dnl2ba

My TSX's headlights cut off very abruptly, and not very far out. It's a real pain when approaching an incline, because that further reduces the range. Is this normal?

briny319

yes, that's how they work.

And yes it is a pain going up hill.

larchmont

We've had a lot of hot debate on this, both here and (especially) on the old site. I think I was the first one who posted about this, and at first, hardly anyone agreed. In fact, a few people got really, really mad that anyone would complain about anything about the lights, since they thought the lights were so great. I was coming from a TL-S, which has GREAT lights, and so I thought it was just that my recent standard of comparison was a tough act to follow.

I didn't define my complaint very well -- I just said the lights don't illluminate very far (low beam only -- high beam is great). Anyway, after a while some people did define it better, and then basically everyone agreed.

BTW I just had my first servicing (which was great). I mentioned to them about the lights, and asked if they could check if they're aimed properly. They found that they were aimed slightly DOWNWARD, and adjusted them. I haven't yet had the opportunity to see what kind of difference it'll make.

dnl2ba

I guess I can wait till I take it in for something else. I do think it could be a potential safety hazard, though.

Eek, I just remembered that I had a dream last night that I hit a truck and didn't even realize it. In my dream, it was really dark out, and he had made some sort of really sharp left turn and then sat there so only part of his bumper (out of my sight) was still in my lane.

accsuperstar

yikes just watched identity last night... gettin hit by cars is freaky no joke

but yea the cut off is kinda of weird, but eventually youll get used to it. i need to compare the lights with my old cars halogens and see if the cutoff is really that low.

fdl

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...=&threadid=727

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...&threadid=1995

larchmont

Nice links, FDL.

That first one was one of the classic examples of our..... ummmm, "digressions."

majormojo

While I still find the "line" at the top of the beam a bit distracting, I have no complaints at all with the distance they shine out horizontally from the car. In fact, I'm quite amazed at their range. It's especially noticeable on reflective signs. I see them waaaay off in the distance and can't believe I'm seeing reflection from my own headlights. Very impressive.

dnl2ba

Good links. All my friends have asked about the weird abrupt end to the lights, and I guess I still don't have a good answer as to why. I understand that it's important to avoid blinding oncoming drivers, but the cut-off doesn't need to be that close to accomplish that, does it? All I can really say now is that it's (according to TSXautoXer in the second link) standard for Euro-spec headlights.

The TSX doesn't have auto-leveling lights, right? I hadn't heard that as a TSX feature.

Bass Mechanic

i adjusted mine up just a smidge, they are still pointing well below the eye level of oncomming traffic but i can see a lot farther down the road

XPLORx4

The main differences between projector HID lights and the headlamps you've been used to driving with (in your old car) are color temperature and beam pattern.

HID's are bluer and brighter than halogens.

Projector headlamps (even non-HIDs) have a very distinct horizontal boundary between brightly-lit and unlit, while older headlamps have a brightly lit region with gradually decreasing brightness as the beam pattern spreads.

With projector HIDs, the full intensity of the lamp is available all the way to the cutoff boundary. Since you don't want your headlamps to blind other drivers, the cutoff is designed to stay below a certain threshold.

I find that this threshold seems to be just a few inches below a typical sedan's side-view mirrors, when at a distance of 1-2 carlengths.

Also, I'd like to offer a differing viewpoint to those that say the left headlamp is deliberatly aimed "lower" than the right to avoid blinding other drivers. The slight "bump" you sometimes notice is not due to aiming variations right to left, but is due to the projector lamp's beam pattern.

I confirmed this by driving up to a brick wall with the headlamps on, and both headlamps have exactly the same slightly concave (or U-shaped) pattern, with a peculiar bump near the middle. (In fact, I noticed that my left lamp is aimed slightly higher than the right! ) It's this bump, combined with the concave shape in each lamp's identical beam pattern that you perceive as misalignment.

I'll take a pic if anyone is interested, but it's easy to check it out for yourself.

soopa

the sharp line is supposed to be easier on your eyes... less fatigue and eye strain.