'main' unit, as it can make it very difficult to actually see the indicator in use. Depending on the position of the indicators the driving and 'daytime' lights can sometimes easily overwhelm them to the point that they can hardly be seen.

[Travis_]

Am I getting old or are oncoming headlights at night brighter?

[AndrewPoole]

Here’s the dangerous thing about very bright headlights. The contrast ratio between the dark area outside of the headlights is perceptually darker with much brighter lit areas. These areas are much more defined with new lamps as well. With the brighter lights our iris closed down and the contrast ratio means especially in poorly lit or unlit road areas means if an animal child or object is in the unlit zone you will not see it until it moves into the lit zone and depending on your beam spread and contrast ratio and speed you are actually much more likely to hit that object. Seems counter intuitive but that’s how it works. Lights now are actually really badly designed. Bright is not necessarily best depending on bream design spread and distance.

[oojimmyflip]

Bang on Edd, I'm glad someone is addressing this, some fail the Mot test because they lack definition. I've noticed the extra glare since my midd 40s and nearly 60 now. Headlamps have been getting to bright the ring 200% brighter old style halogen bulbs are sufficient and have come a very long way but Leds are positively dangerous if you are blinded by them, why do manufacturers not align headlamps on new cars they drive around for 3 years before the first Mot with lamps out of alignment.

[gtm_]

At the moment I own three old VWs from the late 80s till late 90s. All with glass headlight lenses and regular H4 halogen bulbs. Compared to previous cars with plastic lenses which tend to get foggy, the glass lenses make a massive difference in the clarity of the light.

I feel like the halogen light itself is perfectly adequate for any situation, combined with good clear lenses. Main beam is plenty of light when there's no other traffic. Dipped beam is much nicer for the oncoming traffic. Less harsh light with a lower brightness.

Also the colour is much nicer to the eyes. With white LED light I feel like I can't see beyond the dipped beam. The contrast between the bright white light and the darkness beyond becomes to large. With the more natural coloured light of the halogen bulbs, I can still kinda see beyond the light, look more into the distance.

[georgeliquor]

One of the most dangerous things on the road, super bright white headlights, totally obscure the road to the point one has to stop as the road ahead is not visible, totally unnecessary

[brianoconnor]

Here in the states the big auto manufacturers are using some of the brightest LED headlamps right from the factory floor. If you're in a small car And one of the monstrous trucks or SUVs goes by, or worse pulls up behind. You are liable to go blind, it's like staring into the sun.

[JxH]

10:02 *Thank you for using the word 'plethora', it means a lot to me.*

[TSVStriFe]

Edd and Crew I want to wish you amazing people merry christmas and a happy new year!

[garyyule]

I'm sick of getting blinded at night with these bright lights approaching you it's almost like they are driving around with their main beam on all the time they should be banned it's not like we needed them before.

[trickyfocus]

Its worse when the car parks on the wrong side with headlights on and half on pavement

[MostBever]

The already legal LED lights on modern cars are so bright anyway and blinding.

[Colorado-Tinkering]

With some spare time, I geeked out about the subject several years ago.
To my surprise, I found out that the lamps’ reflector is specifically designed for a certain type of lightbulb. And I don’t mean just LED or incandescent, etc. It seems that the position of the light source (filament or other), either on the x, y, or z axis, the distance from the light emitter, and other inputs, dictate the designed shape of the reflector.
So, if a lamp’s reflector was specifically designed for a horizontally mounted incandescent filament at 20 mm away, using a xenon bulb in the same lamp may reflect the light into completely unintended directions. The resulting lighting may be great for the driver, but of great nuisance to oncoming traffic.
I believe I read that this sort of modification is illegal and at least some United States states.

[jasoneldridge]

You can change the wiring on T5 headlamps with H4 bulbs to H7 operation, where the dipped beam remains on when main beam is selected as they do on Caravells. It involves adding an extra wire from a spare terminal on the light switch to the dipped beam wire after the dip/main switch

[scotisland]

LED madness, its not just the headlights its brake lights as well. Most drivers seem to sit in a que with their foot on the brakes, blinding the driver behind. Even the LED traffic lights are too bright!

[rorto]

Funny you've done a rant on illegal lighting when many moons ago you installed an illegal HID conversion kit into a halogen headlight 😂

[jwvandegronden]

Finally, that ending was what I had gotten used to, great camera work and the music timed to perfection on the accompanying vid! I was about to ask, without alienating the current camera man if that is still the same guy or girl as previously you had some gorgeous angles giving us the fly on the wall feeling under the most impossible circumstances. This ending reminds me of that, including the track to go with it, lovely and a great treat for my soul who jumps for joy as soon as artistry comes into play! Thanks to you all! Enjoyed it to bits and just as an FYI I truly don't mind the tea time bits you guys used to have, but I follow your decisions in that process and hope you are enjoying it just the same, indifferent of how it is shared with the outside world!

[jaffajedi]

If councils used cats eye's and painted the sides of the roads it would help, but they seem to get rid of them when any resurfacing takes place on A roads