That fine fish wrap, USA Today, has a hilarious article on people boo-hooing about HID healights - an absolute life riot, were it for the fact that in today's PC climate, crybabies get far more coverage than they deserve.

The article missed a number of technical points, but was probably written by someone who does not have any sort of credntials in the engineering or safety disciplines.

One woman said they give her headaches - is she staring into them? Are they hynoptic?

I guess a ban is next - the Congress is planning to have hearings.

What's next - banning lowering springs because people get stiff necks looking down at our TL's.

"Beam me up, Scotty!"

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Rage On!
2002 TL-S w. Comptech header/exhaust, springs
SSR Integral A2's
17x7 45mm offset
Pirelli P7000 (Summer) 215-50/17

 

Was she sitting in the driveway staring at them or what? ;-)

BTW - That 3rd brake light is causing me eye trouble. I find that I focus on it because it is at eye level and it makes me look cross-eyed. >:->

 

saw that too..

here is the article btw..
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...6-07-xenon.htm

I love HIDs, it was a main factor for getting my TL. Lights the road very well, and safely for me.
Maybe SUVs shouldn't get them, but autos will need them..

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June 10, 11AM - N. Cali / Bay Area Meet - Click Here!
<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/phanthavong/mytl.html" TARGET=_blank>


</A>2001 SSM. 02 tails, 02 vent trim, burlwood knob.

Mods? What mods? I can't afford mods, I'm getting married!!
Vin says 2001, but it's really a 2000 with an upgraded cupholder!!

 

The article does mention something interesting:

"People will put blue filtering on filament bulbs and advertise it as giving 'HID-like performance.' It doesn't. It gives you the coloring," Flannagan says. In fact, ersatz HIDs could be triggering many of the complaints because "They are causing a lot of glare. They're bad optically and scattering light all over," he says.

It very well might be that a lot of these complaints are coming from people who were blinded by fake HID bulbs.

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2000 WDP 3.2TL non-NAV
AEM CAI w/bypass, Comptech header

 

Just make sure we do our part..put our survey in The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Don't let those stupid drivers walk all over us. hehe... For their info, you freaking don't look into oncoming traffic headlights...damn...are they dumb or something... and also..they freaking just dont' have it on their cars..so..they are bitc***g....I am sure they won't complain if they have HID's.


<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by patc on June 07, 2001 @ ]</font>

 

Could it be its an image thing?? A car with HIDs looks cool perhaps indicating that the car is more technologically advanced than the standard fare, its a given! It makes the car stand out among a bunch of cars...maybe the people who do not have them are jealous :-)

 

I actually find that when driving at night, standard halogen headlamps exhibited in oncoming traffic tends to be more irritating to my eyes than the cooler, seemingly softer xenon headlamps that'll occassion that side of the road perhaps in an Audi, Benz, Acura, or BMW. The whiter light seems more focused, and I tend not to squint as often. Further, w/ xenon's, people will use their high-beams less, seemingly, since the low-beam xenons provide ample road-illumination. There is nothing more annoying that driving down that pitch black road at night and having to put up w/ the buffoon on the oncoming lane who refused to turn off his high-beams!

 

This is why I hate liberals. They whine about everything, and usually succeed in getting their way.

First, they whine about cell phones, and they're well on their way to getting those banned. Problem is, more accidents are caused by changing the radio station, eating, or just general inattentiveness. I guess next they will want to ban music, McDonald's drive thrus, and anyone driving without at least 8 hours sleep the night before. This doesn't even include how they've demonized people who drive SUVs.

Now they're coming after our HIDs. I can just see it now:

First they came after people with cell phones, and I didn't stand up for them.

Then they came after people with stereos, and I didn't stand up for them.

Then they came after my HIDs, and there was no one left to stand up for me.

Oh, well. You had to go and get me started!

 

I totally agree with you . I seen a lot of cars with fake HID bulbs, but our cars come with Rear view autofading, so it doesn't bother us.


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I think xexons really do make a difference out there on the roads. The whole point of having lights is to be seen on the road to prevent accidents.

If you have xenons and the person next to you doesn't, there's a good change that oncoming cars are going to notice you more and they'll be more alert drivers because they see something different.

Sounds like a dumb idea to criticize xenon lights.

 

Ban SUVs first.

 

Scattered blue light is perceived as glare, which is why Brown eye lenses are best for cutting through haze. So the point about EL Cheapo wannabe bulbs may be valid.

