I was test driving both a base and tech RDX at night on dark roads without any street lights. I noticed that when using the low beams there was an abrupt drop off of light in a straight line pattern that almost made it look as though the windshield was tinted and everything above the tint line was dark. This was the same in both models and my wife commented on the same thing without my mentioning it.

Has anyone else noticed or experienced this with their RDX? I have only owned sedans in the past, so I thought maybe it had something to do with the fact that the RDX sits higher, but I have rented various small SUVs and I don't recall ever noticing anything like that.

Thanks.

 

I noticed that right away on my tech RDX. It's the way the lights are setup. A first, I found it odd, but the more I drive the car, the light setup doesn't bother me. I'm sure you can adjust the lights if you feel this is an issue. I don't see the setup hindering my ability to see the road.

 

I think I need to lower that cut-off. I get flashed all the time by oncoming drivers who think I'm driving with my high beams.

 

OP, are you talking about a drop from the HID cutoff height on the driver side? If so, the driver side headlights are aimed slightly lower so that it wouldn't blind the incoming traffic.

 

What I am referring to was the same in both the tech trim with HID and the non-tech with the regular halogen lamps. When looking out on the road it appeared as though there was a straight line in the road (that had the illusion of looking like it could be in the windshield) separating light from dark. it was a little distracting to me and particularly noticeable when driving on somewhat of a hilly road because the line would bounce around.

It's a little hard to explain if it isn't something you've noticed, and it would only be noticeable if you were driving on a road without street lights and there weren't other cars around illuminating the road. Sounds like RDXchic noticed the same thing. I would be interested to know how the lights could be adjusted.

 

You were observing the light cut off line, something that is inherent with all projector beam headlights.
You can adjust the lights up or down which will project the cut off line farther or closer.
If this is bothersome you might want to consider a vehicle with conventional low tech headlights.

 

It might actually be a little more obvious in an SUV because the headlights are located physically higher than in most sedans. This makes the headlights have to point a little more steeply downwards, and as a result the cutoff might appear to be closer, or more distinct.

But it's just an illusion, since headlights are pretty closely controlled by state and federal laws. That cutoff at the top of the headlight pattern is there to avoid blinding oncoming traffic, so you're not going to be able to do much to avoid it.

I recall very well when I got my first car with xenon headlights ... the cutoff was so much more obvious because of the intensity of the light that I actually asked the dealer if I could change them back to halogens. Above the blinding light of the xenons there was a sharp cutoff, above which everything was pitch black, and it was almost hard to drive behind them. As with most things I got used to it.

 

Thanks everyone. I was doing some of my own research and reached the same conclusion. I have older sedans that would not have the newer projector light mechanism. I do find it bothersome (as does my wife) and evidently we aren't the only ones based on some internet posts I have found. However I suspect if I don't want to go that route I am going to filter out a lot of vehicles from my search that I otherwise would be interested in (including the RDX).

 

That's a deal breaker for you? If it is, you can always adjust the driver side headlight to your liking.

 

It's the price to pay for more powerful headlights, unfortunately - they then need to have their pattern neutered a bit so oncoming traffic isn't blinded.

Could also try driving a Tech version with the foglights on to see if that gives you a little extra light past the cutoff. If that works for you, keep in mind you can add the same foglight system to the base version.
Of course, this is dependent on whether you have moral issues leaving foglights on in all conditions, foggy or not...

 

The cutoff is above the fog lights. Even with the fog lights on in the tech, you still get the headlight cutoff that appears to be a line within the windshield.

 

I believe my wife's 2007 RL has a similar phenomana with the lights in low beam.

 

Be proud! this is a highly coveted feature of Acura's HIDs

As mentioned, this is projector cut off. The Projector has a internal shield that bisects the mid point of the projector bowl. The cut off usually is not a straight line, rather it is what is known as a Z bend where the right side is higher than the left. This is to allow more illumination to the curb lane signs, pedestrians, obstacles while preventing glaring of on coming traffic.

The blue band you see separating the white light and dark is a due to diffraction, where waves of light are bent around the edge off the cutoff shield, causing the blue band, and what appears to be blue flicker to on coming cars. The longer the wavelength, the more it will bend. The longest wavelength is red, and the shortest is blue.

This is a highly sought after phenomenon to most car enthusiasts. In fact the Acura TSX and TL projectors are highly sought after for the hi performance tuning crowd, where many custom retro fit shops are grafting these projectors into others top branded cars.

I have 2 BMWs with upgrades HID Projectors, and my first impression of the RDX HIDs is, they are pretty good. I like them.

My M3 has custom installed Infinity FX45 Bi-Xenon projectors. The light output and cutoff pattern from these is the best in the industry, and with out a doubt the most sought after projector upgrade.

Here is a repost from my thread in another forum