[goj]

I actually feel like I'm blinded by Prius headlights the most. Interesting. I had a hunch my headlights were aimed low

[jphughan]

The adaptive headlamps at least with AHL2 (retrofittable to E9x cars via coding and I believe standard on F Series cars with adaptive lamps) will aim farther down the road and with a narrower beam at higher speeds, and they deliberately aim lower and wider at low speeds. You can see this happen in your garage with AHL2 enabled by toggling your headlamp switch between Auto (which uses adaptive functionality) and regular On. I wonder if the IIHS testing took that into account? That might also affect the practicality and safety of a DIY headlamp aiming since setting it to satisfaction at low speeds could become dangerously high at higher speeds, and you as the driver wouldn't notice that as much.

And to the point about making sure the left and right beam cutoffs align on a DIY, I don't think that's right either. The charts indicate that the lamp farthest away from oncoming traffic is aimed higher to cast a longer beam because it's safe to do so on that side, which is a standard practice even for non-adaptive lamps,so I would imagine that the cutoffs SHOULDN'T align on a wall test even when aligned with the switch in the regular On mode.

[TN_3]

All the more reason those with LEDs need to code in VLD and NGHB...only way to realize the full potential of the LEDs.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by TN_3

All the more reason those with LEDs need to code in VLD and NGHB...only way to realize the full potential of the LEDs.

Agreed. Saw the demo of no-dazzle high beams and wanted them so badly, but didn't have an F Series car. US owners who do have F Series cars and also have either automatic high-beams or Speed Limit Info, either of which adds the necessary sensor, should absolutely get that coded on.

[AWDBooSTIn90]

Originally Posted by ashmostro

Great post.

This is why I re-aim the headlights first thing once I take delivery. I even did this on my 335is and it made a huge difference. I plan to do the same with the F80 if it seems to have the same problem.

DIY!!! Pleasee


Or maybe just a short write up on how they should be aimed.

Like say.

Position car X' feet away from a flat and straight vertical wall.

Position headlights so beam is X" inches from the ground...


Also theres another adjuster screw that seems to move the actual projector lense itself closer or further away from the HID bulb/internals of projector. What does this do and how does it affect the light beam. Does it widen it in some way or should that not be touched. I accidentally moved that on my car ('07 E92) and i put it back the best i could to where it was originally, but my headlights seem all out of whack and i can't find a guide on how to properly adjust Bi-Xenon projectors or even better specific to the E92 AHL projectors or a guide on how to set up a typical BMW Bi-Xenon headlight for optimal lighting on dark back woods county roads without having to use the high-beams unless necessary or when able too.

If anyone has any input on this I'm sure a lott of people would find this helpful!!!

Thanks
Anthony

[CanadianGatorBacon]

Since this got posted on the main page, graphs for the 2er drivers reading this:

According to the new IIHS headlight test, to the front left of the car low beams should shine about 200 ft forward and directly in front of the car the low beams about 320 ft. The IIHS tested 2er with HID headlights measured just under 100 ft on the left (less than half!!! ) and about 250 ft in front (still 70 ft short).



For all the halogen people ...

[Remonster]

This makes a lot of sense. My previous E92 M3 had Xenons with the US-specific coding disabled so I had the full functionality of the Xenon system as they are sold in Europe. Those headlights were incredible, they would adjust at highway speeds to light very far ahead of the car and at lower speeds would aim out wider to cover the right and left. The swivelling into corners was also much more aggressive and useful than the default US setting.

Now, I drive an F30 with LEDs (non-adaptive) and they are pointed straight down into the ground. The low beams are plenty bright but only for objects very close to the front bumper. I'm sure this aiming was done to meet some archaic US regulations, flick on the high beams and you can practically see into the next state.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Remonster

This makes a lot of sense. My previous E92 M3 had Xenons with the US-specific coding disabled so I had the full functionality of the Xenon system as they are sold in Europe. Those headlights were incredible, they would adjust at highway speeds to light very far ahead of the car and at lower speeds would aim out wider to cover the right and left. The swivelling into corners was also much more aggressive and useful than the default US setting.