I also agree there is a envy thing going - people identify them with Mercs and Bimmers and the like and feel envious.

Som people must like them - they are getting stolen a far bit!

As an EE who also dabbles professionally in audio/video journalism, I know for a fact that high temperature (light temp that is, in degrees Kelvin) light is perceived as more vivid, which is mhy TV monitors from factory are often calibrated way high toward the blue scale, often past 10,000 degrees.

Optimum color rendition is actually much warmer at 6500 degrees.

The manufacturers tune them higher to make them jump out at Circuit City tye displays and because most people watch TV in too bright a room and the high color temps cut through better.

What does this have to do with this post? Perhaps the complainees on this topic see that the color is more vivid, and associate that as being more bright.

I can see it all unfolding now - someone sues Acura because he/she drove off the road while ating a Big Mac, yakking on the phone, and listening to Raffi. Next we will see the mangled corpse of little Poopsie in the baby seat.

Poof - Paul Wellcome dtarts to whine about protecting the children, and bye bye HID's.

This would be a great plot line for that barfing bastion of banality, the West Wing - can't you just see Comrade Sheenski issuing an executive order and enabling the NSA to use its recon birds and the National Guard to round us all up?

Other dangers they missed:
"Baby on Board" signs (blocks views - let's demented people target the babies)

"I'd rather be doing something else" bumper stickers (causes daydreaming and inattention)/

Etc.



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Rage On!
2002 TL-S w. Comptech header/exhaust, springs
SSR Integral A2's
17x7 45mm offset
Pirelli P7000 (Summer) 215-50/17

 

Why?

Just because you don't like them? That's as bad as people b!tching about the HIDs. Or are you one of those watermelon (green on the outside, pink on the inside)enviromentalist wackos who think all our problems are due to yuppies driving their SUVs? Those people need to buy a clue.

Personally, I don't like SUVs because most of them are butt-ugly, but I think people have a right to drive what they want.

 

Oh yeah, those people who complained about the HID will soon complain that the sun is too bright. Why don't they just go underground?

 

I don't like to drive an SUV either. However I think eveyone has the right to drive that. Just like everyone of us who have chosen the TL.

 

What about those of us who have chosen to drive a TL-S *AND* an SUV?

My wife went to pick up some new closet doors from the lumber yard today. Good thing she has the Explorer. Next time we drive to LA, we're going to be glad we're in the TL-S.

And a time for every purpose under heaven.



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2002 Acura TL Type-S Dark Emerald Pearl
1986 Pontiac Fiero SE V6
1994 Ford Explorer 4x4

 

I guess when that lady they refered to must have been pulling her head out of a hole and the light was too bright. But it was probably the little hole she had her head in that gives her a headache when she pulls it out. ;-)

 

SUV's are the best...love my RX300 SUV to death, ditto with the TLS :-)

 

I am in favor of banning HID on SUV. Those vehicle sits too high, and it's Xeon lights does have blinding effect.

I have been blinded twice by the new Escalade. The regular night on the regular SUV isn't much better either.

 

I bet the people that are complaining are the ones who take the fast lane and go 65 mph. They cause even more traffic and problems. They should be ban. I just use high beams on them forget the HID our High beams are bright

Mr.T

 

I have more problems with "regular" headlights mounted high on SUV's. At least my TL's HID's aren't aimed to shine right into the passenger compartment of the car in front of me.

Mikester -- take it easy, dude. I'm not in favor of "banning" anything, but irresponsible drivers are everywhere. And to tell you the truth, 8 times out of 10 when I see someone swerving or drifting around on the road, he/she is on the cell phone. You draw your own conclusions. People certainly have the right to buy or do whatever they want. But when what they do has a good chance of causing me death or injury, I'd better have a thing or two to say about it.

Back to HID's. I think it's just another knee-jerk reaction to change. Whatever is new is sure to annoy some people. Ignore them. Continue to design products on sound scientific principles. Someone always whines no matter what you do.

"In other words, HID technology gives designers lots of light to waste in pursuit of styling goals." Yeah right. I guess you'd say that the internal combustion engine basically gives engineers a way to design cars that look cooler than those good old steam-powered workhorses too.

 

I was listening to Rush Limbaugh when a woman called in and said she gets migraines.Then I forget if she said about wearing sunglasses (at night) or if Rush said it.

