HID Lights are they legal? Your take on them........
 

Hi Guys i was checking out new trucks and options etc and i came across that KenworthT660 is coming out with new HID lights in07models. I am wondering if it is legal and can i have these lights on my truck as after market replacement of some sort as i really like these white lights as they come on Acuras and BMW pickups they seem to give you more vision @ night driving i am not a fan of blue lighting but would like to get the white light in the range or 4300-6000K.
So I would like your inputs on this too.........

Legal? Yes.

Cheap? Hell no.

They are proud of them lights,thats fer sure. I hate those blue,or green lights. Fed Ex uses them weird white lights too. Looks like they change colors from the road vibration.

I hate those things when They're coming at me.

I do too. Arta be a law against them thangs :P Yeah,you almost need a welding hood when those blue lights are coming at ya

Those lights are very special in that they have level adjusters in them. What I mean is that when your vehicle goes over a little rise in the road and your front end raises up, the lights have a level sensor that makes them point down so they don't blind someone. There are some places you can buy the lights but without the leveling system they are illegal. Here in New Hampshire the kids are being nailed left and right with these lights and the news papers and local news stations are reminding people that you can't just replace the lights, it must be the whole unit. I'm assuming it also applies to trucks.

They can really be blinding when they approach you from the opposite direction. :evil:

Yeah,they can,GMAN. I hate those lights. I kinda like to see those older model pickups coming at ya,and when they dim their lights,there isnt really much of a difference. :P

Yeah, those lights are great for expanding your vision. Too bad that everyone else can't see a damned thing. :x I remember a local story here last year where someone got blinded by them and crossed the center line, hitting the car that had those stupid things, head on. The person in the car with the bright lights, died. The other person was treated and released. Turned out that the kid that died and just installed them on his car. :roll:

They should be a law against them. they are really bad when they are coming in the other direction when you are in the snow and ice

If you guys ever drove a car with them you would'nt want to drive with anything else,I had them on a BMW that I had and when adjusted and aimed properly they really are incredable.After switching back to the dull yellowish looking regular lights you would be surprised at how much you are missing.

Didn't miss a thing from them-Got them full blast right into my Eyelids

Ok guys i guess the verdict is out, they may be good for cars but for us truckers they are BAD and as a courtsey to my fellow truckers i should not have them on my rig..........

I drive at night 100% now and i spend way too much time squinting due to people's brights...Now with those Xenon headlights, its like they have their brights on by default...GRRRRR

One of the biggest problems is that very few headlights are actually properly adjusted.

I read an article few years ago that said that less than 5% of cars and light trucks leave the factory with properly adjusted headlights and that less than 10% are sold new with the adjustment checked.

In addition to that over 80% of people who change out burned out headlights actually accidently readjust the lights and make matters worse.

Does anyone know how to adjust the lights? I just replaced the chrome things behind my headlights and they could be out of adjustment. I know how to actually adjust them, I need to know the stats, like 15' away and 8' feet high when facing a wall.

You can figure it out basically by parking your car very close to the wall you are going to use.

Turn on your lights and mark with some tape where the center of your lights come to rest.

Then move your car 25 feet away and adjust your lights so the center of the low beam comes to rest 2-3 inches under the tape and they are pointed slightly right of center.

A properly designed HID headlamp system should be no more blinding than a regular headlamp. Projectors are preferred because they can control stray glare much better than standard reflectors, which is why KW is using projector technology on the T660. Most OEM systems are going with projectors for HID systems.

But a lot of people are putting HID systems in halogen headlamp housings, both reflector AND projector and the optics of a halogen lamp housinig simply are not capable of properly handling the increased lumen output of HID lamps. Also the reflector and lenses are designed to reflect a filament pattern and the arc pattern in an HID bulb is different than a filament. Throw in the fact that most retrofit kits are poorly made and don't have the bulb in the precise condition it should be and BAM, you get blinding glare. Headlamps are almost an exact science. The bulb has to be EXACTLY in the right position otherwise the lamp won't properly function. You can't simply "guess" at it.