Now, I drive an F30 with LEDs (non-adaptive) and they are pointed straight down into the ground. The low beams are plenty bright but only for objects very close to the front bumper. I'm sure this aiming was done to meet some archaic US regulations, flick on the high beams and you can practically see into the next state.

I think the biggest thing is US cars, have weird ride heights. Also the spings tend to sag after a while. And also the car gets strapped down during transport many times over(factory to ship, PDI center, then truck to dealer). This all changes the car's ride height. Then the car gets to the dealer - where they are paid to align the car and check the headlight's aiming. Most of the time this isn't done.

I bet IF the car just had their headlights properly adjusted... the test would come out differently.

Also the EU coding for the AHL are way better than what passes for DOT/NIHSA laws. The headlight laws in Europe are many times safer than what we have in the US.

For my 135i... I had my US spec car "coded" to EU headlight specs. The difference is very noticeable. Starting with the e60... BMW has headlights that put out twice as much light as the US allows on the high beams. On the low beams the headlights have a wider setup, allowing for more wider lit road. As your speed increases, the headlights move to a "straighter" setup - see attached BMW picture.

Remonster you can have your F30's LED's coded to EU specs and you will be amazed on the difference in beam pattern and light brightness. IF you have HBA(high beam assistant) you can also have the car turn on the highbeams automatically.

Dackel

[SaMaster14]

I coded on the adaptive headlights... Which are amazing when you actually need them imo.

I live in LA, where nightly driving is usually no big issue. And I just turn on adaptive if I'm going down a dim lit road.

Thank you for sharing and explaining the comparison test!

[Dazza335iC]

Originally Posted by bradleyland

Hopefully this helps explain why BMW got dinged so hard in the new headlight test. It should also explain why everyone is so confused by the rating. The LED lights are very bright, but the low-beam setting is aimed such that the light is directed at the ground in front of the car, not down the road where you need to see.

This is a feeling I've had with all of my BMW headlights in all of my previous cars, be they e46, e90, or otherwise. The low beams are always sufficiently bright, but they point straight down! What good is a bright headlight beam if it's aimed to terminate just 30' in front of my car? I've always adjusted my headlights up to a more usable point, so that they terminate just below the horizon when on a perfectly flat surface. This provides far better "throw" down the road without the risk of flashing other drivers (unless you hit a speed bump, but that's another matter...). Driving my wife's new Outback, I can say that it's headlights are aimed just below the horizon straight from the factory, and even though they are halogen-bulb projector lights, they do an excellent job of illuminating everything that they need to. Though the adaptive headlights on my e90 are still better, once properly aimed

[raysspl]

Thanks for sharing this. Looks like I'll have to adjust the beams on the new 3 then...

[Jim E.]

Originally Posted by AWDBooSTIn90

DIY!!! Pleasee


Or maybe just a short write up on how they should be aimed.

Like say.

Position car X' feet away from a flat and straight vertical wall.

Position headlights so beam is X" inches from the ground...


Also theres another adjuster screw that seems to move the actual projector lense itself closer or further away from the HID bulb/internals of projector. What does this do and how does it affect the light beam. Does it widen it in some way or should that not be touched. I accidentally moved that on my car ('07 E92) and i put it back the best i could to where it was originally, but my headlights seem all out of whack and i can't find a guide on how to properly adjust Bi-Xenon projectors or even better specific to the E92 AHL projectors or a guide on how to set up a typical BMW Bi-Xenon headlight for optimal lighting on dark back woods county roads without having to use the high-beams unless necessary or when able too.

If anyone has any input on this I'm sure a lot of people would find this helpful!!!

Thanks
Anthony

Some info from a good source.

[Lups]

Originally Posted by rhk118

+1...I pointed both of my LED headlights up...made projection down the road better, not great, but better. Although the high beams are probably the brightest I've ever seen on any car...

That's the thing. They are bright.

It's the darkness we are trying to keep at bay and sadly, the difference becomes too much.

