First X country road trip in 11 years

wrcsixeight

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Just yesterday I arrived in Florida leaving Southern California 10 days earlier, with a bunch of sight seeing out west, then a lot of night time driving from western New Mexico to Florida. I used to prefer driving less scenic or downright boring interstates at night for lesser traffic and lesser winds, but now with the proliferation of drop in LED's stuffed into halogen reflectors, aging eyes intolerant of excessive glare and generall growing misanthropic tendencies, I found myself getting incredibly angry. The Big rigs/18 wheelers/truckers seemed to be the biggest offenders in the glare department, but there were plenty of other offenders, and some of the newer vehicles with factory LEDS also had me holding my hand upto the mirrors and cursing and letting off the gas slowing down to force them to pass me.

I started the trip sitting behind GE nighthawk 6054 sealed beams getting within 0.3v of alternator voltage through a 10awg relayed harness, voltage that I control manually for more precise battery charging.

A lot of roads were daylight headlight sections, and in Arizona I discovered one bulb had failed, during the day. My digital multimeter with engine off showed 12.6v on both high and low beams with just the low beams on with the H4 plug still on the bulb, but as it should be with the bulb disconnected and connector probed. I was in a Very small town with only one AP store, and the only 6054 bulbs available were Sylvania Xtravision and the Silverstar, and I was turned off by the 35/65 wattage on the xtravision and bought one overpriced 55/65 Silverstar for $25.50 grumbling the whole way. I was also remembering reading something on this forum several years ago about the xtravision having a better beam pattern, or in some way being superior to the silverstar. I'm not into the whiter light blue glass marketing mumbojumbo but was then thinking the negativity of the Sylvania SS was the blue glass ovverdriven lowbeam filament short life and BS marketing.

Before installation, I turned on the lights and the failed passenger side was obviously still failed but the driver's side was still working. I installed the Silverstar and when I turned the lights on, I discovered the Driver's side GE nighthawk 6054 low beam failed. So these bulbs failed within 1 operable hour of each other as they were installed at the same time several years ago, and really did not have many accumulated hours on them.

I went back to the same AP store and bought the other 6054 silverstar and installed it and then found it was pointing much further down, and there is no easy way that the bulb could not be installed properly in the bucket to account for this different aim, so I found a wall with some flat area in front of it, and raised it and drove around a bit adjusting the aim until I thought the light output was generally where it should be. When I got on the interstates I Adjusted them again for 65mph which was slightly higher. Pretty easy to adjust my bulbs and I kept a phillips head screwdriver handy. I will do a more precise reaiming with the wall method now that I have reached my destination.

The Sylvanias beam pattern compared to the GE Nighthawks seems a bit wider with some trianguilar artifacts closer to the vehicle, and less of a hotspot off in the distance, but they did seem to highlight the white line on the side of the road pretty well. Did not get much of a chance to form a subjective opinion on the high beams.

I did like the GE nighthawk beam pattern better, but the Sylvanias are not as bad as expected. The 200MM cibies are still on the Want, rather than Need side of my lists.

While I know this is a bit hypocritical seeing as how my bulbs were subjectively aimed, but I am rather amazed just how poorly aimed so many other vehicle's lights are aimed, how many hottest spots were well below that the driver could ever see. I was doing a lot of comparisons to many other vehicles as they passed me, as I rarely drive above 68mph unless I am holding up traffic. The newer cars with excessively blinding LEDs, I believe were factory LEDS but am not 100% positive, but the trucker's glaring headlights was the most annoying and prolific.
 

-Virgil-

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When it was introduced, and for some number of years after, the H6054 Xtravision was a 65/55w unit. See here, and move your cursor around on the photo to magnify it. Right on the top of the box you see the wattage. The current packaging for the H6054XV says "35/65w", which would have to be low beam/high beam, and is backwards from the long-standing convention of listing wattage as high beam/low beam. The lens has also changed in at least one detail; originally the H6054XV said "SYLVANIA XTRAVISION" in the middle. Now it says "SYLVANIA PERFORMANCE". I haven't looked closely enough to see what other differences might exist in the lens. This "35 watt" claim for the low beam could be a plain old error, which has happened enough times to count with Sylvania. Or it could be for real. It would take an ammeter to know for sure.