 

Anecdotal evidence aside, cell phones cause a very small percentage of accidents. For some reason, people have chosen this as a cause, something to demonize, just like SUVs, tobacco companies, the religious right, and now it seems, HIDs.

If you don't believe me, check out this article:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/577298.asp

 

Tell her to stare into halogens and I bet she'll get headaches. People stare into HIDs just because they're brighter and have a different color.

And... HIDs + SUVs = WTF

 

How much will our HID lights cost to replace? And what is the normal life span of these lights?

 

I guess people are complaining because HID is new. Among the oncoming traffic, HID stands out just because the light is more white than a regular Halogen light. When people spotted something that is new or stands out, I assume, they tend to look directly into it.

HIDs are not 100 times brighter than Halogen. If they look at a Halogen head light directly, I'm sure that they'll be annoyed too.


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2002 Satin Silver TL-S w/ Navi

 

and the article doesn't do it justice either .. the picture they show is one of 'in the line of projection' of the lamp. that is the most bullshit reporting if I've ever seen any. let me see another picture at the regular seated driver level looking down on it. however, I guess the problem does arise when you have a high mounted lamp on an SUV. maybe that's just a matter of projecting it lower I dont know that one but I wont get into that for now. like many others, HID lamps were one of the main reasons that I got swayed to the TL and I'll be damned if I dont voice my opinion if the need ever arises.

 

wouldn't that be 'conservatives' who are resistant to change?

 

Interesting article, and it raises valid issues. I do agree that the main issue is not cell phones or food or radios, but irresponsible, inattentive or unskilled drivers, and there's very little that can be done about it aside from education and tougher licensing requirements with periodic requalification (not unlike the Private Pilot's license).

 

There was a study recently that looked at accident rates, rather than total accidents. I looked a bit on the web, and couldn't find the original study, but I believe that they found:
1) Accidents per mile driven were significantly higher when people are on cell phones; comparable to accidents per mile for drunk drivers, and
2) Accident rates were about the same whether it was a hands-free phone or not.

Since I haven't found the original, I haven't been able to check their statistical methodology. If anyone has that paper, I'd love to see it.

In any case, if true, then it suggests to me that cellphone driving is a big problem. Of course, other distracted driving may be an equally big problem.



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2002 Acura TL Type-S Dark Emerald Pearl
1986 Pontiac Fiero SE V6
1994 Ford Explorer 4x4

 

USA Today does not even have enough GUTS to put a user comments section in their articles. If they do, the reporter will be force to resign. I think should we start a counter attack on USA Today. Everyone send them a email asking for a scientific test, not base on the report on several people. They should done more research before they publish this. Now it is our time to fight back. REMEBER to VOICE YOUR OPINION when NHTSA starts its program.

Also, why that SUV driver look into the light instead the road?


"I see dumb driver, they are everywhere. They DRIVE around like everyone else.
They don't even know that they are DUMB DRIVERS" ...... from the movie

 

I have noticed that the HIDs on BMWs can really blast your eyes. They have a self leveling mechanism... that would be great if we had self leveling roads.

The TL's HIDs really do a nice job of spreading the light out evenly... I don't think they are as offensive.

So I guess what I'm saying is that HID lighting systems with the wrong design can be very annoying. I've found the BMW X5 to be annoying in oncoming trafic. I wonder what it looks like from within the vehicle. Maybe they need to spread the light out more evenly... less focused on a particular area.

 

Does anyone know which (USAToday) email address to send that to?

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2002 Satin Silver TL-S w/ Navi

 

Here's some facts: Color has a lot to do with perception. 7-11s use sodium lamps (yellow) to deter loitering. WalMart uses HIDs (white) to appear cleaner. Hospitals use fluorescent lamps to also appear cleaner. Lamp color is based on burning temperature, measured in Kelvin, like Road Rage said. However Kelvin and color rendering are totally unrelated. There is another measurement known as Coloring Rendering Index which measures the ability to distinguish color under certain lights. Lamp brightness is measured in lumens. Halogen lamps and HIDs put out the same amount of lumens, meaning they are the same "brightness." I think the reason HIDs seem brighter or cause eye strain is because of the activation of rods and cones. At night, the rods detect light brightness (black and white). The cones are activated to distinguish color which perhaps causes this perceived pain. Most people don't understand any of this, especially the uneducated public that wants to complain about our headlights. I work for the company that invented the dimmer, so I think I understand what I'm talking about.

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John

2002 WDP TL-S (non-nav)
ex 2000 WDP TL Nav driver