Led Headlights Too White?

[Doesn'tExist]

I must admit that I was really really disappointed by the LED headlights tonight. I went out to get a curry takeaway and it was raining cats and dogs. Anyway the LED headlights turned to almost non existent, it was like they were too white to cope with the weather. I've had this before when I had aftermarket HIDs on another car which were 6000K and pretty useless and I changed the bulbs for 4300K and they were fantastic.

The LED headlights were great on the dry dark evenings, but this bit of rain really made me go to full beams constantly. Never had this before on OEM headlights but granted I have never had LED headlights before.

Does anyone else experience this?

[RNS]

i don't know about that..... but i find that on coming drivers are still flashing me my must think i got main beam on.

so must be bright.

[Doesn'tExist]

i don't know about that..... but i find that on coming drivers are still flashing me my must think i got main beam on.

so must be bright.

Oh they are bright, no doubt about that, very bright indeed. But I think they are the wrong colour to be effective in the rain. You may be too young to remember, the French went the other way and made the yellow headlights mandatory which are fantastic in the rain just not very good at other times. I think 4300K perhaps 5000K tops is the right colour temperature but I guess these are much much cooler.

[RNS]

yer i seen some yellow ones about on old cilos i think...... seem odd.i aint diving in the dark yet much but once i am working again thats all ill be doing working nights and all that. ill compare them to the other taxi's

the thing i don't like about the car the most is the parcel shelf its like its been borrow from a kia or something.

[Doesn'tExist]

LOL It is a bit flimsy isn't it ;-)

[Grumpy Cabbie]

It might not be just the LED headlights that are crap in the rain. I have the normal, basic, bog standard headlights and they are cheese in heavy rain (like tonight).

[Doesn'tExist]

LOL Maybe it is a Toyota thing then, or perhaps it is just me. Both my wive and I have had big full size 4x4's for years and thus experience the rain a little different perhaps...

That's really what I wanted to verify whether others have the same experience. The only ones answering on Priuschat live in California so not much comparison as rain is rare

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I think its just some modern headlights. I generally find the 'projector' headlamps pretty poor in the wet.

With Range Rovers (assume this your big SUV) you get HID lights but they're also mounted quite high up so shine down onto the road.

[Parts-King]

Am I the only person who just doesnt like LED lights full stop? They are too bright, too big, too in your face, just too everything. You see those Audi's coming towards you looking very aggressive, even worse coming up behind you, I just dont like 'em.......Rant over

Kingo

[Gav 18]

Maybe a daft question but which lights are people talking about? I thought normal headlights (side/dipped and main beams) where all conventional/Xenon bulbs and the LEDs were reserved for DRLs?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

There is an option on the latest Prius to have LED headlights (not side lights or side marker lights).

It's a new technology and means the headlights should last a very long time with minimal power consumption. They're quite expensive at the moment but will probably come down in price.

You can tell which Prius has them as the headlights are different - one big, two small lamps within each headlight instead of two similar sized lamps on each side on the standard headlamp.

[Doesn'tExist]

Maybe a daft question but which lights are people talking about? I thought normal headlights (side/dipped and main beams) where all conventional/Xenon bulbs and the LEDs were reserved for DRLs?

No on the prius you can have led headlights.

[johalareewi]

If the rain is too heavy for headlights, have you tried the front fogs?

[timberwolf]

Am I the only person who just doesnt like LED lights full stop? They are too bright, too big, too in your face, just too everything. You see those Audi's coming towards you looking very aggressive, even worse coming up behind you, I just dont like 'em.......Rant over

Kingo

I'd add to that rant the misuse of front fog light either in the rain or as driving lights at night.

[Parts-King]

Imagine what the world will be like next year when DRL's come in as standard? everybody will be flashing you thinking your headlights are on, I can just imagine what will be in the mind of some old gizzer in a Morris 1000 is thinking coming in the opposite direction :fishyface:

[timberwolf]

I'm not anti all lights just the really bright ones especially those cold ones with the blue or purple tinge.

I think DRL are a good idea, before Canada mandated them I seem to recall that they had a law where you had to switch your car lights on at least half an hour before sunset.

[Doesn'tExist]

I like DRL, but then again I come from a country where in the last 20 years it was the norm to have your lights on when driving. I noticed this morning on a new Audi S5 that when indicating the DRL dimmed and came back on when it finished indicating. I did like that, especially as I thought the pretty brunette was winking at me :-)

[Parts-King]

I noticed this morning on a new Audi S5 that when indicating the DRL dimmed and came back on when it finished indicating. I did like that, especially as I thought the pretty brunette was winking at me :-)

Yes I have noticed that myself, it's a good idea because the DRL's are very bright. Now I know this might sound a bit daft but the rear lights are not on with DRL's. I can see problems ahead when in poor weather (rain in particular) drivers will rely on having the DRL's running but if you are behind one, the tail lights wont be on Just an observation of an Audi I saw last week

Kingo

[Doesn'tExist]

I am pretty certain that dlr comes with auto lights. I know my audi does, and our prius :-) but yes in rain auto headlights aren't always switching on nor in the fog as I noticed this morning.

[Parts-King]

I noticed the Audi coming towards me on a horrible day, the DRL's were very bright and dimmed as he indicated on a roundabout, but as I followed him there were no rear lights on, which could be very dangerous on a motorway at daft MPH with a lot of spray around. Fine if you have auto lights that come on, but what if you dont have auto lights? or do all cars with DRL's have auto lights as standard? I dont know the answer to that one

Kingo

[Gav 18]

The Auris Hybrid has DRLs and, if you have the T Spirit model, auto lights too. I personally leave the lights to manual on mine, as I noticed the other day when driving down a shaded road the lights were coming on every time I drove into the shade and off on the un-shaded parts of the road. The guy in front must have thought I was flashing him.

The Auris doesn't have rear DRLs either, but that also appears to be the case for other cars with DRLs such as new VW Golf's as well as Audi's.

From reading the manual, it sounds like the Auris automatically turns the DRLs off when the headlights come on. It also says the DRLs can be disabled by removing the fuse.

[Parts-King]

So you see my point? If a driver did not have auto on lights, he might think my DRL's are on therefore I don't need to turn my lights on in poor weather, only to find somebody running up his rrr's because they didnt see him with the road spray?

I know it's not a big deal, maybe I'm coming over that it is I must take the tablets

Kingo

[kithmo]

I can just imagine what will be in the mind of some old gizzer in a Morris 1000 is thinking coming in the opposite direction

My ears are burning

[Parts-King]

Don't worry Kithmo, I used to look after one for a customer hundreds of years ago when I were a lad

The bloke nearly had a coronary when I road tested it and the bonnett flew open on me blanking ALL vision and nearly causing a trouser accident Them were the days!

Kingo