It's frustrating to have to make a choice of lousy options because that's what's available in time of need. I think in your position I would have bought the Xtravisions, despite the uncertainty about the low beam wattage. Even if they are 35w, they're still likely better than the pure-hype Silverstars with their blue-coated internal bulb capsule. And while you don't mention how much the Xtravision was priced at, it was probably quite a bit less, making it more cost-effective, too. $26 is highway robbery for a pathetic product that does you worse than a standard (non-XV, non-SS) sealed beam.
 

wrcsixeight

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The XV's were $19.86 at the store, IIRC, so The SS's were not all that much more.

I Did find it interesting the GE bulbs failed within such a short period of time of each other. I knew the other was likely to fail not long after, but was hoping to get to a larger town which might have had more options and certainly better prices, but I've honestly never seen anything but Wagners or Sylvanias in AP stores in the 6054 size when I've glanced when there for something else. I had to order the GE Nighthawks several years back, as 3 different flaps did not carry GE in a fairly major metro area.

I do not recall seeing any info about the Wagner 6054s, but was disappointed with Sylvania as the only option.

One other thing I noticed on this roadtrip is the vehicles with LED running and brake lights would leave trails in my vision, like a psychedelic acid flashback, when I was scanning the road ahead. Especially evident on those red LEDs with a large vertical element, like the Cadilliac SUV which were downright obnoxious.

I'm not going to enjoy the ~40 hour return journey to California in the New year due to the glare.
 

-Virgil-

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It is hard to find GE vehicle lights on a walk-in basis, I've noticed the same thing.

Wagner's stuff is even worse than Sylvania's. That was true when they were making their own sealed beams, and it's even truer now that they're rebranded Eikos from China.

Those blinky-light trails left by LEDs have a name. It's called the "beads effect" and it's a result of obtaining a low-intensity mode (for taillights versus brighter stop lights, or front position lights versus brighter DRL or turn signal) by PWM, that is pulse width modulated power feed to the lamps. They look more or less steady-burning when viewed centrally, but the flicker is visible peripherally or when the light moves within your field of vision. Just like old magnetic-ballast fluorescent lights. I personally find it obnoxious and distracting.

$20 for an Xtravision sealed beam: still highway robbery, geeze. If the Cibies' price puts them on the "not now" list, you could get these for less money. Put good bulbs in them (these, for example) and aim them properly and you'll be better off than with any brand of sealed beam, with a payback pretty much the first time you replace a bulb. Make sure to get those particular headlamp units, though; the ECE ("Euro", "E-code") version is not worth buying.
 
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wrcsixeight

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Is it only the Hella E codes that have the issue with the high beams aimed too high when the lows are aimed correctly, or do both versions?

I wish i could have put the ~60$ with tax I spent for these silverstars towards Cibies with the Phillips extreme bulbs. I'd also enjoy the 15 minutes back the second time I had to wait in line to purchase the second silverstar from an apparently inept staff.

The GE6054NH's and upgraded harness were so much better than what I had before, and my limited night driving previous to this roadtrip, that The Cibies got pushed to the back burner. Hope they remain available until I can get my finances in order.
 

SubLGT

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Just yesterday I arrived in Florida leaving Southern California 10 days earlier, with a bunch of sight seeing out west, then a lot of night time driving from western New Mexico to Florida. I used to prefer driving less scenic or downright boring interstates at night for lesser traffic and lesser winds, but now with the proliferation of drop in LED's stuffed into halogen reflectors, aging eyes intolerant of excessive glare and generall growing misanthropic tendencies, I found myself getting incredibly angry. The Big rigs/18 wheelers/truckers seemed to be the biggest offenders in the glare department, but there were plenty of other offenders, and some of the newer vehicles with factory LEDS also had me holding my hand upto the mirrors and cursing and letting off the gas slowing down to force them to pass me...

