# As long as we're on the subject of headlights ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2000, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-were-on-the-subject-of-headlights/29516 "2000-08-16T00:42:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-were-on-the-subject-of-headlights/29516/1 "2000-08-16T00:42:57Z")
What does anybody have to say about the new xenon lights? Other than “\*!@###$$\*\* those blinding bright blue headlights on some rich \*%%!!'s \*!!\*\*%@@ snobmobile” that is. What are the like to be on the driver’s side of? I’ve heard people say they’re great, and other people say they’re like driving in a bathtub. A search reveals that we’ve discussed what the novel blue lights were before, but not specifically kicked around driver impressions. They are starting to turn up on less expensive cars now, so more of us may have to consider the pros and cons. Remember when the halogen lights came in, and only turned up on expensive vehicles at first? Now they’re everywhere. I’m wondering if the HID xenons are going to follow the same path. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-were-on-the-subject-of-headlights/29516/2 "2000-08-16T04:39:30Z")
“…like driving in a bathtub” What does this mean??? ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-were-on-the-subject-of-headlights/29516/3 "2000-08-16T04:52:53Z")
As a pedestrian, they are interesting to look at, until one stares you in the face. Their intensity seems to affect my night vision more than older headlamps, and I tend to overestimate their distance due to the small profile. But I can live with 'em–or die trying. ---
**Author:** ![Steve-o](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@Steve-o](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve-o)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-were-on-the-subject-of-headlights/29516/4 "2000-08-16T06:23:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by stuyguy \* > \*\*"…like driving in a bathtub" > > What does this mean??? \*\* \… I’ll use small words so’s you can understand… It means that it is like driving… in a bathtub? Nevermind… will someone kindly use small words so’s I can understand? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-were-on-the-subject-of-headlights/29516/5 "2000-08-16T06:42:49Z")
Sorry, I have no experience driving in bathtubs. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-were-on-the-subject-of-headlights/29516/6 "2000-08-16T14:09:09Z")
The Car talk guys say that there are a lot of xonon nockoffs which are not properly aimed. Their column: > **[Car News, Blogs & Analysis | Cars.com](https://www.cars.com/news/)** > > Browse up-to-the-minute automotive news and analysis, including expert reviews of the latest cars on the market, at Cars.com. They say nothing about bathtubs though. This column seems to indicate that the lights on the less expensive cars are not real xenon lights. ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-were-on-the-subject-of-headlights/29516/7 "2000-08-16T14:27:14Z")
I hate those new headlights. Way too bright. A real hazard/annoyance to other drivers. (for that matter, I hate all unnecessarily bright outdoor lights, but I’ve already expressed that in the Pit) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-were-on-the-subject-of-headlights/29516/8 "2000-08-16T15:33:11Z")
“Like driving in a bathtub” was a phrase I heard applied to them to express the fact that they lit up the immediate area in front of you extremely well, but left you blind beyond that range. It stuck with me for some reason. The Click and Clack column was interesting. Thanks. I like Ray’s closing remark: > [@](#): > > But it doesn’t look like anything is going to stop the xenon onslaught now. Like most automotive technology, it’ll work its way down from the Mercedeses and BMWs to the Fords and Chevys in a couple of years. And then maybe we’ll all have to wear sunglasses at night. Ah, progress. They also make the point about cheap knockoffs, improper aiming, and so on. They also seem to think they’re wonderful for the driver. Tom: > [@](#): > > And from the driver’s point of view, they’re magnificent. Their light pattern is supposedly the same as standard headlights, but the xenon bulbs deliver bright light all the way to the edges of the pattern, which means you see more of the road. As Ray prophesied, they are working their way down to less expensive models as manufacturer installed options, and we will assume manufacturers are installing real xenons. For some reason Audis seem to have REALLY blue lights, and Audi seems to be pushing them hard - they offer them across their whole model line. Their entry level cars are low $20K range, hardly exclusive territory these days. ---
**Author:** ![ptdang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7c8e57/32.png) [@ptdang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ptdang)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-long-as-were-on-the-subject-of-headlights/29516/9 "2000-08-16T21:45:23Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by yabob \* > \*\*What does anybody have to say about the new xenon lights? Other than "_!@###$$\*\* those blinding bright blue headlights \*\* Daniel Stern has much to say: [http://x71.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=632003313&CONTEXT=966460987.1328152576&hitnum=3](http://x71.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=632003313&CONTEXT=966460987.1328152576&hitnum=3) To sorta summarize, HID is a brighter lightsource. For a given headlamp pattern, the brighter lightsource will be more obvious. Being that DOT lowbeam headlamps already glare, it’s much more glare using a HID source. As for them appearing blue, the glass element used in projector headlamps is more prone to color seperation: [http://x54.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=656979544&CONTEXT=966461720.2115305486&hitnum=0](http://x54.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=656979544&CONTEXT=966461720.2115305486&hitnum=0)