Laser Headlights

[Stephen Biko]

This is pretty slick. I particularly like the narrow passage guidance lights, something I've wished for more than a few times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WvK5WC4ns0

[dietz99vcross]

While they are cool they will not be available in the US until our wonderful government changes the laws that require all vehicles to have 2 and only 2 lights per side (1 hi beam and 1 low beam). The adaptive part requires multiple lights that don't meet these requirements, so Europe yes, Asia yes, US no, so sad.

[Thelgord]

Well damn ...

[Cobrajet]

Pure fantasy! What are they going to predict next? Cars that automatically adjust their cruise control speed and following distance based on other cars on the road? Cars that can parallel park themselves? Windows that close automatically when it starts raining? I'm not buying it. They'll never build a car finer than my Yugo!

[dietz99vcross]

Yeah the tech is cool but the learning curve for some of us elders is a little steeper than for my kids. My wife's new Mazda6 has the radar controlled cruise control which is cool until the other day when I had it set at 75 and came up on a guy that was slowing for the reduced speed ahead. As we were both now going about 50 mph for several miles, life was good until he pulled to the right and the cruise decided 75 was the right speed. Totally my fault but still a bit exhilarating.

[Bird Dog 36]

I just converted my headlights over to HID, and drove it home last night, and what a difference! I would recommend this upgrade for anyone looking for brighter headlights, greater clarity and a more modern look. And for under $100.00, you can't go wrong. I'm not sure if they are legal in all states though.

[Stephen Biko]

Unless the entire optics system has been replaced -- unlikely for less than $100 -- they are illegal in all states.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

[Stephen Biko]

Totally my fault but still a bit exhilarating.
I disagree, it isn't your fault at all. It is the system designer's fault. Automated driving systems like adaptive cruise control and automatic lane keeping are explicitly designed to make you pay less atttention. If they are going to do that, they need to be smart enough to alert you when it is time to pay more attention. Half-assed automation is more dangerous than no automation.

[Bird Dog 36]

Definitely an in depth and interesting "one person's opinion" article no doubt. Since opinions are like @ssholes, and we all have one, I'll just respectfully agree to disagree with both of you. I suppose the proof is in the pudding, and I have used these conversion kits on multiple vehicles,and I am glad that I made the change every time.

Other inputs is what makes this forum so great.

[dietz99vcross]

I feel the issue of better or not is different than legal or not. I have no doubt that companies like Audi and BMW have spent millions developing products that far and away are superior to what we have had as headlights for decades. I am sure in many ways HID is superior, but that doesn't change the fact that the laser headlights and what appears to be any of the retrofit hid kits are considered illegal by our government. This doesn't mean you can't do it, it doesn't mean it isn't better, it doesn't mean you will get caught it just means it may be illegal. On the article that is listed I connected to the link for the NHTSA

http://dsl.torque.net/images/techdocs/NHTSA_Crackdown.jpg

which states that it has investigated 24 manufacturers and all 24 have resulted in recalls or terminations of sales.

[Stephen Biko]

Not all opinions are equal.

In case that press release from 2004 seems a little old, here's one from last week:
----
SEMA eNews Vol. 18, No. 3, January 15, 2015

As SEMA has reported in the past, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is targeting high-intensity discharge (HID) conversion kits for enforcement actions.

The NHTSA has concluded that it is impossible to produce HID conversion kits (converting a halogen system to HID) that would be compliant with the federal lighting standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. The noncompliant kits frequently include a HID bulb, a ballast, an igniter, a relay and wiring harness adapters.
...

http://www.sema.org/?q=node/4182

[Bird Dog 36]

That seems like it would be hard to enforce, since I know of new cars that have come off the lot with HIDs and conversion HIDs. (My '08 Saleen was this way). If factory HIDs are acceptable, I find it hard to believe that they are going to expect our law enforcement to know which makes, models, and model years came with the acceptable lights.
No doubt that any headlights that are improperly aimed can be annoying.
It will be interesting to see if this light enforcement ever takes place.

[rowhard]

As Will Rogers said, 'thank god we don't have all the government we pay for,' the B@stards!

[Stephen Biko]

I am sure they will continue to go after the vendors. Chances are the only time an individual driver will have legal problems is when they bring attention to themselves. Like being pulled over for some other reason or being involved in an accident. In which case I expect the insurance company will cite their installation to deny any claims, particularly liability claims. Like Janis once said - freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.