It seems very unlikely that NHTSA will take enforcement action on currently existing highway glare issues. Their position seems to be that since there is no substantial data showing a link between glare and highway fatalities/accidents it is not a safety problem, just an annoyance. They are willing to fund studies on glare, but they are not willing to fund public education programs about glare, let alone fund lighting-law enforcement programs .
 

-Virgil-

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It seems very unlikely that NHTSA will take enforcement action on currently existing highway glare issues.

Last time I checked, NHTSA was working daily with US Customs and Border Protection to stop and seize shipments of HID kits and LED kits. But that was during the Obama Administration; the current administration is much more averse to regulation. And even despite those efforts, it didn't make much of a difference. I don't know why they don't go after Amazon and Ebay and companies like Putco and TRS. They could easily levy giant and enforceable civil penalties and recall mandates, make a real improvement in road safety, and make up for whatever budget shortcoming might result from the present administration's unwillingness to fund regulatory agencies. But they don't. It has been suggested they or their supervisors "upstairs" in the White House don't want to interfere with commerce (even though that commerce is illegal and kills people...just like drugs).

That said, vehicles in service are mostly not regulated by NHTSA, but by the state where they're registered. And most states do nothing (or nothing useful) about lighting enforcement. For that matter, even in states that have a vehicle code, usually the lighting portion is either totally minimal or totally outdated, and not practically enforceable.

We just don't care about this in America.
 

wrcsixeight

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The linked SAE units are much better on that score.

Thanks. I'll aim for the Cibies but accept the Hellas when the time comes.

Any recent threads on glare reducing glasses? I'll likely still prefer to drive through much of the night in wintertime on my return west.
 

Alaric Darconville

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Any recent threads on glare reducing glasses?
The human optical system having not changed in the past few (or millions) of years, the threads we have are recent enough. Boiled down, you want glasses whose lenses are tinted like the K2 photographic filters. Not just "like", but with the exact light transmittance. The Hoya K2 Yellow is an example. You can also get them tinted with the BPI "Winter Sun 450", and to the correct specification such that it has the correct transmittance. You'll also want antireflective coating, and if you ordinarily wear prescription lenses nearsightedness or astigmatism or both, definitely get these glasses made in your correct prescription.

Expect to pay quite a bit to do that; you won't be going to LensCrafters or Zenni Optical for this. You'll need to find a competent optician to do this, or at the very least one with the competence to recognize they don't have the correct equipment to do it but know who does. The place that does it should also provide a record of the luminous transmittance curve produced by a properly maintained luminous transmittance meter.

Also expect to not get it done very quickly-- this is something you would have been better served to have done long before leaving your home state in the first place. When you get back, it might be good to go ahead and get such a set of glasses made, because they'll come in handy overall. They can be permanent daytime wear and protect your eyes against sub-450nm light (including UV).

Another thing you'll want (and can pick up locally) is a good pair of sunglasses with UV protection (an optical shop will sell those and they can demonstrate their efficacy against UV); this will protect your eyes in the daytime sun and help preserve your night vision later in the evening, since they won't have been overworked making so much rhodopsin all day long. If you keep them on towards sunset and take them off 'just before' they make your view too dark, you'll find your night vision is better. Dim your dashboard lights, keep the glass very clean inside AND out, and ask any passengers to dim their phone screens-- all these will help.
 
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SubLGT

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Boiled down, you want glasses whose lenses are tinted like the K2 photographic filters. Not just "like", but with the exact light transmittance. The Hoya K2 Yellow is an example. You can also get them tinted with the BPI "Winter Sun 450", and to the correct specification such that it has the correct transmittance. You'll also want antireflective coating, and if you ordinarily wear prescription lenses nearsightedness or astigmatism or both, definitely get these glasses made in your correct prescription.