To the earlier posts, I appreciate the technology. I felt like stating what I knew was needed because a driver assumes certain things.

A car moves.

Scenery moves.

Situation moves.

And those are under our control. Until the world goes wrong and you can't trust all you see.

The LED's got no arguments before I took the time to trash them. I was harsh but for a very good reason. Seeing so well in the spots the show is good. It just takes all the rest away.

There will not be road testings such as I did with this generation, and my observations won't help many. I wanted to point the flaws out even if I took the hit.

[x5mad]

From factory my low beam was abysmal. After aiming it up a little it is now perfect! The high beam is awesome, the brightest I have had to date.

[AGONXF30]

When I had a LCI F30 loaner with the non adaptive LED I thought they light performance was very poor. I did not think they were any better than the adaptive HID in the F30. Whiter and slightly brighter, yes, but performance down the road was abismal.

[shivaswrath]

BMW USA can easily remedy this.
At delivery, aim lights a few degrees up.

[Carnook]

Originally Posted by bradleyland

Hopefully this helps explain why BMW got dinged so hard in the new headlight test. It should also explain why everyone is so confused by the rating. The LED lights are very bright, but the low-beam setting is aimed such that the light is directed at the ground in front of the car, not down the road where you need to see.

I'm confused by this. Low beams are supposed to be pointed down because they are intended to be used in areas with ambient lighting such as urban roads or roads with oncoming traffic. High beams are meant to be used in areas with no or low ambient lighting so they light up both the road and surrounding areas to compensate.

[FogCityM3]

Nice work. On the E9x gen, for non-adaptive headlights (but with the auto leveling feature), you could actually manually adjust how high the headlight pointed by turning the screw on top of the headlight. Does the new gen not have this (or is it just not part of adaptive headlight package)?

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by Carnook

I'm confused by this. Low beams are supposed to be pointed down because they are intended to be used in areas with ambient lighting such as urban roads or roads with oncoming traffic. High beams are meant to be used in areas with no or low ambient lighting so they light up both the road and surrounding areas to compensate.

Not with LEDs.

If you have LEDs you will know because LEDs are extremely bright, it is so bright that for night time driving, you cannot see anything else. That is dangerous as LEDs blinds your surroundings at night. Your eyes won't adjust between such a bright object and complete no lighting that is beyond.

A stock US LEDs spec is bad, it is aimed so far on the ground you cannot see anything after where your lights are aimed at, especially if there is no ambient lighting. A Euro Spec LED changes that enough where you can actually see things around it, especially with Auto high beams you can see hell of a lot more then what US spec has.

The difference between a stock US LED and EU Spec LED is pretty big. Not to mention if you high beam a LED, you pretty much blind the opposite on coming traffic. The point of all of this is that BMW isn't adjusting their LEDs correct for US, it is fine for EU but it isn't for the US. US is pointed too far on the ground and most people that don't follow the forums or care, won't know about coding the LED headlights differently.

It is dangerous in suburban areas and US have plenty of that. You will be surprised how low light some places in the US have.

Edit: This is as much about how BMW's US Spec LEDs are pointed to the ground as how your eyes work at night. Either BMW themselves missed a step or they don't know how bad the US LEDs they have happens to be.

[doccyber]

Originally Posted by AIRPOWER

This is actually a lot better than the other thread I read on the same subject.

Thanks for breaking it down the way you did.....very digestible.

Winner or not.....I still wouldn't be caught DEAD in a F-ing Prius (even at night with the better LEDs ), I don't even like to ride as a PAX in my friend's.

[Kenu8187]

Originally Posted by SaMaster14

I coded on the adaptive headlights... Which are amazing when you actually need them imo.

I live in LA, where nightly driving is usually no big issue. And I just turn on adaptive if I'm going down a dim lit road.

Thank you for sharing and explaining the comparison test!

Where did you get the coding for the headlights?

[Saphirschwarz]

I got the adaptive LEDs on my 428 and i fully agree ... they lighten the road extremely well for 20 meters and then nada... i really wish i could lift the beam a little...