I know that Europe would like all countrys to go DLR and I think I have found a soloution which would interest most partys.
DLR's have always been Headlights, but in this day and age with ever brighter bulbs and 4x4's with headlights at eyelevel this is just asking for trouble.
so here is the solution we use front foglights, I can find a whole ream of reasons why it would be better including;
The beam isn't so powerful as to distract you.
we won't have problems with boyracers since we all will have the frontfogs on.
Bulb changes will be less frequent since at night we switch to dipped beam, so are only using the headlights the same length of time as normal,
If you need to flash someone they are more likely to see you flash.
Some manufactures are fitting headlights and indicators within the specifed distance this means approaching a car with headlights and an indicator going is harder to pick out.
Foglights on 4x4s are fitted nearer to headlight level (factory fitted jobs in the bumpers)those with them mounted on a bullbar may cause the same problem.
My final thought on the headlamp subject is dim-dip should be reinstated and used around town and the 4x4s need to have the beam aimed at max 5% not 1.25%.
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What's "DLR"?
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L\'escargot.
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Obligatory use of front fog lamps? Now that is a stroke of genius.
Excelent. I have mine on now as you all know. In fact I have rewired the 'Ran so they come on as soon as the ignition is on.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I always though that DLR was Docklands Light Railway!
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I always though that DLR was Docklands Light Railway!
Thats what i thought when i saw the title too.
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Just think about all those Peugeot, Citroen & Mercedes owners out there with automatic headlamps that switch themselves on & off when it gets dark or starts to rain.
I take it the owners will have to foot the bill to pay for the software download to disable this feature & make them stay on permanently when the engine is started then?
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Just think about all those Peugeot, Citroen & Mercedes owners out there with automatic headlamps that switch themselves on & off when it gets dark or starts to rain.
They can be overidden manually to ensure the driver can switch them on if desired. They can't be switched off though, except to switch to the low level lights.
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They can be switched off if I want to switch them off, But why should I?
The car turns the lights on when it gets dark or starts raining so thats good enough for me.
It tells you in the owners handbook how to turn the auto lights feature on or off, Takes about 5 seconds to do.
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A better idea would be to have running lights, a la Volvo.
Yes, having lights continually on is worthwhile in our changeable climate, but suggesting front fog lights are the way to achieve this is ill conceived.
A fog beam is just as distracting to traffic, if not more so than a headlight.
Since when has bulb life taken priority over safety?
Flashing other people is a mugs' game. It's too easily misconstrued.
What do you mean by "fitting headlights and indicators within the specified distance"? I think you may mean that indicators may be harder to see because they are integral to the headlight. Not really a new development in light design though is it?
I do agree that 4x4s like the new Range Rover for example do issues with headlight level, but fogs on isn't the way to go. You probably don't realise how many other people are distracted from their driving when you drive around with your fogs on. Have you painted them yellow too?
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A much better idea would be to tell Europe where to stick there policys.
They already got rid of the dim dip system & now they want us to drive around with headlamps on 24/7
It also seems it doesnt matter if you drive around with front fogs on because theres no police out on the roads to give you a ticket anyway.
This country is going to the dogs.
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Silly idea. I wonder if Kinnock was behind this.
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There is always disagreements between us and europe and my preference would be to reinstate dim-dip and made mandatory for driving around town, but what is the liklyhood of that happening ?
headlights have a beam angle - deisgned to see a distance of 75 to 80 meters so from 80 meters away you are distracted by the car, foglights have a high intensity for about 20mtrs max but can still be seen from 80 meters, Foglights only use at present standard bulbs, headlights can be HID - very dangourous when the auto balance equipment is poorly designed - Blue coloured to resemble HID or effect, yellow coloured, green cloured, 50% brighter white and couple that with the fact some people sell the 100watt off road version as safe for on road use . basically driving down the road at night is like a disco effect and this will be come part of the day as well.
I have watched meny police programs involving one travelling with a traffic cop who passed a car with front fogs on, he didn't even point or flash, if this doesn't say the law is an arse I don't know what does.
You may have noticed from the thread I surgested fitting systems which make the fog lights turn off at night ( replaced by headlights)Thus no one has fogs on at night obviously if it gets foggy you can switch back to foglights just be activating the rear fogs, for a period of 30mins when the system auto reverts back to fogs off.
The whole system is fool proof.
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Except that a better system already exists: the Volvo solution.
I thought about upgrading my headlights to HID but decided against it on the grounds that a retrofit wouldn't have the benefit of a levelling system. I can wait till I'm due for a replacement vehicle and have the factory option instead.
I feel strongly that we should have 'running lights' here in the UK. I drive around Scandinavia and Finland quite a lot, and when I come back here it just seems crackers to me that we don't maximise our visibility to others the way they do over there. Although the standard of driving here isn't is bad as some would have you believe (compared to mainland europe), there are still plenty of ejits who fail to turn on their headlights when conditions require it. I'm convinced that it would save lives. Much better than spending however many millions it was suggested to swap all the roadsigns from miles to kilometres for example.
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Well at least we agree on the roadsigns ! - I have visions of drivers doing 50 in a 30 zone.
The Volvo system is OK but the newer cars which I have seen have the most dreadful light systems rather akin to the BMW garish and overlight bright and poorly angled. The reason the Volvo system is OK in the UK is that most drivers are sensible, considerate and don't upgrade from the Standard stock lamps infact at least 50% have the dealer change the bulbs.
Other cars and there owners seem to change the standard stock bulbs for yellow tinted, Blue tinted, Hid kits (for about £300 you can change a standard H1 or H7 or for £400 you can change a standard H4 without any modification so no leveling )then there are factory fit Hids which have a stupid leveling system which fails to operate correctly.
headlights as part of there beam have a Kick to the left- this blinds people on the pavement even if lights are angled correctly
main beam -at night you can see the main beam from your lights, during the day - no chance and for those who say what about the tell-tale well how meny cars forget to turn off the rear fog which is anouther point headlights are linked to the fog light circuit if we drive around with headlights on all day how meny will have the rear fog on?.
Most front fogs are designed as rain usage lights so no need for headlamps and because they don't bounce a solid 80mtr beam down little or no chance of reflections in puddles.
If front fogs were made Day time running lights they would be inspected as part of the MOT.
but I still prefer a no lights during the daytime but that was the way I was taught
Sidelights to be seen Headlights to see
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