Expect to pay quite a bit to do that; you won't be going to LensCrafters or Zenni Optical for this. You'll need to find a competent optician to do this, or at the very least one with the competence to recognize they don't have the correct equipment to do it but know who does. The place that does it should also provide a record of the luminous transmittance curve produced by a properly maintained luminous transmittance meter....

Exactly how much money will a pair of specialized prescription lenses cost? Close to $1000 ?
 

SubLGT

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I used to prefer driving less scenic or downright boring interstates at night for lesser traffic and lesser winds, but now with the proliferation of drop in LED's stuffed into halogen reflectors, aging eyes intolerant of excessive glare and generall growing misanthropic tendencies, I found myself getting incredibly angry. The Big rigs/18 wheelers/truckers seemed to be the biggest offenders in the glare department, but there were plenty of other offenders, and some of the newer vehicles with factory LEDS also had me holding my hand up to the mirrors and cursing and letting off the gas slowing down to force them to pass me.

I came across this informative report (Feb 2007) from NHTSA titled "Nighttime glare and Driving Performance". You might find it interesting.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/glare_congressional_report.pdf

Some more reports on glare here:
https://one.nhtsa.gov/Research/Human-Factors/Headlighting
 
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-Virgil-

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A thousand bucks? Heck, no! Last time I had a set of these made, they were only marginally more than regular (non-yellow) lenses; I think they were something around $200. I think when Alaric said "expect to pay quite a bit", he meant don't expect to pay $39.99.
 

Alaric Darconville

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Exactly how much money will a pair of specialized prescription lenses cost? Close to $1000 ?
Oh, heavens no!

A thousand bucks? Heck, no! Last time I had a set of these made, they were only marginally more than regular (non-yellow) lenses; I think they were something around $200. I think when Alaric said "expect to pay quite a bit", he meant don't expect to pay $39.99.

I had a set made that was about $350; I specced CR-39 even though my cylindric and aspheric correction isn't very much, and I could have gotten away with polycarbonate without risk of detrimental chromatic aberration, got fairly expensive Ray-Ban browline frames, and all the other coatings (AR, UV-blocking, antiscratch) I could get. They also had to send the lenses off to a place to do tinting since they didn't have the precision equipment.

I got nicer frames because I can wear them throughout the day, not just while driving at night. You can surely cheap out on the frames if you think yellow glasses look weird, not many people are going to see you up close while you're driving at night.

Also, because I have an optometrist in my family, I don't get vision coverage through my workplace insurance. It somewhat evens out; I can get exams whenever I want, and that time I was dumb and mowed the lawn without protective eyewear and scratched my cornea, I got all checked out and all the eyedrops and all that stuff free, so that was nice. Remember, kids: When mowing the lawn wear earplugs AND safety glasses!
 

Marcturus

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Non-starter.
[Zeiss DriveSafe glasses and similar competing products "clear enough to sell as non-yellow" ]
Their light transmission curve is not even close to the correct one.
(The various wannabe lab-coated eyewear retailers I visited after the DriveSafes came out were hopelessly uninformed, not sure they even understood nanometer is not some other brand's hydrophobic coating name.) The only transmissivity curve I got a glimpse off from Zeiss's marketing video shows about a five percent reduced transmission at 450 nm to ten percent reduced at about 390 nm.

Does my description resemble the data you saw or measured?
 

Alaric Darconville

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The only transmissivity curve I got a glimpse off from Zeiss's marketing video shows about a five percent reduced transmission at 450 nm to ten percent reduced at about 390 nm.

Does my description resemble the data you saw or measured?

Sounds like it. Pretty much the lenses appear perfectly clear; they attenuate so little blue as to be useless as a blue light filter. You'll experience about the same glare wearing them as you would with normal lenses.

At least they're not like those orangey-brown "blue blockers" (As Seen On TV!) which reduces way too much light across a too-wide section of the spectrum to be useful at night-- but at least for daytime use they'll block more blue than the Zeiss lenses.
 
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