E-Code Headlamps vs US Spec Headlamps??

[cfromberg]

info on the upcoming "smart" lighting:

"Advanced Front-lighting System (AFS)

There has been a recent resurgence in interest in the idea of moving or optimizing the headlight beam in response not only to vehicular steering and suspension dynamics, but also to ambient weather and visibility conditions, vehicle speed, and road curvature and contour. A task force composed primarily of European automakers, lighting companies and regulators began working to develop design and performance specifications for what is known as Advanced Front-lighting Systems, commonly "AFS". Manufacturers such as Audi and Lexus have released vehicles equipped with AFS since 2002. Rather than the mechanical linkages employed in earlier directional-headlamp systems, AFS relies on electronic sensors, transducers and actuators. Other AFS techniques include special auxiliary optical systems within a vehicle's headlamp housings. These auxiliary systems may be switched on and off as the vehicle and operating conditions call for light or darkness at the angles covered by the beam the auxiliary optics produce. Development is underway of AFS systems that use GPS signals to anticipate changes in road curvature."

[cfromberg]

and remember, if you put in the ECE headlights you have to put in the full package including the leveling motors!

since the ECE headlights are emitting much less glare above the cut off, but much more glare below the cut off... if you have let's say 2 or 3 passengers in the car you should level your ECE headlights down like 1 or 2 steps on the ECE level dial... if you have like 3 passengers and the trunk packed with stuff you need to dial the level down all the way! if your towing you also need to level down all the way... if you don't install the motors you will blind oncoming traffic like your driving with ECE high beam, which is much stronger than the SAE high beam!!!

that's one of the major differences to the SAE US standard... the SAE headlights might glare more than the ECE, but for people that don't adjust their headlights or have heavy stuff in the rear of their vehicle the chance to blind someone as strong as unleveled ECE headlights is much smaller... that's also the reason that the SAE has less light on the road where it matters... if less light is on the street where it belongs there will be less light facing oncoming traffic when the lights are badly adjusted or the car is very heavy in the back...

i think a good compromise would be a mandatory self leveling ECE pattern with a little glare on over the ECE cut off pattern... until the full auto lights become available something has to be done since nighttime death rates are 6 times higher than day time (when put into perspective miles driven, not actual traffic @ night. of course there's less traffic at night.) there's nothing more dangerous to drive a car at nighttime! in terms of lighting technology we're still driving around with obsolete technology, even xenon lighting... what we need is something that gives us the means to see dangerous obejcts up to a mile away, which gives us the time to react... today our light ends @ around 100-120 yards @ highbeam... @ 65mph that gives us like 1-2 seconds time to react... and i think we move like 60 yards a second @ 65mph... and the human body needs 1 second to react to an emergency... that gives us like a few milliseconds to brakes, steer and avoid a pissibly deadly situation... i think much more should be done in terms of reflective material on vehicles and on the road... in terms of that let's us grasp that something is moving in a place on the road where in fact nothing should be moving.... if we can make something out like 500 yards, 400 yards out of the reach of our headlamps, then we most certainly will be able to avoid that situation...

i love those 3M lines on trucks that clearly shows what the silhouette of the trailer looks like ... if a 3M stripe would be mandatory on the rear bumper of each car, can be in the color of the car which makes it invisible during the day, and on the tires which makes the car super visible from the sides, it would make a huge difference in our everyday lives... especially in situations where there's oncoming traffic with a lot of glare... designer will make stuff like that part of the car and no one has to feel like they're destroying the look of their car...!

[cfromberg]

and in the same wiki article it clearly states:

"CMVSS 108 requires daytime running lamps on all vehicles made since 1 January 1990, while FMVSS 108 merely permits DRLs
CMVSS 108, through an adjunct called CMVSS 108.1, permits European Headlamps while FMVSS 108 prohibits them."
CMVSS=Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
FMVSS=Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (USA)

this means that in canada both ECE and SAE US spec lighting can be used... and in the USA only SAE lighting must be used! ECE lighting equipment is PROHIBITED!

in everyday driving this might not affect anyone since there's no real enforcement, BUT if you have an accident, especially at night or in difficult lighting situations like heavy rain or similar situations the insurers will blame it one the party with illegal lighting if they find out. and be sure, they will find out if they can save money by doing so!!!

i would't recommend driving with ECE lighting if you want to come out ahead if your were in a crash and need the money to make it through life... i'm not someone following the law to the last letter but i know insurance companies and they will come after you if you messed with important safety equipment on your vehicle... and lighting, especially your headlights and taillight are very important at night... if there's illegal stuff on your vehicle that might have been the cause for the accident they will get you... if you put in the full ECE package with leveling mechanism and that stuff then you might be able to prove that it was not a contributing factor in the crash... but if there's only part of the ECE equipment installed your screwed... and if the insurer wants to get out of their liability they will have a good chance when they find out....

and imagine your at fault and the person you hit is paralyzed for life and your insurance says NONONO... basically your screwed... you will lose your house and everything else you own... and imagine you have to face the family, kids and wife, in court and they know because of you they're screwed too.... no average person has the money to care for a severely disabled person for life...

[01turbo]

geez. you make us all not want want to drive or mod cars! good points though.

[lkchris]

Ok, so where can I get E-code halogen headlights?

Not HID, that is.